Tim LEWIS, KAN Qian & Ursula STICKLER The Open University

Third cultures for third spaces: an emergent model of interculturality in a Chinese-English e-tandem exchange Tim LEWIS, KAN Qian & Ursula STICKLER The Open University

Outline

Third spaces (Bhabha 1994 and Kramsch 1993) Third places (Oldenburg 1989 and Soukup

2006) Chinese-English eTandem project Findings Discussion

12-14 Feb 2014 León Conference 2

Bhabha (1994)•Semiotic space (enunciation vs

proposition)•Statements about culture are

`positioned’ and should be greeted with ambivalence

•Cultural change - dialectical reorganisation

•`Third space’ – `the void of misgiving’ `the assimilation of contraries’

•Interstitial and hybrid12-14 Feb 2014 León Conference 3

Kramsch (1993) •Personal. A state of mind•Learner at the intersection of multiple

social roles and individual choices•Context, framing, perspective•Learners articulate new experiences

from within old ones•Critical and counter-hegemonic


Third places – Oldenburg 1989 (I)

Oldenburg’s great good places:•Neutral ground•Levelling & inclusive settings•Conversation is the main activity •Accessible and accommodating. •Third places are given character by their regulars•Low profile in physical setup•Playful mood•Providing psychological comfort and support


Third places (Soukup 2006) (II)

Four ways in which virtual environments are like great good places: • Immersive, `time slips away’ • Conversational tone is often `jocular, energetic and spirited’. • Neutral ground for informal or spontaneous social interaction.• Virtual environments also have their regulars.


eTandem

In our project (Chinese – English Tandem learning):•Email •Skype

Two institutions:•Department of Languages, The Open University (OU), UK •School of Distance Learning and Continuing Education, Beijing Jiaotong University (BJU)


ParticipantsTotal: 10 pairs

•10 OU students Age ： 48 – 76 Level of Chinese ： beginners after one year learning

•10 postgraduates and staff from BJU Age ： 23 – 45 Level of English: post beginners to intermediate


Project timetable & weekly topics


• Week 0 (1st Nov 2011): preparation week• Week 1 (5th Nov) – Week 6 (17th Dec): language

activities

Week 1: Getting to know each otherWeek 2: Family and friendsWeek 3: FoodWeek 4: WeekendWeek 5: ComparisonsWeek 6: Travel

• After 19th Dec – Feb 2012: follow-up questionnaires

Weekly guidelines: Example


Data collection and analysis

Copies of emails Skype recordings English students’ forum Post-questionnaires Follow-up emails


Findings:

• Hybridity• Critical and counter-hegemonic learning• Levelling• Accessibility• Informality• Clear contextual setting and the primacy of

conversation


Hybridity

•Merging of cultures “We have Chinese new year, just

like Christmas in your country ,we eat dumplings with family, and Chinese new year is the most important festival in china ,family members will come back home wherever they are .

… I look forward to see my family, I miss them very much. We don’t have a Christmas Break in China, but young people, like university students, will have it. You can see Christmas tree and Santa Claus in storefront showcase; I look forward to receive an apple at Christmas Eve.”

[Excerpt from email, Pair 1, BJU1]

•Teacher-learner rolesBJU2: When you find out

something you can say 发现 or 找出

OU2: Yes I’ve got that, thank you very much! …let me type something -

BJU2: Shades of meaningI used [the] Chinese for [al]most 30 years but I never think about why we say it like this or like that. But when you ask me, I have to think about it.(Skype BJU2)


[Two excerpts from transcript of Skype recording Nov 2011]

Critical and counter-hegemonic learningOU3: The films I like – Beijing Bicycle – do you know that?BJU3: I haven’t seen this movie but I have heard of it.OU3: Yeah? This one I didn’t like it too muchBJU3: Hahaha, it’s a very famous film in China.OU3: Yeah, but it was too much, too much!BJU3: It – have a lot of metaphors about the government so people like this film. But for foreigners, they don’t know the .... OU3: Ah, there are a lot of politics in it? [Skype]12-14 Feb 2014 León Conference 14

LevellingOU2• Male• 76 years old• Retired, used to be a land

surveyor (Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors)

• Learning Chinese for 11 months

BJU2• Female• 28 years old• University computer officer• Learning English for 11

years

So pleased to have met an elderly person full of knowledge like you. I’m so touched at your age, you are still learning. Such an inspiration. (Email)Please concentrate on your

work, don’t’ worry about me … I’m retired… (Skype)

After I retired, I continued to study and able to choose a wider range of subjects (Email)

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Accessibility (1) using webcam and other online tools

OU3: I have a fire – I’ll show you. —— did you see? This is an electric fire.BJU3: Electric fire – yeah, I thought the – the fire with the wood

• OU3: Yes, yes. Is it dark?• BJU3: Yes, yes, I can show you the outside. Ok, it’s

dark.• OU3: Uh.• BJU3: Do you – do you see?• OU3: Yes, thank you, yes. I show you outside here –

now it is the morning and it’s uh – 9:42. Or, it’s nearly a quarter to 10 – and it’s light.

Two excerpts from Skype recording: pair 3


Accessibility (2) - reflection on webcam use

“<OU2> suggested that using the webcam might help your relationship… I think <OU2> is right about trying establishing rapport through visual means. This awareness of the other as a real person can help to overcome anxiety about finding the right words.”

[Forum discussion, OU3]


Informality

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Clear contextual setting and the primacy of conversationWeekly topicsWeek 1: Getting to know each otherWeek 2: Family and friendsWeek 3: FoodWeek 4: WeekendWeek 5: ComparisonsWeek 6: Travel

Weekly guidelines


Discussion• A highly structured space allows informality to happen

• Meeting in the unknown “Third Space” iscause for anxiety and excitement

• Constant switching of roles allows risk-taking and falling back on the familiar

It’s very exciting being part of something like this but rather terrifying too. (Email)

OU3: I have very warm slippers.BJU3: Yeah.OU3: See?BJU3: Wow! Hahaha.

(Skype)

OU2 : “Now you said to me ‘I don’t good at it’ and it’s better to say ‘I’m not very good at cooking’, yeah, or you say ‘I don’t cook’.” (Skype)

“These [project description and weekly worksheet] were all quite clear and useful in setting one's own goals.” (questionnaire)

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Thank you! 谢谢！• Tim LEWIS [email protected]• KAN Qian [email protected]• Ursula STICKLER [email protected]


mailto:[email protected]



Tim LEWIS, KAN Qian & Ursula STICKLER The Open University

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