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Semiotics offers the possibility of an in-depth understanding of the connotations we transmit within various situations of communication. Culture is an assembly of symbolical systems, organized around some implicit codes, with language occupying the most important position.We consider that the possibilities of Semiotics are not fully explored when it comes to the social-cultural domain of foreing language aquisition, in spite of the role Semiotics play when developping learners' intercultural competences.To emphasize on this, we have applied, when teaching French as a Foreign Language, Umberto Eco's distinction between the conventional meaning of a word, and the situational sense, in a phrase/expression. There are words, expressions, phrases which convey implicit cultural significance in certain communication situations.We consider that, to develop authentic communication competences in a foreign language, one should pay close attention to the intercultural dimension of language; this intercultural dimension is identifiable at a lexical level. In this respect we aim at illustrating, by means of examples, seen in contrast (Romanian vs. French language), the cultural differences identifiable at the level of language, in certain communication situations. It is thus neccessary to conceive a learning pattern comprising both Semantics and Pragmatics, so that one no longer thinks of foreign language "dictionary-wise", but sees is as a complex system of intercultural competences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major educational aim which can be identified at the level of teaching/learning foreign languages, is the development of an “intercultural personality”. According to the European Frame of Reference For Languages, the knowledge, awareness and understanding of the relationships that should be established, the similarities and contrasts between “the world we come from” and “ that of the target-language community” are at the core of achieving that cultural awareness. Starting from these considerations, through our paper, we set to emphasize on the contribution of the aquisition of French as a Foreign Language to the development of intercultural skills and competences on our students part. From the point of view of theoretical or descriptive linguistics, language is a highly symbloic, complex system, which vehicles, in certain communication situations, implicit cultural significance belonging to the field of behavioral, existential culture. It is important to get our learners familiar with such words and expressions through which this new type of culture travels. These communication tools, analysed from a contrastive approach contribute to the learners' developing real communication ability. This should further enable them to manage efficiently the communicational flaws, miss-understandings or cultural conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]