A Comparative Analysis of the Socio-Cultural Context in Textbooks of Minority Languages for Non-native Speakers (Based on Electronic Textbooks of Udmurt and Swedish languages)

Abstract

The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the socio-cultural context of textbooks of the Udmurt and Swedish languages as minority and non-native languages. The preservation and development of minority languages is outlined and Russian and Finnish experience in the area is compared. The aim of the study was to identify the features of the socio-cultural models of these textbooks by applying the method of content analysis and to analyze them in terms of the interests and communicative needs of teenage students. The material for the analysis was electronic textbooks of the Udmurt language of the «Ӟеч-а, бур-а, удмурт кыл!» (“Hello, Udmurt language!”) series, as well as electronic textbooks of Swedish of the Megafon series, both for grades 7-9. Materials of the kind have not been previously considered in similar studies. The results of the comparative analysis show that textbooks meet the communicative needs of adolescent students in different ways. Conclusions are drawn about the difference in the groups of students to whom these textbooks are oriented. A proposal is formulated on the use of the socio-cultural context as a resource in the popularization of minority languages.

Keywords

• minority languages
• the swedish language
• the udmurt language
• non-native language
• textbook
• sociocultural context
• communicative needs
• adolescence