About

Hi! My name is Małgorzata or Gosia, Małgosia, Gosieńka, Gosiunia, Małgocha…

I could probably come up with five more versions of my name.

And each form carries a different emotional charge, and can tell you something about the person’s age, personality or a general appearance. How cool is that!

Every language has their sweet surprises, and there are about 7000 of them around the globe. I love to dig deep in the language systems and give a second thought to those aspects of language that normally pass unnoticed.

I was born and raised in Poland, which, surprisingly enough, is still a monolingual country – quite an exception on the European landscape. However, historically speaking, Poland was a multicultural and multilingual country. It is only after the II WW, due to artificially established borders and forced mass resettlement of people, when Poland became a country of white people, all speaking Polish. The 50-year period of life behind the Iron curtain has certainly reinforced and consolidated that status quo.

In 2006 I moved to Luxembourg – an ultra-diverse place as regards the languages and the cultural mix. As far as I remember I have always been passionate about languages, I even managed to get a degree in applied linguistics along the way. But only after the change of my environment from ultra-monolingual to highly multilingual did I realize how language can shape and influence our perception and cognition. It shifts from a mere “enabler” into an “influencer” of the communication process. As soon as more than one language enters the picture, people, suddenly start to debate about it in terms of ideology, politics, and strategies.

In a country like Luxembourg, where it is totally normal that at work one uses language A, at home with the family languages B and C. Then languages D and E add on top of that once children start school, the discussion about language ideology and strategy seems inevitable. And it has definitely been the case for me and my family.

I touch upon all kinds of topics related to: language and cognition, multilingual education, living and working in multilingual settings, multilingual families, cultural intelligence, multi- and intercultural communication, cultural diversity and inclusion.

I write in English, French and Polish and partially in Russian. I hope you’ll enjoy my content and don’t hesitate to share your thoughts. Drop me a line or leave a comment down below the posts.