Masters Degrees (Modern Foreign Languages)

Permanent URI for this collection

https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/640

Browse

Browsing Masters Degrees (Modern Foreign Languages) by Author "Bodenstein, Eckhard W."

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Lernervoraussetzungen von Deutschstudenten an der Universitat Zululand : eine Untersuchung auf der Grundlage von Bildtexten
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1998-12) Bodenstein, Eckhard W.; Kussler, R.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of Modern Foreign Languages.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During my work as a lecturer in "German as a foreign language" at the University of Zululand I have experienced that African students often understand German texts in a different way than I, coming from a European background, would have expected. According to the research on text reception, differences in understanding texts are the result of different reader characteristics of which the socio-cultural background forms an important component. This thesis examines the socio-cultural background of Zulu students and aims to show how it influences their understanding of German texts. The necessary data is obtained by way of a comparative empirical investigation which is enhanced by personal observations made while teaching German to African learners. The investigation is based on a German advertisement. The control groups consist of South African students at the Universities of Natal/Durban and Stellenbosch as well as students in Germany at the University of Kassel. The investigation is concluded by a discussion of the implications that the socio-cultural background of Zulu students can have on the teaching of "German as a foreign language" and on intercultural communication.