Intercomprehension

Key takeaways

Intercomprehension belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Intercomprehension to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Intercomprehension from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Intercomprehension is when people try to communicate with each other using their own different languages. Intercomprehension can be explained as a dialogue between people from two different languages. Each one expresses in their own language, making efforts to understand each other. Here we find some European methods to learn Intercomprehension. These four methods were the pioneer in this branch of linguistics and started around 2000 in different universities: Galatea, EuRom4, EuroComRom (Les sept tamis), and Understanding romance languages. All these methods focused in reading skills learning simultaneously in different Latin languages as these languages are so close in semantics, phonetics, etymology etc.

Obstacles found within intercomprehension There are a few obstacles that present themselves within intercomprehension. Effort is most noticeably influenced, as it requires both parties to exert more effort than typical in order to understand and reflect from one speaker to the other. Additionally, the extent to which dialogue is maintained is highly dependent on each party's level of motivation, physical and mental constraints, time, and linguistic ability. Mitigation strategies can be useful in navigating these obstacles, such as referring to one's L1 language(s) and their language family (Romance languages, Germanic languages, Slavic languages, etc.). This type of communication exists for example in Scandinavian countries, where it is relatively easy to communicate between a Norwegian speaker and a Danish or Swedish speaker.

Tandeming in intercomprehension Communicating in tandem (using two languages with two speakers, each alternatively speaking their own language and that of the other) was practised in many institutions. This process represents only half of what constitutes intercomprehension — namely the moment when each person listens to or reads the other expressing themselves in their own language. With its origins in 1996, tandeming is built on the idea of teaching a language while continuing, at least half the time, to speak one's own language.

Teaching of intercomprehension and plurilingualism There is a small but significant history of teaching intercomprehension, beginning in 2000 with several projects funded by the European Union (Galatea, EuRom4, EuroComRom (Les sept tamis), and Comprendre les langues romanes). These methods ask learners to read simultaneously in many Romance languages, first developing a global comprehension strategy before entering into detail. In 2003, the platform Galanet connected virtual teams of Romance language learners to produce an online article over the course of a university semester. Since 2009, the platform Galapro has enabled the instructional training of trainers in intercomprehension. Redinter, a European training network active between 2009 and 2011, brought together a large number of researchers and trainers, and federated the connectivist platforms Galanet and Galapro alongside the educational platforms EduRom5 and EuroComRom. Since 2015, the platform Miridai has enabled online and group-based training, and hosts a network of international teachers and researchers specialised in intercomprehension and collaborative online work.

Teaching of plurilingual intercomprehension in France The 2018 CEFR from the Council of Europe presents, within the realisation and amplification of its levels project, a more functional approach to plurilingual intercomprehension by deploying descriptors designed to facilitate sense-making of unknown languages and to develop a degree of familiarity for the parties involved. It involves, borrowing from Pierre Janin's formulation, understanding (reading, listening) rather than producing a language (writing, speaking). In France, school practices of intercomprehension struggle to be implemented, with some proposals for the integration of neighbouring languages primarily within the school timetable from primary level onwards. The intercomprehension approach is progressing, but remains dependent on individual initiatives. Faced with a still compartmentalised approach to language teaching, proposals are emerging to advocate for multilingual teaching, equipping learners in the understanding of a target language through the intercomprehension of related languages. These approaches, while present for several decades in the teaching repertoire, have struggled to find their place in the habits of teaching within a monolingual culture that welcomes foreigners through assimilation.

Intercomprehension and the English language While the use of English has become a practical tool in the international space, there are concerns that this hinders long-term stable and durable development, particularly in terms of the comfort of each native speaker. The MIME project — Mobility and Inclusion in Multilingual Europe — reports that, holistically, multiple approaches to communication (intercomprehension) are preferable to the exclusive use of a single mode of communication such as English.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Intercomprehension

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Intercomprehension claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Intercomprehension before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Intercomprehension ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Intercomprehension

In research: Intercomprehension appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Intercomprehension in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Intercomprehension is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cross-cultural studies, Human communication, Interlinguistics, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Intercomprehension outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Intercomprehension in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Intercomprehension means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Intercomprehension out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Intercomprehension in simple terms?

Intercomprehension is when people try to communicate with each other using their own different languages. Intercomprehension can be explained as a dialogue between people from two different languages.

Why does Intercomprehension matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Intercomprehension?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Intercomprehension.