Russkij učebnyj tekst kak raznovidnost' didaktičeskogo diskursa : opyt lingvodidaktičeskogo issledovaniâ v aspekte mežkul'turnoj kommunikacii

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to look at specific examples of oral practice occurring in text books as a genre of didactic discourse. The data is considered from the point of view of inter-cultural communication. Inter-cultural communication is understood, under working conditions, as the use by one party of a foreign language, the learning of which was based on socio-cultural experience gained from his or her native culture. Normal communication, in the context of another culture, assumes a knowledge by one party of the verbal, para-verbal, and nonverbal communication carried on by members of the second culture. Text books are considered to be discourse, i.e. text immersed in a concrete socio-cultural context, that is, the culture within which the text book was produced. In this study, a model of interdisciplinary analysis of text book structure was used, and the levels of extra-linguistic and pragmatic factors, superstructure, macrostructure and microstructure were considered. The titles were published by the Russki-Yazyk publishers in 1975, 1977, 1988, and 1991. The object of this research consists of the following elements of text book discourse: the structure of lessons; illustrated materials as elements of the superstructure; types of exercises; the theme of the dynamic of monologues, and especially of dialogues; text types, and metadiscourse in texts and exercises. The main methods of research are text linguistics and pragmatics. When analyzing the visual presentation, elements of semiotic and content analysis were used. Elements of the theory of lacunes (cognitive point of view), in which methods of bringing to light specific areas of miscommunication between parties from different cultures are developed, were used as instruments of research. Analysis of the superstructure of text books in a socio-cultural context helps to show among other things the theories of language-teaching methodology that were held at a particular period in a particular society.