語教材的跨文化內容分析與建議(Analysis and Suggestions on intercultural Contents of a Chinese as a foreign/second language textbook )

Author(s)

Samuel Chung, Y.H. Chiu, Y.L. Lee

Abstract

This paper starts from the perspective of the cultivation of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) and adopts Byram's theoretical framework (1997) to analyze

The third volume of the textbook for teaching Mandarin Chinese as a foreign/second language (TCF/SL): "New Practical Audio-Visual Chinese(新版實用視聽中文)". At the end of this paper, based on the analysis results, some additional teaching suggestions are being proposed, in order to cultivate learners' ICC during the learning process. Language and culture are inseparable. When one is learning a foreign language, it is inevitable that they often face cultural shocks, causing negative conflicts and misunderstandings. However, undeniably TCF/SL emphasizes mainly linguistic knowledge, of which its relevant research is often framed within the language ontology. Subordinately, the content of cultural context focuses on cultural products and cultural knowledge (ACTFL, 2017), so training and cultivating ICC in class has been neglected due to these specific operations.

 

To signify the concern, CEFR (2018) and NCSSFL & ACTFL (2017) have successively revised their foreign language standards in recent years, adding ICC grading indicators, and the purpose is to adapt the previous foreign language teaching defects to promote closer and accurate communication between learners and the target culture (Van Houten & Shelton, 2018). The research subject of this paper is the third volume of "New Practical Audio-Visual Chinese"; the analysis tools are ACTFL (Cutshall, 2012) three categories of culture, Byram (1997) five factors of ICC, and Fantini (2001) four stages of the intercultural development. The analysis process is: to analyze the proportion of ACTFL three cultural categories in twelve lessons; to assess the impact of the last exercise in each lesson "questions and discussions" whether it satisfies ICC cultivation or not; to classify each lesson belonging to which cultivating stage of ICC.

 

Finally, at the end of this article, taking "Lesson 2 What to Eat? (吃什麼好？) "as an example, concrete the analysis results and suggestions. Two classroom activities serve as the teaching supplement of ICC training, for relevant practitioners. This study concludes that current foreign language teaching materials did not meet the requirements of the new CEFR and ACTFL for ICC development and bilateral cultural exchange. It only focuses on cultivating learners' language skills. The development of learners' ICC still relies on teachers' efforts through classroom activities and guides.

Organisation(s)

Department of East Asian Studies

No. of pages

13

Publication date

12-2020

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

503029 Language teaching research, 602045 Sinology

Keywords

Portal url

https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/analysis-and-suggestions-on-intercultural-contents-of-a-chinese-as-a-foreignsecond-language-textbook-(1a226276-4018-4d08-b22a-4a9c27d797c8).html