Teaching culture in the English ClassroomWord文档下载推荐.docx
《Teaching culture in the English ClassroomWord文档下载推荐.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《Teaching culture in the English ClassroomWord文档下载推荐.docx(8页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
"
Comealive"
heremeans"
berejuvenated"
or"
refreshed"
"
reawakened"
reanimated"
reactivated"
.Theimageisofapersonwhoselifeiscolourless,bland,insipid,boring,jadedandirrelevant,whoisnot"
withit"
.ThispersonisencouragedtodrinkaPepsiandbydoingsotoidentifythemselveswithotherPepsidrinkerswhoarepicturedasawake,alive,vital,engaged,vibrant,successful,dynamicandvigorous.Pepsiistheagency,mediumorinstrumenttochangeaperson,tobringaboutametamorphosis,aconversionfromdullness,irrelevancy,frombeinga"
stuffedshirt"
anold"
fuddyduddy"
astick-in-the-mudtobeingcool,chic,trendy,up-to-the-minute,sophisticated,groovyandhip.WhenitwastranslatedintoChineseitcameoutas:
Pepsibringsyourancestorsbackfromthegrave!
ThisamusingstoryillustratesthedifficultiesofunderstandingEnglishwhenoneisunawareoftheculturalcontextinwhichitexists.Whatbecomesstartlinglyclearisthecomplexinterpenetrationoflanguageandculture."
ComealivewiththePepsigeneration!
whenisolatedfromitsculturally-specificbedofmeanings,becomesanabsurdstatement.Thesloganispackedwithmetaphoricalconnotations,implicationsandnuances.Itexistswithinalinguaculturewhichisthelargersocial,culturalandpsycholinguisticstructureinwhichalllanguagesareembedded.
Ⅱ.Definitionofculture
Whatthenisculture?
PetersonandColtraneofferthefollowingdefinition:
“anintegratedpatternofhumanbehaviourthatincludesthoughts,communications,languages,practices,beliefs,values,customs,courtesies,rituals,mannersofinteractingandroles,relationshipsandexpectedbehavioursofaracial,ethnic,religiousorsocialgroup;
andtheabilitytotransmittheabovetosucceedinggenerations."
Theyare:
Thoughts,Communications,Languages.Practices,Beliefs,Values,Customs,Courtesies,Rituals.Mannersofinteractingandroles,Relationshipsandexpectedbehaviours.
Ⅲ.CourtesiesandRituals
Thecourtesiesandritualsofaculturepresentanimmediateandparticularproblemforstrangers.
AnAmericanwasvisitingaChinesehome.ThehostintroducedtheAmericantohiswife.TheAmericanturnedtohishostandsaid,‘Yourwifeisverybeautiful.’Thehostsmiledanddemurredpolitely.Where!
Where!
(Nali!
Nali!
)TheAmerican,somewhatpuzzled,tookthistobeaquestionandproceededtodetailtheoutstandingfeaturesofthewife'
sbeauty.Herhair,hersmile,hereyes!
hesaid.ThehostwasconfusedandembarrassedaswastheAmericanvisitorwhenherealizedthatWhere!
'
wasnotaquestioninthisinstancebutaritualisticresponse,acourtesyspecifictotheChineseculture.TheAmericanwaslinguisticallycorrectinrespondingto“Where!
”asaquestion.Buthisresponsewasnotculturallyappropriate.
Ⅳ.Linguisticcompetenceandculturalawareness
Herewemakethedistinctionbetweenlinguisticcompetenceonitsownandlinguisticcompetencewithinaframeworkofculturalawareness.
PetersonandColtraneputitlikethis:
"
Linguisticcompetencealoneisnotenoughforlearnersofalanguagetobecompetentinthatlanguage.Languagelearnersneedtobeaware,forexample,oftheculturallyappropriatewaystoaddresspeople,expressgratitude,makerequests,andagreeordisagreewithsomeone.Theyshouldknowthatbehavioursandintonationpatternsthatareappropriateintheirownspeechcommunitymaybeperceiveddifferentlybythemembersofthetargetlanguagespeechcommunity.Theyhavetounderstandthat,inorderforcommunicationtobesuccessful,languageusemustbeassociatedwithotherculturallyappropriatebehaviour."
Heretheyidentifyculturallyappropriatewaysof:
addressingpeople,expressinggratitude,makingrequests,agreeingordisagreeingwithsomeone.
Ⅴ.Behavioursandintonationpatterns
Theyalsopointto“behavioursandintonationpatterns”asbeingsignificantareasofculturaldifference.
“Heyyou!
Comehere!
”asaformofaddressislinguisticallycorrectbutisonlyculturallyappropriateatcertaintimes.
Youwouldnotaddressyourgrandfatherinthismanner.Itwouldbeculturallyinappropriate.
“Excuseme,granddad,wouldyoupleasecomeoverhere?
Iwanttoshowyousomething.”wouldbeappropriate.
AgoodexampleofthesubtletiesofintonationinEnglishmaybeseeninthefollowingexample:
“You'
refromAustralia,aren’tyou?
”Thismaybesaidwithtwodifferentintonationswhichalterthemeaningsignificantly.Ifitissaidwitharisingintonationonthewords“aren’tyou?
”thenitmeansthatthespeakerisgenuinelyunsureofwherethepersoncomesfrom.Theyareaskingaquestion.IfitissaidwithadownwardintonationonthesamewordsitmeansthatthespeakerknowsthatthepersonisfromAustraliaandismerelyseekingconfirmationofthatfact.
Ⅵ.Distinctionbetweenagrammaticalsystemandadiscoursesystem
KrasnerquotesfromMichaelAgarwhosays:
“themainproblemininterethniccommunicationisnotcausebygrammar.Althoughlanguagesusegrammarasthesystemofexpressingideas,itisthediscoursesystemthatproducesthegreatestdifficultythegrammaticalsystemsendsthemessagewhilethediscoursesystemtellshowtointerpretthemessage.”
Thisdistinctionbetweena“grammaticalsystem”anda“discoursesystem”isusefulwhenconsideringthequestionofteachingcultureintheEnglishlanguageclassroom.
Goodgrammarsendsthemessagebuttheinterpretationofthemessagecanonlybegainedthroughunderstandingthediscoursesystem.
Adiscoursesystemmaybeunderstoodinthesamesenseasthelinguacultureinwhicheachandeverylanguagehasitsexistence.
Ⅶ.Languageproficiencyandcommunicativeproficiency
KrasnergivesaverygoodexamplefromherownexperienceasamigrantfromRussiatoAmerica.OnherarrivalinAmericasheattendedEnglishclasses.Ononeoccasiontheteachergavealessonontheculturallyappropriatewayofpresentingoneselfatajobinterview.
TheteachersaidthatinAmericawhenpresentingforajobinterviewoneshould:
1.Shakehandsfirmlywiththeinterviewer.
2.Smilealot
3.Keepeyecontactwiththeotherperson
4.Bepositiveaboutyourself
ThisadvicecontradictedKrasner'
sRussianculturalupbringingwhichhadtaughtherthat:
1.Itwasimpoliteforamantoshakeawoman'
shand.
2.Smilingallthetimewasamarkofinsincerity,ofpersonalphoniness.
3.Itwasindiscretetomaintaineyecontactwithaperson.
4.Beingpositiveaboutoneselfwasakindofbraggingorshowing-off.
ThisexamplemaywellapplytoChineseaswell.
Krasnersumsup:
“languageproficiencyandcommunicativeproficiencyaretwodifferentthings.”
Ⅷ.CulturalFrames
Thefactisthatwealllivewithinculturalframes.Thenotionofa“culturalframe”isapatternofbehaviourwhichstarteddevelopingwithinus,unconsciously,asachild.Thegoaloflanguageteachingistohelpstudentstounderstandthattherearedifferentculturalframes.Ourculturalframesconsistofcertainculturalconventions.
Krasnerdescribesculturalconventions“asinformationabouthowpeoplebehavebothlinguisticallyandextra-linguisticallyincommoneverydayandcrisissituations.”
Ⅸ.Connotation
Connotationtakesastepdeeperintotherelationshipbetweenlanguageandculture.Connotationisthepointatwhichlanguageandculturecometogethertoformmeaning.
Anexampleofconnotationisthedifferentsetofassociationsconnectedtothewordprivacy.PrivacyisaverypositiveconceptinWesternculture.Toseekprivacyisregardedasessentialfromtimetotimeandbasictoone'
smentalandphysicalwell-being.
InChinesethereisnowordthatpreciselycapturestheWesternconceptofprivacy.TheChinesewordforprivacyisembracestheideasofsecrecy,selfishnessanddeceitfulness.ToseekprivacyinChinaistoraisedoubtsaboutyourintegrityasaperson.SoitbecomescriticallyimportantthattheconnotationsofprivacyinEnglishspeakingcountriesbeclearlyexplainedintheforeignlanguageclassroom.
HereisawordthathasconnotationsintheWesternculturethataremisunders