From Linguistic Practices to Cultural Values: Learners' Journeys between Cultural Diversity and Essentialization on the Example of German Expressions of Friendship and Affection

Using the example of German expressions of friendship and affection, this dissertation explores challenges to the teachability of cultural difference in the (German) foreign language classroom. In particular, it examines the relationship between learners' and German native speakers' perspectives on language use, specifically German expressions of friendship and affection.;In order to work towards intercultural competence, foreign language learners at U.S. colleges often begin to explore the meaning and use of culturally contextualized expressions at the beginner level. Textbook authors and teachers follow an implicit 'canon of cultural difference', a list of iconic words, expressions and behaviors that over time have come to represent essential cultural differences. However, there is no evidence whether native speakers of German perceive the sociocultural connotations of their expressions of friendship and affection homogeneously enough to warrant their status as cultural traits.;This dissertation investigates (1) how native speakers of German perceive their expressions of friendship and affection, (2) to what extent these accounts indeed ratify the construction of pertinent lingual-cultural norms, and (3) how American learners of German view these expressions and their own learning outcomes upon receiving instruction on this topic.;Participants included 52 native speakers of German and 154 beginning learners of German enrolled in seven sections of a first-semester German course at a large Midwestern research university. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected by means of a questionnaire and a semi-scripted interview that inquired into the use and meaning of German expressions of affection and friendship. In addition, the student participants completed a questionnaire on their learning outcomes after lessons on German expressions of friendship and affection.;Categorical and statistical analyses of the data revealed a lack of consensus among German native speakers in regard to their use of L1 expressions of friendship and affection. This lack proved to entail challenges to the teachability of culture. While the goal of FL education is to foster intercultural competence, the student participants in this study expressed essentialized views of German culture that defied notions of intercultural competence as well as an awareness of intracultural variation.