The Use of E-mail as a Tool for the Development of Intercultural Communicative Competence

Abstract

The geographical situation of Hong Kong makes it difficult for Chinese learners of Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE) to have access to native speakers in order to develop not only their language skills but also their intercultural competence. The same situation applies to Spanish students learning Chinese. Byram (1997) suggests that success in communicating does not depend exclusively on the efficiency of information exchange, but also on the establishment and maintenance of relationships with others. In order to develop intercultural communicative competence (ICC) we need to look at other options for communication between native speakers of the language and those learning it. Internet can provide the answer to this conundrum as it is present in everyday life, all students have access to it and they are permanently connected to this virtual world. Today’s youngsters are digital natives and teachers have taken advantage of this by integrating internet into the foreign language classroom as an inexhaustible repository of information and resources. Communication via online tools such as email, chats or videoconferencing can be a viable option for establishing contact between learners and native speakers of the language. This paper looks at how email can be a valid tool for the development of intercultural communicative competence (Byram, 1997; 2000) between Hong Kong students of Spanish and Spanish students of Chinese. The paper will present the findings of an online exchange carried out between students of Spanish at The University of Hong Kong and students of Chinese from CSIM (Centro Superior de Idiomas Modernos) at Universidad Complutense in Madrid. Students paired up and exchanged emails on a variety of topics related to personal, linguistic and socio-cultural information. A total of 258 email messages were analyzed according to Byram’s criteria for the development of ICC. A qualitative analysis of the results suggests that telecollaborative exchanges via email are effective in developing students’ intercultural communicative competence.