Intercultural communication and English teaching.doc

Intercultural communication and English teachingReinforcement of cultural penetration into English teaching in the middle schools摘 要 随着经济的飞速发展，世界变化日新月异。跨文化交际越来越普遍，越来越受到人们的关注。跨文化交际会影响英语教学吗？英语教师又是怎样进行教学呢？这篇论文探究了跨文化交际和英语教学之间的关系，以及怎样在中学英语教学中加强文化渗透教育，增强对中西文化差异的敏感性。首先，本文分析了跨文化交际的定义，以及文化、语言和交际三者之间的相互依存、相互影响的辨证关系。语言是文化交流的载体，同时文化也是交流目的。语言不仅是文化的一部分，它本身也是一种自成体系的文化。其次，本文从理解与运用的层次分析了中国中学生因中西方文化的差异，就会引起不必要的误会；不对文化有一定的理解与学习，就会产生交际的障碍。再次，本文通过分析中国中学生因为文化差异所犯的语言错误的原因，说明学习文化的重要性与必要性，并提供几种在英语教学中融入文化信息的方法和途径。学习一门外语，就是学习一种新的语言文化符号和它所承载的交际内涵。语言是传递文化的媒介，学习外语必须学习其文化。最后文章指出，文化融入语言，语言体现文化。为了培养学生的跨文化交际能力与意识，增强中西文化差异的敏感性，必须在中学英语教学中加强文化渗透教育。总之，外语教学应与其文化教学相结合来理解语言的本质。AbstractWith the rapid development of economy,intercultural communication becomes more and more popular.Does it influence English teaching?How do Englih teachers teach English teaching as well as how to reinforce culture penetration into English teaching in middle schools.This article consists of three parts:brief Chinese middle school students,and intercultural communiocation infused in English teaching.In the first part ,the article gives definitions of intercultural communicationand culture ,analyzing the relationship among culture ,language and communication.The paper points out that there is a reciprocal relationshipamong them and they influence one another.In the second part,the articleexplains the Chinese students mistakes made in their use of English from two levels: on the level of understanding and on the level of applicaion.The explotation in Part Two provides evidence for the view presented in Part Three.Intercultural communication should be infused in English teaching.The article analyses the cause of culture mistakes made by Chinese middle school students,and then explains the necessity of culture.At last,the article gives some methods of teaching culture in teaching English as a foreign language.At the end of the article,a conclusion is drawn.The English teacher should reiforce cultural penetrtion into English in middle school in order to cultivate the studentsintercultural awareness and competence.Intercultural communication and English teachingReinforcement of cultural penetration intoEnglish teaching in the Middle schoolsThesis: With the development of economy ,intercultural communication becomes more and more popular.This article is to discuss how to reinforce cultural penetation into English teaching in the middle schools so as to help the students cultivate intercultural communicative competence and cultural awareness. OutlineI.IntroductionII.Brief analysis of intercultural communicationThe definition of intercultural communicationThe definiion of cultureThe close relationship among language,cultureand communicationIII.The cultural mistakes often made by many Chinese middle school studentsOn the level of understandingOn the level of applicationIV. Intercultural communication should be infused in English teachingThe cause of cultural mistakesThe necessity of learning cultureThe methodologies of teaching cultureV.ConclusionI.IntroductionEveryone knows that China has been a member of WTO and 2008 Olympic Games is coming nearer and nearer ,so the world is becoming smaller and intercultural communication plays a very import role in our daily life.As English teachers,how can we help the students cultivate intercultural communicative competence and cultural awareness?This article is to discuss how to reinforce cultural penetration into English teaching in middle school.II.Brief analysis of intercultural communicationThe definition of intercultural communicationThe term “intercultural communication”may also refer to communication betweenpeople from different ethnic,social cultures within the boundaries of the same notional language.In its most general sense,intercultural communication occurs when a member of one culture produces a message for consumption by member of another culture. More precisely,intercultural communication,also known as cross-cultural communication,is communication between people whose cultural perceptions and symbols systems are distinct enough to alter the communication event.(Samovar Larry A.,2003:P48)It is frequently used to refer to communication between people from different cultures,implying a comparison between cultures.It centers on significant differences regarding social relations and concept of universe from different perspectives such as language,food,dress,attitude towards time,work habits,social behavior that can frustration in communications and contacts. According to Larry A. Samovar, intercultural commmunication means that people from different cultural backgrounds take up the process of communication. There are two important factors in the social communication; One is communication and culture, the other is the relationship between culture and communication language.The definition of culuture. As we have seen, culture is ubiquitous , multidimensional, complex, and all-pervasive. Hoebel and Frost ,who see culture in nearly all human activity, define culture as an integrated system of learned behavior patterns which are characteristic of the members of a society and which are not the result of biological inheritance.(Aucff F. L.,1993:P4) From the definition which includes all learned behavior, we can move to a definition that proposes culture with distinct boundaries. Bates and Ploy propose s descriptive definition:culture is a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors and artifacts that the member of a society use to cope with their world and with one anther ,and that are transmitted from generation to generation through learning . This definition includes not only patterns of behavior but also patterns of thought (shared meanings that the members of a society attach to various phenomena , natural and intellectual, including religion and ideologies), artifdcts(tools, pottery, houses, works of art ), and the culturally transmitted skills and techniques used to make the artifacts.(HarrisMoran,1996:P18) Following the definitions of sociologists and anthropologists, the “culture” covers the total pattern of beliefs, customs, institution, objects, and techniques that characterize the life of a human community. Culture consists of all the shared products of human society(Robertson, 1981:P36).This means not only such material things as cities, organizations and schools, but also non-material things such as ideas , customs, family patterns, language. Putting it simply, culture refers to the entire way of life of a society and the ways of a people.The close relationship among language,culture and communication.The relationship between culture and communication.Hall reminds us that culture is communication and communication is culture.(Schorr,1995:P14). The relationship between them is like the voice and the echo. It is hard to distinguish them. As Smith pointed out that In modern society different people communicate in different ways, communication practices may also differ. As do people in different societies around the world ;and the way people communicate is the way they live. It is their culture. Who talks with whom? And about what? These are questions of communication and culture. A Japanese geisha and a new English librarian send and receive different messages on different channels and in different networks. When the elements of culture differ or change, communication and culture are inseparable.(Smith. 1966:P1)The relationship between culture and languageLanguage is a part of culture and plays a very important role in it. Some social scientists consider it the keystone of culture. Without language,they maintain 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. Culture and language interact, and understanding of one requires understanding of the other. Since the knowledge and beliefs that constitute a people,s culture are habitually encoded and transmitted in the language of the peopie, it is extremely difficult to separate the two. On the other hand,language as an integral part of human being, permeates his thinking and way of viewing the world, language both expresses and embodies cultural reality. On the other hand, language, as a product of culture, helps perpetuate the culture,and the changes in language uses reflect the cultural changes in return.III.The cultural mistakes often made by many Chinese especially for middle school studentsAs far as Chinese and English is concerned,generally speaking, they differ in social class, history,tradition,family pattern, career and social activity,etc. Specifically speaking, there are lots of differences in greeting and farewell, ways of address, lots of social amenities, compliments and praise, privacy and taboo,language of respect and humility and body language,etc. For the middle school students, the cultural mistakes are often shown on the two levels: on the level of understanding and on the level of application.A. On the level of understanding Words which connect with thinking are active and basic elements in language and words are the important cultural-loaded parts. Many Chinese students meet lots of problems on understanding of word-meaning.1.Words and cultural-specific connotation. Any linguistic sign may be simultaneously of a denotative, connotative, or ironic kind of meanings. All these types of meaning are bound with cultural encoding or associations, for the meaning of words cannot be separated from their associations. Each language has its own metaphors that provide semantic cohesion within its boundaries, motivated by the need and desire to influence others, people choose to use words which emphasize denotative meaning, connotative meaning of ironic meaning or all of them, during the same process its cultural meaning is created. Sometimes, a same word in two differrnt language may have totally different connotations.Therefore the middle school students must be careful in assuming that bilingual dictionray definitions give exact equivalents in meaning or that different languages always have words to express the same thing. For example,landlordmay stir up different connotations in Chinese and English. In Chinese culture,landlordis usually understood as referring to someone who owns a lot of land and collected money by renting land without working. It used to be associated with exploitation, naturally carrying a negative overtone. In contrast, the term in western countries is different and affectively neutral. The most commonly used meaning of the word is someone who rents house for money. The word weekend affords another example. The western weekendconsists of Saturday and Sunday pius Friday evening while for a long time the Chinese weekend meant only Sunday and Saturday evening,and later it extended to one day and a half. Only starting on May 1,1995 when the Chinese government adopted the new working system did it begin to convey the same meaning as western weekend.2.Cultural-related idioms, proverbs and metaphors Different languages may reflect different cultures, different cultures entail different language expressions. Idioms, proverbs and sayings and metaphors in different languages, derived form different origins, also demonstrate cultural differences. Different language may have different idioms owing to different living environments, social conventions and literature tradition etc.For example, since English people view dog as human beings best friend, we can find more English expressions with dog than in Chinese.Lucky dog: a lucky personClever dog: a clever boy or smart ladDumb dog: silent person or person who keeps secretsLead a dogs life: to live an exhausted and unhappy lifePut on the dog: put on air And some proverbs and sayings with dog are listed as fellowsEvery dog has its dayDog does not eat dogGive a dog an ill and hang himBarking dogs seldom biteBeware of a silent dog and still waterLove me, love my dogAs to metaphor ,we can easily find that in Chinese “anger” is compared with liquid as in “我气死了” while in English “anger” is more compared with fire . As in “His face turned red with anger” and “She lost her temper”,etc.On the level of applicationLearning a language is to use it freely. However, Chinese middle school students often make mistakes when speak Engnish. Because of cultural difference, misunderstandingmay arise. Although the language used in communication may be faultless. The followings are some illustrations of the cultural differences in language use which Chinese middle school students may often come across in their daily life.1. Greetings and farewellsIt is estimated that in English there are at least a dozen different greetings, from “Hi” and “Hello” to more specific and longer ones like “How are you getting on?” or “How is everything with you?”.People choose the proper one to greet different people they meet on different occasions. For example,people greet a new acquaintance with “How do you do?” and expect the same in answer, but they greet an old friend differently. When friends meet, you may find than once they are uttering “How are you?” at the same time to each other, and theyboth answer “Fine, thank you.” Differently, a Chinese speaker may greet his friends or new acquaintance with “您好” or “你好”, whether they meet for the first time or anything in the day.Another noticeable difference between the two greeting systeams is that most Chinese people tend to greet acquaintances with “你吃了吗？” “你去哪儿？” or “你在干什么？” The three questions only functions as greetings rather than get clear answer in Chinese culture. But for the foreigners, the meaning has changed. If we greet the native speakers of English in this way, it willcertainlycause misunderstanding. Maybe the reaction of some English speaking people would likely be its none of your business, because they think you spry their privacy. “Hi, it is a lovely day ,isnt it?”, “It is a little cold today ,isnt it?” are very popular way of greeting in America and England. When people part, the English-speaking people say “Good-bye” or “Bye-bye” and the Chinese people usually say “再见”.2. Ways of address In recent years many English speaking people has been to address others by using the first name. This is especially common among American , even when people meet for the first time .This applies not only to the same age , but also to different ages. It is not a sign of disrespect .People of different social sta