nsm-approach.net

Abstract:

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss how the learning and teaching of intercultural competence can be substantially enhanced by the use of NSM and/or some form of “minimal” language (inspired by Goddard 2018a) Minimal English. The affordances of the NSM theory of intercultural semantics and pragmatics (e.g., Goddard 2006; Wierzbicka 1997) for intercultural learning are, at least, twofold. On the one hand, the theory brings into focus cultural keywords and cultural scripts, which are crucial to the understanding of how a particular group thinks about and performs communication and social relations. On the other hand, NSM offers a set of few, simple, and cross-translatable concepts that can prove useful in the context of the classroom, to talk about keywords and cultural scripts and to explain complex language-specific grammatical features. The acquisition of intercultural compe- tence, also called intercultural communicative competence (Byram 1997), is the main goal of foreign and second language courses today, where the focus is on helping the learner to become a competent intercultural speaker and user of the language. Intercultural competence is also the target of courses on intercultural communication (for instance, university courses for humanities or business stu- dents), which normally provide an introduction to culture and communication theories. Both foreign/second language courses and intercultural communication courses would profit from a systematic approach to grammar, to the semantics of cultural keywords, and to pragmatics, which does not rely on heavily culturally loaded (and potentially Anglocentric) complex concepts. In this chapter, I propose different ways in which NSM can be used in these contexts, both at a theoretical level and based on my own experiences with the implementation of NSM in the classroom.