ERIC Number: ED275142
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1983-Mar
Pages: 15
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Language Is Culture: Textbuilding Convention in Oral Narrative.
Silberstein, Sandra
The textbuilding conventions of courtship narratives told by older women of contrasting ethnic minorities are examined. Listener responses to the stories indicate that storytelling conventions are not shared or understood by all listeners. It is proposed that membership in different speech communities based on factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, and family affects the textbuilding conventions speakers have available to them. It is further proposed that such cultural embedding can confuse the foreign students who, when faced with a second language interaction, can easily neglect the very ethnographic information they might be sensitive to in their own language. Activities encouraging foreign students to explore a wide range of possible interpretations for a given interaction can help students focus on problem-solving strategies rather than on simple interpretations, solutions, or cultural stereotypes. (MSE)
Descriptors: Communication Problems, Comparative Analysis, Cultural Context, English (Second Language), Ethnic Groups, Individual Characteristics, Intercultural Communication, Language Patterns, Language Styles, Listening Comprehension, Oral Language, Second Language Instruction, Story Grammar, Story Telling
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers; Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: In: Handscombe, Jean, Ed.; And Others. On TESOL '83. The Question of Control. Selected Papers from the Annual Convention of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (17th, Toronto, Canada, March 15-20, 1983); see FL 015 035.