crywulsuitswitt

CULTURAL AWARENESS

”DIFFERENT CULTURE BETWEEN THE FIRST LANGUAGE AND TARGET LANGUAGE”

Introduction

Nowadays, English teachings gain different patterns of strategies, methods, approaches intended to improve the quality of English language teaching itself. With the strategies, methods, and approaches varied from the traditional-simple to complex-sophisticated. We clearly heard contextual, communicative, interactive learning English, and recently we also hear the English learning based cross-cultural understanding. In this section, understanding of cultural differences refers to the ability of people to understand, interpret, and adapt to the differences themselves, for being "right" can be wrong even if the existence of differences are misunderstood.

cultural differences also have very dominant role in determining life goals as they relate to the value system influenced by language, rules and norms of each culture. Obviously, we cannot be separated in the context of cross-cultural communication, this is clearly patterned on the human needs that are always interacting with a variety of human coming from various origin, so it is impossible that cultural differences, little or much, do not exist. Mulyana formally defined culture as an order of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, time, roles, spatial relationships, the concept of the universe, material and possession objects acquired by a large group of people, generation to generation, through the efforts of individuals and groups. “tatanan pengetahuan, pengalaman, kepercayaan, nilai, sikap, makna, hirarki, agama, waktu, peranan, hubungan ruang, konsep alam semesta, objek-objek materi dan milik yang diperoleh sekelompok besar orang dari generasi ke gen-erasi melalui usaha individu dan kelompok”.(Mulyana, 1996:18).

Precisely, the study of language cannot be separated with the role of communications media . Discussing what related to the communications media , language must be the core subject of the review. This can not be separated from the position of language as a medium of expression of the human mind mirror (mirror of a mind), or as proposed by Dell Hymes (1970) that: as the symbolic language guide to culture (language as symbolic clues to understanding human culture). On the other hand, the language and culture are closely related to each other, as following Robins’ opinion: "The link between study of human language with other studies specifically related to human is very obvious, especially linguistics and anthropology, the study of entire human culture must be closely interrelated. This argument requires the researchers to know and control the society having the culture; otherwise, the results are considered less in-depth research and data are considered less valid, Robins (1993: 488-489). this discourse increasingly emphasized the importance of the function of culture in social life and more we can feel the various phenomena that are not integral to the existence of culture itself.

In the context described above, how difficult and simple language dynamics remain worthy to be kept in mind as if there is social interaction among people, language constitutes the core of a culture, because the rate of cultural manifestation cannot be set aside from role of a language.

Statement of problem

By this introductory illustration, the benefit culture and language in different era that demands awareness of the difference is so important. Therefore, the statement of the problems discussed in this paper is

1. What is the function of cultural awareness in communication of society having different cultural backgrounds.

2. What is the function of awareness cultural in teaching, learning, and mastery of the target language

Analysis

In the previous section, it briefly shows how important the relationship between language and culture. Culture as the development of public relations in the sense that the language used as a tool of communication be more meaningful, it is formed because a clear need to explore a culture of society, so learning and mastering the language tend to be non-negotiable, or almost a liability. In the advance of the communication in different cultures, we commonly recognize the norms that exist and to know the norms of language knowledge is also required to get to know more about the characters, structures, ways of thinking and tradition that has occurred in the interplay forth between language and culture in social interaction. As stated by Ohoiwutun (1997: 85) below: "reciprocal influence between language and culture will soon be seen in the process of learning a second language or foreign language. The patterns of communication which are clearly influenced by the culture can be traced through the observation of language tendencies.

It is important for those learning a language to understand cross-culture, because learning a language is also learning the culture of the language as said by (Goodenough 1981) Language is not only a "property" that is in humans that were examined unilaterally by language experts, but also means of communication. Communication is always accompanied by the interpretation of meaning contained therein. From the perspective of discourse, meaning is never absolute. It is always determined by a variety of contexts that always refers to the signs in human life in which there is culture. Therefore, language is never separated from the cultural context and its existence is always overshadowed by culture. Language as one of cultural products is divided into two kinds, verbal language and non-verbal language. In the context of verbal language, there are some aspects which must be observed in communicating, particularly with issues related to the dialect. Almost all languages have a relatively large number of speakers having different dialect.

Related to the previous context of differences in language, language variation, language styles affect the way people communicate from different cultures. For example, almost everyone has a dialect of the language. Dialect refers to all the differences between the various uniform language of a culture, including pronunciation, the use of words, and sentences. The relationship between culture and acts of speaking is more clearly seen in the difference pattern of speaking of each different culture. In Indonesian culture, information (in the form of actions recalled) is more often conveyed indirectly by using the language of allusion or sign language, but in general British culture, it is more directly and conveyed verbally.

However, not all people who learn a particular language (foreign) must know and master the culture as the opinion of Robins (1993: 488) at the top, because in fact many people who are smarter in specific language (foreign) but they rarely even have never faced or communicated with the society having of the language directly. They only know from teachers, books and tapes. Here is an analysis of other approaches, mastering a language doesn’t mean an obligation to master its culture as well, since all can not be separated from the interests and objectives from which the initial or instruments to master other languages

However, important aspect of communication which is influential in the use of non-verbal language can not also excluded. According to Du Praw (Toward a More Perfect Union in the Age of Diversity: 1996) forms of non-verbal language can include facial expressions, and body language (gestures), such as eyes, smile, use your left hand and right, shake of the head, hand movements, and so on. What also includes in the types of non-verbal language is the seating arrangement in an event, and the distance between the communicator during the communication process going. Although there are forms of non-verbal communication that is universally understood, the forms of these communications are interpreted vary from one culture to another culture. This example has become axioms or statements of truth even without proof, for example a smile, Indonesian considers it as the universal language to express hospitality, and friendship, but the Eastern Europeans, the smile is only given to close friends and family. They will not smile at random to give a new person they meet. So when viewed from the perspective of Indonesia, the Eastern Europeans can be considered less friendly, and not friendly. Including the use of left and right hand mentioned above. Europeans and Americans do not feel there is a difference function between the left and right hand. After all, both arms are same, according to them, but according to our culture, using the left hand when giving something to someone else can bring fatal consequences. You must be ready labeled not polite if you do it. Shaking head in most cultures often means "no", but for India it means the opposite.

Different ways to understand forms of communication, both verbal and non-verbal, can lead to misunderstandings in cross-cultural communication, so that our opinions of a culture or a particular community frequently to move into an identity that leads to stereotype or leveling.

Simply, this concept refers to a group or community that shares the same perspective in understanding the culture around the world. Culture and communication can not be separated from one another, because culture not only determines who is ready to talk with, about what and how people encode messages, meaning he has for the message, and condition-condition for sending, consider and interpret the message. Culture is the foundation of communication so that if the various culturally diverse practices are evolving communications.

The paper on the theme of cultural awareness” Different Culture Between The First Language And Target Language” is also functioning to complete the suitable skills to gain cross-cultural understanding. If the basic cross-cultural understanding has been owned, and through ongoing training or experience in the workplace, we can gradually achieve a more subtle appreciation of cultural differences, therefore there must also attempt to understand:

Ø Cross cultural understanding, it simply refers to the basic ability of people to recognize, Interpret and correctly about them to people, incidences or Situations that are open to misunderstanding due to cultural differences. The fundamental intention of cross-cultural training is to Equip the learner (s) with the appropriate skills to attain cross-cultural understanding

Ø Cross-Cultural Knowledge is critical to basic cross-cultural understanding. Without it cross-cultural appreciation can not take place. It refers to a surface level of familiarization with cultural characteristics, values, beliefs and behaviors.

Ø Cross Cultural Awareness and Cultural Awareness, it develops from cross-cultural knowledge as the learner understands and appreciates a culture internally. This may also be accompanied by changes within the learner's behavior and attitudes such as a greater flexibility and Openness.

Cultural Awareness is the foundation of communication and it involves the ability of standing back from our selves and becoming aware of our cultural values, beliefs and perceptions. Why do we do things in that way? How do we see the world? Why do we about them in that particular way?

Cultural awareness becomes central when we have to interact with people from other cultures. People see, Interpret and Evaluate things in a different ways. What is considered an appropriate behavior in one culture is frequently inappropriate in another one. Misunderstandings Arise when I use my meanings to make sense of your reality. Becoming aware of our cultural dynamics is a difficult task because culture is not conscious to us. Since we are born we have learned to see and do things at an unconscious level. Our experiences, our values and our cultural background leads us to see and do things in a certain way. Sometimes we have to step outside of our cultural boundaries in order to realize the impact that our culture has on our behavior. It is very helpful to gather feedback from foreign colleagues on our behavior to get more clarity on our cultural traits.

Degrees of Cultural Awareness

There are several levels of cultural awareness that reflect how people grow to perceive cultural differences (Quappe and cantatore)

My way is the only way - At the first level, people are aware of their way of doing things, and their way is the only way. At this stage, they ignore the impact of cultural differences. (Parochial stage)

I know their way, but my way is better - At the second level, people are aware of other ways of doing things, but still consider their way as the best one. In this stage, cultural differences are perceived as the source of problems and people tend to ignore them or reduce their significance. (Ethnocentric stage)

My Way and Their Way - At this level people are aware of their own way of doing things and others' ways of doing things, and they chose the best way according to the situation. At this stage people realize that cultural differences can lead both to problems and benefits and are willing to use cultural diversity to create new solutions and alternatives. (Synergistic stage)

Our Way - This fourth and final stage brings people from different cultural background together for the creation of a culture of shared Meanings. People dialogue repeatedly with others, create new Meanings, new rules to meet the needs of a particular situation. (Participatory culture Third stage)

Increasing cultural awareness means to see both the positive and negative aspects of cultural differences. In becoming culturally aware, people realize that:

We are not all the same

Similarities and differences are both important

There are multiple ways to reach the same goal and to live life

The best way depends on the cultural contingency. Each situation is different and may require a different solution.

Cross-Cultural Sensitivity, it is a natural by-product of awareness and refers to the ability to read into Situations, contexts and Behaviors that are culturally rooted and be able to about them to them appropriately. An suitable response necessitates that the actor no longer carries his / her own culturally determined interpretations of the situation or behavior (ie good / bad, right / wrong) which can only be nurtured through both cross-cultural knowledge and awareness.

Ø Cross Cultural Competence, it is and should be the aim of all those dealing with multicultural students, learner, or teachers. 'Competence' is the final stage of cross-cultural understanding and signifies the actor's ability to work effectively across cultures. Cross cultural competency is beyond knowledge, awareness and sensitivity in that it is the Digestion, integration and transformation of all the skills and information acquired through them, applied to create cultural synergy within the workplace or the teaching-learning process

Although cross-cultural competency can only be truly Achieved through cross-cultural awareness training, language acquisition, foreign travel and cultural immersion there are some guidelines that can enhance your cross cultural competence skills.

§ Listening Skills: Although emphasis usually lies on being a competent speaker, listening is a key skill that many business personnel do not exercise enough. For cross cultural communication, Attentive listening is critical to be able to understand Meanings, read between the lines and enable to empathise with the speaker.

§ Speaking Skills: Listening and speaking must work in tandem for effective cross-cultural communication. Speaking well is not about accent, use of grammar and vocabulary or having the gift of the gab. Rather, cross-cultural communication is enhanced through positive speech such as encouragement, Affirmation, recognition and phrasing requests clearly or expressing opinions sensitively.

.In addition, the following ways can enhance speaking skill

× Say it without words: use hands, arms, legs, gestures, facial expressions and everything else your charades experience has taught you

× Use emotions: even in our own language and culture we do not always use

language to express Fright, frustration, anger or joy. Emotions transcend linguistic barriers.

× Try out words: sometimes we share common words and we do not know it. Additionally people from different cultures will have a passive knowledge gained through the media. Try saying the word slowly or with a different pronunciation.

× Draw it: if you really can not explain 'milk' to the Greek shop owner draw the cow, the udders and the milk. Pictures speak louder than words. Most cultures will be able to spot what you are getting at straight away.

× Ask for help: if there are others around you do not be shy to ask for their assistance. It is often possible to find a willing translator.

× Confirm Meanings: if you are unsure whether the message has been understood confirm Meanings. When doing so do not ask, 'Do you understand? " as the answer will often be 'yes' even if it is 'no'. Try re-phrasing what you have agreed or discussed.

× Be patient: the key to Overcoming the language barrier is to exercise patience. It is not your fault or the other person's that you can not speak each others languages

§ Observation: Large amounts of cross-cultural information can be read in people's dress, body language, interaction and behavior. Be aware of differences with your own culture and try to understand The Roots of Behaviors. Asking questions cross-cultural expands your knowledge.

§ Patience: Man has been created differently and we need to recognize and understand that sometimes cross-cultural differences are annoying and frustrating. In these Situations patience is definitely a virtue. Through patience respect is won and cross cultural understanding is enhanced.

§ Flexibility: Flexibility, adaptability and open-mindedness are the route to successful cross-cultural communication. Understanding, embracing and addressing cross cultural differences leads to the breaking of cultural barriers which results in better lines of communication, mutual trust and creative thinking.

Diversity of different cultures has automatic systems for different values, so it determines different purpose, it also determines the way we communicate which is greatly influenced by the language, rules and norms in each culture. It is true that in every activity of our communication with others, it always contains the potential for cross-cultural communication or inter-cultural, because we will always be on the "different culture" from other people.

In the daily life, the differences and negative perception of culture can cause a fatal risk, at least, it will not lead to smooth communication, the feeling uncomfortable or misunderstandings occurs even though it is not an absolute truth, but. the result of the misunderstandings cause many of the various phenomena of life as events in the form of ethnocentrism

Although it still deserves a paradoxical solution, to minimize the cultural shock, feelings of confusion and anxiety caused by interaction with different cultures, is as follows:

• An introduction to the country and its history and culture.

• An understanding of the target culture's values, customs and etiquette and their possible impact on social life.

• Tips on Preparing to work with new colleagues from different nationalities.

• An accurate portrayal of the possible lifestyle in the target destination.

• Guidelines and tools on how to deal with indigenous and cultural differences.

• Language training prior to relocation.

By understanding or at least knowing the language and cultural behavior of others, we can know and understand the principles of cross-cultural communication and practice in communicating with others. The need to study cross-cultural communication is increasingly obvious, for the closer our interactions with people from different cultures, in addition to the Indonesia that is very diverse with various racial, ethnic, religious, regional background (village / town), background education, and so on.

It is fundamental and cannot be denied that every culture gives identity to a particular group of people, so if we want to more easily understand the differences found in each of these cultures, at least we should be able to identify the identity of each cultures. These sections are necessity; otherwise, it can concern stereotypes and cultural prejudices, which often hinder cross-cultural communication and can bring more severe consequences, namely the cultural offense because people are not necessarily or simply accept as a culture or life style of theirs is considered to be polite or inappropriate. We, frequently, give the wrong judgments about the culture of others and in giving our assessment, we often involves only an impression, feeling, and intuition subjectivity alone. In other words, to measure and value the culture or the behavior of others, the appraisal is often only by the side of our own culture or behavior, so the judgment that we give them is surely not objective, because the parameter of truth that we use is our own culture. Therefore, when we talk about values of civility, norms, inappropriate, improper, it becomes very relative in the cultural discourse.

In view of this, it is reasonable to assert that cultural awareness should be viewed as an important component informing, so to speak, and enriching communicative competence. By communicative competence, we mean verbal as well as non-verbal communication, such as gestures, the ability (or lack thereof) to integrate with a specific group or avoid committing any faux pas, and so forth. In other words, the kind of communicative competence posited here is one which can account for the appropriateness of language as well as behaviour. On the one hand, it can help us understand why the sentence A cigarette is what I want is unlikely to be elevated to the status of a possible utterance in English; on the other, it can suggest why being careless about chinking glasses in Crete may cause trouble. It is what Desberg (1961, cited in Fotitch, 1961: 56) dubs ‘linguistico-cultural meaning’ that has been extirpated from the foreign language milieu, and led to the false assumption that culture is a compartmentalised subject amenable to ‘educational interventions’, to quote Candy (1991), rather than an educational goal in itself.

The question arises, however, that if language and culture are so intricately intertwined, why should we overtly focus on culture when there are other aspects of the curriculum that need more attention? To begin with, we should concern ourselves with culture because, even though it is inherent in what we teach, to believe that whoever is learning the foreign language is also learning the cultural knowledge and skills required to be a competent L2/FL speaker ‘denies the complexity of culture, language learning, and communication’ (Lessard-Clouston, 1997). Second, it is deemed important to include culture in the foreign language curriculum because it helps avoid the stereotypes that Nemni (1992) has discussed and the present study has intimated. The third reason for expressly teaching culture in the foreign language classroom is to enable students to take control of their own learning as well as to achieve autonomy by evaluating and questioning the wider context within which the learning of the target language is embedded. Tomalin & Stempleski (1993: 7-8), modifying Seelye’s (1988) ‘seven goals of cultural instruction’, may provide an answer pertinent to the question posed. According to them, the teaching of culture has the following goals and is of and in itself a means of accomplishing them:

To help students to develop an understanding of the fact that all people exhibit culturally-conditioned behaviours.

To help students to develop an understanding 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 behaviour in common situations in the target culture.

To help students to increase their awareness of the cultural connotations 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 culture.

To stimulate students’ intellectual curiosity about the target culture, and to encourage empathy towards its people.

This list of goals is definitely an improvement on Huebener’s (1959: 182-183) list of ‘desirable outcomes’. 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 among cultures’ (Tavares & Cavalcanti, 1996: 19). These comparisons, of course, are not meant to underestimate foreign cultures but to enrich students’ experience and to sensitise them to cultural diversity. ‘This diversity should then be understood and respected, and never…over (sic) or underestimated’ (ibid.: 20). In the next chapter, we will consider different ways of teaching (about) culture. As Kramsch (1993: 245) succinctly puts it, teachers’ and learners’ task is ‘to understand in ever more sensitive ways why they talk the way they do, and why they remain silent: this type of knowledge Clifford Geertz [1983] calls local knowledge’.

Foreign language learning is comprised of several components, including grammatical competence, communicative competence, language proficiency, as well as a change in attitudes towards one’s own or another culture. For scholars and laymen alike, cultural competence, i.e., the knowledge of the conventions, customs, beliefs, and systems of meaning of another country, is indisputably an integral part of foreign language learning, and many teachers have seen it as their goal to incorporate the teaching of culture into the foreign language curriculum. It could be maintained that the notion of communicative competence, which, in the past decade or so, has blazed a trail, so to speak, in foreign language teaching, emphasising the role of context and the circumstances under which language can be used accurately and appropriately, ‘fall[s] short of the mark when it comes to actually equipping students with the cognitive skills they need in a second-culture environment’ (Straub, 1999: 2). In other words, since the wider context of language, that is, society and culture, has been reduced to a variable elusive of any definition—as many teachers and students incessantly talk about it without knowing what its exact meaning is—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 grammatical system of a language [grammatical competence] has to be complemented by understanding (sic) of culture-specific meanings [communicative or rather cultural competence]’ (Byram, Morgan et al., 1994: 4).

Going back as far back as the eighteenth century, German scholars Johan Herder (1744-1803) and Wilhelm Von Humboldt (1762-1835) as cited by Kramsch, (1998) put forth the idea that “different people speak differently because they think differently, and that they think differently because their language offers them different usage of expressing the world around them.” This led Kramsch to say that “language expresses cultural reality. Speakers identify themselves and others through their use of language.They view their language as a symbol of their social identity. The prohibition of its use is often perceived by its speakers as a rejection of their social group and their culture” (Ibid.). So how about prohibiting Indonesian students to speak their language in international schools? I believe that it should not be the aim of the international schools to crowd out the students’ native language in favor of English.. We require our students to practice using English inside and, as much as possible, outside the classrooms because we want them to get optimum experience in practicing and learning the English language in order for them to be “globally communicative competent” (Thanasoulas, 2001).

Another important issue about language-culture connection is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. In 1929, Edward Sapir argued that “the ‘real world’ is to a large extent unconsciously built upon the language habits of the group.” A few years later, his student, Benjamin Whorf, also articulated that “the world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impression which has to be organized by our mind—and this means largely by the linguistic system in our minds” (Chandler, 1994). In other words, our language influences how we see the world around us (Wikipedia).

Considering these divergent cultures about the same topic, how can two people of different cultures bridge the gap? How can an English language learner decide which culture should he or she adopt? Essentially, the culture inherent to the target language has to be taught in order for the learner to harmonize both language and culture. In other words, since English is the target language in ESL/EFL classes, students and teachers should observe the cultures linked to it.

Citing from the above situations, O’Neil (2005) explained that the “complexity of a language is highly influenced by the culture.” He also argued that “language is the most important component of culture because it is normally transmitted orally. It is impossible to understand the subtle nuances and deep meanings of another culture without knowing its language well.”

The beauty of a language is that it could be learned by anyone from different cultural backgrounds. However, the art and creativity of a person using his native language may not always be adopted by those who have acquired the language as a second or adopted language.

Thus, Higgs (cited in Lessard-Clouston, 1997) commanded that 'Thou shalt not teach language without also teaching culture' as an ‘implicit commandment for language educators.

There is however one universal language that is generally understood in various cultures. Surprisingly, this language does not have any alphabet or words. This is known as “body language.

By way of conclusion, we should reiterate the main premise of the present study: the teaching of culture should become an integral part of foreign language instruction. ‘Culture should be our message to students and language our medium’ (Peck, 1998). Frontiers have opened and never before have nations come closer to one another—in theory, at least. As a result, people from different cultures weave their lives into an international fabric that is beginning to fray at the edges by virtue of miscommunication and propaganda. In order to avoid this ignominious cultural and political disintegration, and foster empathy and understanding, teachers should ‘present students with a true picture or representation of another culture and language’ (Singhal, 1998). And this will be achieved only if cultural awareness is viewed as something more than merely a compartmentalised subject within the foreign language curriculum; that is, when culture “inhabits” the classroom and undergirds every language activity. According to Singhal (1998), language teachers ought to receive both experiential and academic training, with the aim of becoming ‘mediators in culture teaching’ (ibid.). At any rate, culture teaching should aim to foster ‘empathy with the cultural norms of the target language community’ and ‘an increased awareness of one’s own ‘cultural logic’ in relation to others’ (Willems, 1992, cited in Byram, Morgan et al., 1994: 67). This cultural logic, though, is achieved through ‘a recognition of ‘otherness’, and of the limitations of one’s own cultural identity’ (Killick & Poveda, 1997).

On a practical note, culture teaching should allow learners to increase their knowledge of the target culture in terms of people’s way of life, values, attitudes, and beliefs, and how these manifest themselves or are couched in linguistic categories and forms. More specifically, the teaching of culture should make learners aware of speech acts, connotations, etiquette, that is, appropriate or inappropriate behaviour, as well as provide them with the opportunity to act out being a member of the target culture. Equipped with the knowledge that such notions as “superior” or “inferior” cultures are nothing but sweeping generalisations emanating from lack of knowledge and disrespect to other human beings with different worldviews, learners can delve into the target language and use it as a tool not only to communicate in the country where it is spoken but also to give a second (or third) voice to their thoughts, thus flying in the face of cultural conventions and stereotypes. To this end, language educators should ‘not only work to dispel stereotypes [and] pockets of ignorance…but…contribute to learners’ understanding that begins with awareness of self and leads to awareness of others’ (Singhal, 1998). There is certainly room for improvement, and things bode well for the future. Beyond current practice, there are still some areas, such as the ones identified by Lessard-Clouston (1997), that need further investigation. For example, is there such a thing as a ‘natural order’ in L2/FL culture acquisition? What cultural patterns do foreign language students need to learn first and at what levels? Furthermore, are these patterns best learnt by means of immersion in the target culture, or are there any techniques obviating this need? Most importantly, are these acquired patterns maintained over the long haul, or is there some kind of regression at work? Once these besetting issues are investigated, the next step is to do some research on content and materials design for cultural syllabuses (see Nostrand, 1967).

It goes without saying that foreign language teachers should be foreign culture teachers, having the ability to experience and analyse both the home and target cultures (Byram, Morgan et al., 1994: 73). The onus is on them to convey cultural meaning and introduce students to a kind of learning ‘which challenges and modifies their perspective on the world and their cultural identity as members of a given social and national group’ (ibid.). Unfortunately, by teaching about other cultures, foreign language educators do not necessarily nip prejudice in the bud, so to speak; cultural bias can still plague the very aspects of the target culture which teachers ‘choose to indict or advocate’, as Cormeraie (1997) insightfully remarks. It is hoped that the present paper has contrived to clarify most of the issues it set out to investigate, and has helped contribute to a better understanding of culture and its importance in the foreign language classroom.

Before venturing into unknown territories (Grove, 1982), learners must first become conversant with what it means to be part of a culture, their own culture. By exploring their own culture, i.e., by discussing the very values, expectations, traditions, customs, and rituals they unconsciously take part in, they are ready to reflect upon the values, expectations, and traditions of others ‘with a higher degree of intellectual objectivity’ (Straub, 1999). Depending on the age and level of the learners, this task can take many forms. For example, young beginners or intermediate students should be given the opportunity to enjoy certain activities that are part of their own tradition, such as national sports, social festivities, or songs, before setting about exploring those of the culture of target language. Here, we will only be concerned with the latter. ‘Beginning foreign language students want to feel, touch, smell, and see the foreign peoples and not just hear their language’ (Peck, 1998). At any rate, the foreign language classroom should become a ‘cultural island’ (Kramsch, 1993; Singhal, 1998; Peck, 1998), where the accent will be on ‘cultural experience’ rather than ‘cultural awareness’ (see Byram, Morgan et al., 1994: 55-60). From the first day, teachers are expected to bring in the class posters, pictures, maps, and other realia in order to help students develop ‘a mental image’ of the target culture (Peck, 1998). According to Peck (1998), an effective and stimulating activity is to send students on “cultural errands” (my term)—to supermarkets and department stores—and have them write down the names of imported goods. Moreover, teachers can also invite guest speakers, who will talk about their experiences of the foreign country.

REFERENCES

Byram, M., Morgan, C. and Colleagues. 1994. Teaching and Learning Language and Culture. Great Britain: WBC

Candy, 1991. Self-direction for Lifelong Learning. California: Jossey-Bass

Cormeraie, S. 1997. From Theoretical Insights to Best Practice for Successful Inter-Cultural Education: The Crucial Transmission. Proceedings of the conference at Leeds Metropolitan University, 15-16 December 1997

Courtney B. Cazden, Vera P. John & Dell Hymes, eds, Functions of language in the classroom. London and New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University, 1972. Pp. lvii + 394

Desberg, D. 1961. Language as an Aspect of Cultural Behavior. In Fotitch, T. (ed.). Teaching Foreign Languages in the Modern World. Washington: The Catholic University of America Press

Goodenough, W. H. 1981. Culture, Language, and Society. London: The Benjamin / Cummings Publishing Company.

Grove, C. L. 1982. Improving intercultural learning through the orientation of sojourners. Occasional Papers in Intercultural Learning. AFS International.

Higgs, T. V. 1984. Teaching for Proficiency, the Organizing Principle. Lincolnwood, IL: National textbook.

Killick, D. & Poveda, J. 1997. Perceptions of Cross-Cultural Capability: is EFL Another Language? Proceedings of the conference at Leeds Metropolitan University, 15-16 December 1997.

Kramsch, C. 1993. Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Lessard-Clouston, M. (1997) - Towards an understanding of culture in L2-FL Education. The Internet TESL Journal (3) 5. Retrieved April 4, 2006 from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Lessard-Clouston-Culture.html

Lessard-Clouston, M. 1997. Towards an Understanding of Culture in L2/FL Education. In Ronko, K.G. Studies in English, 25, 131-150 Japan: Kwansei Gakuin University Press.

Nemni, M. 1992. Mefiez-vous du discours interculturel! Canadian Modern Language Review, 49 (1), 10-36

Nostrand, H. L. 1967. A Second Culture: New Imperative for American Education. In Michel, J. Foreign Language Teaching. An Anthology. London: Collier-MacMillan

O’Neil, D. (Updated 2005) Language and culture: an introduction to human communication. Retrieved January 27, 2006 from http://anthro.palomar.edu/language

Peck, D. 1998. Teaching Culture: Beyond Language. Yale: New Haven Teachers InstituteSaphir-Whorf hypothesis, Retrieved March 17, 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapir-Whorf_hypothesis

Singhal, M. 1998. Teaching Culture in the Foreign Language Classroom. Thai TESOL Bulletin, Vol. 11 No. 1, February 1998.

Straub, H. 1999. Designing a Cross-Cultural Course. English Forum, vol. 37: 3, July-September, 1999.

Tavares, R. & Cavalcanti, I. 1996. Developing Cultural Awareness in EFL Classrooms. English Forum, 34:3, July-September, 1996Thanasoulas, D. (2001). Reading 1.2, The importance of teaching culture in the foreign language classroom. ED543 Language, cultural differences and learning, Avondale College

Tomalin, B. & Stempleski, S. 1993. Cultural Awareness. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Mulyana, Deddy, dan Jalaluddin Rakhmat. (Editor) Komunikasi antar Budaya. Panduan berkomunikasi dengan orang-orang berbeda budaya. Bandung: Remaja Rosda Karya, 1996

crywulsuitswitt

heaven's pleasure

Kamis, 29 April 2010

crywulsuitswitt: revolusi dan kiblat pendidikan

revolusi dan kiblat pendidikan

Jumat, 19 Februari 2010

different culture between the first language and the target language

Mengenai Saya

Arsip Blog

Pengikut