Page 30 - Diversity in Action

Silva Bratož, Anja Pirih, Anita Sila, and Mojca Žefran

Pluralistic Approaches to Language Teaching
Over the past two decades, several initiatives have been launched to pro-
mote linguistic diversity in Europe. These efforts are now collectively known
as ‘pluralistic approaches to language teaching’ – approaches which focus on
fostering an appreciation of linguistic diversity and cultural understanding.
These approaches recognise the value of all languages – home languages,
dialects, sign languages, and regional languages – rather than concentrat-
ing solely on ‘foreign’ or ‘second’ languages (Candelier et al., 2010). This per-
spective is further supported by the Framework of Reference for Pluralistic
Approaches to Languages and Cultures (FREPA), which offers descriptors and
guidelines for developing plurilingual and intercultural competence. FREPA
advocates for moving away from a monolingual and monocultural view in
language education, encouraging educators to expose students to a range
of languages and cultures, including their native languages, regional lan-
guages, and languages of migration.
One initiative stemming from this concept is the ‘evlang’ or Language
Awakening approach, which aims to raise awareness of language diversity
in the classroom and encourages students to see language as a system. The
primary goal of this approach is not to teach specific languages, but to raise
awareness of linguistic diversity and its significance in both personal and
societal contexts (Darquennes, 2017). Several Language Awakening projects
have emerged in Europe in the past two decades. For example, the Janua
Linguarum initiative (Candelier, 2004) was designed to promote linguistic
and cultural diversity among young learners in different European countries
and foster the development of plurilingual and intercultural competencies
in early education. The primary goal was to expose children to a variety of
languages through activities involving interactive games, storytelling and
songs, etc., fostering an appreciation for linguistic and cultural diversity from
ayoung age.
A concept closely connected to language diversity with a strong focus on
challenging monolingual ideologies is translanguaging (García & Otheguy,
2020). This pedagogical approach encourages learners to use their full range
of language skills, including their home language(s), in the learning process.
Translanguaging practices not only support fluency in individual languages
butalso promote theideathatlearninglanguages is notjust about acquir-
ing a new foreign language, but about expanding one’s overall linguistic and
culturalknowledge.It viewslanguagediversityasavaluableresource,fosters
the development of bilingual or multilingual identities, and seeks to disman-

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