A Comparative Study on the Presentation of Cultural Elements in People’s Education Press and Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press

Abstract

Based on the Framework for Analyzing Cultural Presentation in Foreign Language Textbooks proposed by Zhang Hong and Li Xiaonan, this paper conducts a comparative study on the presentation of culture in the third-grade English textbooks in People’s Education Press and Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.It is found that in terms of the presentation of regional cultures: firstly, both textbooks emphasize the culture of the mother tongue; secondly, the presentation of the culture of the target language countries in both textbooks is relatively limited, and the content of international cultures is also weak.In terms of the presentation of cultural forms: firstly, People’s Education Press focuses on cultural practices, while Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press focuses on cultural products and cultural figures; secondly, the presentation of cultural communities in both editions is obviously insufficient.In terms of the way of presenting culture, both editions of the textbook use discourse and pictures as the main carriers, but the understanding of the cultural content is highly dependent on the teacher's explanation and guidance.