Dian Novita, Oikurema Purwati, Syafi'ul Anam, Slamet Setiawan
The cultural depiction in English Language Teaching (ELT) materials has flourished as one of the required fields of study. To analyze the texts and visuals in Chapter 1 of the locally ELT textbook, Bahasa Inggris: When English Rings a Bell for Grade 7 (2017), published by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture (MONEC), the study employed Cultural Linguistics for the analysis. The recent research focuses on the conceptualization of the Indonesian non-verbal behavior as the local cultural contents, i.e., shaking and kissing the elderly hands. Three hundred forty-six people participated in the study, with a mean age of 37 years. From the analysis of the participants’ responses, the cultural conceptualizations of handshaking and kissing the elderly hands were for maintaining cultural obligation, showing respect, expressing love, asking blessings, showing politeness, expressing devotion, having good relationships, and inquiring apology. Based on the participants’ experiences of doing the tradition, parents and the elderly were put as valued persons that could give substantial control for the young generation. The results corresponded with cultural conceptualizations represented in the textbook. Here, the English materials provided in the book could be the manifestation of preserving the Indonesian local wisdom in ELT. This practice can be the model for the ELT around the globe when the local wisdom is a paramount value to be maintained in the respective society. © 2020 Asian E F L Journal Press. All rights reserved.
Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia; Universitas Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo, Indonesia
