Internationale Neerlandistiek - Volume 57, Issue 3, 2019

Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, shows a strong presence of non-standard language varieties, such as tussentaal (lit. ‘in-between language’) or regional dialects. However, Dutch as a second language (L2) education in Flanders mainly focuses on (Belgian) Standard Dutch, the official language variety in Flanders. Newcomers settling in Flanders seem to experience a large gap between the standard language advocated in policy and education and the multitude of non-standard language varieties they encounter in daily interactions. L2 teachers in Flanders are thus dealing with students who often struggle to communicate with L1 speakers of Dutch. In this empirical study, we address this issue by probing the opinions of L2 teachers: do they believe tussentaal and dialects form a communication threshold for their students? To what extent do they focus on non-standard language during their lessons, and what reservations or doubts do they possibly have about teaching non-standard language in the classroom? To answer these questions, we draw on fieldwork conducted in the East Flemish city of Ghent.

The wide range of Red Riding Hood versions is a sign of the fairy tale’s popularity. According to Judith Roof, the narrative itself produces multiple story variations. She does not approach narrative as a structural pattern but as a system of elements governed by certain rules. New versions of Red Riding Hood are the result of shifting and recombining story elements in relation to such rules and do not necessarily have to reinforce the heteronormative patriarchal order. I build upon Roof’s assumption about Red Riding Hood’s feminist potential, while focusing my attention on postwar Dutch fiction. More specifically, I examine an adaptation by Muslim feminist author Naema Tahir, in which the feminist potential is mainly realised by not depicting the Islamic religion as singularly female-oppressive.

Previous research shows that textbooks for learning foreign languages are prone to be written from a national rather than a diverse cultural perspective (Risager, 2018). Few studies have examined this topic for Dutch foreign language (DFL) learning materials. Therefore, the aim of this article is to review (inter)national literature and draw up lessons for the DFL-context. We outline characteristics of national and cultural studies’ perspectives on representations of language and culture in learning materials. Whereas national studies may uncover ‘banal nationalism’, cultural studies can reveal degrees of cultural diversity in textbooks. Future research should examine to what extent banal versus diverse cultural tendencies are represented in DFL-textbooks. We should also investigate how such representations have evolved over time (if at all), whether they differ in books published in the Netherlands, Belgium or elsewhere, and compare how representations in DFL-textbooks relate to the international body of knowledge. Such knowledge will benefit publishers and writers of DFL-materials and the teachers and students who work with them. It will also serve to determine to what degree DFL-materials contribute to educational goals of intercultural dialogue (Council of Europe, 2017; Taalunie, 2018) and inclusive education (UNESCO, 2017), in and outside of Dutch-speaking countries.