Discursive Analysis of the 11th Grade English Textbook Used in Angolan Public and Private Schools

Abstract Considering the importance of textbooks for teaching English in the classroom, this paper firstly explores the effectiveness of such materials for the teaching-learning process in the relation between verbal and iconographic language; secondly it also explores the ethnic and sociocultural representation of the characters presented in the texbook and its effects on teaching and learning. This study investigates the 11th grade English textbook used in Angolan schools, employing a qualitative and discursive analysis with use of the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as theoretical and methodological foundation. The results show that verbal and visual approaches in the textbook do not always relate to or complement each other. Similarly, the asymmetrical ethnic representation encourages stereotypical behaviors of all kind, including social, ethnic and even racial prejudices on students, weakening their own identity as well as the concept of cultural plurality that can affect the teaching and learning in whole.