【英語論文】大學英語教學中的文化導入研究Culture Teaching in College English Program

1、大學英語教學中的文化導入研究Culture Teaching in College English Program 研 究 生 姓 名 學 號 導 師 姓 名 系 所 外國語學院英語系 專 業(yè) 英語語言文學 研 究 方 向 入 學 時 間 畢 業(yè) 時 間 摘 要語言是文化的載體和表現(xiàn)形式。語言離不開文化，文化又存在于語言之中。英語教學應當包括英語文化教學。如果在英語教學中只重視語言知識的教育而忽視文化教育，其結(jié)果使培養(yǎng)出來的學生不可能真正掌握英語知識，跨文化交際能力也無從談起。文化教育是實現(xiàn)運用語言進行交際的關鍵，語言的得體性離不開社會文化知識。因此要加強英語教師對文化教育重要性的認識，從而培

2、養(yǎng)學生具備較強的跨文化交際能力。本論文內(nèi)容是關于在外語教學課堂中文化教學的作用以及如何導入的問題。本論文將對于為什么以及如何進行文化教學做一些思考。文中將指出外語教學并非等同于教授語法結(jié)構或?qū)W習新詞匯與短語，也需要導入一些文化因素，這些文化因素與語言本身是連在一起的。此外，本文也將闡述一些現(xiàn)在使用的將文化導入外語課堂的技巧與方法。文章之主旨在于說明有效的交流不只是需要語言流利，除了增強語言與交流能力外，掌握文化的能力也可以使不同文化體的人得到相互尊重與情感共振。本論文共包括五個部分。第一部分為論文簡介。第二部分是對文化的概念以及其與語言及交流的關系的深入探討。文中將指出語言教學應該基于文化學習

3、。語言是文化的一個重要組成部分。它是文化傳輸?shù)闹饕浇?。沒有語言，文化也難以存在。兒童在學習他們母語時也就在學習他們的文化。學習外語也涉及到不同程度地學習外來文化。另一方面，語言也受到文化的影響。語言反應文化。文化差異是跨文化交流中導致誤解，產(chǎn)生不悅甚至產(chǎn)生矛盾的重要原因。文化教育的觀念對于外語老師來說并不是新概念。許多人認為，文化教學只是上幾節(jié)有關英語國家假日，服飾，民歌，飲食等的課。這些課程當然有用，但是因為這些課程往往沒有一個更廣闊的語境來支撐，所以他們對學生感悟英語語言與社會等方面作用并不大，特別是學生學習語言后需要在英語國家生活工作的。舉例而言，問好，再見，稱呼形式，感謝，要求，給出

4、或接受稱贊之類的日常會話并不難，但是實際學習中并不只是要求能夠說出正確語法的句子，而是需要知道在什么情形下對誰說什么樣的話是適當?shù)?，也需要理解語言中不同形式與用法所表現(xiàn)出來的信仰與價值觀。第三部分將展示歷史上學者們對文化教育的看法及做法。直到20世紀80年代學者才開始探究文化的意義以及其在成功外語教學中的重要作用。例如，Littlewood曾提倡過學習文化的作用，但是他還是把語言熟練度作為外語交流能力的主要標準?；诮涣鞑恢皇切畔⒌慕粨Q也負載著思想與價值觀的觀念，Melde(1987)提出外語教學應著重培養(yǎng)對目標語言社會生活的“批判性意識”。此觀念與Fairclough在1989與1995年提

5、出的批判理論一致（Byram, Morgan等人在1994年也提出過）。更具體地說，只有當學生能夠理解外語語言中的視角，并有機會通過拋棄自身思維方式與對方相互理解來反映其自身視角時，才會吸收外語文化中道德層次，評價方式等，這些都不是能夠簡單地通過語言形式的學習而獲得的（Byram, Morgan等人1994年提出）。也就是說，學生需要溶入到外國人的角色中，這樣他才能獲得對外語文化中價值與意義觀念的理解。Baumgratz-Gangl(1990)指出整合外來文化與自身文化的中的價值與意義觀念可以使學生改變視角或“認識到其認知缺陷”，有助于不同文化交流中的相互理解與支持。Kramsch(1993)

6、將外語課堂比成“第三文化區(qū)”，也就是學生們創(chuàng)造并使用的文化中立區(qū)，學生可以在此中立區(qū)中探究并表達中國與外國的文化與語言。第四部分集中闡述有關大學英語教學中的文化教學的具體細節(jié)。首先我們會介紹文化教學的目標。文中將列出七個目標：幫助學生理解所有的人的行為都是在一定的文化環(huán)境中的；幫助學生理解年齡，性別，社會角色與出生地都會影響人說話與行為的方式；幫助學生建立其對外語文化中正常情形下的習慣行為的意識；幫助學生增強其對外語中詞與短語的潛在文化含義的意識；幫助學生增強外語文化的評價與提煉能力；幫助學生發(fā)展對外語文化中信息進行定位與組織的必要技巧；激發(fā)學生對外語文化知識的興趣并鼓勵其去了解外國人。文化教

7、學的根本日的在于提高學生的文化意識并激發(fā)其對英語文化及自身文化的興趣，幫助學生對不同文化進行對比。然后我們將講述文化教學的內(nèi)容與原則。最后，我們將討論一些具體的文化導入的方法，例如使用地道的學習材料，英語諺語，游戲，制作英語文化櫥窗等。文化的導入不應帶有過強的個人偏見，可以將英語文化與中國自身文化溶合。這樣才能夠較好地掌握外語與外語文化。最后一部分為結(jié)論。關鍵詞：文化，文化教學，文化意識，文化與語言 AbstractLanguage is the vehicle and expression of culture. It is never separated from culture. And

8、 culture is embedded within language. Therefore, English teaching should include English culture teaching. If the English teaching is comprised only of language knowledge and has no culture education, the student thereof will not be able to truly master the English language, therefore not able to do

9、 effective cross-border communication. Culture education is the key to the effective foreign language communication. To express a foreign language decently will require the knowledge of social culture of the target. Therefore it is essential for English teachers to enhance the knowledge of the impor

10、tance of culture education, therefore training the students to obtain good cross-border communication abilities.The thesis is concerned with the contribution and incorporation of the teaching of culture into the foreign language classroom. More specifically, some consideration will be given to the w

11、hy and how of teaching culture. It will be demonstrated that teaching a foreign language is not tantamount to giving a homily on syntactic structures or learning new vocabulary and expressions, but mainly incorporates, or should incorporate, some cultural elements, which are intertwined with languag

12、e itself. Furthermore, an attempt will be made to incorporate culture into the classroom by means of considering some techniques and methods currently used. The main premise of the paper is that effective communication is more than a matter of language proficiency and that, apart from enhancing and

13、enriching communicative competence, cultural competence can also lead to empathy and respect toward different cultures as well as promote objectivity and cultural perspicacity. The thesis consists of five parts.The first part is an introduction. The second part is a deep study of the concept of cult

14、ure itself and its relationship with language and communication. It indicates to us that language teaching should be based on culture study. Language is a key component of culture. It is the primary medium for transmitting much of culture. Without language, culture would not be possible. Children le

15、arning their native language are learning their own culture; learning a second language also involves learning a second culture to varying degrees. On the other hand, language is influenced and shaped by culture. It reflects culture. Cultural differences are the most serious areas causing misunderst

16、anding, unpleasantness and even conflict in cross-cultural communication.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,

17、without a broader context or frame they offer little in the way of enriching linguistic or social insightespecially 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 convent

18、ions 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 an

19、d values represented by the various forms and usages of the language.The third part will be a display of the history of culture teaching. It is only in the 1980s that scholars begin to delve into the dynamics of culture and its vital contribution to successful language learning (Byram, Morgan et al.

20、, 1994: 5). For example, Littlewood (cited in Byram, Morgan et al., 1994: 6) advocates the value of cultural learning, although he still keeps linguistic proficiency as the overall aim of communicative competence (ibid.). On the assumption that communication is not only an exchange of information bu

21、t also a highly cognitive as well as affective and value-laden activity, Melde (1987) holds that foreign language teaching should foster critical awareness of social lifea view commensurate with Faircloughs (1989 and 1995) critical theory (see also Byram, Morgan et al., 1994). More specifically, whe

22、n the learner understands the perspectives of others and is offered the opportunity to reflect on his own perspectives, through a process of reciprocity, there arises a moral dimension, a judgmental tendency, which is not defined purely on formal, logical grounds (Byram, Morgan et al., 1994). To thi

23、s end, the learner needs to take the role of the foreigner, so that he may gain insights into the values and meanings that the latter has internalized and unconsciously negotiates with the members of the society to which he belongs (ibid.). Beside Melde, Baumgratz-Gangl (1990) asserts that the integ

24、ration of values and meanings of the foreign culture with those of ones “native culture” can bring about a shift of perspective or the recognition of cognitive dissonance (Byram, Morgan et al.), both conducive to reciprocity and empathy.The forth part concentrates on the detailed ideas for culture t

25、eaching in college English programs. First we introduce about the objective of culture teaching. Seven goals of culture teaching is listed: To help students to develop an understanding of the fact that all people exhibit culturally-conditioned behaviors; To help students to develop an understanding

26、that social variables such as age, sex, social class, and place of residence influence the ways in which people speak and behave; To help students to become more aware of conventional behavior in common situations in the target culture; To help students to increase their awareness of the cultural co

27、nnotations of words and phrases in the target language; To help students to develop the ability to evaluate and refine generalizations about the target culture, in terms of supporting evidence; To help students to develop the necessary skills to locate and organize information about the target cultu

28、re; To stimulate students intellectual curiosity about the target culture, and to encourage empathy towards its people. At any rate, the aim of teaching culture is to increase students awareness and to develop their curiosity towards the target culture and their own, helping them to make comparisons

29、 among cultures. At the end of the part, we will discuss some specific techniques of culture incorporation, such as using authentic materials, proverbs, role play, culture capsules, students as cultural resources, ethnographic studies, literature Film. Cultural information should be presented in a n

30、onjudgmental fashion, in a way that does not place value or judgment on distinctions between the students native culture and the culture explored in the classroom. Kramsch (1993) describes the “third culture” of the language classrooma neutral space that learners can create and use to explore and re

31、flect on their own and the target culture and language.The last part is the conclusion.Key words: culture, culture teaching, culture awareness, culture and languageTable of ContentsAbstractI. Introduction II. Overall Study: Culture & Culture Teaching2.1. Definition & Variation of Culture2.2. Languag

32、e & Culture. The role of language in communication . Interrelationship between culture and language 2.3. Culture & Communication2.4. Cultural Awareness 2.5. Data Study of Language & Culture Teaching III. The History OF Culture TeachingIV. Cultural Teaching in College English Program4.1. Objective of

33、 Culture Teaching4.2. Content of Culture Teaching. Values and Norms . Social Roles 4.3. Culture Incorporation- Principles and Specific Techniques In Culture Teaching4.3.1 Principles In Culture Teaching. Specific Techniques In Culture Teaching V. ConclusionChapter IIntroductionForeign language learni

34、ng is comprised of many components, including grammatical competence, communicative competence, language proficiency, as well as the change in attitudes towards ones own or another culture. For scholars and laymen alike, cultural competence, i.e., the knowledge of the conventions, beliefs, and syste

35、ms of meaning of another country, is indisputably an integral part of foreign language learning, and many teachers have seen it as their important goal to incorporate the teaching of culture into the foreign language curriculum. It could be maintained that the notion of communicative competence, whi

36、ch, in the past decade or more, has blazed a trail, so to speak, in foreign language teaching, emphasizing the role of context and circumstances under which languages can be used accurately and appropriately, falls short of the mark when it comes to actually equipping students with the cognitive abi

37、lities they need in a second-culture environment (Straub, 1999: 2). In another way, since the wider context of language, that is, societies and culture, has been reduced to a variable elusive of any definitionas many teachers and students often talk about it without knowing what its exact meaning is

38、it stands to reason that the term communicative competence should become nothing more than an empty and meretricious word, resorted to if for no other reason than to make an “educational point.” In reality, what most teachers and students seem to lose sight of is the fact that knowledge of the gramm

39、atical system of a language grammatical competence has to be complemented by understanding (sic) of culture-specific meanings communicative or rather cultural competence (Byram, Morgan 1994: 4).Of course, we are long past an era when first language acquisition and second or foreign language learning

40、 were cast in a “behavior mould,” being the products of imitation and language “drills,” and language was thought of as a compendium of rules and strings of words and sentences used to form propositions about a state of affairs. In the last two decades, there has been a resurgence of interest in the

41、 study of language in relation to society, which has led to a shift of focus from behaviorism and positivism to constructivism to critical theory (see Benson & Voller, 1997: 19-25). Yet, there are still some deeply ingrained beliefs as to the nature of language learning and teachingbeliefs that dete

42、rmine methodology as well as the content of the foreign language curriculumwhich have, gradually and insidiously, contrived to undermine the teaching of culture.One of the misconceptions that have permeated foreign language teaching is the conviction that language is merely a code and, once mastered

43、mainly by dint of steeping oneself into grammatical rules and some aspects of the social context in which it is embeddedone language is essentially (albeit not easily) translatable into another (Kramsch, 1993: 1). To a certain extent, this belief has been instrumental in promoting various approaches

44、 to foreign language teachingpragmatic, social-linguistic, and communicativewhich have certainly endowed the study of language with a social “hue”; nevertheless, paying lip service to the social dynamics that underline language without trying to identify and gain insights into the very fabric of soc

45、iety and culture that have come to charge language in many and varied ways can only cause misunderstanding and lead to cross-cultural miscommunication.At any rate, foreign language learning is foreign culture learning, and, in one form or another, culture has, even implicitly, been taught in the for

46、eign language classroomif for different reasons. What is debatable, though, is what is meant by the term “culture” and how the latter is integrated into language learning and teaching. Kramschs keen observation should not go unnoticed:Culture in language learning is not an expendable fifth skill, ta

47、cked on, so to speak, to the teaching of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. It is always in the background, right from day one, ready to unsettle the good language learners when they expect it least, making evident the limitations of their hard-won communicative competence, challenging their

48、 ability to make sense of the world around them. (Kramsch, 1993: 1)The teaching of culture is not akin to the transmission of information regarding the people of the target community or countryeven though knowledge about (let alone experience of) the “target group” is an important ingredient (see No

49、strand, 1967: 118). It would be nothing short of ludicrous to assert that culture is merely a repository of facts and experiences to which one can have recourse, if need be. Furthermore, what Kramsch herself seems to insinuate is that to learn a foreign language is not merely to learn how to communi

50、cate but also to discover how much leeway the target language allows learners to manipulate grammatical forms, sounds, and meanings, and to reflect upon, or even flout, socially accepted norms at work both in their own or the target culture.There is definitely more than meets the eye, and the presen

51、t paper has the aim of unraveling the “mystery,” shedding some light on the role of teaching culture in fostering cross-cultural understanding which transcends the boundaries of linguistic formswhile enriching and giving far deeper meaning to what is dubbed “communicative competence”and runs counter

52、 to a solipsistic world view. I would like to show that the teaching of culture has enjoyed far less “adulation” than it merits, and consider ways of incorporating it not only into the foreign language curriculum but also into learners repertoire and outlook on life. The main premise of this paper i

53、s that we cannot go about teaching a foreign language without at least offering some insights into its speakers culture. By the same token, we cannot go about fostering “communicative competence” without taking into account the different views and perspectives of people in different cultures which m

54、ay enhance or even inhibit communication. After all, communication requires understanding, and understanding requires stepping into the shoes of the foreigner and sifting her cultural baggage, while always putting the target culture in relation with ones own (Kramsch, 1993: 205). Moreover, we should

55、 be cognizant of the fact that if we teach language without teaching at the same time the culture in which it operates, we are teaching meaningless symbols or symbols to which the student attaches the wrong meaning (Politzer, 1959: 100-101).Chapter IIOverall Study: Culture & Culture Teaching2.1. Def

56、inition & Variation of CultureDefinitionWhat exactly is culture? As Nemni (1992) and Street (1993) suggest, this is not an easy question to answer, particularly in an increasingly international world. On a general level, culture has been referred to as the ways of a people (Lado, 1957). This view in

57、corporates both material manifestations of culture that are easily seen and non-material ones that are more difficult to observe, as Saville-Troike (1975: 83) notes. Anthropologists define culture as the whole way of life of a people or group. In this context, culture (sic) includes all the social p

58、ractices that bond a group of people together and distinguish them from others (Montgomery and Reid-Thomas, 1994: 5). According to Peck (1998), Culture is all the accepted and patterned ways of behavior of a given people. It is that facet of human life learned by people as a result of belonging to s

59、ome particular group; it is that part of learned behavior shared with others. Not only does this concept include a groups way of thinking, feeling, and acting, but also the internalized patterns for doing certain things in certain ways, not just the doing of them. This concept of culture also includ

60、es the physical manifestations of a group as exhibited in their achievements and contributions to civilization. Culture is our social legacy as contrasted with our organic heredity. It regulates our lives at every turn.It could be argued that culture never remains static, but is constantly changing.