A design perspective on intercultural communication in second/foreign language education

ABSTRACT

In this conceptual article, we problematize current models of intercultural competence, by tracing the development of models of communicative competence and their historical rootedness in notions of communication as a linguistic phenomenon that occurs primarily in face-to-face encounters. We argue for a view of interculturality that sees intercultural encounters as meaning design processes that can also occur in encounters with texts expressed through multimodal semiotic resources. Finally, we propose a set of principles for second/foreign language education that focus on students’ process of becoming effective intercultural interpreters and meaning designers rather than solely on being effective intercultural speakers.

KEYWORDS:

• Intercultural competence
• multimodality
• design
• communicative competence models
• social semiotics

Acknowledgements

We would like to extend our deep appreciation for our professor, mentor, colleague, and friend, Dr. Linda R. Waugh, who first introduced us to the ideas of many of the scholars we have brought together in this article. She has been an inspiration for us over the past decade and will continue to inspire our work for years to come.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 Global Simulation (GS) is a pedagogical framework that involves the creation of a fictitious world that is grounded in real-world contexts. Learners take on specific roles and interact within a shared community. Learning is meaningful and goal-directed, as students work collaboratively to advance the storyline or complete a project.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

José Aldemar Álvarez Valencia

José Aldemar Álvarez Valencia is Professor (English and Applied Linguistics) in the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures at Universidad del Valle, Colombia. He is also the Chair of the Major in ELT Education at the interinstitutional doctorate program in the same university. He has contributed to the Journal of Intercultural Communication Education, Journal of Intercultural Communication, Journal of International & Intercultural Communication, Language and Intercultural Communication, and is co-editor of the book Interculturality in Language Teacher Education: Theoretical and Practical Considerations (Universidad del Valle Press). His current research focuses on the intersection between multimodal social semiotics, interculturality, multimodal pedagogies and decolonial theories.

Kristen Michelson

Kristen Michelson is Assistant Professor of French and Applied Linguistics in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures at Texas Tech University. Her scholarly work is anchored in multiliteracies pedagogies and has ranged from exploring global simulation frameworks as a way to foster multiliteracies, to tracing how foreign language teachers co-construct knowledge through digital social annotated reading, to investigating how second language learners of French interpret everyday internet texts. In this latter work, she has employed various methodologies in solo and collaborative research projects, including digital social annotated reading and prompted think-alouds. Her work aims to raise awareness of how particular representational choices are made with agency and intention against a backdrop of broader social contexts, and to provide opportunities for second language learners to understand and participate flexibly in cultural discourses of target language cultures.