Construction of language and culture in a content-based language class
This paper describes the classroom discourse of an advanced college Korean course with a view to examining language environments provided in a CBI (Content-Based Instruction) class. The research methodology was ethnography of communication, consisting of participation observation, semi-structured interviews with the instructor and the students, and analyses of the transcripts in terms of speech events, functions, and turn-taking systems. The data show that the content focus of CBI provided momentum for engaged and sustained talk on the topics of discussion, during which the students receive an ample amount of language input adjusted to their proficiency level and practice a range of speech functions, while being exposed to significant amount of information about Korean culture and society. The paper concludes with recommendation of CBI for heritage language students and upper-level non-heritage language students.
