B I L K E N T U N I V E R S I T Y
I M S m U T E Of- E C O N O M I C S A N D S O C I A L S C I E N C E S MA M A J O R P R O J E C T E X A M I N A T I O N R E S O L T F O R M
A u g u s t 31, 19B9
I he e x a m i n i n g c o m m i t t e e appjointed by the
I n s t i t u t e of E c o n o m i c s and Social S c i e n c e s for the m a j o r p r o j e c t e x a m i n a t i o n of the MA TEFL s t u d e n t
H A T I C E K U C U K O N A L
has read the p r o j e c t of the stud e n t . The c o m m i t t e e has d e c i d e d that the p r o j e c t of the s t u d e n t is s a t i s f a c t o r y / u n s a t i s f a c t o r y .
P r o j e c t Title; The R o l e of C u l t u r e in the F o r e i g n L a n g u a g e C l a s s r o o m P r o j e c t A d v i s o r ; Dr. J o h n R. A y d e l o t t B i l k e n t U n i v e r s i t y , MA TEFL P r o g r a m C o m m i t t e e M e m b e r ; Dr. J a m e s G. War d E n g l i s h T e a c h i n g O f f i c e r , U S I S
ikOct klidiiSnal
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*\ Cjig Й?
THE ROLE OF CULTURE
IN THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
A MAJOR PROJECT
SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF LETTERS
AND THE INSTITUTE OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
OF BILKENT UNIVERSITY
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREiiENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN
THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
BY
HATICE KUCUKONAL
August, 1989
I c e r t i f y that I fiave read this m a j o r p r o j e c t and that in my
o p i n i o n it is f u lly a d e q u a t e , in s c o p e and in q u a l i t y , as a m a j o r p r o j e c t for the d e g r e e of M a s t e r of Arts.
J o h n R. A y d e l o t t (A d v i s o r )
I c e r t i f y that 1 have read this m a j o r p r o j e c t and that in my
o p i n i o n it is fully a d e q u a t e , in scof)e and in q u a l i t y , as a m a j o r p r o j e c t for the d e g r e e of Master· of Arts.
A p p r o v e d for the
I n s t i t u t e of E c o n o m i c s and Soc i a l S c i e n c e s
/
1/
\
B c l
Page
INTRODUCTION
1.
RATIONALE FOR CULTURE IN LANGUAGE TEACHING
^1.1.
STATEMENT OF THE TOPIC
1.2. PURPOSE
1.3.
METHOD
1.4. LIMITATIONS
2.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
2.1. CULTURE
2.1.1.
DEFINITIONS OF CULTURE
2.1.2.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE
2.1.3.
COMPONENTS OF CULTURE
2.2. LANGUAGE
2.2.1.
DEFINITIONS OF LANGUAGE
2.3.
RELAWONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
2.4. THE ROLE OF CULTURE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING
3.
CULTURAL CONCEPTS WHICH SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN THE FOREIGN
LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
4.
METHODS/ACTIVITIES FOR INTEGRATING CULTURE INTO FOREIGN
LANGUAGE TEACHING
CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
23
4
4
4
4
6 7 8 9 11 1214
19
27 34 1 J 1INIRODUCTION
C o m m u n i c a t i o n like m a n y human a c t i v i t i e s is c o n s t r a i n e d by individual and cultural f a c t o r s - It is not e n o u g h to learn only the form of a language to c o m m u n i c a t e . M o r e o v e r , m a n y
c o m m u n ica t ion f a i J u r e s a r e the r e s u l t of ¿\ lack of c r o s s ~ c u 1 tur a 1 u n d e r s t a n d i n g rather than a lack of l i n g u i s t i c c o m p e t e n c e .
The goal in fo r e i g n l a n g u a g e t e a c h i n g must be to d e v e l o p " c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e . " The d e v e l o p m e n t of " c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e " in the f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e i n v o l v e s m u c h m o r e than
l i n g u i s t i c c o m p e t e n c e . C o m m u n i c a t i o n a l s o i n v o l v e s d e v e l o p i n g an a w a r e n e s s of the way of life and the t r a d i t i o n s of the p e o p l e w h o s e lang u a g e is being s t u d i e d . Thus, l e a rning the c u l t u r a l
r o o t s of a l a n g u a g e is e s s e n t i a l for m e a n i n g f u l f l u e n c y . In o t h e r words, an u n d e r s t a n d i n g of c u l t u r e m a k e s l a n g u a g e s t u d y m o r e m e a n i n g f u l . A c c o r d i n g to the f i e l d of a n t h r o p o l o g y , c u l t u r e s h o u l d not be i s olated f r o m l anguage; it s h o u l d be u s e d to teach
l a n g u a g e as well as p r o v i d e c o n t e n t and focus for w h a t the f o r e i g n lang u a g e s t u d e n t s h o u l d k n o w in o r d e r to f u n c t i o n
h a r m o n i o u s l y in v a r i o u s sociaj s i t u a t i o n s in the t a r g e t l a n g u a g e e n V1ronmen t .
1. R A I l ü N A L L F Ü R CULI URL· IN L A N G U A G F T F A G H I N G J-1. S t a t e m e n t of the topic
This paper f o c u s e s u p o n the i m p o r t a n c e of t e a c h i n g c u l t u r e in fo r e i g n l a n g u a g e c l a s s r o o m s . R e s e a r c h d o n e by s o c i o l i n g u i s t s and a n t h r o p o l o g i s t s s h o w s t h a t there is a c l o s e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n language and c u l t u r e . L a n g u a g e and c u l t u r e are inseparab'l e . So d i f f e r e n c e s in c u l t u r e a c r o s s l a n g u a g e s are a pro b l e m in l e a r n i n g a f o r e i g n language. U n f o r t u n a t e 1y , the role of
c u l t u r e in f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e t e a c h i n g /1e a r n i n g has been i g n o r e d in Tur k e y by l a n g u a g e r e s e a r c h e r s , c u r r i c u l u m p l a n ners, and l a n g u a g e t e a c h e r s , and, thus, it has not been included as part of the c u r r i c u l u m of t e a c h i n g EIFL programs.
M a n y c o m m u n i c a t i o n f a i l u r e s are the r e s u l t of a lack of c r o s s - c u l t u r a 1 u n d e r s t a n d i n g rather than a lack of
l i n g u i s t i c c o m p e t e n c e . T h i s topic is i m p o r t a n t to the field of EFL b e c a u s e the d e v e l o p m e n t of " c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e " in a f o r e i g n 3a n g u a g e i n v o l v e s m u c h m o r e than linguistic c o m p e t e n c e .
C o m m u n i c a t i o n a l s o i n v o l v e s d e v e l o p i n g an a w a r e n e s s of the way of life end the t r a d i t i o n s of the p e o p l e w h o s e language is being st u d i e d . L e a r n i n g the c u l t u r a l r o o t s of a l a n g u a g e is e s s e n t i a l for m e a n i n g f u l fluency,
]D et h e r words, an u n d e r s t a n d i n g of c u l t u r e makes l a n g u a g e s t u d y more m e a n i n g f u l .
C u l t u r e s h o u l d not be i s o l a t e d from language; it s h o u l d be use d to teach l a n g u a g e as well as p r o vide
c o n t e n t and focus for w h a t the i o r e i g n language s t u d e n t s s h o u l d know in o rder to f u n c t i o n h a r m o n i o u s l y in v a r i o u s soci a l s3tui.itions in the t a r g e t l a n g u a g e e n v i r o n m e n t .
1.2. P u r p o s e
T h e r e are two major aims of thj.s r e s e a r c h paper: o n e is to e x p l a i n the reason c u l t u r e s h o u l d be taught in the fo r e i g n l a n g u a g e classrocDm and the o t h e r is to p o i n t out w a y s in wh i c h c u l t u r e — e i t h e r of B ritain or the U n i t e d S t a t e s — can be t a u g h t in EFL c l a s s r o o m s in lurkey. In o rder to p r e s e n t the r a t i o n a l e for t e a c h i n g c u l t u r e , d e f i n i t i o n s of l a n g u a g e and c u l t u r e h a v e been e x p a n d e d upon the e x p e r t s in both fields.
The^ s t u d y of c u l t u r e is a n e g l e c t e d area, in f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e t e a c h i n g in Turkey. This p a p e r presents r e c e n t f i n d i n g s w h i c h s u p p o r t the t e a c h i n g of c u l t u r e in the EFL c l a s s r o o m . It is i n t e n d e d that the t e a c h e r s wIiQ are inter‘es t e d in this topic will be able to find o ut the a n s w e r s to the q u e s t i o n "Why d o e s c u l t u r e have an i m p o r t a n t role in f o r e i g n language* JearningV".
l«o. M e t h o d
To conduct, t i n s research, first, d e f i n i t i o n s of
l a n g u a g e and cultur'e are d i s c u s s e d . The r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n them is p o i n t e d out. T h e n e x t step f o c u s e s on wity c u l t u r e s h o u l d be taught in f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e
c l a s s r o o m s . T h i s is f o l l o w e d by v a r i o u s s u g g e s t e d t e c h n i q u e s for t e a c h i n g c u l t u r e in the EFL c l a s s r o o m s in Turk e y .
1.4. L i m i t a t i o n s
B e c a u s e of the n a t u r e of t h i s tc'/pic> e s p e c i a l l y in T u r k e y wliere t h e r e are s e v eral o b s t a c l e s in the way of teaci'iing the? c u l t u r e of E n g l i s h s p e a k i n g s o c i e t i e s ^ t h e r e are s e v e r a l l i m i t ations. O n e is the
shortage? of a d e q u a t e r e f e r e n c e s on c u l t u r e . A p o s s i b l e third l i m i t a t i o n is the s h o r t a g e of avaiiable? t e a c h i n g m a t e r i a l s th.at deal e f f e c t i v e l y w i t h c u l t u r e in the' l a n g u a g e c 1a s s r o o m .
2. REVIEW or- LITERATURE
Before d i s c u s s i n g the role of c u l t u r e in the f o r eign language class, it is n e c e s s a r y to d e l i n e b r o a d l y what language and c u l t u r e
are-2.1. C u l t u r e
From the begiiuiing of time, men h a v e been social b e i n g s and I'lave lived in s o c i e t i e s . So they h a v e d e v e l o p e d
patterned w a y s of d o i n g t h i n g s and t a l k i n g ab o u t them that f a c i l i t a t e the c o m m u n i c a t i o n and i n t e r a c t i o n n e c e s s a r y for social living. When t h e s e p a t t e r n e d w a y s of acting, talking, thinking and f e e l i n g b e c o m e s u f f i c i e n t l y u n i f o r m in a s o c i e t y and s u f f i c i e n t l y d i f f e r e n t from those of o t h e r s o c i e t i e s , they c o n s t i t u t e a c u l t u r e (Lado, 1964).
C u l ture m a y mean d i f f e r e n t thi n g s to d i f f e r e n t people. P h i l l i p s (1980) s t a t e s that in the h i s t o r y of e d u c a t i o n , the word “c u l t u r e “ has bee n u s e d in two m a j o r ways: i.e., as a term d e n o t i n g the i n t e l l e c t u a l and a r t i s t i c a c h i e v e m e n t s of humans, and as a term in the world of t h e s o c i a i s c i e n t i s t s mea n i n g e v e r y t h i n g t h a t e x i s t e d in a s o c i e t y that was m a n made. C u l t u r e is d e f i n e d as a way of life, and the c o n t e x t within w h i c h we exist, think, feel, and r e l a t e to o t h ers. In a way, c u l t u r e is the “g l u e “ that b i n d a a g r o u p of p e o p l e t o g e t h e r .
C u l t u r e m a y be d i v i d e d i n t o two d i s t i n c t c o m p l e m e n t e r y
a r e a s that B r o o k s (1968) labeled f o r m a 1 and d e e p , The formal relates to 3!n te 1 1 ec tua 1 and a r t i s t i c a c h i e v e m e n t s w h i l e the latter t a k e s into a c c o u n t the basic e v e r y d a y life p a t t e r n s of a society s u c h as g o i n g s h o p p i n g , g r e e t i n g and e a t i n g habits.
A c c o r d i n g to G a r f i n k e l and H a m i l t o n (1976) culture, often labeled “d e e p c u l t u r e or small c c u l t u r e , " e n c o m p a s s e s the way of life of a p o p u l a t i o n - This d e f i n i t i o n of c u l t u r e as the way p e o p l e live is the o n e most c o m m o n l y and most highly
r e c o m m e n d e d as the b a s i s for s e l e c t i n g cultural c o n t e n t for foreign l a n g u a g e cl a s s e s . Ain o t h e r d e f i n i t i o n of c u l t u r e , labeled "formal c u l t u r e or large C c u l t u r e , " refers to the c o l l e c t i v e a c h i e v e m e n t s of a p o p u l a t i o n in the arts, in scieiice, in tech n o l o g y , and in p o l i tics.
2.1.1. D e f i n i t i o n s of c u l t u r e
M a n y s c i e n t i s t s and a n t h r o p o 1o g i s t s d e f i n e c u l t u r e in d i f f e r e n t ways. L et us look at s o m e of them.
- B e n e d i c t (1944) d e f i n e s c u l t u r e as " that w h i c h b i n d s men t o gether" (D a m e n , 1987).
-In G u d y k u n s t ' s d e f i n i t i o n (1984) " c u l t u r e refers to chat r e l a t i v e l y u n i f i e d set of s h a r e d s y m b o l i c ideas a s s o c i a t e d with s o c i e t a l p a t t e r n s of c u l t u r a l o r d e r i n g " (Damen, 1987). - A c c o r d i n g to Hall (1959) " c u l t u r e is c o m m u n i c a t i o n and
communicatior'i is c u l t u r e " (Damen, 1987).
- M o r a i n ' s d e f i n i t i o n of c u l t u r e is the d a i l y living and v a l u e s y s t e m of p e o p l e (Horain,
1983)-D e f i n i t i o n s of c u l t u r e have been c h a n g e d , refined, r e d e fined, and again d e f i n e d as t h e o r i e s and p u r p o s e s have c h a n g e d .
A c c o r d i n g to Da m e n (1987) e a c h c h a n g e has been an a d d i t i o n rather than a r e p l a c e m e n t . Even t h o u g h there are so m a n y c o n f l i c t i n g d e f i n i t i o n s of c u l t u r e , there is a u n i v e r s a l agreement, on some points^. First, it is g e n e r a l J y a g r e e d that human b e i n g s and their c u l t u r e s s h o u l d be s t u d i e d h o i i s t i c a l 1y . This m e a n s that these mus t be e x a m i n e d from all p e r s p e c t i v e s and in all aspects. Second, there a r e
many c u l t u r a l me a n s to s e rve the s a m e hu m a n needs. h i n a l l y , the i n e v i tabı 1ity of c h a n g e is a fac t of cu l t u r a l life.
2-1 -2- Chat a cteris^tics o f c u l t u r e
Darnen (1987) lists s e v e r a l n o t a b l e charac t e r i s t ics of c u l t u r e that have been put t o g e t h e r i n t o ti'ie def i i t ions and the t h e o r i e s w h i c h they a r e b u i l t upon.
- C u l t u r e is l e a r n ed. If it can be learned, it can a l s o be t a u g h t or acquired.
~ C u 1ture a n d_c ul t u r a l pa tt e r n s c h a n g e. It is m o r e
i m p o r t a n t to learn how to learn a c u l t u r e or a d a p t to these c h a n g e s than to learn the ‘' f a c t s ” and ''truths'' of the m o m ent.
-C u l t u r e is a u n i v e r s a l f a ct of h u m a n i_i_fj?.. T h ere is no human g r o u p or s o c i e t y w i t h o u t c u l t u r e . Cu l t u r a l
p a t t e r n s and t h e m e s are r e l a t e d to u n i v e r s a l h u m a n n e e d s and life c o n d i t i o n s .
- L a n g u a g e and c u l t u re are c l o s e l y r e l a t e d and
i n t e r a c t i v e . C u l t u r e is t r a n s m i t t e d t h r o u g h language; c u l t u r a l p a t t e r n s in turn are r e f l e c t e d in language. ■“C u l t u r e f u n c t i o n s as a f i l t e r i n g d e v i c e b e t ween its
be a r e r s and t he stimuli p r e s e n t e d _b y t he e n v i r o n m e n t . This f i l t e r i n g d e v i c e is b o t h p r o t e c t i v e and limiting. I n t e r c u 1t u r a 1 c o m m u n i c a t o r s m u s t pas s over the
b o u n d a r i e s of their own f i l t e r i n g s y s t e m s or s c r e e n s and enter- the s y s t e m s of others.
In r e c o g n i z i n g the i m p o r t a n c e of cultural m e a n i n g and p a t t e r n s , it is n e c e s s a r y to d i s t i n g u i s h two types of v a r i a t i o n s w i t h i n a c u l t u r e : s u b c u l t u r a l and individual, a . S u b c u I t u r a l v a r i a t i o n s
A c c o r d i n g to L a d o (1964) s u b c u l t u r a l v a r i a t i o n s in the E n g l i s h s p e a k i n g w o r l d are the r e g i o n a l cultural
d i f f e r e n c e s r e p r e s e n t e d by the U n i t e d States, England, S c o t l a n d , Ireland, A u s t r a l i a , and N e w Zealand. If we
limit o u r s e l v e s to the U n i t e d S t a t e s , regional v a r i a t i o n s p e r t a i n to the h i d d l e West, the Far West, the South, and so on. S o c i a l and e d u c a t i o n a l d i f f e r e n c e s w ithin any g i v e n a r e a a l s o f o r m s u b c u l t u r a l v a r i a t i o n s . M a j o r c u l t u r a l v a r i a t i o n s c a n n o t be i g n o r e d w h e n learning E n g l i s h as a f o r e i g n language-
b - I n d i v i d u a l v a r i a t i o n s
In a d d i t i o n to g r o u p v a r i a t i o n s , i n d i v i d u a l s w i t h i n a c u l t u r e m a y follow, a p p r o v e , and s u p p o r t some or all of
its p a t t e r n s , or m a y not follow, d i s a p p r o v e , and even r e s i s t them. C u l t u r e can be e x a m i n e d from the point of vi e w of its i n d i v i d u a l c o m p o n e n t s or parts, or from the m o r e s ocial p o int of v i e w of its s y s t e m s . Damen (1987)
lists c o m p o n e n t s of c u l t u r e . V a r i a t i o n s of human life s t y l e s m a y be found in
- d r e s s ,
2.1.3. C o m p o n e n ts of c u l t u r e
- s y s t e m s of r e w a r d and p u n i s h m e n t , -uses of tinie and space,
- f a s h i o n s of e a t i n g , -n^eans of c o m m u n i c a t i o n , -f ami 1y re 1 a t i o n s h i p s , “ b e l i e f s and values, or s>ocieta] s y s t e m s s u c h as -kinship, -Tz'ducation , - e c o n o m y , - g o v e r n m e n t , - a s s o c i a t i o n , “ hea1th. D e f i n i n g c u l t u r e is a n e c e s s a r y p r e r e q u i s i t e to the i m p l e m e n t a t i o n of the c u l t u r e goal in s e c o n d / f o r e i g n
language clas s e s . The d e f i n i t i o n and c o m p o n e n t s of c u l t u r e p r o v i d e g u i d e l i n e s for c h o o s i n g the ty p e s of i n f o r m a t i o n that a r e i n c l u d e d in the c o u r s e c o n t e n t .
2.2. L a n g u a g e
When p e o p l e c o m e toge t h e r , they talk- We live in a world of words. We talk to our friends, o u r a s s o c i a t e s , our wives and h u s b a n d s , or parents. We talk face to face and over the t e l e p h o n e . And e v e r y o n e r e s p o n d s w i t h m o r e
talk. Frornkin (1974) c l a i m s that the p o s s e s s i o n of lang u a g e d is^t i n g u i s h e s h u m a n s fr o m o t h e r anima l s . To u n d e r s t a n d our
h u m a n i t y o ne must u n d e r s t a n d the l a n g u a g e that m a kes us human. A c c o r d i n g to the p h i l o s o p h y e x p r e s s e d in the my t h s and
r e l i g i o n s of many people, it is l a n g u a g e that is the s o u r c e of h u man life and power.
A c c o r d i n g to B o n o m o and F'inocchiaro (1973,) as a special form of c o m m u n i c a tion human l a n g u a g e may be a c c e p t e d as a
system, as a v e h i c l e for c u l t u r a l t r a n s m i s s i o n , and as one of m a n y m o d e s of c o m m u n i c a t i o n - L a n g u a g e a p p r o a c h e d as a s y s t e m of c o m m u n i c a t i o n can be i s o l a t e d and studied. As such, it is just one of many w a y s human b e i n g s c o m m u n i c a t e ; o t h e r s i n c l u d e the use of s e n s e s — feel, touch, s m e l l — facial e x p r e s s i o n s , body m o v e m e n t — k i n e s i c s — i n c l u d i n g g e s t u r e s , and o t h e r m e a n s of physical c o n t a c t .
Yet l a n g u a g e is more- It is "the p r i m a r y symbol s y s t e m that e n c o d e s cult u r a l m e a n i n g in e v e r y society"
(Spradley, 1979)- The p r o c e s s e s of naming, i d e n t i f y i n g , and c l a s s i f y i n g are c a r r i e d o ut l a r g e l y by m e a n s of language.
■f»
D amen (1987) m e n t i o n s that a l a n g u a g e r e f l e c t s and r e i n f o r c e s the va l u e and b e lief s y s t e m s of a culture. She s a y s "our c u l t u r a l v a l u e s r e m a i n a l i v e in o u r proverbs, mo t t o s , songs, and m e t a p h o r s — all s hared by m e a n s of
language". G o o d e n o u g h (1964), in a s i m i l a r sense, s t a t e s that "a s o c i e t y ' s l a n guage is an a s p e c t of its culture".
2-2.1- D e f i n j t i o n s of l a n g u a g e
T h e r e are many d e f i n i t i o n s oi language. Here are some
of the m o s t p o p u l a r and respected:
- A c c o r d i n g to Sapir, " L a n g u a g e is a p urely human and n o n - i n s t i n c L i v e m e t h o d ot c o m m u n i c a t i n g ideas, e m o t i o n s and d e s i r e s by m e a n s of a s y s t e m of
v o l u n t a r i l y p r o d u c e d s y m b o l s " (Lyons, 1981).
-In t h e1r O u t line of L i n g u i s t i c A n a l y s i s B l o c h and 1r a g e r (1942) s t ate "A l a n g u a g e is a set of
a r b i t r a r y vocal s y m b o l s by m e a n s of w h i c h people c o m m u n1c a t e "- L o g i c a l l y , o n e c a n n o t speak w i t h o u t u s i n g l a n g u a g e (i-e-, w i t h o u t s p e a k i n g any
p a r t i c u l a r language), but o n e can use language wit hout s p e a k i n g
--In his E s s a y on L a n g u a g e , Hall (1968) d e f i n e s l a n g u a g e as "an i n s t i t u t i o n w h e r e b y humans
communicjite and i n t e r a c t w i t h e a c h o t h e r by m e ans of h a b i t u a l l y used ora 1~ a u d i t o r y a r b i t r a r y
s y m b o l s . " Hall treats l a n g u a g e as a pur e l y human i n s t i t u t i o n ; and the term " i n s t i t u t i o n " m a kes e x p l i c i t the vie w that the l a n g u a g e used by a p a r t i c u l a r s o c i e t y is part of that s o c i e t y ' s c u 1t u r e .
These d e f i n i t i o n s of language g i v e us a c l e a r and Qe?nerally a g r e e d u p o n idea that l a n g u a g e is the most
f r e q u e n t l y u s e d and miost iiighly d e v e l o p e d form of human c o m m u n i c a t i o n .
In the p r e v i o u s p a r t we have tooked at the c o n c e p t s oi human l a n g u a g e (c o m m o n i c a t i o n ) and culture- E a c h p o s s e s s e s d i s t i n c t i v e c o m p o n e n t s and c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s . At the s a m e time the c o n c e p t s , eac h in a v e r y s pecial way, are b ound t o g e t h e r t h r o u g h social i n t e r a c t i o n . This s e c t i o n will e x a m i n e the r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n l a n g u a g e and culture.
In his L a n g u a g e T e a c h i n g L a d o (1964) w r i t e s that la n g u a g e does not d e v e l o p in a vacuum. A l a n g u a g e is part of the c u l t u r e of a g r o u p of peo p l e and the chief m e a n s by w h i c h the m e m b e r s of a s o c i e t y c o m m u n i c a t e .
A c c o r d i n g to B r o o k s (1964) lang u a g e is the m o s t typical, the m o s t r e p r e s e n t a t i v e , and the most central e l e m e n t in any c u lture. L a n g u a g e a nd c u l t u r e are not s e p a r a b l e . He also a d v i s e s that l i n g u i s t i c s c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s s hould be v i e w e d as c u l t u r a l e l e m e n t s and t h a t c u l t u r e learning r e q u i r e s the v e h i c l e of language (C r a w f o r d - L a n g e , 1987).
The re l a t i o n b e t w e e n l a n guage and c u l t u r e has a l w a y s been a c o n c e r n of a n t h r o p o l o g i s t s and Sapir was o n e of the s c h o l a r s w h o helped e x p l o d i n g the c o n n e c t i o n s b e t w e e n the racial c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of s p e a k e r s and their l i n g u i s t i c
habitsL, or between the kind of language peo p l e s p e a k and the kind of c u l t u r e the l a n g u a g e r e v e a l s (Dinnean, 1967). It we r e m e m b e r the S a p i r - W h o r f H y p o t h e s i s , people h a v i n g d i f f e r e n t l a n g u a g e s have d i f f e r e n t wo r l d views- It can a l s o be said 2.3. R e l a l i o n s h x p b e t w e e n l a n g u a g e and c u l t u r e
ttiat c u l t u r e a-f'fects the way people u s e the 1 a n n uage and perceive the world,
B e e i y e ( ) d e f i n e s lang u a g e "as the e x p r e s s i o n of thought" ¿ind sa y s l a nguage "is a logical i n s t r u m e n t but it is f u n d a m e n t a l l y and p r i m a r i l y a social ins t r u m e n t . " If language is p r i m a r i l y a social i n s t r u m e n t , how can it be separated f r o m the s o c i e t y that use s it? He admits that without a c u l t u r a l c o n t e x t a word has no meaning.
1his s e c t i o n has been d e v o t e d to d e f i n i n g language, c u l ture and its r e l a t i o n s h i p to c u l t u r e . In G u I t u r e
L e arning D a m e n (1S^87) lists the f o l l o w i n g c o n n e c t i o n s between l a n g u a g e and culture:
L a n g u a g e is m o r e than speech; it is a symbol, ¿i m e a n s of i d e n t i f i c a t i o n 5 a tool, a lens t h r o u g h w h i c h r e a l i t y is seen.
L a n g u a g e r e s p o n d s and i n f l u e n c e s the o b s e r v a t i o n s of its s p e a k e r s and m e d i a t e s their e x p e r i e n c e s
-* L a n g u a g e p r o v i d e s the e m b r o i d e r y for the world of its s p e a k e r s .
L a n g u a g e p r o v i d e s easy and f a m i l i a r wa y s to c l a s s i f y the w o r l d of its s p e a k e r s
-f· L a n g u a g e s c o n t a i n c a t e g o r i e s that r e f l e c t cultural i n t e r e s t s , p r é o c c u p â t i o n s , and c o n v e n t i o n s .
J|' The c l o s e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t ween l a n g u a g e and c u l t u r e is f u n d a m e n t a l and universal. All h uman beings u n l e s s h a n d i c a p p e d are? 1 a n g u a g e users; all are c u l t u r e bearers,
* l..anguage is one mode of c o m mun i c a t i on ; culture may m e d i a t e the m a n n e r in w h i c h this m o d e is used .
Whe^n we look at the d e f i n i t i o n s of language, they all seem to s h a r e one thing in c o m m o n : l a n g u a g e is c o m m u n i c a t i o n vand w o r d s c o n v e y m e a n i n g but the m e a n i n g s of words are very much i n f l u e n c e d by culture. Irwing (1986) indicates that each p e r s o n is the product of a p a r t i c u l a r c u l t u r e that
passes on s h a r e d and a p p r o p r i a t e m e a n i n g s . Thus, if we want tcj learn to c o m m u n i c a t e well in a language, we must
u n d e r s t a n d the c u l t u r e that g i v e s that language meanings- In other words*>, c u l t u r e and l a n g u a g e a r e i n s e p a r a b l y linked: you c a n n o t have one w i t h o u t the other. C u l t u r e gives
meaning and p r o v i d e s the c o n t e x t for c o m m u n i c a t i o n .
Ulhat has been menti o n e d , so far, has been intended to c l a rify the r e l a t i o n s h i p bet w e e n l a n g u a g e and c u l t u r e in
order to p r e p a r e fo?^ the d i s c u s s i o n of the role of c u l t u r e in foreign l a n g u a g e learning w h i c h is the main con c e r n of this
paper-2.4. I hce role of culture in foreign lanouape learning
One of the mo s t s i g n i f i c a n t d e v e l o p m e n t s in the field of l a n g u a g e i n s t r u c t i o n has berrMi the r e c o g n i t i o n of the c l o s e r e l a t i o n s h i p between language and cult u r e . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , the role of c u l t u r e in foreign l a n g u a g e 1 earn ing / ted^c hi ng has been i g n o r e d by language r e s e a r c h e r s and c u r r i c u l u m p l a nners in Turkey and thus, has not yet been included as
part of the c u r r i c u l u m of TEFL programs.
host f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e t e a c h e r s are l a r gely u n a w a r e of e f f e c t s of c u l t u r e on our c o m m u n i c a t i o n w i t h others.
Comnfiunication is not m e r e l y language. The idea of
c o m m u n i c a t i o n m u s t i n v o l v e a c o m m o n u n d e r s l a n d i n g . H ow can we provide a c o m m o n u n d e r s t a n d i n g ? Is it p o s s i b l e to p r o v i d e a common u n d e r s t a n d i n g by only t e a c h i n g the l i n g u i s t i c a s p e c t s of a foreign l a n g u a g e ? Of c o u rse, not. M a n y c o m m u n i c a t i o n failures are the r e s u l t of a lack of c r o s s - c u 1t u r a 1
unders tand ing r a t h e r than a lack of linguistic: c o m p e t e n c e . So a teache^r is r e s p o n s i b l e for d e v e l o p i n g h i s / h e r s t u d e n t s ’ c o m m u n i c a t i v e compcftence as well as their l i n g u i s t i c
c o m p e tence. That is, it is not e n o u g h for a person to be able to p r o d u c e g r a m m a t i c a l s e n t e n c e s to c o m m u n i c a t e . O n e must a l s o know w h e n t h e y are c o n t e x t u a l l y a p p r o p r i a t e .
In teaching a f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e we m u s t deal w i t h the c o m m u n i c a t i v e use of the l a n g u a g e b e c a u s e o ur goal m u s t be to teach what H y m e s (1974) t e rms " C o m m u n i c a t i v e C o m p e t e n c e " (R o b i n e t t ,
1978)-The d e v e l o p m e n t of c o m m u n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e in, a foreign language i n v o l v e s muc h m o r e than o n l y learning
icpxicai items or 1 o r m s of the t a r g e t language. Comm.un ica t ing in a n e w c u l t u r e m e a n s learning w hat to say (words, phrases, meaning), w^TQ. c o m m u n i.ca t.e w i t h (the role and s t a t u s of the person), how to c o n v e y the m e s s a g e (emotional c o m p o n e n t s ,
n o n v e r b a l cues, i n t o n a t j o n ) , w hy to c o m m u n i c a t e in a q i v e n s i t u a t i o n (inten t i o n s , v a l ues, a s s u m p t i o n s ), w hen to
cornmun i c a te (time), and wiiere to commun i c a t e . ‘(his s o u n d s like an i m p o s s i b l e task. K r o f t (1980) s t a t e s that a p e r s o n learns his own c u l t u r e in m u c h the same way as he l e a r n s his n a t i v e language t h r o u g h e x p o s u r e from childhood- Thus,
c u l t u r e is a lea r n e d b e h a v i u o r . Just as a person can learn a n o t h e r language, stie can a l s o learn another c u l t u r e . This
is part of wha t is m e a n t by c o m m o n i c a t i v e c o m p e t e n c e , l e arning the c u l t u r a l l y a p p r o v e d ways to use language.
A good c o m m a n d of E n g l i s h grammar, lexis, and p h o n o l o g y IS helpful in e f f e c t i v e c r o s s - c u 1 tura 1 c o m m o n i c a t i o n but
this is r^ot enough- A p p r o p r i a t e topics of c o n v e r s a t i o n , forms of a d d r e s s and e x p r e s s i o n s of s p e e c h acts (apo l o g i e s , ag r e e m e n t , d i s a g r e e m e n t , and the place of silence) a re n ot u s u a l l y the sa m e a c r o s s c u l t u r e s and these d i s c o u r s e
f e a t u r e s are p e r h a p s m o r e i m p o r t a n t to e f f e c t i v e c r o s s - c u l t u r a l c o m m u n i c a t i o n than gr a m m a r , lexis, and p h o n o l o g y
(Smith, 1986). As a result, the c o m m u n i c a t i o n p r o b l e m is not due to the l a n g u a g e code, but to d i f f e r e n t c u l t u r a l a s s u m p t i o n s a b o u t w h a t l a n g u a g e b e h a v i o u r is a p p r o p r i a t e .
C o m m u n i c a t i o n a l s o i n v o l v e s d e v e l o p i n g an a w a r e n e s s of tlie way of life and the t r a d i t i o n s of the p e o p l e w h o s e
l a n g u a g e is being s t u d i e d . L e a r n i n g the culturiil r o o t s of a la n g u a g e is esseritial for nieaningful fluency. In the field of a n t h r o p o l o g y c u l t u r e c a n n o t be s e p a r a t e d from
IcBnguage; jt s h o u l d be used to teach l a n g u a g e as uoell as provide c o n t e n t and f o c u s for what the f o r eign 1a n g u a g e s t u dent s h ould know in o r d e r to f u n c t i o n h a r m o n i o u s l y in v a r i o u s social s i t u a t i o n s in the t a r g e t 1a n g u a g e e n v i r o n m e n t .
B o n o m o and Finocchi.aro (1V73) c l a i m that when we teach language, we a u t o m a t i c a l l y teach c u l t u r e . The forms of
address, g r e e t i n g s , f o r m u l a s and o t h e r u t t e r a n c e s found in the d i a l o g u e s or m o d e l s our s t u d e n t s hear and the a l l u s i o n s to a s p e c t s of c u l t u r e found in the r e a d i n g r e p r e s e n t
cultural k n owledge. G e s t u r e s , body m o v e m e n t s , and p r o x e m i c s should foster c u l t u r a l insight.
D uring the 1 9 7 0 ' s, a great deal of a t t e n t i o n was
d e v oted to the t e a c h i n g of culture?. I'he g o a l s and o b j e c t i v e s were m a n y and v aried; in addition to le a r n i n g a b o u t “formal culture" (art, t e c h n o l o g y , p o l i t i c s , s c i e n c e and literature) s t u d e n t s wer e e x p e c t e d to achieve l e a r n i n g a b o u t “d e e p
c u l t u r e “ (the way of life the target c u l t u r e ) . C u l t u r e labeled “d e e p c u l t u r e or small c c u l t u r e " e n c o m p a s s e s the way of life of a p o p u l a t i o n . A c c o r d i n g to C h a s t a i n (1976) deep c u l t u r e s h o u l d be taug h t to the s t u d e n t s in f o r eign
language c l asses. D e e p c u l t u r e m o s t l y s a t i s f i e s the
r e q u i r e m e n t s of s t u d e n t s to a c h i e v e c o m m o n i c a t i v e c o m petence. At the end of ttieir s t u d i e s , the s t u d e n t s will have a
s a t i s f a c t o r y k n o w l e d g e of the foreign c u l t u r e s y s t e m just like they have of the f o r e i g n language system. On the other
hand, B r o o k s (196B) m e n t i o n s that c u l t u r e i s D e i e d "formal c u l t u r e or large C c u l t u r e " f o c u s e s on the .-.ide range of aes t h e t i c e x p r e s s i o n s of cult u r e , poetry, crose, theatre, painting, dance, ar^d archi tec ture - A l t h o u g h formal, c u l t u r e IS intere s t i n g to m a n y t e a c h e r s and s t u d e n t s , m a t e r i a l s of this type may not c o n t r i b u t e to the s t u d e n t s a b i l i t y to function l i n g u i s t i c a l l y and s o c i a l l y in t h e t arget c u l t u r e n or to their i n t e r c u l t u r a l u n d e r s t a n d i n g . S i n c e this study
focuses on the d e v e l o p m e n t of s t udents' com.nunicative
c o m p e t e n c e t h r o u g h the i n t e g r a t i o n of c u l t u r e t e aching into foreign 1 a n g u a g e teaching, we will he c o n c e r n e d wi t h "deep c u 1ture/sma 1 1 c c u l t u r e " w h i c h is c l o s e l y r e l a t e d to the
field of lang u a g e teaching.
P h i l l i p s (19B1) a d v i s e s that the r e i a c i o n s h i p b e t ween language and cult u r e , with e m p h a s i s on l a n g u a g e use for
c o m m u n i c a t i o n , is o b v i o u s l y a p p r o p r i a t e f or s t u d y in f o r eign language c l asses. S t u d e n t s s h o u l d be a b l e ro observe,
describe, expla i n , predict, and e v a l u a t e a s p e c t s of c u l t u r e and their e f f e c t s on p e o p l e ' s c o m m u n i c a t i v e b e h a v i o u r . At
the same time they s hould u n d e r s t a n d that b e h a v i o u r v a r i e s w i t h age, sex, time, social class, and p l a c e of r e s i d e n c e
(Seelye, 19B4), T h e s e f a c t o r s will a f f e c t t h e way s t u d e n t s interpret o t h e r ' s w o r d s and a c t i o n s and the w a y they act and react
-S ince la n g u a g e teachers, in fact, t e a c n CLilture when they teach a language, and s i n c e in t e a c h i n g a language they
niusr. touch upon i he cuitijraJ c o n t e n t that l a n g u a g e s e r v e s to c o m m u n 1c a t e , they s h o u l d be a w are of cult u r a l a n t h r o p o l o g y .
This does not mean that the lang u a g e t e a c h e r s mus t t e a c h a n t h r o p o l o g y or that they have to be cult u r a l a n t h r o p o 1o g i s t . La n g u a g e teacher?^ t e a c h 3 a n g u a g e and the cultural c o n t e n t that is n e c e s s a r y if o n e is to know and use the language.
Lado (196^) d e f i n e s the goal in l e arning a f o r e i g n language as the a b i l i t y to use it, u n d e r s t a n d i n g its
m e a n i n g s and conr'iotations in terms of the targe·! l a n g u a g e and culture, and the a b i l i t y to u n d e r s t a n d the s p e e c h and writing of n a t i v e s of the target c u l t u r e .
He also a d v i s e s that cultural a n t h r o p o l o g y is useful to the la n g u a g e t e a c h e r s in d e t e r m i n i n g the c u ltural c o n t e n t of what they teach. 1 hey must d e c i d e in a d d i t i o n how the cultural c o n t e n t is to be learned, the o r d e r of p r e s e n t a t i o n .
3. C U L T U R A L C O N C E P T S W H I C H S H O U L D BE T A U G H T IN T H E F O R E I G N L A N G U A G E C L A S S S R G O H
In the ideal f o r e i g n language class, the t e a c h i n g of cul t u r e is an integral, o r g a n i z e d c o m p o n e n t of c o u r s e content. Why is the c u l t u r e c o m p o n e n t so c r u c i a l in f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e tea c h i n g ? Th e r e are three basic c l a ims:
1. C u l t u r e m o t i v a t e s s t u d e n t s by i n c r e a s i n g and m a i n t a i n i n g their i n t e r e s t and by e n a b l i n g them to feel m o r e
c o m f o r t a b l e when they come int o c o n t a c t w i t h the foreiqn cult u r e .
2* C u l t u r e p r o v i d e s s t u d e n t s w i t h the info r m a t i o n arid s k i l l s n e e d e d tor a d e q u a t e c o m m o n i c a t i o n in the
target l a n g u a g e and about the t arget c u l t u r e (Webber^ 198/).
3. C u l t u r e plays a role in d e v e l o p i n g the students' s e nse of t h e m s e l v e s and t heir own culture. C u l t u r e b r o a d e n s the students' h o r i z o n s , helps them
u n d e r s t a n d their own c u l t u r e better, make them more open and u n d e r s t a n d i n g p e o p l e (Wallach, 1973).
T h e teacher m u s t have a d e f i n i t i o n of c u l t u r e to d e t e r m i n e what ¿-ispects of a target c u l t u r e to present.
A c c o r d i n g to See lye (1984) cultural i n s t r u c t i o n s h o u l d begin with the first week of la n g u a g e learning, and linguistic fluency is not n e c e s s a r y to use m a t e r i a l s to i l l u s t r a t e a spects of the f o r e i g n ,c u 1t u r e .
Jt is often d i f f i c u l t for t e a c h e r s to s elect the
cultural c o n c e p t s whicli s hould be i n c l u d e d in the c u r r i c u l u m at v a r i o u s levels of i n s t r u c t i o n b e c a u s e c u l t u r e can be
defined so broadly. R o b e r t L a f a y e t t e (1978) lists cu l t u r a l goals. He s u g g e s t s that t e a c h e r s m i g h t w i s h to rank or d e r
them to meet s p e c i f i c c:u 1 t u r e - t e a c h i n g s t r ategies. H is goals incluae the? following:
1- to r-ecognize a n d / o r inte?rpret ma.ior geo g r a p h i c a l fe a t u r e s of the target co u n t r y ,
2- to r e c o g n i z e and/or i n t e r p r e t m a j o r historical even t s p e r t a i n i n g to the target c o u n t r y ,
3 “ to r e c o g n i z e a n d / o r i n t e r p r e t m a j o r aest h e t i c
m o n u m e n t s of the target c u l t u r e , including liter a t u r e and the arts,
4- to r e c o g n i z e a n d / o r i n t e r p r e t a c t i v e e v e r y d a y c u l t u r a l p a t t e r n s (e.g., e a t i n g , shopping), b- to r e c o g n i z e a n d / o r i n t e r p r e t p a s s i v e e v e r y d a y
c u l t u r a l p a t t e r n s (e.g., m a r r i e g e customs, e d u cation), 6- to act a p p r o p r i a t e l y in e v e r y d a y s i t u a t i o n s ,
7- to use a p p r o p r i a t e common g e s t u r e s ,
8- to e v a l u a t e the v a l i d i t y of g e n e r a 1i z a t i o n s about f o r e i g n c u l ture,
9- to d e v e l o p s k i l l s needed to r e s e a r c h (locate and o r g a n i z e i n f o r m a t i o n about) c u l t u r e ,
10“ to v a l u e d i f f e r e n t people and s o c i e t i e s ,
11“ to r e c o g n i z e a n d / o r i n t e r p r e t the c u l t u r e of foreign 1a n g u a g e “ r e l a t e d ethnic g r o u p s in the US,
1 2 “ tp r e c o g n i z e a n d / o r i n t e r p r e t the c u l t u r e of
a d d i t i o n a l c o u n t r i e s that sp e a k the f oreign language (e.g., Canada, Haiti, C h i l e , . . . ) .
L a f a y e t t e g r o u p s these goals u n d e r fi v e c a t e g o r i e s :
Goa 1 s 1-3 g e o g r a p h i c a l h i s t o r i c a l c o m p o n e n t s (formal c u 1t u r e )
Godii 1 s 4-7 e v e r y d a y cultural p a t t e r n s (dee p c u 1t u r e ) Goa 1 s 8-9 p r o c e s s of s t u d y i n g f o r e i g n c u l t u r e s and are
a p p r o p r i a t e for t e a c h e r s and a d v a n c e d 1a n g u a g e studen t s .
G oal 10 o v e r a l l a f f e c t i v e o b j e c t i v e that can be a c h i e v e d by iocus.vng on one or m o r e of the o t h e r t w e l v e goals.
G o a l s 1 1 - 12 are c o n c e r n e d w i t h the fact that m o r e than o n e c u l t u r e may be linked to a s p e c i f i c
l a n g u a g e , i n c l u d i n g eth n i c p o p u l a t i o n w i t h i n the US.
I^ Te a c h i n g F o r e i g n L a n g u a g e Skills, R i v e r s (1981)
lists s e v e n goals of c u l t u r a l i n s t r u c t i o n p r o p o s e d by See 1 y e . In a c c o r d a n c e wit h t h e s e goals, s t u d e n t s s h o u l d be a b l e to d e m o n s t r a t e that they h a v e a c q u i r e d c e r t a i n u n d e r s t a n d i n g , a bilities, and a t t i t u d e s . They s h o u l d be able to d e m o n s t r a t e
1. that they u n d e r s t a n d that the way p e o p l e in the
tar g e t c u l t u r e act for s a t i s f y i n g basic p h y s i c a l and p s y c h o l o g i c a l n e e d s in a c c o r d a n c e w i t h o p t i o n s of the s o c i e t y ;
2. that they u n d e r s t a n d that the way p e o p l e s p e a k and b e h a v e is a f f e c t e d by som e social v a r i a b l e s s u c h as age, sex, s ocial class, and p l a c e of r e s i d e n c e ;
3. that they c an d e m o n s t r a t e how peo p l e c o n v e n t i o n a l l y a^'ct in the m o s t c o m m o n s i t u a t i o n s in the t a r g e t c u l t u r e s u c h as g r e e t i n g s , and c o u r t e s y phrases; 4. that they are a w a r e that some target w o r d s and
p h r ases have d i f f e r e n t images in a n o t h e r c u l t u r e s ; for example, " f a m i l y " in many c u l t u r e i n c l u d e s m o r e p e o p l e than it d o e s in the US;
b. that they a r e abl e to e v a l u a t e the r e l a t i v e s t r e n g t h of a g e n e r a l i t y c o n c e r n i n g the t a r g e t c u l t u r e in
terms of the ¿amount of e v i d e n c e s u b s t a n t i a t i n g the s tatemeii t ;
6- that they h a v e d e v e l o p e d the s k i l l s n e e d e d to locate and o r g a n i z e m a t e r i a l a b o u t the t a r g e t c u l t u r e from
the library, m a s s media, and persona] o b s e r v a t i o n ; 7. that they posssess i n t e l l e c t u a l c u r i o s i t y a b o u t the
t^arget c u l t u r e and e m p a t h y tow a r d its people.
B o t h L a f a y e t t e a nd See lye l^ave t o u c h e d upon n e a r l y the same f a c t o r s in c u l t u r e learning. T e a c h e r s s h o u l d c o n s i d e r s e r i o u s l y the g o a l s of te a c h i n g p r i o r to d e s i g n i n g s p e c i f i c cultural a c t i v i t i e s for c l a s s r o o m use. Teach€?rs s h o u l d keep in mind that t h e r e a r e so man y d i f f e r e n t goals, not just one, for the t e a c t u n g of c u l t u r e . S u t t o n (1981) p o i n t s out some p o s s i b l e goals:
-to know s o m e o n e better,
-to be a w a r e of the c o n c e p t of v alues,
-to Be a w a r e of c u l t u r a l s i m i l a r i t i e s and d i f f e r e n c e s , -to break d o w n o n e ' s s t e r e o t y p e s and p r e j u d i c e s ,
-to feel c o m f o r t a b l e liying in a n o t h e r culture,
-to feel c o m f o r t a b l e living n e a r or w o r k i n g w i t h s o m e o n e from a n o t h e r c u l t u r e .
licGroarty and G a l v i n (1966) s u g g e s t w h e n language» t e achers are e s t a b l i s h i n g the c u l t u r a l g o a l s of a course,
they m u s t c o n s i d e r the follo w i n g :
1“- I he se11.J.nq : w h e r e is tlie c l a s s bejng t a u g h t and u n d e r what conditions"^ is it a u n i v e r s i t y level or
high school l evel?
2- The 1 e a r n e r c harac teri sti c s : who are the s t u d e n t s and what are their e x p e c t a t i o n s , and n e e d s ?
^~ L a n g u a g e t e a c h e r s ' f arni 1 i a r i t y w i t h the t a rge t
culture, learners' b a c k g r o u n d and the a v a i l a b i l i t y o f a p p r o p r i ate r e s o u r c e s : H o w well does the t e a c h e r
know the t a r g e t c u l t u r e or the students' c u l t u r e ? (H a r e k w a r d , 1966)
A f t e r the t e a c h e r s e s t a b l i s h the cultural g o a l s , they must c o n s i d e r the f o l l o w i n g :
1. E v a l u a t i n g the l a n g u a g e and c u l t u r e c o n t e n t of the t e xtbook they are g o i n g to use,
2. P r e p a r i n g new t e a c h i n g m a t e r i a l s . If the t e x t b o o k d o e s n ' t m e e t the n e e d s of the s t u d e n t s or if the
book is out of date, the t e a c h e r must p r e p a r e n ew t e a c h i n g m a t e r i a l s c o v e r i n g the la n g u a g e and c u l t u r e c o n t e n t ,
3. S u p p l e m e n t i n g i n a d e q u a t e m a t e r i a l s . If the t e a c h e r s find that an a s s i g n e d t e x t b o o k is i n a d e q u a t e both as to linguistic and c u l t u r a l content, they m a y p r e p a r e s u p p 1 e m e n tary e x e r c i s e s on t h ose p a t t e r n s (Lado,
1971).
c
S e l e c t i o n of the c u l t u r a l c o n c e p t s to be t a u g h t in the
foreign 3 anguacje c l a s s e s is a rattier d i f f i c u J t task for s o m e language t eachers. V a l d e (1986) m e n t i o n s in his book that Flrooks sugcjests a list of t o p i c s w h i c h d i f f e r from c u l t u r e to c u l t u r e and can be us e d to t e a c h c u l t u r e l a b eled ‘'culture W.1 th a sma 1 1 c " .
1 . G r e et in g , f r i e n d l y e x c h a n g e ,_
H o w da f r i e n d s meet, c o n v e r s e briefly, take their le?ave? H o w are s t r a n g e r s i n t r o d u c e d ?
^ · The m o r p h o l o g y of p e rsonal e x c h a n g e
H o w a r e i n t e r p e r s o n a i re 1 a t i o n s h i p s s u c h as d i f f e r e n c e s in age, d e g r e e of i n t i macy, social
p o s i t i o n , and emo t i o n a l t e n s i o n r e f l e c t e d in the c h o i c e of a p p r o p r i a t e forms of p r o n o u n s and verbs'^ 3. P a t t e r n s of p o l i t e n e s s
W h a t are the most c o m m o n f o r m u l a s of p o l i t e n e s s and w h e n s h o u l d they be u s e d ?
4. Verbal t a b o o s
W h a t c o m m o n w o r d s or e x p r e s s i o n s in E n g l i s h have d i r e c t e q u i v a l e n t s that are n o t t o l e r a t e d in the
tar g e t c u l t u r e , and v i c e v e r s a ? 5. W r i t t e n and s p o ken lan q u a q e
A s i d e fro m r i c h n e s s of v o c a b u l a r y and c o m p l e x i t y of s t r u c t u r e , wha t are the m o s t c o m m o n a r e a s of
d i f f e r e n c e betwee^n spoker» and wri t.ten lang u a g e ?
^ “ D i s c i P 11 il e
W ha t a re the n o r ms^ ot di ec: ipi 3. n e? ı n the home , i n sc^κJolз in public places, j.n the m i l i t a r y , in the c e r e m o n i e s ?
^ · Ho 1 Idavs
Wha t is thei^ usual r h y t h m of work d a y s and d a y s o f f ? Wh a t do y o u n g people do w i t h tiieir d a y s off?
6. G a m e s
Wha t a r e the m o s t p o p u l a r g a m e s that are p layed o u t d o o r s , indoors, by the y o u n g and a d u l t s ?
9· Social s t r u c t u r e of f a m i l y g r o u p s
S i z e and r e l a t i o n s h i p of family; m a r r i a g e , d i v o r c e and rerriar r iage^.
10 . n o t ions a nd_qestur6?s in s o cial_s i t u a t i o n s
S h a k i n g h a n d s ~ h o w f r e q u e n t l y and w h o e x t e n d s hand f i r s t ? I n t r o d u c t i o n s .
11.. T e l e p h o n e
Wh a t p h r a s e s and p r o c e d u r e s are c o n v e n t i o n a l in the use of t e l e p h o n e ? W h e r e are p u b l i c t e l e p h o n e s to be
f o u n d ?
12. h p p o i n t m e n ts
How are appoi n tme?n t s for b u s i n e s s and p l e a s u r e m a d e ? Wl^at are the usual m e e t i n g p l a c e s ? H ow i m p o r t a n t is punc t u a 1i ty?
i ^ · I n v l l a t ioris and d a tes
Wt'uit i n v i t a t i o n s are y o u n g p e o p l e Jikeiy to extend and r e c e i v e ? What f o r m a l i t i e s are i n v o l v e d ?
14. P e n m a nshj p
What s t y l e s of handı^'r i t i ng are g e n e r a l l y taught and u s e d ? W h a t a re the c o n v e n t i o n s c o n c e r n i n g the
lA'riting of dates, the? u s e of m a r g i n s , the si g n i n g of n a m e s ?
This list can be e x t e n d e d a c c o r d i n g to the cjoals of the course. The p u r p o s e or p u r p o s e s of c u l t u r a l i n s t r u c t i o n
should be c l e a r l y s p e c i f i e d b e f o r e c o m p l e t i n g the pro c e s s of planning and s e t t i n g i n s t r u e t l o n a 1 goal s . The n e x t thing which the teac her m u s t do is to develof? teac hing / 1 ea rn i ng p r o c e d u r e s for c o n v e y i n g the c h o s e n i n f o r m a t i o n to the s t u d e n t s . '•4 A. M E T H O D S / A C T I V I T l E S F O R J N T E G R A T J N B C U L I U R E INTO F O R E I G N L A N G U A G E T E A C H I N G For^eign l a n g u a g e t e a c h e r s m u s t f o c u s on b o t h a p p r o p r i a t e c o n t e n t and a c t i v i t i e s tha t e n a b l e s t u d e n t s to a s s i m i l a t e that c o n t e n t . A c t i v i t i e s s h o u l d e n c o u r a g e them to go b eyond facts, so that they be g i n to p e r c e i v e and e x p e r i e n c e the d e e p e r levels oi the c u l t u r e of the foreign speakers- The f o l l o w i n g secticjn p r e s e n t s s o m e m e c h o d s
deeveloped arid u s e d successi u 1 1 y for iritegrating c u l t u r e .into foreign l a n g u a g e t e a c h i n g in iurkey.
i - Cuf t u r e C a n sule!^ a n d (Jui tu r e Clussters
I he c o n c e p t of c j u L t i r L O i . , w a s introducG-:‘d by
Taylor and S o r e n s o n in 1961. A c u l t u r e c a p s u l e is a brief d e s c r i p t i o n of o n e a s p e c t of the f o r e i g n c u l c u r e f o l l o w e d by a d i s c u s s i o n of the c o n t r a s t s b e t w e e n the c u l t u r e s of the f i rst and f o r e i g n ianguages. tor e x a m p l e , the t e a c h e r can d e s c r i b e liig h~sc hoo 1 e d u c a t i o n in the o t h e r c u l t u r e . This d e s c r i p t i o n w o u l d i n c l u d e t y p e s of sc h o o l s , c o u r s e s , and s t u d e n t s - In the f o l l o w - u p d i s c u s s i o n , the s t u d e n t s d i s c u s s and s u m m a r i z e the p r i n c i p a l d i f f e r e n c e s b e t w e e n the e d u c a t i o n a l s y s t e m of the s e c o n d c u l t u r e and that of Turk ish c:u 1 ture .
G a r f i n k e l and H a m i 1 ton (1976) s u g g e s t that a good c u l t u r e c a p s u l e s h o u l d i n c l u d e r e i n f o r c e m e n t s t r a t e g i e s such as r o l e - p l a y i n g , d i s c u s s i o n , or q u e s t i o n and a n s w e r t e c h n i q u e s to i n v o l v e the s t u d e n t s a c t i v e l y in the new cult u r a l si t u a t i o n .
S e t s of r e l a t e d c u l t u r e c a p s u l e s on a g i v e n s u b j e c t are c alled c u l t u r e c l u s t e r s . The s t u d e n t s act out a s c e n e into w h i c h is i n t e g r a t e d w h a t they h a v e le a r n e d in the caps u l e s . t o r i n s t a n c e , s t u d e n t s m a y learn ab o u t
d i f f e r e n t t y p e s of shrjp5>, a b o u t b a r g a i n i n g , and a b o u t w a y s to c o m p l e t e a p u r c h a s e or d e c l i n e to buy. These i s o l a t e d pieces of k n o w l e d g e are then i n t e g r a t e d into the a c t i n g out of a s h o p p i n g i n c i d e n t (Rivers, 1901).
^ · CÀi I turc: A s s a m J 1 a tor : C u l t u r e a s s i m i J a l ors a r e a n o t h e r m e a n s oi s u p p l y i n g c u l t u r a l i n f o r m a t i o n in c l a s s . It i^:> c o m p o s e d of a s e n e s of s h o r t desc r i p t i o n s o1 e p i s o d e s of i n ter c u 1 tu r a 1 c o n f l i c t . A c u l t u r e a s s i m i l a t o r c o n s i s t s of three parts: 1- a s h o r t p a s s a g e d e m o n s t r a t i n g an i n t e r c u 1tura 1 e x c h a n g e in w h i c h a m i s u n d e r s l a n d i n g occurs, 2- four p o s s i b l e in 1 e r p r ê t a ti o n s of w h a t t r a n s p i r e d , 3- f e e d b a c k for the c o r r e c t answer.
It is d e s i g n e d to p r o v i d e the s t u d e n t s w i t h the c u i t u r a l v a l u e s , a t t i t u d e s , and b e l i e f s of o t h e r c u l t u r a l g r o u p (Chastain, 1976). 3 - C u l tarai M i n idrama : U s i n g c r i t i c a l i n c i d e n t t e c h n i q u e s s i m i l a r to the c u l t u r e a s s i m i i a t o r , the m i n i d r a m a p r e s e n t s an e x a m p l e of m i s c o m m u n i c a t i o n in the f o r m of d r a m a t i z a t i o n . T h i s is f o l l o w e d by a t e a c h e r - l e d d i s c u s s i o n to h e i p s t u d e n t s d i s c o v e r the c a u s e of the m i s c o m m u n i c a t i o n . h i n i d r a m a s p r o v i d e an e x c e l l e n t o p p o r t u n i t y for s t u d e n t p a r t i e i p a t i o n not o n l y t h r o u g h the a t t e m p t to s o l v e the p r o b l e m but a l s o t h r o u g h p r e s e n t i n g the d r a m a t i z a t i o n ( Lafayette, 1978).
^ · Aad i o-Mn t o r Un i t s :
The? a u d i o - m o t o r unit is b a s e d on A s h e r ' s Total P h y s i c a l R e s p o n s e T e c h n i q u e w h e r e s t u d e n t s d e m o n s t r a t e
c o m p r e h e n s i o n a-f the largest l a n g u a g e by p e r f o r m i n g
c o m m a n d s g i v e n by the teacher. The u n i t is c o m p l e t e d w i t h a s y s t e m a t i c d i s c u s s i o n of c r o s s - c u 1t u r a 1 d i f f e r e n c e s and simi 1 a r’i t i es . The a u d a o - m o t o r u n i t is d e s i g n e d p r i m a r i l y to te^ach l i s t e n i n g c o m p r e h e n s i o n (Koppe, 190b).
F o r e x a m p l e , a f t e r having be e n tpld that the s t u d e n t s are in a r e s t a u r a n t , they a re a s k e d to pick up th e i r n a p k i n s , u n f o l d them, put the m on their laps, pick up their f o r k s in t h e i r left hands, and so on. As the s t u d e n t s p e r f o r m t h e s e a c t ions, f i r s t f o l l o w i n g the
teacher*'s c u e s and later on their own, t h e y a r e p r a c t i s i n g i m p o r t a n t c u l t u r a l d i f f e r e n c e s in e a t i n g h a b i t s b e t w e e n the t a r g e t and T u r k i s h cult u r e .
5- C u l t u r e A side:
T he c u l t u r e a s i d e is the m o s t w i d e l y u s e d a p p r o a c h to the t e a c h i n g of c u l t u r e . A c u l t u r e a s i d e is an u n p l a n n e d , brief c u l t u r e c o m m e n t . D u r i n g the cla s s , the t e a c h e r u s e s t o p i c s w h i c h g i v e the s t u d e n t s c u l t u r a l i n f o r m a t i o n . F o r e x a m p l e , if the s t u d e n t s c o m e a c r o s s the w o r d p u n c t u a l i t y , the t e a c h e r d i f f e r e n t i a t e s the c o n c e p t of p u n c t u a l i t y in T u r k i s h c u l t u r e and that of the f o r e i g n c u l t u r e . Is p u n c t u a l i t y i m p o r t a n t in s t u d e n t s ' own c u l t u r e ? W h a t is the r o l e of {:)unc t ua 11 ty in the t a r g e t c u l t u r e ?
^ - The S li c e of Life:
The '’s l i c e of life" is a small s e g m e n t of the f o r e i g n
c u l t u r e (Drought i n t o the c l a s s r o o m and i n t r o d u c e d as the brief focus of l e arning. It is f r e q u e n t l y used as a i^jarm- up d e v i c e at the b e g i n n i n g of class. its f u n c t j o n is to p r e s e n t an a u t h e n t i c "slice of life" that a r r e s t s
atteni.ion ass it i n s t r u c t s . The i n f o r m a t i o n is v a l u a b l e and i n t e r e s t i n g w i t h o u t r e q u i r i n g a g r e a t deal of c l a s s
time. E x a m p l e s of the " s lice of life" c a n be two or t h r e e f
"want a d v e r t i s e m e n t s " c l i p p e d from a f o r e i g n n e w s p a p e r , a five m i n u t e t a p e d s e g m e n t of a ne w s f r o m an (Цmerican or Britisii r a d i o s t a t i o n , a pap u l a r so n g in E n g l i s h
(Garfinkel &. Hami 1 ton , 1976).
^ - The S t u d y of K i n e s i c s or B o d y L a n g u a g e :
The s t u d y of k i n e s i c s or body l a n g u a g e c an be
i n c o r p o r a t e d i n t o the f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e c l a s s r o o m - S l i d e s and films of E n g l i s h s p e a k e r s d i s p l a y i n g t y p i c a l ,
m e a n i n g f u l g e s t u r e s can be used. A f t e r s e e i n g the slides, studerfts are a s k e d to g i v e p o s s i b l e l i n g u i s t i c c o r o l l a r i e s of the g e s t u r e s . Th e n they p r a c t i c e a g e s t u r e and its a p p r o p r i a t e v e r b a l e q u i v a l e n t in E n g l i s h (Schulz, J976).
Ö - Adyerti.se m e n t s :
A d v e r t i s e m e n t s from f o r e i g n l a n g u a g e m a g a z i n e s are a rich s o u r c e of i n t e r e s t i n g stimuli for c o m m u n i c a t i o n - S l i d e s caiD e a s i l y be m a d e from a d v e r t i s e m e n t s in f o r eign l a n g u a g e m a g a z i n e s for u s e in small g r o u p s . S t u d e n t s cari
