32.1704, Review: Applied Linguistics: Abrams (2020)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-32-1704. Fri May 14 2021. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 32.1704, Review: Applied Linguistics: Abrams (2020)

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Date: Fri, 14 May 2021 16:42:59
From: Laura Callahan [Lcallahan at scu.edu]
Subject: Intercultural Communication and Language Pedagogy

 
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Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/31/31-2966.html

AUTHOR: Zsuzsanna I. Abrams
TITLE: Intercultural Communication and Language Pedagogy
SUBTITLE: From Theory To Practice
PUBLISHER: Cambridge University Press
YEAR: 2020

REVIEWER: Laura M Callahan

SUMMARY

This book examines the interface between second language instruction and
intercultural communication. It contains an introduction, thirteen chapters,
an appendix, references, and index. Each chapter features an overview and
summary, followed by discussion questions and activities. Several of the
chapters also contain sample teaching activities or other teaching resources. 

Throughout the volume, the term L2/Lx (Dewaele 2017) is used to refer to the
second language,  or what teachers know as the target language. 

Part I, “Theoretical and Methodological Foundations”, has three chapters. 

Chapter 1, “Key Concepts in Intercultural Communication”, gives an overview of
the definitions of culture, the inception of the field of intercultural
communication, and the major theoretical models in the discipline. 

In Chapter 2, “Pedagogical Foundations of Teaching Intercultural Communication
for L2/Lx Use”, Abrams first traces the evolution of language instruction. The
very earliest pedagogical goals did not include communication with speakers of
the language studied and therefore no attempt at intercultural communication
was expected. Later, the objective was for the student to come as close as
possible to passing for a native speaker. More recently, the learner’s goal is
no longer supposed to be to become like a native speaker, but rather to
“mediate between two different cultures and different viewpoints” (Hua 2014:
7, quoted in Abrams, p. 49) and to “participate in L2 speech communities
successfully” (p. 42). 

In Chapter 3, “The Learner as Analyst: Methods and Sources of Data Analysis”,
the author recommends that learners engage in the systematic analysis of
interactions in the L2 as well as their L1. Three models to perform such
analyses are presented: ethnography of communication, interactional
sociolinguistics, and multimodal analysis. Abrams reminds us that “authentic
communication is carried out by members of a cultural group – including
nonnative speakers of languages – in specific social contexts, where the focus
is on ‘content rather than the form’ (Berardo, 2006, p. 62) and ‘to fulfil
some social purpose in the language community’ (Little, Devitt & Singleton,
1989, p. 25)” (p. 71).

The book’s transition from theory into practice then begins, with the later
pages of the third chapter’s section on multimodal analysis devoted to a
consideration of possible data sources from authentic materials and their use
with various levels of L2 learners. 

Part II, “Pedagogical Implementation”, has seven chapters.

In Chapter 4, “Intercultural Communication: Teaching Vocabulary”, Abrams notes
that “vocabulary is one of the most significant contributors to
meaning-making” (p. 94). Learners must first acquire some words in their L2 in
order to comprehend or produce any verbal communication. Lexical knowledge
also allows learners to begin to appreciate variation within a language, which
in turn affords access to cultural nuances signaled by different word choices
and word pronunciations. Vocabulary also plays a role in teaching idiomatic
expressions and word collocations, the use of which can give learners a way to
participate in an intercultural exchange long before they develop the skill to
formulate such chunks of language on their own.

Chapter 5 is entitled “Intercultural Communication: Teaching Grammar”, a topic
that might at first glance seem to be of less relevance to the book’s subject
matter. Nevertheless, knowledge of grammar and the ability to use it to make
one’s message more comprehensible and “understanding what someone says sets
the stage for being able to interact with members of other cultures
successfully” (p. 118). And, as noted in Chapter 4, learners should be aware
of language variation, because prescriptive norms do not reflect the entire
range of usage in the L2 communities.

Chapter 6, “Intercultural Communication: Teaching Pragmatics”, takes the
reader through major terms and concepts in pragmatics, including
pragmalinguistics, sociopragmatics, speech acts, conventional expressions,
politeness and impoliteness, and humor. Next, Abrams reviews the research on
teaching pragmatics, concluding that “it is more productive to teach learners
how to ANALYZE interactions, how to figure out the relationships between
language form and the specific social contexts in which it creates meaning”
(p. 146; emphasis added).

Chapter 7, “Intercultural Communication: Teaching Paralinguistic Features”,
examines voice quality, prosody, conversational management, and accent. With
respect to accent and pronunciation, Abrams references Lippi-Green’s (2012)
seminal work, which demonstrated how accents figure into listeners’
prejudicial assumptions (p. 163). 

Chapter 8 is “Intercultural Communication: Teaching Nonverbal Communication”.
This chapter presents nonverbal communication organized into the following
categories: signs (icons, indexes, symbols), personal presentation, kinesics,
haptics, proxemics, and chronemics. As with the previous two chapters (on
pragmatics and paralinguistic features), Abrams underscores the importance of
teaching learners to analyze as opposed to imitate, as well as to avoid
generalizations based on an observation of just one interaction. 

In Chapter 9, “Intercultural Communication: Teaching Cultural Knowledge”,
Abrams first presents the major models of cultural knowledge, including one
with which every U.S. language teacher is familiar: products, practices,
perspectives (Lafayette, 1996). The reader is then taken through schemata, the
frames and scripts of knowledge that help us “recognize and apply patterns
that we subconsciously learn from our communicative environment” (p. 206).
Obviously, in the context of intercultural communication, learners may need to
revise some of their schemata. 

Chapter 10 is on “Assessing Intercultural Communication”. We are reminded that
authenticity is often sacrificed in favor of the reliability and practicality
of an assessment instrument. Traditional assessments encourage teachers to
teach and learners to learn that which will be on the test, rather than to
teach and learn more authentic language. Alternative forms of assessment can
be much more time-consuming and may be less reliable, but “hew closer to
real-world communication and tasks” (p. 222). 

Part III, “Intercultural Communication and the Personal Journey”, houses the
book’s three final chapters.

Chapter 11, “Cultural Transitions”, opens with an overview of the diverse
personal circumstances involved in the transition from one culture to another.
Migrants, an overarching category in which tourists and students studying
abroad are included, are grouped on a voluntary to involuntary continuum.
Individual variables that influence intercultural adaptation are considered,
as well as models of the stages of intercultural adaptation.

Chapter 12, “Cultures and Identities”, begins with an exposition of identity
as a multiplex phenomenon, accompanied by an extensive table detailing aspects
of identity paired with linguistic examples. The concept of avowed and
ascribed identities is covered, followed by a section on language, identity,
and power. In the section on intercultural identity, we are reminded of how
culture is so ingrained that people see beliefs and behaviors associated with
their own culture as natural and universal, and may judge those associated
with other cultures as inferior. Therefore, Abrams notes, “[c]orrecting these
assumptions and learning to think of other people and ourselves as embodying
equally valid multiple identities is essential for developing intercultural
communication” (p. 280).

In Chapter 13, “Miscommunication, Conflict, and Intercultural Communicative
Competence”, Abrams observes that “[…] miscommunication is […] is a regular
feature of intercultural existence, and learning to accept and manage it is
part of intercultural communicative competence” (p. 288). An exposition of
Communication Accommodation Theory follows, including what happens in cases of
over-, under- or non-accommodation. The role of stereotypes and prejudices is
examined, as well as sources of conflict and conflict styles. A simple
awareness of conflict styles can help in conflict management and resolution,
even if an L2 user does not ultimately decide to adopt a style different from
that of their L1 culture. 

EVALUATION 

Throughout the book, Abrams argues against using the native speaker as the
only legitimate model and source of information. For example, in Chapter 9,
“Intercultural Communication: Teaching Cultural Knowledge”, discussing the
importance of a critical selection of sources, she advocates for using
non-native informants as well, such as students returned from study-abroad.
She maintains that “[…] knowledge is not the restricted domain of in-group
members of a culture” (p. 205) and that “insider (emic) knowledge is not the
sole purview of ‘native’ members of a culture” (p. 217). This move away from
using the native speaker as the maximum model is hardly new. But it bears
repeating, and the fact that Abrams considers it necessary to do so is
evidence that many students (and some instructors) still see passing for a
native speaker as the ultimate goal. For the vast majority this will never be
attainable, nor is it necessarily desirable. It also ignores the multilingual
reality of most parts of the world, in which many speakers use an L2 (or Lx)
on a daily basis.

In the same vein, Abrams avows that “[t]he ideal outcome of extensive L2/Lx
learning is the development of an INTERCULTURAL IDENTITY” (p. 278; emphasis
original). She asserts that “[…] intercultural individuals also know that they
can accept some values and practices from each culture with which they
affiliate and simultaneously reject others (while being aware of the possible
consequences for flouting expectations)” (p. 279). This is a liberating
perspective. It frees learners from the guilt they may feel for having
misgivings about a particular aspect of the culture associated with their L2,
and thus permits them to continue to engage with the language and culture as
opposed to having to choose between wholesale acceptance or rejection.

As is clear from its title and content, this book’s intended readership is
language teachers, though it will also have an impact on language learners.
Abrams aptly describes these two groups as “this book’s immediate […] and […]
indirect audiences […]” (p. 55). At the beginning of Part II, the section of
the book on pedagogical implementation, she states that the ideas offered
therein are intended to “complement or expand activities that instructors are
already using with intercultural communication-oriented tasks from the
beginning of L2/Lx instruction” (p. 81), rather than to completely replace
current curricula. This will come as welcome news to teachers, who are
regularly asked to retool their materials to incorporate supposedly
groundbreaking curricular innovations, which sometimes turn out to be merely
old practices repackaged. Abrams’ work offers much more than old practices
repackaged, but her reassurance that the book is not intended as a replacement
for all current practices nevertheless shows some much-needed respect to
members of the language teaching profession.

A major strength of the book is its detailed presentation of activities to
teach intercultural communication. Just one example of this can be seen in a
case-study in Chapter 10, which includes a holistic rubric for “assessing
learners’ locally situated, plausible (i.e., semi-authentic) interaction” (p.
228). This rubric is very useful and inspiring, and could be adapted to other
languages and situations different from the hypothetical one in the case-study
(intermediate learners of Modern Standard Arabic getting a taxi from the Cairo
airport to begin a study-abroad program). 

Chapter 12’s section on pedagogical activities to foster intercultural
identity development in the L2/Lx classroom is likewise full of practical
ideas. Teachers will recognize some of these activities as ones they may
already use at the novice level, such as having students observe how speakers
use terms of address. Another activity would be of especially current
interest: a research project on “cultural and social symbols, images, objects
and their connection to identity (e.g., school mascots in the United States,
including the debates surrounding culturally appropriated images; religious
songs; peace or environmental movements)” (p. 284).

Along with the plethora of activities throughout the book, the Appendix
contains a richly detailed four-year curriculum. 

At times some readers (especially those who teach in the U.S. higher education
system) may find themselves questioning the usefulness of all of these
activities, or, more accurately, questioning whether they would ever have a
chance to implement many of the ideas proposed. For example, the
aforementioned Appendix is a fantastic resource. But for most teachers,
getting to use the items beyond the second or even the first year of this
four-year plan will unfortunately remain a fantasy, as long as U.S.
universities continue to hold or reduce language requirements to a bare
minimum. Excluding the modest numbers of students who major in a second
language, the vast majority of students take from zero to two courses (with
each course lasting 10 to 15 weeks) during their entire university career, and
never go beyond the most basic level.

To this same point, in Chapter 11, there are two especially tantalizing items
listed in the section on pedagogical activities for supporting intercultural
transitions. One is the recommendation that language teachers “[h]elp learners
identify and enhance their intrinsic/integrative motivations for studying the
L2/Lx; even if the language is a requirement, there is a reason why they chose
a particular language” (p. 258). This sidesteps the fact that many college
students in the U.S. simply continue the language they took in high school,
and many high schools offer just one, two, or at most three choices of
language. Likewise slightly frustrating is the suggestion that teachers “[a]sk
learners to write an essay imagining their life in the host culture two years
later (describing ideal selves indirectly)” (p. 259). This could certainly be
a creative way to inspire  students to go beyond the minimum required level.
However, the reality at many universities is that most students not only take
few language courses, as noted above, but also that those who study abroad do
so in so-called ‘island’ programs. In such programs students live in another
country but take courses in their L1, often with fellow students from their
home university.  

This book also does not (nor does it purport to) solve the intransigent
problem of how to use the L2 as the vehicle of instruction to teach
intercultural communication while simultaneously teaching novice level
learners to speak the L2. For example, in Chapter 13’s section on pedagogical
ideas for teaching conflict resolution and intercultural communicative
competence in the L2/Lx classroom, Abrams states that “[t]he L2/Lx should be
used as much as possible, but discussions in the L1 are useful as well, since
they can improve learners’ experiences while they are studying or working in
new cultural contexts” (p. 309). What this translates to in practice, however,
is that instructors who are admonished to use the L2 at least 90 percent of
the time will continue to choose activities that can be done with very
low-level linguistic skills. In a typical activity geared toward elementary
level learners, students might be asked to compare school lunch menus between
France and the U.S. with a Venn diagram, for example.  

The issues outlined above have been present for some time in the language
pedagogy profession, and it remains to be seen whether conditions will change
in response to emerging political and social factors. In the meantime,
however, the book Intercultural Communication and Language Pedagogy: From
Theory to Practice is an extremely valuable contribution to the discipline of
applied linguistics in general and to intercultural communication in
particular. This book is a welcome addition to the existing literature on
intercultural communication, complementing edited volumes such as Paulston et
al. (2012), Nakayama & Halualani (2010), among others. It offers clear
theoretical expositions and copious teaching resources, and will be of great
interest to language teachers and language teacher trainers. It is
well-written, fully documented, and accessible style makes it suitable for
courses in language pedagogy at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. 

REFERENCES 

Bennett, Milton J. 2012. Paradigmatic assumptions and a developmental approach
to intercultural learning. In Student Learning Abroad: What Our Students Are
Learning, What They’re Not and What We Can Do About It, eds. M. Vande Berg, R.
M. Paige & K. H. Lou. 90–114. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Berardo, Sacha Anthony. 2006. The use of authentic materials in the teaching
of reading. The Reading Matrix 6(2). 60-69.

Borghetti, Claudia. 2017. Is there really a need for assessing intercultural
competence? Some ethical issues. Journal of Intercultural Communication 44. 

Broadfoot, Patricia & Paul J. Black. 2004. Redefining assessment? The first
ten years of assessment in education. Assessment in Education 11(1). 7-27.

Dewaele, Jean-Marc. 2017. Why the dichotomy “L1 versus LX user” is better than
“native versus non-native speaker”. Applied Linguistics 39(2). 236-240.

Hua, Zhu. 2014. Exploring Intercultural Communication: Language in Action. New
York, NY: Routledge.

Jackson, Jane. 2014. Introducing Language and Intercultural Communication. New
York, NY: Routledge.

Lafayette, Robert (Ed.). 1996. National Standards: A Catalyst for Reform.
Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company.

Liddicoat, Anthony J. & Angela Scarino. 2013. Intercultural Language Teaching
and Learning. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Lippi-Green, Rosina. 2012. English with an Accent: Language, Ideology and
Discrimination in the United States. New York, NY: Routledge.

Little, David, Sean Devitt & David Singleton. 1989. Learning Foreign Languages
from Authentic Texts: Theory and Practice. Dublin, Ireland: Authentik.

Nakayama, Thomas K. & Rona Tamiko Halualani (Eds.). 2010. The Handbook of
Critical Intercultural Communication. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.

Paulston, Christina Bratt, Scott F. Kiesling & Elizabeth S. Rangel (Eds.).
2012. The Handbook of Intercultural Discourse and Communication. Hoboken, NJ:
Wiley-Blackwell.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Laura Callahan is a Lecturer in the Department of Modern Languages &
Literatures at Santa Clara University. Previous appointments include The City
College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, Michigan State
University, and the University of California, Berkeley. In addition to
intercultural communication, her research interests have centered on
codeswitching and other contact phenomena; language, race, and identity;
linguistic landscapes; and heritage language maintenance. Recent work includes
collaboration on the following article: Adriana Raquel Díaz and Laura
Callahan. Intercultural communicative competence and Spanish heritage language
speakers: an overview from the U.S., Australia and Europe. Journal of Spanish
Language Teaching. 2020, 7-2: published online 25 Nov. 2020.





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