Affiliation:
1. Tallinn University, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
2. Helsinki University, University of California, Los Angeles
3. Tallinn University
Abstract
Abstract
This article introduces and defines the concept of mediated receptive multilingualism as a mode
of multilingual communication which eases understanding between typologically distant languages through the medium of a language
closely related to the target. In an experimental setting, Estonians without previous exposure to Ukrainian were quite successful
in understanding Ukrainian texts via their knowledge of Russian. As expected, they made use of various language-specific elements
to improve intelligibility, such as linguistic similarities between Russian and Ukrainian. However, a number of extra-linguistic
factors were detected as influential predictors of success, especially metalinguistic awareness, exposure to Russian, exposure to
various registers, experience with multilingual situations, learnability, and attitudes towards Ukrainian. These findings contest
a static take on multilingual potential and point out the emergent nature of competencies and practices that become relevant in
multilingual settings. Unconventional communicative modes – like mediated receptive multilingualism – may activate linguistic and
sociolinguistic resources needed for establishing understanding in novel and potentially challenging communicative settings.
Publisher
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Subject
Linguistics and Language,Language and Linguistics
Cited by
6 articles.
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