Some basic considerations…

What is plurilingual communication?

Plurilingual communication takes place when speakers of different languages and cultural backgrounds interact in one situation.

There are various aspects of plurilingual communication:

  • Communication does not take place in one particular language, but in a combination of languages (“polyglot dialogue”).
  • Languages are not opposing one another, but they complement one another.
  • Several languages are used to interact and to convey meaning, which results in language switch.
  • The participants in a plurilingual situation have to be aware of and respond to the different language and cultural backgrounds.
  • In order to communicate successfully in a plurilingual situation, participants do not only need to draw upon their language competences, but also on their intercultural, social and personal competences.
  • One aspect of plurilingual communication is mediation.
  • To a certain extent, all of the participants in a plurilingual situation need to function as mediators.
  • The decision to use various languages simultaneously instead of using a lingua franca is either a necessity or a very considerate decision taken in order to appreciate cultural and language diversity.
  • As far as language, emotions and behaviour are concerned, it is essential to show particular flexibility and sensitivity in such a plurilingual situation.
  • Comprehension checks are extremely important.

Plurilingual competences and the CEF

The Council of Europe defines plurilingualism as follows:


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. This is not seen as the superposition or juxtaposition of distinct competences, but rather as the existence of a complex or even composite competence on which the user may draw. (CEF Section 8.1)


Plurilingual competence is described in the CEF Companion Volume 2018 as follows:

Plurilingual competence as explained in the CEFR (Section 1.3) involves the ability to call flexibly upon an inter-related, uneven, plurilinguistic repertoire to:

  • switch from one language or dialect (or variety) to another;
  • express oneself in one language (or dialect, or variety) and understand a person speaking another;
  • call upon the knowledge of a number of languages (or dialects, or varieties) to make sense of a text;
  • recognise words from a common international store in a new guise;
  • mediate between individuals with no common language (or dialect, or variety), even with only a slight knowledge oneself;
  • bring the whole of one’s linguistic equipment into play, experimenting with alternative forms of expression;
  • exploit paralinguistics (mime, gesture, facial expression, etc.).

(CEF Companion Volume 2018, p.28)

Why foster plurilingual and pluricultural competences?

There are various reasons why it is important to foster plurilingual and pluricultural competences in formal education.

  • Language diversity and plurilingualism are part of a wider European identity.
  • Plurilingual and pluricultural competences support mutual understanding. They help avoid misunderstandings or enable negotiation of potential misunderstandings whether in private or business life.
  • Graduates who can draw on plurilingual and pluricultural competences will have better chances of finding a job.
  • It has a positive influence on learners’ cognitive development if plurilingual competences are promoted.
  • It will have a positive impact on cross-curricular teaching of subjects which are usually taught separately
  • If plurilingual methods are applied, teaching time can be used more efficiently in the long run.