Principles and Prototypes of a Cultural Dictionary of Australian English for Learners

Abstract

This chapter discusses some of the issues that need to be considered when producing a user-friendly resource intended to familiarize ESL learners with the invisible culture of Australian English. It draws on specialized function lexicography (Tarp Lexicography in the borderland between knowledge and non-knowledge. Mouton De Gruyter, Berlin 2008) and on the cultural scripts approach as proposed by Goddard (Cognitive linguistics, second language acquisition, and foreign language teaching. Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, pp 143-163, 2004). The resource takes the form of an encyclopedic dictionary focusing on Australian values, attitudes and interactional norms and aims to respond to an industry need for pedagogical materials that introduce migrants coming to Australia to the culture embodied in Australian English. Best practice for teaching cultural awareness and related skills is to use a method for teaching that encourages students to reflect on their experience and to analyse it from an insider or emic perspective (Pulverness and Tomlinson in Lang Teach 45(2):143-179, 2003). The cultural scripts approach, which deconstructs complex cultural elements into simpler and universally intelligible building blocks, provides an effective means to this end. The chapter contents that drawing connections between different cultural scripts and illustrating those connections in a way that promotes the acquisition of concepts for learners is one of the most important elements in cultural dictionary design. Show more