Culture in Serbian language textbooks as foreign

Abstract

Topics and contents of cultural information in the textbooks for the initial levels of Serbian language learning were first statistically listed and then analysed. Previously, in order to facilitate textbook analysis, two basic meanings of culture, as an individual and collective expression of spiritual activity, have been delineated. The research shows that, except in the textbook of the Institute for Foreign Languages (Belgrade), cultural content is sporadically and poorly represented. On its 150 medium-format pages, Azbukum (Novi Sad) in its textbook Let's Learn Serbian 1 it promotes Serbian heritage and defends state ideas more than textbooks of state-funded institutions. Also, it is the only one that recognizes the potential of the so-called popular cultures in the acquisition of sociocultural competence.

Keywords

• culture
• serbian for foreigners
• textbooks
• entry level
• european framework