ABSTRACT
Oxford also finds the abstract visual environments in Tomlin's FlatLand and parts of Hamburger's FLUENT (both in Section III) lacking in cultural relevance. However, these environments were deliberately stripped to essential distinctions to support research on discourse strategies and on computational techniques. These systems in new, practical instantiations could take up Oxford's call for authenticity by modeling culturally valid scenarios in consultation with language teachers. The question posed by Garrett echoes here-how do we know that authenticity is the best criterion for all instructional presentations? Maybe students learn better by starting with minimalist settings to which cultural detail is gradually added. But in the absence of evidence, and to gain teacher approval, microworld environments that seek practical application would do well to reflect aspects of culture.
