Developing the ideas of an A1-seminar and Euro-polyglot

I am thinking about creating a special “Euro-polyglot” certificate, or diploma. A person would be called Euro-polyglot if s/he commands at least the following language levels:

+ native language

+ Global English

+ A1-level in 5 languages

= Euro-polyglot

For the specific A1 seminar, we should first recall the definition of A1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference: “Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.”

I thought that the 5 languages should be:

1. German (or Dutch, if German is the mother tongue)
2. French (or Spanish, if French is the mother tongue)
3. Italian (or Spanish, if Italian is the mother tongue)
4. Slovak (or Slovene, if Slovak is the mother tongue)
5. Hungarian (or Spanish, if Hungarian is the mother tongue)

They may be taught in the following order: Hungarian (clearly agglutinating + easy spelling-pronunciation relations) – Italian (clearly isolating in noun phrases & clearly inflecting in verb phrases + easy sp-pron + loans!) – Spanish (clearly isolating in noun phrases & not so easy verb inflections + easy sp-pron) – Slovak (clear inflections + easy sp.-pron.) – Slovene (difficult, but clear inflections + easy sp.-pron.) – Dutch (clearly isolating in noun phrase & verb inflections + not so easy sp.-pron.) – German (difficult, but clear inflections + easy sp.-pron. + loans!) – French (clearly isolating in noun phrases + difficult inflections + difficult sp-pron relationships + loans!)

At present, my aim would be to teach these 5 languages in 42 hours:

• Transcultural Competence: 2 hours
• Lg 1: 6 hours
• Lg 2: 6 hours
• Lg 3: 6 hours
• Lg 4: 6 hours
• Lg 5: 6 hours
• Revisions: 4 hours
• Transcultural Competence: 2 hours
• Test: 2 hours

= 42 hours

Joachim Grzega

A1 polyglot

I’m also thinking abouts way to apply some of the fundamental aspects of BGE to other European languages. The concept that I have in mind is to allow people to acquire basic competences in several European languages in the shortest time possible (project “A1 polyglot”, or, “A1 euro-polyglot”, with A1 referring to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).