Culture in Language Teaching and Learning

（青岛农业大学外国语学院 山东 青岛 266109）

Abstract： culture and language are closely related to each other. Learning a language is inseparable from learning its culture. Cultural differences result in many difficulties in language learning. Teachers should help students to overcome the cultural barriers in language learning. The paper attempts to give some suggestions in teaching culture.

Key words： culture； language； cultural difference； language teaching

【中图分类号】H003

1. Introduction

A culture has a close connection with a particular language and plays an important role in the learning and teaching of it. The cultures of nations of the world are different from each other. Language is influenced by culture and reflects culture. Because of cultural differences the misunderstanding in language often occurs. So in language teaching and learning， culture should not be neglected.

2. Cultural Differences in Different Languages

（1） Differences in Vocabulary

In English， the meaning of words is different from Chinese translation. As a result， people cannot find Chinese equivalent for every English word. For example， in Chinese， people don’t have the equivalent to the word “Yippic” at all. Therefore， people just translate it into “ya pi shi” according to its pronunciation. But without definition， people generally cannot understand it.

Sometimes although you can find the words with the similar meaning literally， they always fail to have the same cultural meaning. To most Chinese and westerners， white has some meaning in common. White suggests purity and innocence. But a white lie in English is a harmless one. The connotation of white in Chinese includes something unhappy. At funerals， Chinese pay respect to the dead and express their sorrow by wearing white clothes. In the west， however， white is the traditional color for brides at weddings， and to wear white at funerals would be offensive.

（2） Differences in Greeting and Addressing People

The purpose of the greeting is to establish or maintain social contact， not to transfer information， so formulaic expressions are often used. In china， expressions like these are quite common： Have you had your breakfast （lunch， supper）？ or Where are you going？ In china these greetings are socially acceptable， they will never cause anything unhappy or irritating， but to English—speaking people things can be totally different. If you say “Have you had your lunch？”， the English—speaking people will take it as an invitation to lunch. The Chinese greeting “Where are you going？” is particularly distasteful to them. They regard them as request for information， which is an invasion to their privacy. In western countries， people greet each other by using “hello” “hi” “good morning” “how do you do？” etc.

Some Chinese people call the family name of foreigners directly without any titles before them just as they call the name of their Chinese friends. And with a modest heart， Chinese often address one as “Old Li” “Old Zhang”， etc. despite his age， because that is the way to show respect or intimacy. But as a matter of fact， in western countries， the idea about old age is not so welcome； it often indicates “decline” or “physically weak”， so it is resented.

（3） Differences in Reaction to Compliments

For example， as the Chinese are shown around the American house， they may comment， “you have a very nice home. It’s so beautiful.” The American hostess may smile with obvious pleasure and reply “Thank you”. While when a foreigner praised a Chinese student’s English “Your English is excellent.” To this the student demurred “No， no， my English is very poor.” In the above two examples， the American hostess’ reply is immodest to some of the Chinese and the Chinese student’s remarks insincere as it sounded to the Americans. To English—speaking people， praise is to be accepted， generally with a remark like “Thank you”. However， in china， acceptance of a compliment would imply conceit or lack of manners.

3. Suggestions on Culture Teaching

（1）Organizing Discussions

Teachers can organize discussions on the cultural traits of different regions and nationalities in China so that students can increase their general awareness. The fifty—odd ethnic groups in China have many cultural patterns. Even within the dominant Han cultural traits vary from region to region. In Guangdong province， for instance， it is courteous for the guest to tap the table lightly with his forefinger and middle finger when the host is filling his wine glass. But in the north of China， this will be interpreted as a sign of impatience. Since the students come from different parts of China， they can tell the class what they think is culturally peculiar to their region. Such exchange and discussion enables students to understand that cultural differences are but a natural phenomenon and helps foster greater sensitivity to cultural details.

（2） Using Video Films

Teachers can also use video films or English teaching films in class followed by discussion. The systematic observation and recording of features of everyday situations （e.g. the clerks in the stores and customers， the mistress and maid， the casual meeting on the street， informal teas， formal receptions， to hostess and host） can be done by teacher and students together while watching video films. After the viewing teacher and students may compare notes and supplement each other’s observations and findings.

（3） Encouraging Students to Read Extensively

Students should be encouraged to read more—from fiction to nonfiction， from serious writings to children’s books. Through such exposure students may develop a more mature and all—round understanding of the target culture. Reading of fiction is an effective way of immersing the students culturally. The concept of privacy， for example， is an elusive one to most Chinese students， but in reading fiction they come across numerous examples of privacy and will understand gradually why people should guard it as something inviolable.

4.Conclusion

Culture and language are related closely to each other. Every language will reflect the culture that gives birth to it and the language always has a cultural connotative meaning. Language teaching involves not only a set of grammar rules and lexical items， but also a set of social conventions governing language form and behavior within a communicative group. A language should be learnt as it is used by its people.

Reference

[1]Keith Johnson. An Introduction to Foreign Language Teaching and Learning[M]. Foreign language and research press & Cambridge University Press， 2002

[2]David Nunan， Second Language Teaching and Learning[M]. Cambridge： Cambridge University Press， 2001

作者简介

范杰（1979— ），女，山东德州人，硕士，讲师。研究方向：英语教学，跨文化交际。