ABSTRACT
The introduction to this book promised that it was about ‘broadening horizons’ and in the course of its four parts and twelve chapters we have seen the multifaceted nature of our topic. The year 2001 was the European Year for Languages. As a result, we began the new millennium with renewing our commitment to language as a central vehicle for achieving our social, economic and cultural goals. I wrote also in the introduction that, in the twentieth century, the philosophy of language was the philosophy of man (sic). We define ourselves in linguistic terms, and communication is an essential component in our high-tech, global ‘village’. We can therefore assume with some confidence that language matters and systems of communication will continue to define the way we think and act, and to increase at an exponential rate. But these ideas are not simply a pragmatic response to external demands. Besides meeting the communication needs of the modern economy, language is also probably the most embedded aspect of an individual’s personality. What language? Where? When? Why? These are questions laden with personal repercussions for the individual as much as for international ambitions. So, as soon as we involve ourselves in language, we evoke a whole set of actions and reactions as a consequence. It could be argued that questions of language teaching and learning are a rather small part of the vast field of intercultural preoccupations. However, we have seen here how many facets of theory and practice of just one area of it – Modern Languages Across the Curriculum – link with a range of social and individual processes. Starting with methodological and pedagogic concerns, it has been necessary to raise a whole set of questions about values and actions in order to understand present practice and future possibilities in connecting life and language. In this conclusion, I want to sum up the range of concerns and issues raised in the course of the book, taking Modern Languages Across the Curriculum as our point of reference.
