Exploring the Course with Area and Country-Specific Characteristics Based on the Speech Community Theory: Taking The Survey of English-Speaking Countries as A Case Study

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jhet.202515453

Author(s)

Jinjing Zheng

Affiliation(s)

Jinshan College, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China

Abstract

Targeted at cultivating international talents, courses with area and country-specific characteristics have gained in attention from the circle of foreign languages. However, The Survey of English-Speaking Countries, a basic related course, presented negative sides in current teaching, mainly including the fragmented display of cultural knowledge and the isolation between linguistic skills and cultural connotations. Therefore, the present paper takes the course as a case study, and applies Speech Community Theory to guide its content reorganization and teaching innovation in methods. The study shows that regarding English-speaking countries as diverse and interactive speech communities, centering on core community practices, and integrating critical thinking could bridge the disconnect between linguistic forms and cultural implications, thus improving learners’ cross-cultural communicative competence. This research is thus a meaningful attempt to demonstrate a feasible reforms of courses with area and country-specific characteristics.

Keywords

Speech Community Theory; Area and Country Studies; The Survey of English-Speaking Countries; Course Reform

References

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