浅谈英语教学中的文化意识
[Abstract] Language and culture are inseparable. Language is not just a set of sign system, but also the main expression of culture. For such a long time, the relation between language and culture has not been given enough value in English teaching. Language learners always take it for granted that in teaching practice, they can master English very well, speak English fluently and communicate with natives freely, as long as they carry on the training course for ing, speaking, reading and writing. The fact turns out that repeated mistakes will occur in the communication between different people of different backgrounds. Therefore, in the process of English teaching, cultural teaching plays an very important role. The paper, based on the previous findings, begins with the relation between culture and English teaching. Then it focuses on the importance and the ways to combine cultural teaching with English teaching. Finally, the paper points out some requirements for English teachers. It’s hoped that the present study will help the English teachers improve their teaching approaches, and cultivate the cultural consciousness in students’ minds and stimulate their interests in English learning.
[Key Words] English teaching; English learning; cultural consciousness
【摘 要】语言和文化是密不可分的。语言是文化的载体，是文化的主要表现形式。然而长期以来，在的教学中语言和文化的这种关系一直未得到足够的重视。语言学习者通常会想当然的认为，在教学实践中，只要继续听，说，读，写的训练课程，他们便可以学好英语，便能流利地用英语同母语是英语的人自由交谈。事实证明，不同背景的人在交际过程中屡屡出现歧义误解现象。因此，在教学过程中，文化教学起着举足轻重的作用。本文基于已有的理论，从文化教学与英语教学的关系出发，重点阐述了将文化渗透到英语教学中的重要性及方法，并在最后提出了对英语教师的一些要求。本文旨在改善英语教师的教学方法，以及培养学生的文化意识并激发学生的英语学习兴趣。
【关键词】英语教学；英语学习；文化意识
1. Introduction
Referring to English learning, we are puzzled by the phenomena that why there are so many learners who learn English at such an early time in our country, while the exceptional ones are so limited? Why many English learners who have begun their English study since they were children still feel difficult to open their mouth? Why after they have mastered its grammatical rules very well, but are they still elusive when they communicate with foreigners? Why is English easy to learn for a baby who grows up in English speaking countries but difficult for a Chinese adult? The answers to those questions have shown that English learning is not just learning a language. English learners should learn English on the basis of its special cultural background. It is indicated that cultural consciousness plays an important role in English learning. For almost ten years, one of the most important subjects for English teaching experts is the research on relations between culture and English teaching.
Despite that the culture learning is seldom listed as component of the second language teaching and an outline of foreign language teaching, the culture learning is a hidden process which is hard to be distinguished but will appear everywhere. Culture relativism suggests that people need to learn more about their own culture than is commonly required. That must be followed by study about, and interaction with, other cultural groups. This intercultural process helps one know what it is like to be a member of the second culture and to view the world from that point of view . To function effectively and comfortably within a second culture, that culture must be learned. [1]P.8
2. The Relation between Culture and English Teaching
English is a kind of language, and language is a part of culture, which also carries on the culture. [2]P.120 Culture refers to the relatively specialized lifestyle of a group of people –consisting of their values, beliefs, artifacts, ways of behaving, and ways of communicating. [3]P.48 As human language is a direct manifestation of culture, learning a second language involves learning a second culture. For teachers of foreign language, they should try to develop the students’ awareness and knowledge of the culture of the target language they are learning. This includes understanding the values of the target culture, acquiring a command of the etiquette of the target culture and the students’ understanding of the difference between the target culture and the students’ own culture. English and Chinese cultures have turned out their own mode of thoughts. The different modes of thoughts are embodied in their own language. Events like these are fairly common when people of different languages and different cultures communicate. Because of cultural differences, misunderstandings may arise, although the language used in communication may be faultless. The same words or expressions may not mean the same thing to different peoples. Because of cultural differences, a serious question may cause amusement or laugh; a harmless statement may cause displeasure or anger. Because of cultural differences, jokes by a foreign speaker may be received with blank faces and stony silence. Yet the same stories in the speaker’s own country would leave audiences holding their sides with laughter.
Language is a part of culture and plays a very important role in it. On one hand, without language, culture would not be possible. On the other hand, language is influenced and shaped by culture; it reflects culture. In the broadest sense, language is the symbolic representation of a people, and it comprises their historical and cultural backgrounds as well as their approach to life and their ways of living and thinking. Thus, language and culture interact with each other and understanding of one requires understanding of the other.
Cultures differ from one another. Each culture is unique. Learning a foreign language well means more than merely mastering the pronunciation, grammar, words and idioms. It means learning also to see the world as native speakers of that language see it, learning the ways in which their language reflects the ideas, customs, and behavior of their society, learning to understand their “language of the mind”. Learning a language, in fact, is inseparable from learning its culture.
The close relationship between language and culture is readily shown by the fact that culture is transmitted from one generation to the next through language. Language learning and cultural learning are not separable, so the cultural differences should be involved in English learning. [4] P.6 Since the second half of the twentieth century, an increasing number of professionals in language teaching and research have recognized the importance and necessity of integrating language and culture in foreign language classroom. English teaching as a second language teaching is with no exception. It is necessary for English teachers to combine their English teaching with cultural teaching. And many successful examples have proved its possibilities.
2.1 The Current Situation of English Teaching in China
In recent years, three major problems in current English teaching in China have been pointed out during the discussion of the reform of English teaching. Some leaders of State Educational Department and some well-known University English teachers have joined in the discussion. They unanimously agreed that inefficient and time-consuming English teaching, high score but low communicational ability, deaf and dumb English have taken the domination of the shortcomings of the English teaching. It is not a surprise to draw this conclusion. With the implementation of the reform policy and entry of the World Trade Organization of China, all students of various grades are expected to have a higher English level, especially their abilities in intercourse communication. These new requirements force English teaching to be reformed. But the present situation has worried those teachers who are committed to carry out the reform.
2.1.1 Inefficient and Time-consuming English teaching
At present, it seems that some problems of the university graduates have reflected some problems of university's education, but university’s teachers argued that it is not their faults, because students who graduated from high schools did not have good English foundation, as most of them were under great pressure of the college entrance examination. High schools and parents took the exam extremely seriously, so they hardly worked hard on listening and speaking. How can such “raw material” become excellent students with good listening, speaking just in not more than 200 study periods? The root of this kind of problem lies in the great pressure of “the senior high school entrance of examination” and “the college entrance examination”. The subjects of elementary school, middle school, or university have nothing related to each other, and redundant teaching causes the problem of time-consuming and low efficiency, because the elementary and middle school and the university belong to the different education departments. Therefore, when they formulate some program of teaching plan they have not considered to each other. So English teaching cannot be systematical, some texts have been taught in junior middle school which still will appear in the textbook of senior schools. New knowledge cannot be taught orderly that students’ English levels are still. It directly results in the university students can not pass band-4 or band-6, even they cannot speak a word with foreigners even though they have learned English for almost 6 years. Although these problems have been put forward again and again, they cannot be solved effectively. The low efficient teaching process will greatly reduce the students’ interests in English learning.
2.1.2 Higher score and lower communication ability
Some researches have indicated again and again that there are a lot of problems in the present English teaching method, which results in the high score and low ability in English communication. English teaching in China usually focuses on grammar, translation, reading and literary teaching, but the development of students’ abilities of using language has been neglected. Teachers are still prone to the traditional ways of listening and speaking, with its endless and repetitive drills and teacher is the center of the class. So it can imagine that in the English practice classroom, students are occupied in taking notes, so they can get improvement in reading and writing, but not in speaking and listening.
Although many Chinese students always being the legend of getting high score in TOFFEL exams, the truth is that they do not always succeed in communication in English or in an English spoken country. That is because English teaching in China has not been taught under the specified culture background; most of students cannot communicate with foreigners effectively. Everyone knows that the word “freeze” means “keeping things in cold under zero centigrade”. However, in the American society with the permission of the possession of private gun, an oversea student who was shot to be death because he did not knew another meaning for the word “freeze” in spoken English is “stop”. In United States, “freeze” is a well-known daily expression, if the overseas student knows the culture, his death could be avoided.
2.1.3 Deaf and Dumb English
The same problem baffled most of university teachers who all complained that in their lessons when they put forward an easy question about western table manners, the whole class keeps silent. Even when teachers call them, the student cannot answer in fluent English. The symptom of deaf and dumb English can even be found in university. Most of people ascribe the root of the problem to the inappropriate teaching method in elementary school and middle school. Missing the most suitable period of fostering students’ listening and speaking abilities has caused the serious problems of deaf and dumb English. In fact, when the students got in touch with English at the first time, it is easier to stimulate their learning interest. Noticing their great curiosity of the new things, teachers should tell them that the final purpose of learning English is to cultivate their ability to speak English and use English successfully. Thus, students will realize the importance of learning and speaking instead of fixing their eyes on passing exams.
The present situation of English teaching is not optimistic, so the English teachers should take it seriously. It is caused by the incorrect teaching method. Therefore, the reform should focus on the classroom teaching. However, the purpose of the English teaching is to achieve the effective ways of intercourse communication. Therefore, in order to realize it, the key way is to combine the English teaching with cultural teaching. Thus, every teaching activity can carry on under the cultural background so that the intercourse communicational barrier can be narrowed.
2.2 The Importance of Combining the Cultural Teaching with English Teaching
On the World Language Discussion, many linguists emphasis the importance of culture teaching. H.J.Weatherford, an American linguist, indicated that: “Language is the tool of communication, but not an object for analyzing, and can not be separated from culture.” [5] P.82 Language is much more than just a means of communication. It is used to socialize students into their linguistic and cultural communities, developing patterns that distinguish one community from another. The final purpose of English teaching is to realize the successful intercourse communication, and certain knowledge of culture will help students to improve their abilities of language application. [6] P.74 Since there is a closed relationship between language and culture，it is crucial to take time in understanding the culture of the English speaking countries. Many people may always face the circumstance called “non-reacted efficient or opposite efficient communication,” that is when they communicate with an English native speaker, although he talks with them with whole heart and soul, they still do not know what does he say. This is because different cultural background has resulted in their different ways and habits of speaking. In the intercourse communication, they first get in touch with the language, which is produced under the different cultural backgrounds and areas. Both of the communicators pass massage through their own language, so the key to realize effective communication is to have the knowledge of cultural history, tradition and custom of the countries of the target language countries. All English teachers experienced that if they would show the students pictures or introduce some knowledge of tradition or custom of English country, they would remember the grammar points firmly. For students, without understanding the culture of the English speaking countries is unthinkable and makes it very hard for they to master English and communicate very well with native speakers. English has become a useful tool in many international occasions, so it is more and more important to communicate in English.
It is without doubt that students had learnt a lot about cultural knowledge of other countries that will make them get the great success in intercourse communication with foreigners. There is an example about how an American young man who lived in China successfully masters the cultural difference. DingDawei (Chinese name) is a Native American. He came to China as a primary English teacher in Shenzhen, and later he was transferred to be an English professor in LANZHOU University. When the day he was interviewed by the CCTV program (SHI HUA SHI SHUO), he just took a big bag with all his possession in it. He just spent 350 YUAN in RMB per month with monthly salary of 950 YUAN in RMB. It is strange that a young man who came from the most developed country lived such a simple life. However, the stranger thing is that when he took out all the things in his bag, he displayed to the audience a Chinese flag. With the great curiosity, the audiences have his surprising answers. He said that the purpose of taking flag is to remind him that he is living in China now, so he should do everything conformed to Chinese culture. As people are in a foreign country, all of their behavior should adjust to the new environment as neatly as possible. In China, people cannot handle problems like they do in America, nor can they require Chinese to do things like all the Americans do. It is the same to any Chinese when they are in United States, because different countries have different cultures. If they can be a smart man like Dawei, they will not meet difficulties in communicating with an English native or living in English speaking country. But if they cannot, the cultural difference will create great barrier in their daily life. So, it is very important to learn English under its background. Thus, when people are in communication with other people from other countries, they can follow their culture and make their communication smoothly.
The above examples show that lacking the knowledge in intercourse communication will hamper one’s success in one’s life or work. Culture learning is the crucial key to achieve the purpose of English teaching. Chinese students cannot learn English well without understanding English culture. In another word, they learn more about the culture of this language country, the more correctly they can use this language. [7]P.42 English teaching is the only way for most of Chinese students to be familiar with the culture and customs of English speaking countries. In order to achieve the final purpose of English teaching, adding cultural knowledge to their teaching activities is very necessary.
3. The Ways to Combine the Cultural Teaching with English Teaching
The primary purpose of cultural teaching is to make students learn English faster and better. Therefore, what teachers should be concerned with the students’ English learning and acquisition? There are some ideas of the concrete purpose of cultural learning: (1) stimulating students’ curiosity and genial affection toward the English speaking countries and people who live in English speaking countries. (2) Making students realize that a man’s social position and other social characteristics (such as age, gender, social classes, religious belief, races and geographical position) will impact on their ways of speaking and thinking. (3) Surveying the knowledge to students that different situations and customs will greatly influence human being’s behaviors. (4) Making students understand that the differences of human being’s manners and speaking habits are decided by the society which they live in and cultural regulation. (5) Making students are capable of evaluating objectively of the knowledge that they learnt about the culture of English speaking countries and getting information from library and all sorts of Medias in order to foster the ability of analyzing the culture of English speaking countries.
The ways to teach cultural knowledge is various, so teachers should adopt much more vivid ones in order to raise the students’ sensitivity to the knowledge of culture and develop students’ cultural consciousness so as to make them be capable of absorbing and melt into the new cultural environments actively and initiatively. For example, the title of cultural teaching can be divided into concrete title and notional title. The items covered in the concrete title are simple facts and basic concepts, while the notional title can include more complicated message. The concrete title is mostly fit for a beginner, while the latter one is adopted by an advanced learner. When English learners study the western traditional festivals, as a beginner, they can start with the expressions of date, month, and years followed by the ways of celebration of natives. For advanced learners, they should learn the origin or historical changes of the festival, the function of this festival in their culture and some relevant information concerned with other similar festivals in this country. In teaching practice, there are mainly three ways:
3.1 The Strengthening of comparing the differences between Chinese and Western culture
Penetrating the differences in the aspects of the form of address language, greeting, expressions of appreciation, modest, praise, or some materials related to the concerning concept of value into English teaching naturally. Take the expression of appreciation as an example. Generally speaking, “thank you” is seldom used in the members of a Chinese family. If people use it, others will feel uncomfortable or feel that there is distance in the correlation. But in an English nation, if a mother prepares a delicious meal for their family, other members will surely say “thank you” to her. In public situation, whatever others help us, people should say “thank you” which has been treated as a basic ritual. When others ask “would you like something to eat or drink?” Usually, a Chinese will be accustomed to be polite and say, “Do not bother” or “I don’t need any”. According to the habits of English nation, if they want, they will speak directly that “yes, pleases”. If they do not need, they will say, “no, thanks”. [8]P.63Although most of Chinese have realized the difference, they take it for granted. Therefore, teachers should point out that the different ways of expression are caused by the different cultures. Students who study abroad usually complain that American’s invitation for a meal is unreliable. Someone investigated this phenomenon, discover that it is because the foreign students do not understand American English rule, hearing an American say “We must get together soon”, he will think to be a formal invitation. Actually, it is a polite remark only. Generally speaking, the formal invitation includes time, place. For example, “Come over for dinner next Saturday night”, it is a formal invite. [9] P.75
These entire examples reflect that only control the structure of language is far more enough to communicate smoothly. The English teachers and students should strengthen the comparison of difference between Chinese and Western culture on the basic of pronounce, grammar, and vocabulary, or it is hard to communicate with others and may be make mistakes that obstruct the communication.
3.2 The use of Advanced Facilities
Various advanced facilities can help students to experience the culture of English nations, so that students can be aware of the English nation’s history, art, and customs. The application of English movies, TV and video will give students direct experience for the usage of English in reality. Recommending some reading books with strong cultural consciousness so that the students can increase understanding of English culture, or inviting some people who are famous for their experience in living in English countries to make reports. Besides, organizing English clubs and English parties will also create the language environment which is good for students’ application of English. In teaching practice, teachers can organize the group discussion and roles playing in order to realize the purpose of practice of language. Thus, cultural knowledge can be gradually involved in English learning, and students will be alert to it when they come across them in study.
3.3 Teaching focusing on Students’ psychology
When the students learn English at the first time, on one hand, they are very excited to touch the new things, but on the other hand, they are worried that they cannot learn it very well. English teachers should observe students’ reaction toward English lessons, and give students courage in order to eliminate the obstacle of their English learning. At the same time, teachers can collect some pictures or information which is related to cultural knowledge to motivate students’ interests. On this basis, cultural teaching can also be carried out. Besides, teachers could conduct a survey which shows students’ interests. Some students are keen on computers games. Teachers should pass the massage to them that most of the computer are manufactured in those English-speaking countries. So the programmers and software are designed in English. If they want to be excellent game players, they should learn English first. In addition, teachers should introduce social situation to their English teaching. In the future, job vacancies are limited, while job-hunters will be more and more. So if they want to exist in such a competitive world. They should learn English very well, because English has been used so widely that if they can master it very well, they will never be unemployed. The teacher can also arrange some film-appreciating course to stir up students’ interesting in English. Because films differ from Literature works, they are more vivid and the students will have more interest in it. So the teacher can choose some good foreign films, and introduce the background of the countries to the students, and ask some questions properly. By adopting this way, teachers will motivate students’ learning interests. Thus, cultural teaching will be easier to carry on.
Traditionally, culture and language are taught separately in English teaching of our country and cultural teaching only fixes on conveying the basic information and citizens’ general concept of values of English speaking countries. In English teaching, every student is required to , read, write, speak or translate some materials, in which teachers can add some cultural content by all means. Teachers should put forward the function of culture contents in English acquisition and English communication, and organize some discussions or do some comparisons and make more practice under special cultural backgrounds. All the efforts English teachers try to combine the cultural consciousness with English teaching will no doubt improve the students’ English learning ability.
4. Some Requirements for English Teachers
As Chinese English learners, students or adults, they all study English in non-English speaking country lacks of cultural background. Generally speaking, they learn and use English just in the classrooms, so after class they seldom have opportunity to practice English. Therefore, they greatly rely on the classroom English teaching. Moreover, English teaching differs from the teaching of other subjects that English is the way of teaching when teachers teach the content of English textbooks. It requires English teachers should master English very well and know how to introduce the cultural background in their teaching classroom. So, there are some requirements for English teachers:
Firstly, English teachers should first have qualified English ability, which includes larger vocabulary, systematic knowledge of grammar, the good pronunciation and rich British-U.S. cultural knowledge. Students are expected to learn more if their teachers are knowledgeable.
Secondly, as English teachers, they should be good at oral or written expressions both Chinese and English. Making effort to speak English is not only vividly but also logically and humorously. Their voices should be moderate, delightful, and the blackboard writing should be clear, neat, and elegant appearance.
Thirdly, teachers are organizers of classroom teaching. The teachers should be good at organizing classroom instruction, handling well of the bilateral activity both in teaching and learning and be able to distribute the limited time in English classroom effectively. Besides, they should know how to scientifically assign the density and range of knowledge. Key points should be prominent and practices should be designed appropriately. And they should be good at agitating, and infecting students so as to make the teaching process of classroom instruction carry out in the harmony and relaxing atmosphere. Moreover, teachers should drive the students at the right moment, make the students maintain the intense desires to participate in activities and keep the exuberant intellectual curiosity.
Fourthly, Teachers are supposed to be familiar with the request of teaching outline. They ought to comprehend the key points, difficult points and teaching goals they need to achieve. Meanwhile, it is also very significant for English teachers to write a practical and effective teaching plan according to the different contents and different aims. Their abilities to enhance the efficiency of the classroom teaching are also very essential.
Fifthly, English language is thought to be a subject which needs a large quantity of practices. The important symbol of practice class is its operations and drills. Therefore the teachers must grasp the skills to operate the advanced teaching auxiliary apparatus and the equipments, such as, radio, slide projector, projecting apparatus, VCD, computer, camera, videodisc player as well as the related equipments in lab. If they can fully display direct-viewing function of multimedia in English teaching, it will provide the best external environment for student's practice.
Sixthly, teachers are responsible for teaching students how to study, which is to help them to acquire knowledge and skills. Therefore, the teachers should act according to student's cognitional characteristics. They need to observe different students’ study methods carefully, fully estimate each kind of questions which students possibly meet in their study of the new knowledge, help weak students to overcome the barriers in their study especially the psychological barrier, impart correct and effective methods to students and help students to complete their tasks smoothly.
Finally, the second classroom is prolongation and supplement of classroom instruction. The teachers should create opportunities for students to use their knowledge what they learnt in classroom. Thus, colorful extracurricular activities can achieve tremendous success. For example, opening English corner, teaching English songs, organizing students to watch or do the role-play, holding the competition of reciting or the speech contest, arranging outside reading and so on. It is without doubt that these activities can induce students’ study interests, and they have great impact on fostering students’ study and English application ability. [10] P.77
In a word, English teachers play a very important role in those students who study English in china, but they cannot use English with their parents, or in their daily life. They can only get help from their English teachers and practice English with their English teachers, so it is very important for English teachers to acquire some teaching strategies.
5. Conclusion
In 21 century, with the fastest development of technology and the formation of global village, every one believes that the mankind’s association will become more important and frequent, therefore English teachers should make greater contribution to their English teaching. The educational system should be reformed, and new teaching mode is the one that can help the students get a lot of improvement in their ability of English communication skills and strengthen their cultural consciousness in intercourse communication. In the process of English teaching, cultural teaching plays an important role. It is suggested that the following points all the English teachers should bear in mind; firstly, target language learning and target culture teaching cannot be separated because they rely on each other. Secondly, cultural teaching, a major content of English teaching, cannot be neglected. Thirdly, the information in language should benefit the language learning along with the cultural learning. In conclusion, English teaching should not only focus on teaching language, but also on the cultural knowledge. Language learning and culture learning are closely related to each other, because cultural differences have great impact on their English learning and teaching. It is hoped that the present study will help English teachers improve their teaching approaches, and cultivate the cultural consciousness in students’ minds and stimulate their great interests in English learning.
Bibliography
[1] Donna M. Gollnick, Philip C. Chinn. Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society[M]. Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1998
[2] 张和琼. 试论掌握英美文化知识与教学[J]. 江西师范大学学报, 2004,8
[3] Joseph A. DeVito. The Interpersonal Communication Book[M]. Longman Publisher USA. 1998
[4] 王振亚. 语言与文化(最新版)[M]. 北京：光明日报出版社, 2005
[5] 程晓婷. 英语教学中的文化与语言相结合[J]. 芜湖职业技术学院学报, 2005,3
[6] 胡斌. 论英语中的文化[J]. 江苏经贸职业技术学院学报, 2003,4
[7] 胡美云. 优化“英美文化”教学的方法[J]. 玉溪师范学院学报, 2004,6
[8] 周伯亮. 浅谈英语教学中的文化教育[J]. 南方论刊, 2005,7
[9] 胡文仲. 跨文化交际学概论[M]. 北京：外语教学与研究出版社, 2005
[10] 施彩虹. 跨文化交际与英语教学[J]. 武警工程学院学报, 2005，4
