Enjeux d’un plurilinguisme réceptif

Abstract

The action research project carried out on "SolidarNet", one of GDF SUEZ’s Corporate Social Networks, showed that some of the members / users seem to harbor a feeling of incompetence or exclusion mainly due to expected linguistic competencies and language practices. The lack of participation due to a perception of linguistic barriers within the social network is likely to compromise the objectives of the deployment of such a work and communication tool. We have here a disparity between good will and reality. Could mutual understanding processes provide a solution to this difficult situation ? By stressing the "production" capability in a foreign language with reference to multilingualism representations, would reading comprehension skills be harmed ? However, couldn't these skills be regarded as a full-fledged competence ? Wouldn't a valorization and use of the users’ ability to understand texts in other languages than their mother-tongues be an enrichment not only for written exchanges within the workplace of international companies but also for linguistic diversity ?

Keywords

• multilingualism
• corporate social networks
• language policy
• receptive multilingualism
• reading comprehension
• preservation of languages