Abstract
Purpose. The objective of the research was to outline the character of tourism language based on an analysis of visual data. Method. Analysis of the photographs as preexisting data, visual sociology. For many years, the author of the present paper actively participated in the organization of international language courses and remained, through social media, in touch with hundreds of fellow participants from all over the world. Thanks to the applications (e.g. “my friends” on Facebook), she had access to many private photos taken during the language courses (in case of images used in the article, the individual’s approval for their publication was obtained). Findings. The analyzed visual data highlight the mixed character of the linguistically-oriented travels, prioritizing the entertainment and the immersion in an international and multicultural environment, and somehow shifting the purely educational aspect into the background. As a matter of fact, language tourism appears to be far more than just language learning – it is rather a multi-layered touristic, educational and cultural experience that can appeal to many (mostly young and active) people, not only those interested in language acquisition. Research and conclusions limitations. It was possible to access and analyze only the visual data that were free, public and available for inspection (retrieved from language tourists’ unblocked profiles on social networking sites). Some data was of commercial nature (websites of tour operators). It should be also stressed that the nature of tourism language can only be described using a triangulation of data and research methods, and not limiting the study to only one technique (analysis of visual data). Practical implications. The findings of the research may be an important voice in the debate on the more accurate evaluation of the benefits resulting from the participation in international language courses, presenting linguistic tourism not only as long hours of language learning, but as a touristic, educational and cultural experience contributing to personal growth. Originality. Thanks to the used methodology, it was possible to get information difficult to obtain during an interview or on basis of the analysis of written text. Type of paper. This is an original article presenting the findings of an analysis of visual data.
Published Version
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