Heiko Motschenbacher’s research while affiliated with Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and other places

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Publications (4)


Figure 2: Family depiction (Link 1, p. 6-7, © Fagbokforlaget)
Figure 3: Binary pronouns illustrated (Link 2, p. 42, p. 79; © Fagbokforlaget)
Figure 4: Boy-and-girl representations (Link 1, p. 16; © Fagbokforlaget)
Figure 5: The strictly gender-binary family (Link 1, p. 52; © Fagbokforlaget)
Figure 6: Unnecessarily gendering birthday kids (Link 2, p. 64-65; © Fagbokforlaget)

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How heteronormative are English textbooks in Norway?How heteronormative are English textbooks in Norway?: A critical discourse analysis of the textbook series LinkA critical discourse analysis of the textbook series Link
  • Article
  • Full-text available

January 2025

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ELLA - utdanning litteratur språk

Heiko Motschenbacher

This study seeks to assess the degree of heteronormativity found in the English textbooks that are currently used in Norwegian schools. For this purpose, gender and sexuality are highlighted as dimensions of inclusion in foreign language education. It is argued that a non-, under-, or misrepresentation of marginalized or minoritized social groups forms a representational linguistic barrier that puts successful language learning at risk. At the theoretical level, a queer approach is adopted that fosters a critical discussion of heteronormativity in educational practices. Against the backdrop of the Norwegian curriculum, a multimodal critical discourse analysis of books in the Norwegian textbook series Link (catering to years 1 to 7) is carried out that foregrounds the representational aspects that construct gender and sexuality in heteronormative ways. This is done to raise awareness among English teachers as well as to give both teachers and textbook creators a chance to develop more inclusive learning materials. The analysis uncovers that the material targeting the youngest age groups (years 1 and 2) evinces a heteronormative erasure of non-heterosexual people and stereotypically binary, polarized gender constructions. The material created for year 7 is more inclusive in its representation of gender and sexuality but still shows certain weaknesses in how these social categories are constructed.

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Foreign Language Learning and Sexuality-Related Inclusion: A Multimodal Analysis of Representational Practices in the German Textbook Series Navi Englisch

March 2021

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30 Reads

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5 Citations

This chapter contributes to recent research on sexuality-related representation in foreign language education. It discusses sexuality as a central dimension of linguistic inclusion and exclusion in this context and identifies sexuality-related representational linguistic barriers that may pose obstacles to learning success. Processes of sexuality-related exclusion and inclusion are illustrated through a multimodal critical discourse analysis of representational practices in a unit on “love and friendship” from the German EFL textbook series Navi Englisch. It is shown that, even though representation is fairly inclusive in certain passages on the linguistic level, it is in many instances the visual level of representation and/or exclusionary linguistic practices in the verbal co-text that stand in the way of reaching higher levels of inclusion. The concluding section discusses potential strategies for educators to increase sexuality-related inclusion and the role that language use in teaching materials can play in this process.


Non‐nativeness as a dimension of inclusion: A multimodal representational analysis of EFL textbooks

July 2019

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97 Reads

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14 Citations

International Journal of Applied Linguistics

The article first introduces the special issue on the topic of Linguistic Dimensions of Inclusion in Educational and Multilingual Contexts. Key aspects of inclusive education are outlined and applied to the realm of language, communication and language learning. The concept “linguistic barrier,” a collective term for linguistic practices and communicative aspects that may pose obstacles to language learning, communicative success or a successful integration of individuals in multilingual contexts, is discussed. Focal points of the individual contributions to the special issue are briefly outlined. In the second part, the article hones in on non‐nativeness as a dimension of inclusion in foreign language teaching. Processes of exclusion and inclusion are illustrated through a multimodal critical discourse analysis of representational practices in units from the German EFL textbook series Navi Englisch . The main focus of analysis lies on verbal and visual cultural indexes that allow for conclusions on the representation of native and non‐native social actors as well as ENL, ESL and EFL cultures. Based on the finding that the material shows a strong predominance of native language user representation, it is argued that a mainstreaming of second language identities and English as an international lingua franca in ELT can foster higher levels of inclusion that are likely to have positive, empowering effects for learners of English and non‐native English language teachers alike.


Corpus linguistics in language and sexuality studies: Taking stock and looking ahead

August 2018

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180 Reads

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33 Citations

Journal of Language and Sexuality

As an introduction to the special issue, this paper presents an overview of previous corpus linguistic work in the field of language and sexuality and discusses the compatibility of corpus linguistic methodology with queer linguistics as a central theoretical approach in language and sexuality studies. The discussion is structured around five prototypical aspects of corpus linguistics that may be deemed problematic from a poststructuralist, queer linguistic perspective: quantification and associated notions of objectivity, reliance on linguistic forms and formal presence, concentration on highly frequent features, reliance on categories, and highlighting of differences. It is argued that none of these aspects rules out an application of corpus linguistic techniques within queer theoretically informed linguistic work per se and that it is rather the way these techniques are employed that can be seen as more or less compatible with queer linguistics. To complement the theoretical discussion, a collocation analysis of sexual descriptive adjectives in the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) is conducted in an attempt to address some of the issues raised. The concluding section makes suggestions for future research.

Citations (3)


... Similarly, Paiz (2015) used a multimodal analysis to assign a heteronormativity rating to a sample of ESL reading textbooks published over the course of one decade, finding that there had been little progress in the representation of diverse gender and sexual identities. Most recently, Motschenbacher (2021) analysed the textual and visual representation of sexualities in a unit on 'love and friendship' from a German EFL textbook, to discover that while sexual inclusivity was quite well represented at the linguistic level, this was markedly less so at the visual level. ...

Reference:

Negotiating the language of gender and sexuality A case study of educational materials from Cambodia
Foreign Language Learning and Sexuality-Related Inclusion: A Multimodal Analysis of Representational Practices in the German Textbook Series Navi Englisch
  • Citing Chapter
  • March 2021

... This is hence not a cluster that naturally emerged from the data, but is the result of our specific search that was designed to detect how many and which words were chosen by haters to talk about the primary LGBTQIA+-related topic. Once again, in accordance with the results found by Motschenbacher (2018) and Locatelli et al. (2023), a very narrow list of words concerns sexual identity in Italian hate speech, specifically amare (to love), co[p]pie (couples), effusioni (displays of affection), emotività (emotionality), and eros* (eros, erotically). Moreover, we found no occurrences of the lexeme lesbic* (lesbian, lesbians), nor of trans* (transgender, transgenderism, transexual). ...

Corpus linguistics in language and sexuality studies: Taking stock and looking ahead
  • Citing Article
  • August 2018

Journal of Language and Sexuality

... Similarly, Motschenbacher (2019) analyzed EFL textbooks in German contexts and found that the books overwhelmingly promoted the United Kingdom (UK) as legitimate speakers of English with some mention of the United States, Canada, and Australia. Motschenbacher (2019) concluded that the exclusion of other cultures "affect[s] EFL learners, as they are by such representational practices downgraded to second-class English users whose language use is of no import and whose experiences outside of Anglophone cultural contexts are only poorly reflected" (p. 304). ...

Non‐nativeness as a dimension of inclusion: A multimodal representational analysis of EFL textbooks
  • Citing Article
  • July 2019

International Journal of Applied Linguistics