Hansen states that "FL studies must learn to conceive of culture as an open, multi-voiced and dialogical interaction full of contradictions." One advocated approach to teach transcultural understanding is through the analysis of cultural narratives. Kearney defines cultural narratives as "the multiple (sometimes competing),…

This study explored the expectations that Moroccan native speakers (n = 57) and beginning-level learners of Arabic (n = 38) held of one another regarding conformity to Moroccan cultural norms. Questionnaires and interviews were used to unpack two assumptions that shape pedagogical practices: (1) that native speakers (NSs) expect nonnative speakers…

This study examines autobiographies of American teachers of French in order to make explicit their beliefs regarding French language and culture. The themes of class and power are prominent in these teachers' belief systems, as is the desire for self-transformation through mastery of French and miming a subset of French behaviors. These notions…

Investigates both the explicit and implicit sociocultural messages conveyed by language textbooks. Twelve Arabic textbooks used in the junior high schools in the Hebrew educational system in Israel were examined. Findings indicate that Arab society is presented in a partial, subjective, and unbalanced manner. (Author/JL)

Address presented at the meeting of the Washington Association of Foreign Language Teachers in Tacoma, Washington, March 20, 1970. (DS)

Focus Report prepared for the ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics. (DS)

Global managers in Mexico identified what their U.S. counterparts should know about Mexican culture to do business effectively. Suggested Mexican and U.S.cultures are exact opposites in many respects. Discussed differences in building business relationships, attitudes toward time, family and religious values, communication patterns, and…