Multilingualism in Academic Publishing and Higher Education in Croatia

Abstract: The paper deals with the dominant language practices among university teachers and researchers in Croatia with special emphasis on the two dominant languages taught, English and German. The discussed problem relates to the role of English as the lingua franca and the role of German as the second dominant foreign language in the country, as well as the potential presentation of the concept of European multilingualism in the Republic of Croatia. After reflecting on the debate on the role of language choice in academic publishing, i.e., whether the choice of one dominant foreign language is adequate in the search of research insights and truths or whether a richer choice of languages also offers a wider pallette of possible insights, the possibility of 'linguistic imperialism' through the dominance of English is explored. Phillipson's tripartite division of linguicist pro-English arguments is used as the background for the analysis of linguistic practices of Croatian researchers/university teachers. Upon examining the possible linguistic development of different academic disciplines, a dual communicative approach is suggested according to the needs and functions of specific academic domains