Language, interaction, and culture at school1

Abstract

The chapter provides an overview of selected studies that, from the mid-twentieth century, have variously dealt with classroom language, interaction, and culture. Moving from the recognition that schools represent (at least in western societies) a major site for children’s socialization into the adult world, several ethnographic accounts of how this process concretely takes place in and through everyday classroom practices are presented and discussed. As the chapter illustrates, the focus on situated language use allows to appreciate how school is a lieu where the micro-macro dialectic emerges with particular evidence. Specifically, the chapter reports on research dealing with (a) classroom’ typical interactional structures, (b) teachers’ and pupils’ communicative practices, and (c) the interactional competence needed to appropriately participate in classroom everyday activities. An appraisal of the challenges that this multifaceted research field is facing in contemporary societies concludes the article.

Stereotypes and prejudices in the Italian L2 class. A conversation analysis of their emergence in teachers' talk

“…In this regard, schools are perspicuous loci to observe the local construction and negotiation of stereotypes and prejudices based on supposed cultural and linguistic differences. This local construction often revolves around the teacher, who is the main responsible for classroom activities (Caronia and Nasi, 2021). Faced with students' disparate cultural and linguistic backgrounds, teachers rely on their previous lay and professional knowledge to make sense of this diversity.…”