Non-verbal communication in the teaching of Polish as a foreign language using the example of Asian groups. The difficulties, challenges and solutions

Abstract

There exists a major gap in the teaching of Polish as a foreign language. It applies to the teaching of extra-verbal communication. It would seem that the acquisition of the extra-verbal code of Polish can occur in students in parallel with the development of their linguistic competence, however, the level of interference between the non-verbal code taken from the country of origin and the code typical for the country of the target language is so high that it distorts communication. That is also just as often the cause of teacher errors caused by a teacher’s lack of awareness that this aspect of communication should also be taught in class. Therefore, this article is intended to indicate those areas to which a teacher should pay particular attention in the teaching process in order to limit as much as possible any communicative problems experienced by students from various cultures.