Językiem wykładowym jest język polski i język angielski, jednakże monografia ukaże się w języku angielskim.



Another Language, Another Culture: The Bright and Dark Sides of Foreign Languages

Richer Culture, Better Understanding and a Deeper Historical Consciousness… But Are They?

Currently, good command of a foreign language is considered necessary in both professional and private lives. Gaining such skills is inseparably connected with acquiring and – in a broader sense – even adopting the culture, history and/or mentality of the native speakers’ nation. The acquisition of the "circumlinguistic" values has a profound impact on the learners’ minds, the usage of their mother tongue and foreign languages, the perception of themselves and others, along with – generally speaking –  their approach to life.

            Owing to linguistics and psychology, we have the possibility to observe and research these captivating processes in operation. A foreign language and culture acquisition may serve numerous purposes, e.g. exerting influence on others or manipulating their views and stances.

            Historically, the knowledge of foreign languages frequently conditioned survival (in the cases of e.g. military conflicts, land annexations or forced administrative divisions). Speaking the invaders’ languages meant subsistence, but also offered a chance to climb the social ladder. The skill has significantly influenced national consciousness, legal and educational systems and numerous other fields.

            Translators – as professionals ‘suspended’ between cultures and languages – can also relate to the issue of bi- or multilingualism. Balancing on the edges of various intellectual worlds makes for a great subject of scientific research.

            The phenomenon of foreign languages as such is obviously multifaceted; thus, it can be addressed in various ways. The main grounds on which the conference organisers would like to rest the discourse on include the following:

-          teaching foreign languages in current Polish, EU and other education systems;

-          foreign languages learning/teaching from the historical perspective;

-          social dimensions of speaking a foreign language;

-          relations between teaching/learning a foreign language and teaching/learning the history, culture, and the present situation in a country;

-          the brain and intellectual processes taking place in the mind of a person using a foreign language;

-          translating/interpreting as a means of intercultural existence;

-          advantages and drawbacks of bi-and multilingualism;

-          gains and detriments of the exposure to diverse cultures, values and philosophies

Naturally, the scope of interest of the conference is not constrained to the above-mentioned questions only. The organisers encourage contributions operating in the fields corresponding to the mentioned topics yet approaching the phenomenon from other perspectives to send in their suggestions.

The time allotted for individual papers will be 20 minutes plus 5 minutes for discussion. The conference venue are the premises of the Faculty of Humanities, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn at ul. Kurta Obitza 1. Please, send the application form with abstracts of the presentations – approx. 200-250 words – to the following e-mail address:

konferencja.drugijezyk@gmail.com

The application deadline: 30st April 2016

The conference fee: 250zł

The payment deadline: 15th May

The conference fee includes conference materials, proceedings, tea/coffee, two lunches, one evening dinner and sightseeing the highlights of Olsztyn. Accommodation is not included in the conference fee. However, the organisers are happy to advise on the subject if necessary.

The organisers reserve the right to select conference presentations. The accepted ones – in the form of a scientific article – will be published in a peer-reviewed monograph. The final version of the paper submitted for publication should be e-mailed to: konferencja.drugijezyk@gmail.com by 30th September 2016. Guidelines for authors shall be sent in a separate e-mail.

Should you have any further enquiries, do not hesitate to contact the following conference coordinators via e-mail: konferencja.drugijezyk@gmail.com

http://sknalbion.pl/konferencje/drugi-jezyk-druga-kultura-2016/