MODELLING MULTILINGUAL ENVIRONMENT: THE CASE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN

Abstract

The paper summarizes the outcomes of a case-study on creating a multilingual environment at the University of Copenhagen. Source-wise the article looks at the supporting documents describing strategic and tactical approaches to the implementation of a multilingual ideology within University, research articles on this issue, as well as information obtained during in-depth interviews with university staff. The relevance of studying existing internationalization practices applied by world universities stems both from the growing distribution of English as a lingua franca of academic communication and the need for clarification of the relationship between the native language which often remains the major language of instruction and other foreign languages in university communication ecology. The case of the University of Copenhagen provides an exemplary case of creating a balanced language environment in terms of combining available means of communication and building the infrastructure for their efficient functioning. Hereby, the analysis testifies to the key role of developing a university strategy to specify the principles of a particular language ecosystem and creating a multi-level management structure to provide for the implementation of these strategic goals. The article offers some recommendations on the development of the language ideology of Russian universities seeking to enter the world educational elite.