Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Yudi Setyaningsih
Abstract
The mutual relation between language and culture, i.e. the interaction of language and culture has long
been a settled issue thanks to the writings of prominent linguists such as Sapir (1962) and Whorf (1956).
These are the names first to come to mind when the issue is the relation between language and culture
and names often used synonymously with the term Linguistic Relativity (Richards et al, 1992). The core
of their theory is that a) we perceive the world in terms of categories and distinctions found in our native
language and b) what is found in one language may not be found in another language due to cultural
differences. People involved in language teaching have again begun to understand the intertwined
relation between culture and language (Pulverness, 2003). It has been emphasized that without the study
of culture, teaching L2 is inaccurate and incomplete. For L2 students, language study seems senseless if
they know nothing about the people who speak the target language or the country in which the target
language is spoken.
Literature Review
If we turn to the relationship between culture and language, we see some
remarkable comments, for example, Sapir (1921) argued that language, race, and
culture are not necessarily correlated, adding the remark language and our thoughtgrooves are inextricably interrelated, are, in a sense, one and the same. Yet this single
remark does not supply a satisfactory reply to the question of why culture teaching
should be involved in language teaching. Kitao (2000) giving reference to several
authors lists some of the benefits of teaching culture as follows:
Studying culture gives students a reason to study the target language as well as
rendering the study of L2 meaningful (Stainer, 1971).
The affect of motivation in the study of L2 has been proved by experts like
Gardner and Lambert (1972). In achieving high motivation, culture classes does
have a great role because learners like culturally based activities such as
singing, dancing, role playing, doing research on countries and peoples, etc. The
study of culture increases learners not only curiosity about and interest in target
countries but also their motivation. For example, when some teachers introduced
the cultures of the L2s they taught, the learners interests in those classes
increased a lot and the classes based on culture became to be preferred more
Besides these benefits, studying culture gives learners a liking for the native
speakers of the target language. Studying culture also plays a useful role in
general education; studying culture, we could also learn about the geography,
history, etc. of the target culture (Cooke, 1970).
McKay (2003) contends that culture influences language teaching in two ways:
culture into language teaching or merely teach the language itself. Language teachers
must be aware of the arguments and bring the bright side of it by including culture into
language teaching.
Authentic Materials
Using authentic sources from the native speech community helps to engage
students in authentic cultural experiences. Sources can include films, news broadcasts,
and television shows; Websites; and photographs, magazines, newspapers, restaurant
menus, travel brochures, and other printed materials. Teachers can adapt their use of
authentic materials to suit the age and language proficiency level of the students. For
example, even beginning language students can watch and listen to video clips taken
from a television show in the target language and focus on such cultural conventions as
greetings. The teacher might supply students with a detailed translation or give them a
chart, diagram, or outline to complete while they listen to a dialogue or watch a video.
After the class has viewed the relevant segments, the teacher can engage the students
in discussion of the cultural norms represented in the segments and what these norms
might say about the values of the culture. Discussion topics might include nonverbal
behaviors (e.g., the physical distance between speakers, gestures, eye contact, societal
roles, and how people in different social roles relate to each other). Students might
describe the behaviors they observe and discuss which of them are similar to their
native culture and which are not and determine strategies for effective communication in
the target language.
Role Play
In role plays, students can act out a miscommunication that is based on cultural
differences. For example, after learning about ways of addressing different groups of
people in the target culture, such as people of the same age and older people, students
could role play a situation in which an inappropriate greeting is used. Other students
observe the role play and try to identify the reason for the miscommunication. They then
role play the same situation using a culturally appropriate form of address.
Film
Film and television segments offer students an opportunity to witness behaviors
that are not obvious in texts. Film is often one of the more current and comprehensive
ways to encapsulate the look, feel, and rhythm of a culture. Film also connects students
with language and cultural issues simultaneously (Stephens, 2001), such as depicting
conversational timing or turn-taking in conversation. At least one study showed that
students achieved significant gains in overall cultural knowledge after watching videos
from the target culture in the classroom (Herron, Cole, Corrie, & Dubreil, 1999). In my
English classes, I showed movies to my students representing two or more different
cultures, east and west. The movies were The Last Samurai presenting Tom Cruise,
an American soldier becoming a samurai in Japan, and Seven Years in Tibet showing
Brad Pitt as an Austrian mountain climber trying to conquer the Himalayas but involved
in some intrigues in Tibet and met Dalai Lama. The students were asked to give some
review and made some comparison and contrast between American and Japanese
culture, and Austrian and Tibetan culture.
Conclusion
The idea of teaching culture is nothing new to second language teachers. In
many cases, teaching culture has meant focusing a few lessons on holidays, customary
clothing, folk songs, and food. While these topics may be useful, without a broader
context or frame they offer little in the way of enriching linguistic or social insight
especially if a goal of language instruction is to enable students to function effectively in
another language and society. Understanding the cultural context of day-to-day
conversational conventions such as greetings, farewells, forms of address, thanking,
making requests, and giving or receiving compliments means more than just being able
to produce grammatical sentences. It means knowing what is appropriate to say to
whom, and in what situations, and it means understanding the beliefs and values
represented by the various forms and usages of the language. Culture must be fully
incorporated as a vital component of language learning. Second language teachers
should identify key cultural items in every aspect of the language that they teach.
Student can be successful in speaking a second language only if cultural issues are an
inherent part of the curriculum and implemented appropriately in the classroom.
REFERENCES