B4425 - L’INTERCOMPRENSIONE PER LA COMUNICAZIONE PLURILINGUE

Learning outcomes

The course develops oral comprehension and communication skills in intercomprehension contexts involving related languages, particularly Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Romanian and Catalan). Particular attention is paid to understanding lectures and academic content delivered in the host country’s language, also in preparation for international mobility experiences (Erasmus, thesis work, advanced training and lifelong learning programmes, Professional Master’s programmes, and Summer and Winter Schools). Students also learn to interact with speakers of different languages without necessarily relying on a shared lingua franca.

Course contents

Prerequisites

No prior knowledge of intercomprehension is required. Students’ individual linguistic repertoires, including partial competences in different languages, will be valued and used as resources for learning.

Course content

The course introduces the principles and practices of intercomprehension, understood as a form of plurilingual communication in which interlocutors may use different languages while activating strategies to understand others and make their own discourse comprehensible.

The course is organised around the following key areas:

• plurilingual repertoires, partial competences and pluralistic approaches to languages, with reference to CARAP/FREPA and the CEFR Companion Volume;
• recognition and comparison of Romance languages through their graphic, lexical, morphosyntactic, phonological and prosodic features;
• transfer, inference and hypothesis-formulation strategies for the written comprehension of unknown or partially known languages;
• oral intercomprehension strategies;
• interproduction, discourse adaptation and mediation strategies to facilitate mutual understanding;
• plurilingual communication in academic and professional contexts and in international mobility settings;
• the informed use of digital tools for collaboration and the completion of plurilingual tasks.

Workshop activities

Workshop activities include:

• exploring authentic written and oral documents, mainly in Catalan, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, with possible exposure to other Romance languages;
• individual and collaborative activities;
• simulations of communicative situations;
• activities aimed at reflecting on the strategies used;
• bridge tasks carried out through the Virtuale platform.

Transversal skills

The course also contributes to the development of transversal skills such as:

• collaboration;
• communicative adaptability;
• metacognitive awareness;
• problem-solving;
• intercultural competence;
• digital competence.

Readings/Bibliography

Texts / BibliographyRequired materials for exam preparation

The teaching materials indicated by the instructor and made available on the Virtuale platform constitute an integral part of the exam syllabus.

Recommended reading

Benavente Ferrera, S., Calvo del Olmo, F., Frisan, E. H., Manole, V., Rocha da Cunha, K. M., Sheeren, H. (2022), Manuale di intercomprensione tra lingue romanze, Milano, Zanichelli.

Bonvino, E., Garbarino, S. (2022), Intercomprensione, Bologna, Caissa Italia.

Council of Europe (2020), Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Companion Volume, with particular reference to the sections on plurilingual and pluricultural competence, mediation and online interaction.

Benavente Ferrera, S., Celentin, P. (2025), «Soft skills e intercomprensione: sviluppo di competenze professionali per studenti universitari linguisti e non linguisti», Philologica Jassyensia, 21(1), pp. 397–420, doi: 10.60133/PJ.2025.1.25.

Garbarino, S., Fiorentino, A. (2025), «Intercomprehension as an Educational Framework and Epistemological Paradigm», Philologica Jassyensia, 21(1), doi: 10.60133/PJ.2025.1.15.

Cervini, C., Paone, E. (2024), «Comunicare all'università: quando l'interazione orale si fa plurilingue», Italiano LinguaDue, 16, pp. 496–523.

Cervini, C., Zucchini, E. (2025), «Condividere lo stesso linguaggio ma non la stessa lingua: osservazioni sull'uso della riformulazione nel parlato specialistico in intercomprensione», Philologica Jassyensia, 21, pp. 265–283.

Further reading

Bonvino, E., Caddeo, S., Vilagines Serra, E., Pippa, S. (2011), EuRom5. Leggere e capire 5 lingue romanze, Milano, Hoepli.

Candelier, M. et al. (2012), FREPA. A Framework of Reference for Pluralistic Approaches to Languages and Cultures, Graz, ECML/Council of Europe. FREPA/CARAP is particularly relevant to the course, as it situates intercomprehension within pluralistic approaches to languages and describes resources in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Benavente Ferrera, S., Celentin, P., Daloiso, M., Ghirarduzzi, A. (2023), «The benefits of Intercomprehensive Approach for Students with Learning Difficulties (+SLD): preliminary data of an experimental study», Mosaic, 14(1), pp. 49–60.

Teaching methods

Teaching approach

The course adopts a predominantly workshop-based and action-oriented approach.

Activities alternate brief theoretical introductions with individual exploration of plurilingual materials, collaborative problem-solving, peer discussion, communicative simulations and metacognitive reflection on the strategies used.

Integration of face-to-face, synchronous and asynchronous activities

Synchronous activities, both online and face-to-face according to the course schedule, are complemented by asynchronous tasks and bridge activities on the Virtuale platform, designed to ensure continuity across the different stages of the learning pathway.

Learning progression

The learning progression develops from the comprehension of unknown or partially known Romance languages to plurilingual interaction, mediation and interproduction.

Individual and group work culminates in the completion of a collaborative project work.

Assessment methods

Assessment methods and criteriaFinal assessment

The final assessment, expressed on a 30-point scale, is based on two components, each contributing 50% to the final grade:

1. Activities completed during the course – 50%

The following aspects will be assessed:

• regular completion of the tasks assigned on Virtuale;

• compliance with task requirements and instructions;

• the ability to reflect on the strategies used;

• the quality of participation in collaborative activities.

To receive a passing grade, students must complete and submit at least 70% of the required tasks.

2. Final project – 50%

The final project consists in the creation, in groups of no more than four students, of a collaborative digital product consistent with the principles of intercomprehension-based communication.

The project must be submitted before the final assessment, following the instructions provided on Virtuale, and will be presented and discussed during the examination session.

The final project will be assessed on the basis of:

• the ability to select and critically rework content;

• the consistency of the product with the principles of intercomprehension;

• the effectiveness of interproduction and mediation strategies;

• the ability to adapt discourse to the interlocutors;

• the quality of collaboration;

• the oral presentation and discussion.

During the presentation, students may use the digital product and any materials prepared by the group.

A grade of 30 with honours (30L) is awarded when, in addition to fully meeting the criteria for the highest grade range, the student demonstrates a particularly high degree of autonomy in critical reflection, a conscious and flexible use of intercomprehension and interproduction strategies, and an especially effective contribution to the collaborative construction of plurilingual communication.

A performance that does not meet the minimum requirements for the 18–19 grade range is considered insufficient.

Generative AI

For assessment purposes, limited, declared and non-substantial use of generative AI is permitted for support activities such as summarising and reformulating content.

Substantial use of AI to complete parts of the assessment is not permitted.

Any use of AI must be declared.

The oral presentation and discussion of the final project also serve to verify students’ full understanding of the content and their ability to rework it independently.

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) and disabilities

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities are advised to contact the relevant University office well in advance: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it .

The office will propose any appropriate adjustments for the students concerned. These must in any case be submitted to the instructor for approval at least 15 days in advance. The instructor will assess their suitability also in relation to the learning outcomes of the course.

Non-attending students

Given the workshop-based nature of the course, active participation in course activities forms part of the assessment process. Students who expect to be unable to participate regularly are invited to contact the instructor at the beginning of the course in order to agree on equivalent arrangements for completing the required activities.

Teaching tools

Teaching tools and resources

The following tools and resources are used to support teaching and learning:

• the Virtuale platform for sharing course materials, completing and submitting tasks, and asynchronous interaction;

• Microsoft Teams as the videoconferencing platform used for online sessions;

• authentic written, audio and video materials in multiple languages;

• digital tools for collaborative writing and multimedia production.

Teaching materials are made available in accessible formats whenever possible. Any specific accessibility requirements may be communicated in accordance with the procedures established by the University.

Within the activities indicated by the instructor, generative AI tools may be used to support language exploration, reformulation and self-assessment, with particular attention paid to the critical evaluation of the outputs produced.

Office hours

See the website of Paola Celentin