Open AccessThe intercultural encounter as a communicative event subject to mediation
Author(s) -
Grażyna Zarzycka
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
acta universitatis lodziensis. kształcenie polonistyczne cudzoziemców
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2449-6839
pISSN - 0860-6587
DOI - 10.18778/0860-6587.28.04
Subject(s) - mediation , event (particle physics) , intercultural communication , subject (documents) , linguistics , section (typography) , foreign language , psychology , ethnography , intercultural relations , pedagogy , sociology , computer science , social science , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , library science , anthropology , operating system
The aim of this article is to discuss the place and role of the intercultural encounter (IE) in communication and education, including in foreign language teaching. Firstly, I present the IE as a communicative event and define it using terms developed by ethnographers of speech (communication). Secondly, I discuss the concepts contained in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Companion Volume with New Descriptors (CEFR 2018) relating to the mediation of text, concepts, and communication, and present the original definition of mediation in intercultural contacts. That section emphasises that mediation does not only act as an intermediary facilitating the course of a communication event but also as an “understanding interview with oneself.” Next, I discuss theoretical concepts related to the IE, I describe it as a tool used in teaching and intercultural education, and I present a description of the IE by a student of the Teaching Polish as a Foreign/Second Language course at the University of Lodz. Finally, I analyse an example description of an IE and present preliminary conclusions on how to use IE descriptions in various educational contexts.