This article discusses the communicative and the intercultural approaches
to language teaching and learning. Firstly, it describes the core theoretical
principles, goals, and the roles of teachers and learners in both approaches,
as well as the way they are treated in different German textbooks.
Secondly, it discusses a set of core principles and concepts (‘activity’,
‘interaction’, ‘motivation’ and ‘communicative posture’), as well as the
didactic-pedagogical implications of implementing a communicative
approach to language teaching and learning. Finally, it includes a reflection
about the necessity for the language teacher to develop an intercultural
background, as well as the eclectic use of different linguistic theories and
language teaching approaches to make the acquisition of communicative
and intercultural competence viable.
