Meertaligheid en tekst- en cultuurverklaring: de toekomst van het schoolvak Nederlands ; Multilingualism and comprehension across cultures: the future of education with regard to the Dutch language and culture

In addition to Ten Thije’s plea to study the Dutch language as a multilingual object, I argue that the education of Dutch high school students with regard to the Dutch language and culture currently falls short, and will not improve substantially with the proposed new focus on multilingualism. A more fundamental shift in focus is needed: the (re)connection of language and culture studies. For in the Dutch cultural context, the use of the Dutch language is not only deeply embedded in other languages, but also in other cultures.