« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
A note on terminology
Community languages are defined as all languages in use in a society, other than the dominant or national language. In Scotland, where the dominant language is English, community languages include Gaelic, Scots, Urdu, Punjabi, Chinese, Polish, Italian and British Sign Language ( BSL).
Modern languages are defined as languages studied at school or in other formal contexts. In Scotland, these are typically French, German, Spanish, Italian, Urdu and Gaelic. The difference between modern language learning and community language learning lies not in the languages themselves (note that any 'modern' language can also be a 'community' language) but in the learners' experiences. Community language learners have had some (often extensive) prior experience of the languages before starting to study them in a formal context. Modern language learners begin studying the language from scratch in a formal context and usually have little or no exposure to the language outside the classroom.
Plurilingual refers to someone who can speak more than one language. The term is used in preference to 'bilingual' which indicates someone who can speak two (but not more) languages, in order not to have to distinguish between those who speak two and those who speak more than two languages. It is now well-established in the research literature that someone described as 'bilingual' or 'plurilingual' does not necessarily have 'native-like' competence in both or all languages, although this tends to be a popular interpretation of the meaning of 'bilingual'. Most plurilinguals have acquired their languages in different contexts and use them for different purposes; in addition, they tend not to have equal access to education in each language. Their competences in each language therefore tend to vary and to complement each other.
Multilingual refers to societies in which more than one language is in use - although it is not necessarily the case that all the people in that society are plurilingual. This distinction between the 'plurilingual' person and the 'multilingual' society originates with the Council of Europe and is maintained in this report in order to make links, where appropriate, with Council of Europe policy and debate.
Mainstream education refers to education provided by Scottish local authorities in primary and secondary schools, either during the standard school day (core mainstream) or after school hours, as part of a school's extra-curricular provision.
Complementary education refers to educational provision organised by communities, independently of the local authority. Complementary classes, schools or centres usually operate after school hours or at weekends, making provision for children to learn community languages, often because they do not have opportunities to study these languages in mainstream schools. Complementary classes, schools or centres are sometimes referred to as 'supplementary' or 'community-based' provision, but 'complementary' has become the preferred term for this sector.
« Previous | Contents | Next »