A comparative study of representations of culture in Turkish and English language textbooks

According to Hymes (1971: 3-28) foreign language learning is comprised of several components which are linguistic competence, strategic competence, discourse competence, socio-linguistic competence and cultural competence. Cultural competence is the knowledge of the conventions, customs, beliefs, and systems of meaning of another country, and it is indisputably an integral part of foreign language learning, and many teachers have seen it as their goal to incorporate the teaching of culture into the foreign language curriculum. Nowadays, teaching Turkish as a foreign language is gaining more and more importance and spreading all over the world. Thus, books or materials which are used in teaching Turkish as a foreign language should be prepared through this point of view. The aim of this study is to examine and compare the amount of the cultural items in the English and Turkish as a foregin language coursebooks. In the comparison of the cultural items in English and Turkish coursebooks, on item analysis will be implemented. Besides, the ways of cultural transmission and the cultural competence index in the books will be discussed. The aim is to facilitate acquisition for the students of Turkish as a foreign language. Key Words: Foreign language teaching, culture, cultural competence, cultural awareness, language and culture.