Enhancing students’ intercultural competence by means of proper names

Abstract

The present paper suggests a possible way to enhance the development of students’ intercultural competences by means of proper names. Intercultural competence helps the individual to know oneself, first of all, by referring to the values of the community to which he or she belongs and then by referring to the others, by showing interest in and understanding for cultural differences. The diversity of the world we live in, the specifically human need for interaction and the existence of intercultural barriers lead to the idea that the development of intercultural competence is a necessity. The article presents the way in which we can contribute to the intercultural formation of students, by relying on an immediate reality, that of names as forms of expressing students’ linguistic and cultural identity. The study analyses the origin, typology and significance of the names of students from different cultural backgrounds, the story behind the choice of specific names, the association with famous bearers of certain names, and the cultural load of the names. By capitalising on proper names, one gains an experience of knowledge in the context of multiculturalism