Reframing the language/culture debate in the teaching of English

In the last ten years, the local/global debate about the role and value of English as a foreign language has become more acute. The models proposed by applied linguistic research (e.g., Byram 1997, Kramsch 2010) and mentioned by Kramsch (2013) in this journal for the development of intercultural or transcultural competence have served to improve the communicative ability of learners of English but have they improved their ability to understand Self and Other across cultural boundaries? Because “culture” has become more nebulous than ever in this increasingly global world, this paper explores the benefits of using an interdiscourse approach rather than an intercultural approach to teaching communicative competence in English. It discusses the possibility of teaching learners of English how to enter into dialogue with several discourse systems (Scollon et al 2012) while remaining faithful to one’s own cultural heritage. It discusses the possibility of teaching learners of English how to enter into dialogue with several discourse systems (Scollon et al 2012) while remaining faithful to one’s own cultural heritage. It discusses the possibility of teaching learners of English how to enter into dialogue with several discourse systems (Scollon et al 2012) while remaining faithful to one’s own cultural heritage.