CALL, Culture and the Language Curriculum

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A consensus seems to exist on the following. In foreign language acquisition methodology sound methods and efficient tools have been developed until now in order to allow the learner to master and put into practice grammar, basic vocabulary and frequent communicative rules. Within this area Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has become an indispensable partner, often leading the game. Beyond these borders, however, methodology as a whole becomes more blurred. Rules seem to vanish, variation and specialisation increase. Intuitive and ad hoc approaches seem to take the lead on formally established methods. The reasons for this are obvious: how to control the enormous, ever changing and expanding set of data, links and encyclopedic information that we associate with a richly developed human language? In front of this overwhelming opponent the search for method often surrenders. This is the point where CALL could offer foreign language learning the opportunity to make another jump forward. Information technology is capable of handling and streamlining huge and complex amounts of information. But this is also the point where language crosses the border of the purely linguistic fact, and where language learning has to come to terms with what we would call cultural issues.