Contenidos socioculturales y de variación lingüística en manuales de español

Abstract

Linguistic and cultural diversity in foreign language learning classes currently holds place as a didactic and political principle in teaching. Several years ago, the link between language and culture was integrated into the discipline with the recognition of culturally established systems of meanings and their influence on the manifestations of language. The fundamental role of cultural meanings in language learning is encompassed within the development of humanist currents in the field of Social Sciences of the last century. It is also in tune with the demands and circumstances of plurality perceived in the contemporary language classroom and its surrounding contexts. The growth and diversification of learning environments in recent decades have required theoretical, political and language education approaches aimed at developing "world citizens". The immersion of culture in foreign language classrooms and the transformation of learning contexts have been part of the intercultural approach for over thirty years. A theoretical examination of language learning as an educational issue has meant changes in policies, curricula and, to some extent, in textbooks. However, the intercultural dimension and its orientation to linguistic and cultural diversity have yet to find a place within classroom practices. Instead, it is often shown as cultural simplifications, generalizations and stereotypes. This study reviews the theoretical landscape of linguistic and cultural diversity encompassed within didactics of foreign languages as well as the possibilities and limitations in the field of practice all seen through the lens of textbooks. Both sociocultural content and linguistic variation are the fundamental axes of approximation to diversity in this research. These pages aim to illuminate their selection and treatment, understood as inputs for the assurance of knowledge, capacities and linguistic and cultural attitudes. In light of the still-current influence of textbooks on activities in the foreign language classroom, this study analyzes this type of materials that expose a tangible and close reality to classroom practices. This research aims to answer the following questions: What concepts and beliefs about sociocultural content and linguistic variation are represented in Spanish as a foreign language textbook? How could the selection and treatment of sociocultural content and linguistic variation of these materials adapt to current approaches of linguistic and cultural diversity in language learning/teaching? In order to answer these questions, the qualitative methodology of content analysis was chosen. Through an empirical approach, the practical and theoretical dimensions were linked.