THE USE OF TRAVEL JOURNALS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION

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THE USE OF TRAVEL JOURNALS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION

Journal Title: International Journal of Langauges' Education and Teaching - Year 2016, Vol 4, Issue 1

Abstract

In this work, the definition of travel journals as a genre of literature will be made in light of the enunciation theory from linguistics and semiotics, and perception theory from semiotics which is inspired by phenomenology. The aim is to reveal how semiotic techniques can be useful in foreign language education classes, by the use of travel journals. The travel journals (carnets de voyage, Fr.) form a genre of literature containing textual and visual signs, in which the work is comprised of notes and illustrations by a traveller writer. These artworks with varying contents regarding the enunciation techniques and ways of perception are highly suitable for teaching how to form subjective or objective discourse and for providing description techniques. The practice of using linguistic and visual signs in combination offers big help in comprehension and expression for foreign language learners in almost all skill levels. The aim of contemporary approaches in foreign language education, besides providing linguistic competency, is also about offering familiarity with the culture surrounding that language. The perception of differences between the source and target cultures is also part of foreign language education. The travel journals provide a view of the city from the traveller’s perspective. As depicted in The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the language education has to be given inside a cultural context. The base for the teaching activity is to introduce the student both to the language and to the relevant culture; in other words, the student needs to learn to interpret both linguistic and social signs. In the classical method, one has course books usually presenting the foreign culture. In the meantime, the best way to know the “other” may be to look at one’s own self through the eyes of the “other”. We see how social signs change between cultures in not only travel journals but also travel literature texts, as is in “Persian Letters” by Montesquieu. We suggest the use of travel literature texts in language education classes in order to teach how to interpret cultural signs. Groups having various language skills can easily comprehend short texts of small-pieced structure thanks to their familiarity with subjects, people and places; and they can form similar texts basing on enunciation and perception techniques. This work brings also a new suggestion in semiotic techniques. Semiotics is a technique of analysis applied to meaningful wholes, revealing how a meaning is articulated. Writers do not use it as a means of creation. We suggest the use of it in the reverse direction as well, in the field of education, as a technique of creating texts. The learner, after understanding different usages in the text examples, will absorb different discourse strategies (objective or subjective discourse) and will form various texts regarding the presence amount of the enunciating subject in the discourse, and the perspective and sensation of the perceiving subject. During individual or group sessions, students with similar learning criteria will form highly variable texts. After learning with this technique, one can acquire the ability of interpreting and using both linguistic and social signs by doing writing exercises basing on certain text structuring properties.

Authors and Affiliations

Buket ALTINBÜKEN KARSLI

Keywords

Travel journals enunciation semiotics perception description discourse foreign language education

EP ID EP196901
DOI 10.18298/ijlet.549
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