Plurilingualism:

According to the Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFR), plurilingual and pluricultural competence refers to "the ability to use languages for the purposes of communication and to take part in intercultural interaction, where a person, viewed as a social agent, has proficiency, of varying degrees, in several languages and experience of several cultures."

Plurilingualism:

• Entails a dynamic linguistic repertoire that can change overtime

• The linguistic repertoire can include different degrees of proficiency in different languages

• Speakers make use of various communicative resources for diverse purposes and can code-switch (switch the language they speak)

• Supports the notion that when teaching a foreign languages, languages should be linked to one another

• Includes a cultural aspect and the development of pluricultural competence

(Council of Europe, 2007)

Complexity of Plurilingualism

The complexity of plurilingualism depends on four dimensions:

• Socio-affective dimension

  • Involves motivation, readiness and predisposition to engage in dialogue

• Linguistic and communicative dimension

  • Ability to make use of experience and knowledge, whereby different languages play different roles

• Learning strategies dimension

  • Ability to exploit various ways of processing spoken language and resolve communication problems

• Interaction management dimension

  • Occurs in situations of language contact where speakers manage communication ouput they produce based on the languages spoken in context