Journal of Languages for Specific Purposes (Mar 2019)
TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT THE HELLENIC ARMY MILITARY ACADEMY. THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE
Abstract
During the process of internationalization, interpersonal communication has been transformed into intercultural communication involving people from different cultural systems that communicate effortlessly with each other. The present study focuses on the inductive methodology that is followed at the Hellenic Army Military Academy in order to help cadets to acquire communicative skills while absorbing the knowledge of English or French language, literature, and culture. The inductive methodology gives shape to an innovative teaching approach as English and French become languages of special purposes, taking into consideration the needs and requirements of the contemporary international environment. The Hellenic Army Military Academy provides a multidimensional and of high quality, military academic training that lasts four years. Teaching foreign languages, particularly English and French meets the prospects and commitments of the Hellenic Army Military Academy and the Hellenic Ministry of Defence. Because teaching English and French and Military Terminology is accomplished simultaneously in hellenophone and allophone speaking cadets during the first two years of their academic program. Given the heterogeneous cultural and linguistic contexts, lectures are oriented towards participatory learning so that all cadets are activated to the educational process. The subjects of English and French Military Terminology and War Literature are taught during the third and fourth years at the Hellenic Army Military Academy in order to aid cadets in acquiring the necessary reading, writing, listening and oral skills that will enable them to attend the Annual Spring Program of Military Erasmus as well as the academic programs of the Anglo-Saxon universities they will go to after graduation. Authentic English and French texts and historical, political and fictional texts have been selected concerning the organization of the army, the art and act of conducting war as well as the experiences of American, English and French war veterans. By the time cadets graduate, with the help of their lecturers who assist them in the difficult task of providing them with vocabulary activities, oral, writing and listening exercises, they can speak two European languages and know the military terms, phrases and idioms that are usually found in military texts in order to use them when communicating with their colleagues abroad
