The Principal Role of Mother-Tongue Cultural Schemata in Intercultural Communication

Abstract

With the accelerated development of globalization, intercultural communication among various ethnic groups and countries around the world has been continuously strengthened. However, in actual communication, due to the differences between Chinese and Western cultures, people tend to overly emphasize the understanding of Western culture, thereby neglecting the importance of passing on the mother tongue’s culture, so that the native language culture is at risk of being marginalized. Based on schemata theory, the principal role and the importance of mother-tongue cultural schemata are discussed. It argues that these schemata function not merely as passive background knowledge, but as the primary cognitive and interpretive filters through which individuals perceive, negotiate, and articulate cultural meanings across boundaries. Ultimately, recentering mother‑tongue cultural schemata is essential for resisting the invasion of Western culture and safeguarding the security of traditional culture.