Texts and Audiences


    Texts become more readable if they suit their readerships.  If texts are age-appropriate or gender-appropriate, for example, they are more likely to be easily comprehensible to their readership -- even if simply for motivational reasons.    Moreover, the definition of categories like "age appropriate" may be as important as a readerâs language competence because "age-appropriate" texts may help the reader engage in activities and communities.

     Texts chosen for instructional purposes thus should reflect the demographics and social mix of the class.  Are the students older or younger (socially? physically?)?  Is the student body predominantly male or female?  Pre-professional or pre-art or -perfomance school (what do students plan or want to do after they graduate?)?  Are they familar with high culture (e.g. the high school associated with a university or with a particular technology) or with popular culture (e.g. students from a town where television or movies are virtually the exclusive entertainment available)?

     A set of curricular variables also come into play for readability, as well.  Why are the students taking German?   For example:  Is it a heritage community (with parents or grandparents from German-language countries)?  Is the German-language a first or second foreign language for the students?  Are the students taking German also in a European history or world literature class (increasing their familiarity with age-appropriate cultural knowledge)?  Is the class in a school in a community that is predominantly engaged in one industry?

     The pairs of texts chosen in these examples bring some of these issues to the fore.

TEXT PAIRS 4-6 in Exercise 1
FOLLOW-UP BRAINSTORMING