existence'. When discussing what to teach at the beginning of this article, I argued that there was a missing link between knowledge of the foreign culture and procedural socio-cultural skills. I believe that what is lacking is communication and interaction, a dialectic dialogue between two or more subjects interpreting and negotiating meaning. Ricoeur (Kvalsvik 1985) argues that only through interaction with others, and not through introspection, can we experience our own identity. In a context of dialogue with the foreign culture, I want to interpret 'others' as both texts and persons.
Ricoeur's view adds to the above an aspect of cultural awareness which I believe to be essential in relation to personal development and growth: through interaction with the 'other' one gains an increased understanding not only of the 'other', but also of 'self. The foreign culture provides the mirror in which we can see ourselves reflected; it provides an outside to our inside.
While learning a foreign language, the learner will bring his own culture into the communication process with the foreign culture, whether it is in reading a foreign text or in speaking to a representative of that particular language community. With regard to intercultural awareness this must be seen as an interdependent relationship between cultures which constitutes a dynamic enrichment for 'self as well as the 'other'.
References:
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Byram, M., Morgan, C. et al. (1994) Teaching-and-Learning Language-and-Culture. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
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