Intercultural and Transcultural Awareness in Language Teaching

This Element explores new intercultural and transcultural approaches to understanding language, communication and culture and the implications for language teaching.

Will Baker (Author)

9781108812689, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 7 April 2022

75 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 0.5 cm, 0.137 kg

'… a valuable resource for present and future educators …' Laura Dubcovsky, Linguist

The central aim of language teaching is typically to prepare learners to communicate through the language learnt. However, much current language teaching theory and practice is based on a simplistic view of communication that fails to match the multilingual and intercultural reality of the majority of second language (L2) use. This Element examines the relationship between language and culture through an L2 in intercultural and transcultural communication. It puts forward the argument that we need to go beyond communicative competence in language teaching and focus instead on intercultural and transcultural awareness. Implications for pedagogic practice are explored including intercultural and transcultural language education.

1. Introduction – The Role of Intercultural and Transcultural Communication in Language Teaching
2. Culture and Language
3. Intercultural and Transcultural Communication
4. Intercultural and Transcultural Awareness
5. Intercultural and Transcultural Language Education
References.

Subject Areas: Language teaching theory & methods [CJA], Language teaching & learning [other than ELT CJ], Linguistics [CF]