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A Study on Cultural Representation in Senior High School English Textbooks

Author(s)

Qiutong Chu

Affiliation(s)

School of Foreign Languages, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong, China

Abstract

Against the backdrop of globalization, cross-cultural communication has become increasingly frequent. As a global lingua franca, English serves as a vital bridge for cross-cultural communication. Based on an analytical framework for cultural representation in foreign language textbooks, this study adopts a combination of quantitative statistics and qualitative analysis to systematically examine cultural representation in the 2019 edition of FLTRP senior high school English textbooks. The findings indicate that the textbooks give prominent coverage to target language culture and Chinese culture, with certain attention paid to the cultures of oth er countries, yet the representation of international culture is notably insufficient. From the dimension of cultural forms, the textbooks are dominated by cultural products, followed by cultural practices and cultural figures; the representation of cultural ideas is relatively weak, while cultural communities are underrepresented. In terms of modes of cultural representation, cultural discourses account for the largest proportion, with other categories distributed relatively evenly, and the cultural knowledge section has the lowest proportion.

Keywords

Cultural Forms; English Textbooks; Cultural Representation; Senior High School; Target Language Culture

References

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