Annerledeslandet
Original version
SYNAPS - A Journal of Professional Communication 10(2002) pp.13-41Abstract
Leaming a foreign language implies far more than the acquisition of grammatical structures
and a new vocabulary. Above all it means to master a whole range of language skills in a
cultural context. Understanding ·the other culture' will therefore be essential in the process of
a intercultural communication.The concept of 'culture· should be based on a relativistic attitude involving the description of"the complete way of life of a people" - its inherited ideas and values. An ethnocentric
attitude, however, involves the evaluation of 'the others' according to one 's own values and
leads to intolerance, lack of respect for ' the others', ultimately leading to xenophobia and
racism.