Achieving Understanding: Discourse in Intercultural Encounters (Language In Social Life) - Softcover

Broeder, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0582086442 ISBN 13: 9780582086449

Publisher: Routledge, 1996

Synopsis

Achieving Understanding: Discourse in Intercultural Encounters is a detailed study of understanding in a second language, related to the actual lives of minority workers. The focus is on the everyday interactions between these workers and the bureaucrats of the society in which they are now resident. Based on data collected for the major European project on second language acquisition funded by the European Science Foundation (1982-7), this book bridges the gap between studies in second language acquisition and the sociology and ethnography of minority workers in Europe.This study is an important contribution to the debate about the function of language as a social practice, adding a fresh perspective to the psycholinguistc and experimental paradigms currently existing in SLA research.Individual chapters consider the causes of non-understanding, how problems of understanding is (often painfully) negotiated. This text, therefore, differs from most studies of second language development where language production is the main concern.The focus on interpreting institutional data from four European countries makes this text of great use to students of applied linguistics. It will also be helpful to language teachers and other professionals involved with intercultural communication.katharina Bremer, Department of English, University of heidelberg, Germany; Celia Roberts, School of English Language Teaching, Thames Valley University, I.K.Marie Therese Vasseur, Department of Linguistics, University Rene Descartes, Paris, FranceMargaret Simonot, Department of Arts, Law and Social Sciences, Islington College, U.K.Peter Broeder, Department of Linguistics, Tilburg University, The Netherlands

About this title

Review

"This is another outstanding text in Longman's Language in Social Life Series. It should be purchased and read at the earliest possible opportunity."

International Journal of Bilingualism

"Anyone interested in setting up a research project on cultural pragmatics...will find everything they have ever wanted to know in Achieving Understanding. This is a substantial volume...because of the breadth and length of the study."

ELT Journal

"A well-conceived research design, an interesting perspective, and a data-driven approach make 'Achieving Understanding' a thorough exploration of its topics. It will certainly be of interest to researchers in intercultural communication, critical linguistics, and second language acquisition, but specialists in (mis)understanding will find it indispensable....the authors are to be commended for providing not only a well-crafted design, but also a theory that has enormous heuristic potential."

Discourse and Society

About the Author

Peter Broeder is Assistant Professor at Tilburg University where his research involves unravelling processes of language change among ethnic minority groups.
Jaap Murre is a Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam. Previously he worked as a scientist at the Applied Psychology Unit of the Medical Research Council in Cambridge. Dr. Murre also heads a research group sponsored by a PIONIER grant from the Netherlands
Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0582086442
• ISBN 13: 9780582086449
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288