Linguistic and Cultural Awareness in Learning Materials for Teaching Chinese L2 and Danish L2

Abstract This chapter describes a study of the introductory teaching of a second language (L2) at the pretertiary level in two contrasting sociocultural and linguistic contexts: China and Denmark. The focus was on linguistic content and subject matter content, and thereby also on the potential for teaching cultural awareness in relation to the students’ L1. We investigated two widely used L2 learning materials using a sociocultural approach focusing on linguistic content, subject matter, and cultural awareness. Linguistic content was context-specific for the two countries, and some similarities were found in the subject matter content. Linguistic content in Chinese L2 focuses on pronunciation and ready-to-use sentences, especially because pronunciation, learning signs, and pinyin are difficult in Chinese L2. In Danish L2, the focus is on learning vocabulary (e.g., verbs, nouns, and pronouns) and learning sentence structures in declaratives and interrogatives given that these features are specific to Danish. Subject matter in Chinese L2 focuses on everyday language and Chinese culture; Danish L2 focuses only on everyday language. In the Chinese learning materials, students’ contexts are included to some degree; in the Danish material, this is not the case at all. We conclude that the learning materials must be context specific and that the potential for cultural awareness should be prioritized.