TEACHING TURKISH CULTURAL VALUES THROUGH NARRATIVES WITH A PLOT-STRUCTURE ANALYSIS APPROACH

This study offers a plot-structure analysis approach in analyzing narratives on problematic intercultural encounters for teaching cultural values in the foreign language classroom. It argues that the plot-structure of narratives about such intercultural communication situations have characteristic features which are related to key elements of intercultural communication. Foreign language learners’ awareness on reasons of conflict in intercultural encounters, including lack of knowledge on cultural values, can be increased by exploring these characteristic elements. This study, first of all, presents a plot-structure analysis of two personal narratives written by foreigners who lived in Turkey. Then, based on this analysis, it proposes the distinctive features of plot-structure in narratives about a difficult intercultural encounter. Both of the narratives are about hospitality which is an important value in Turkish culture. Therefore, the analysis would be especially useful for learners of Turkish as a foreign language who would like to explore and learn Turkish cultural values. The two personal narratives which are “Rescued by Village Intelligence” and “Hediye” are chosen among the collection of memoirs titled Tales from the Expat Harem: Foreign Women in Modern Turkey first published in 2005. While one of the narratives reflects on how a display of hospitality turned out to be almost life-saving for the author when she was in desparate need for help, the other deals with the author’s experience about Turkish hospitality as an unfamiliar and quite disturbing issue for her.