Language-Sensitive Teaching and Communication

As we approach the final stages of this manual, the current chapter aims to explore the topic of sensitivity in communication, with specific focus on the international classroom setting. By looking at some real-life scenarios in the form of personal accounts, as well as activities based on present-day trends and misconceptions, this chapter analyses some of the issues revolving around stereotypes and prejudice, as well as discriminatory behaviour that might have a wide range of origins. Some of them most definitely arise from differences in terms of race, culture, gender, language variants, and disabilities, that is, from a number of different sources; for this reason, the chapter will introduce different angles from which to observe miscommunication, thus broadening our horizons in this regard. We will discuss the significance of language-sensitive activation, suggesting, inter alia, some of the well-known communication maxims here, and advocating an inclusive, diverse kind of communication that aims to be comfortable for all participants.