Foreign language as a social instrument in the European Higher Education Area

Abstract

The consolidation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has brought forward significant changes in the conception of teaching and learning. In the area of foreign language teaching/learning those changes have been accompanied by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL), which advocates for the development of communicative language competences in the context of formal instruction. This paper aims to answer whether the new EHEA language learning guidelines point to the appropriate direction and highlights the role of language as a social instrument to favour language learning and to encompass the EHEA. It also discusses the role of society, identity, and its influence to language learning.