This study proposes an update to the concept of communicative competence in second and foreign language teaching and learning, as well as an update to the definition of language mastery in the digital age. This update explicitly incorporates the digital channel as a constitutive dimension of the communicative act. Through a critical analysis of the primary classical models, from Hymes and Canale to Swain and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and its Complementary Volume, the limitations of these frameworks in accurately representing discursive practices in digital environments are revealed. Rather than being merely technical and instrumental support, the digital channel is conceived as a complex semiotic space with specific characteristics, such as multimodality, asynchrony, and hypertextuality, that require differentiated skills. As an original contribution, the study proposes a three-channel model of communicative competence (oral, written, and digital) that integrates linguistic, strategic, discursive, sociopragmatic, multimodal, and intercultural dimensions, as well as the most recent contributions of multimodality theory and digital competence frameworks. This model moves beyond an instrumental conception of information and communication technologies (ICT) toward a theoretical and pedagogical redefinition of linguistic mastery in the digital age. It involves redesigning learning objectives, incorporating digital discourse genres into the classroom, systematically assessing digital communication skills, and training teachers in multimodal and critical literacy. These changes facilitate a more contextualized and inclusive language-teaching approach better suited to the challenges of the 21st century.
The purpose of this article is to describe the design process of a learning unit and an academic course based on the CLIL approach in a university located within a predominantly monolingual context. This approach articulates the functional linguistic development of an L2 with disciplinary content specific to students' professional training within a single curricular activity. The team responsible for the project adopted a soft CLIL approach, focusing on strengthening English proficiency through a learning unit in the course Fluid Mechanics in the Mechanical Engineering program and an elective course entitled Developing Oral Communication in English for Medical Presentations in the Medicine program. In both cases, the selected discourse genre was the oral presentation. The methodology corresponds to a systematization, understood as a process of conceptual reconstruction of a pedagogical project aimed at identifying lessons learned and challenges that may be shared with other teams interested in implementing CLIL. The results are presented in three sections: program selection criteria, team preparation and training, and the curriculum design of both courses, illustrating the planning and lesson-design process. The study concludes that, as a pilot experience, it is necessary to adopt a flexible approach that considers three essential aspects. First, programs' needs and possibilities must be examined so that language and content teachers can negotiate and agree on a feasible implementation format. Second, a threshold level of English should be established as an entry requirement for communicative development in the L2. Finally, the configuration of a CLIL-based learning sequence must be structured around a clearly defined and bounded discourse genre, which serves as the basis for designing scaffolding tools that support students' progress in both disciplinary content and L2 development -in this case, English.
This study analyzes deontic modal constructions in legal translations from Spanish to Mapuzugun based on the NORZUGU bilingual corpus. Thirty bilingual texts from the Chilean legal field were examined to describe the morphosyntactic strategies Mapuche translators use to express deontic modality. The results reveal the predominant use of the construction "m & uuml;le-y + possessive + nominalized verb with the-a-el suffixs", though variants with different verbs in the main clause, such as felen, nien, and gen, are also documented. The study also documents variation phenomena not previously reported in the literature, both in the verb of the main sentence and in the nominalized verb.
This paper presents a study on the frequency of use of a selection of conversational markers in French. This selection was carried out in a past study through a contrastive analysis of French as a foreign language textbooks and an oral corpus. Conversational markers are necessary for understanding discourse and present significant challenges in both their study and teaching. In this work, we present and attempt to justify the frequency, distribution, and combinatory freedom of this selection of markers through the analysis of the CFPP2000 and CFPB corpora, taking into account semantic, pragmatic, and syntactic criteria. For quantification, we manually analyzed a representative sample of occurrences of each marker, selected according to the Pareto principle, and distinguished-manually-between genuinely conversational uses and other linguistic uses.
The globalization of digital entertainment has increased the use of anglicisms in online gaming. This study examines gender differences in English-derived lexical items among six Spanish-speaking YouTuber gamers (three male, three female) using 197 minutes of gameplay recordings. Ninety anglicisms were identified, mostly non-adapted (e.g., stream, spawn), alongside adapted forms (craftear, rankear) and hybrids. Both genders show similar lexical patterns, indicating a largely gender-neutral gaming discourse, yet male gamers attract more subscribers. Findings reflect English's role as the lingua franca of gaming, Spanish's adaptability, and broader gendered dynamics, highlighting the need for more inclusive digital gaming communities.
