The Importance of Cultural Awareness in Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Year 2013, Volume: 6 Issue: 1, 9 - 28, 01.06.2013

Müfit Şenel

Abstract

The relation between language and culture has always been an important issue for both language teachers and scholars. It is clear that learning about culture also provides lots of benefits for EFL learners to understand the target language community. The aim of this paper is to state that the importance of culture and increasing of cultural awareness will also be useful while teaching English in EFL classes. This is a literature review study. Therefore, research made from past to present on this issue were examined, necessary literature review was researched, and some suggestions were submitted. Some basic headlines of the research are: culture and cross-cultural understanding in language teaching; relationship between culture and language teaching; cross-cultural communication skills;the role of non-verbal behavior in culture and attitudes of the learners towards other cultures.

Keywords

Culture, cultural awareness, English as a foreign language, teaching English.

Yabancı Dil Olarak İngilizce Öğretiminde Kültürel Farkındalığın Önemi

Abstract

Dil ve kültür arasındaki ilişki hem dil öğretmenleri hem de bilim adamları için sürekli önem arz eden bir konudur. Kültürü bilmek aynı zamanda yabancı dil öğrencilerine de yabancı bir toplumu tanıma konusunda pek çok imkânlar sağlamaktadır. Bu makalenin amacı İngilizce’nin yabancı dil olarak kullanıldığı sınıflarda, İngilizce’yi öğretirken aynı zamanda da kültürün öneminin belirtilmesinin ve kültür bilincinin artırılmasının yararlı olacağını göstermektir. Derleme türünde bir çalışmadır. Dolayısıyla bu makalede geçmişten günümüze bu alanda yapılan çalışmalar incelenmiş, kaynaklar taranmış, değerlendirilmeleri yapılmış ve önerilerde bulunulmuştur. Çalışmanın bazı temel başlıkları olarak da yabancı dil öğretiminde kültür ve kültürler arası anlayış; kültür ve dil öğretimi ilişkisi; kültürlerarası iletişim becerileri; sözel olmayan davranışların kültürdeki yeri ve öğrencilerin diğer kültürlere karşı tutumları ele alınmıştır.

Keywords

Kültür, kültürel farkındalık, yabancı dil olarak İngilizce, İngilizce öğretimi

References

• Adorno, T. (1993). The Culture Industry: Selected Essay on Mass Culture. Routledge.
• Alptekin, C. (2002). “Towards Intercultural Communicative Competence”. ELT Journal, Volume: 56(1), 57-64.
• Argyle, M. (1975). Bodily Communication. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd.
• Bada, E. (2000). “Culture in ELT”. Cukurova University Journal of Social Sciences (6), 100-110.
• Brown, H. D. (1994). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. U.S.A.: Prentice Hall Regents.
• Byram, M. (1997b).“Cultural studies and foreign language teaching”. In Bassnett, S. (ed.). Studying British Cultures. An Introduction. London: Routledge. 53-65.
• Byram, M. & Morgan, C. (1994b). Teaching-and-Learning Language-andCulture. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
• Byram, M. (1989). Cultural Studies in Foreign Language Education. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
• Byram, M. (1997a).“’Cultural awareness’ in vocabulary learning”. Language Learning Journal. 16. 51-57.
• Byram, M. (ed.). (1994a). Culture and Language Learning in Higher Education. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
• Chastain, K. (1976). Developing Second-Language Skills: Theory and Practice. (3rd ed.) USA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers.
• Chomsky, N. (1965). Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
• Chomsky, N. (1968). Language and Mind. USA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.
• Cooke, M. A. (1970). “Suggestions for developing more positive attitude toward native speakers of Spanish”. In H. N. Seelye. (Ed.) Perspectives for teachers of Latin American culture. Springfield, IL: State Department of Public Instruction.
• Crystal, D. (1992a). An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Language and Languages. USA: Blackwell.
• Crystal, D. (1992b). A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. USA: Blackwell. Celce-murcia, M. (1991). Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. (Ed.) Boston: Heinle &Heinle Pub.
• Dilthey, W. (1989). Introduction to the Human Sciences: An Attempt to Lay a Foundation for the Study of Society and History. London: Wayne State University Press.
• Foucault, M. (1994). The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences. USA: Vintage Books.
• Gardner, R. C., & LAMBERT, Wallace E. (1959). “Motivational variables in second language acquisition”. Canada: Canadian Journal of Psychology. V.13, p.266-272.
• Gardner, R. C., & Lambert, W. E. (1965). “Language, aptitude, intelligence, and second language achievement”. London: Journal of Educational Psychology. V. 56, p.191-199.
• Gardner, R . C., & Lambert, W. E. (1972). Attitudes and motivation in second language learning. Rowley, Mass.: Newbury House.
• Halliday, M. (1975). Learning How to Mean: Explorations in the Development of Language. New York: Elsevier.
• Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and Organizations – Intercultural Cooperation and its Importance for Survival, Software of the Mind. Profile Books.
• Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s Consequences. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
• Hofstede, G. (2001). Cultures Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations. Sage Publications, London.
• Hofstede, G., Pedersen, P. B., and Hofstede, G. (2002). Exploring Culture – Exercises, Stories and Synthetic Cultures. USA: Intercultural Press.
• Hymes, D. (1974). Foundations in Sociolinguistics :An Ethnographic Approach. University of Pennsylvania Press: Philadelphia.
• Inglehart, R., & Wellzell, C. (2005). Modernization Cultural Change, and Democracy. New York and Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. İlter, B.G., and Güzeller, C.O. (1988). “Cultural Problems of Turkish Students while Learning English as A Foreign Language”. Dil Dergisi, Ankara Üni. Yay: Sayı: 127, 54-59
• Jimanez, I. (1996). “Proxemics in the EFL Classroom”. Forum, Volume: 35.
• Kitao, K. (2000). “Teaching Culture in Foreign Language Instruction in the Unites States”. http: //ilc2.doshisha.ac.jp /users /kkitao /library /article /culture.htm.
• Kluckhohn, C. (1951). Values and Value-orientations in the Theory of Action: An Exploration in Definition and Classification. In T. Parsons & E. A. Shils (Eds.). Toward a General Theory of Action, 388-433. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Kluckhohn, Fl and Strotdbeck, F. (1961). Variations in Value Orientations. Row, Peterson, New York.
• Kramsch, C. (1988). The cultural discourse of foreign language textbooks. In A. Singerman (Ed.), “Towards a new integration of language and culture” (pp. 63-68). Middlebury, VT: Northeast Conference.
• Kramsch, C. (1993). Context and culture in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Kramsch, C. (2001). Language and Culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Kramsch, C., Cain, A., & Murphy-Lejeune, E. (1996).”Why should language teachers teach culture?” Language, Culture and Curriculum, v.9(1), 99
• Lado, Robert. (1963). Linguistics across Cultures. The University of Michigan Press: Michigan.
• Mcdevitt, B. (2004). “Negotiating the Syllabus: A win-win Syllabus”. ELT Journal, v.58 (1), 3-9.
• Mckay, Sandra L. (2003). “The Cultural Basis of Teaching English as an International Language”. http: // www.tesol.org /pubs /articles /2003 /tm13-4-01.html .
• Payatos, F. (1983). Perspectives in Nonverbal Communication. U.K.: Pergamon Press.
• Pulverness, A. (2003). “Distinctions & Dichotomies: Culture-free, Culturebound”. http://elt.britcoun.org.pl/forum/distanddich.htm.
• Pulverness, A. (2004). “Here and There: Issues in Materials Development for Intercultural Learning”. http: //elt.britcoun.org.pl /forum / handt.htm [25.06.2004]
• Richards, J. et al. (1992). Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. U.K.: Longman.
• Rivers, W. M. (1982). Teaching Foreign Language Skills, The University of Chicago Press: Chicago.
• Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., & McDaniel, e. R. (2007). Communication between Cultures. (6th Edition). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. Schwartz, S. (2006). “A Theory of Cultural Value Orientations: Explication and Applications”. Comparative Sociology. V.5(2-3), 137-182.
• Seelye, H. H. (1968). “Analysis and Teaching of the Cross-cultural Context”, Birkmair, E.M. (Ed.) The Britannica Review of Foreign Language Education. Chicaga: Cilt: 1, Sayı: 2, 37-81.
• Smith, L. (1976).”English as an international auxiliary language”. RELC Journal,.v.7(2), 38-43.
• Smith, L. E. (1985). “What is the Difference and What Difference Does the Difference Make”. Forum. V. 22, p.4-8.
• Stainer, F. (1971). Culture: “A motivating factor in the French classroom”. In C. Jay & P. Castle (Eds.), “French language education: The teaching of culture in the classroom”. Springfield, IL: State Department of Public Instruction
• Sunar, D., Boratav, Hale B., and Ataca, Bilge. (2005). “Emotional Display Rules among Turkish Students: Status and Context Effects”. APA Annual Convention. USA: Washington, D.C.
• Sysoyev, P. V. & Donelson Lynn R. (2002). “Teaching Cultural Identity through Modern Language: Discourse as a Marker of an Individual’s Cultural Identity”. http://www.actr.org/JER/issue4/11.htm.
• Tavares, R. and Cavalcanti, I. (1996). “Developing Cultural Awareness in
• EFL Classrooms”. Forum. V: 34,p. 8-11. Trivonovitch, G. J. (1980). Culture Learning and Culture Teaching: Readings of English as a Second Language. Cambridge: Withrop Pub.
• Türkan, S. and Çelik, S. (2007). “Integrating Culture in EFL Texts and Classrooms: Suggested Lesson Plans”. Novitas-Royal, V.1(1),p.18-33.