TEACHING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN A MULTICULTURAL COUNTRY: THE EXAMPLE OF UZBEKISTAN

Abstract

The aim of this paper is analyzing the role of intercultural communication during the process of language learning. After providing a definition of intercultural communication, this work will focus on the importance of this subject inside language courses in universities and schools. Living in a globalized world, intercultural communication plays a major role in language teaching, which, in some cases, surpasses other more canonical topics such as grammar and vocabulary. Culture, in human interactions, is often the key to have a successful communication among people and, in my experience, it is often underestimated in the academic environment. This paper, which will mainly deal with teaching Italian in Uzbekistan, will show how grammar, vocabulary and phonology plays a minor role compared to intercultural communication and how an effective interaction can be pursued knowing and respecting each other's cultures. The last paragraph will open a theme which, I hope, will be discussed in future articles: Uzbekistan is a multicultural and multilingual country and, teaching intercultural communication in Uzbekistan should also consider the cultural background of the student, since the reaction of the learners could change according to their cultural environment. However, the real question is: should we analyze the reactions and difficulties from a cultural or from a mere linguistic point of view?