Culture as Part of Foreign Language

Teaching

Course 1

Conf. Dr. Laura Ioana Leon

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Language cannot be separated from the
culture in which it is embedded

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 Any use of the language conveys messages
which introduce attention to cultural
elements

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Culture should be highlighted as an
important element in language learning

Failing to do so, teachers allow

misconceptions to develop in the students
mind

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Culture is not an optional element in the
foreign language classroom
Culture is used to make comparisons and
connections about communities and in
doing so, students can have meaningful
communication with those communities
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Students will master a language only
when they learn both its linguistic and
cultural norms

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International understanding nowadays
the basic goal of language education
Understanding a second language does not
ensure understanding the speakers
purposes
The ability to communicate with native
speakers depends not only on language
skills, but also on the comprehension of
cultural habits and expectations 7
WHAT IS CULTURE?

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CULTURE = set of values, customs, and
history that distinguish one social group
from another

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WHY TEACH CULTURE?
Language and culture are interconnected
Peck (1998): without the study of culture,
foreign language instruction is inaccurate and
incomplete
Teaching a foreign language is teaching
another culture

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HOW CAN WE TEACH CULTURE?

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HOW CAN WE TEACH CULTURE?

Internet resources (newspapers, magazines

etc) they all provide students with authentic
and current information that can help them
understand the target culture
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HOW CAN WE TEACH CULTURE?

Social interaction in the classroom: having

a guest

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HOW CAN WE TEACH CULTURE?

Picture books deal with personal, social

and political topics the brevity of the
texts allows for dealing with topics in a
much shorter time frame

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HOW CAN WE TEACH CULTURE?
Music students will potentially internalize the
elements of culture presented in the songs due
to the message (lyrics) being combined in a
melody that the students hopefully enjoy

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HOW CAN WE TEACH CULTURE?

Films and radio will offer students a

glimpse of the reality of the target
language culture; Films offer students
the opportunity to witness behaviours
that are not obvious in texts 16
HOW CAN WE TEACH CULTURE?

Reading students can compare their

culture with the target culture; proverbs
discussion of common proverbs provide a
way to analyze the stereotypes and
misperceptions of the culture
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HOW CAN WE TEACH CULTURE?
Culture capsules: students can be presented
with objects (figurines, jewelry, art) or
images that originate from the target
culture; they may write a brief summary or
make an oral presentation to the class
about the cultural relevance of the item
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Common mistakes in culture acquisition
Sociolinguistically inappropriate: ways of
greeting or addressing people
Culturally unacceptable: ways of self-
deprecation strategies in expressing
modesty
Conflict of different value systems:
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invasion of privacy
The Relationship between Language and
Culture
Culture is a concept that includes
language(Byram 1994)
It is broadly accepted nowadays that
learning a foreign language is not simply
mastering the grammar, the vocabulary,
but more appropriately on learning as
means of communication 20
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
We communicate in a world of many cultures,
the forces that bring other cultures in our life
are dynamic and ever present.

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Intercultural Communication
The culture-specific method: study the
target culture (notions about gift giving,
the use of first names, greeting behaviour,
social stability etc)
The context-specific method: (people
should not know only what to do, but also
how to do specific things
The culture-general method regardless of
the culture you are encountering, it is
important to have knowledge of the
persons culture and try to adapt whenever
possible
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Intercultural Communication

Know your culture because we are all the

products of our own culture
Know your likes and dislikes detect the ways
in which these attitudes influence
communication
Know your communication style discover
the kind of image you portray to the rest of
the world
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CONCLUSIONS

Cultural competence refers to the mastery

of the norms of a society, the unspoken
rules of conduct, values and orientation
To be successful in intercultural
communication, both linguistic and
cultural competences are needed
- Cultural competence involves the ability
to identify cultural diversity and develop
empathy (to see things from the point of
view of the others) 24
CONCLUSIONS
Culture teaching takes a vital role in
language learning as people have more
opportunities to communicate with other
people from different cultures
In order to avoid cultural misunderstandings,
students must be given the real picture of the
target language and culture

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