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1、论英语教学中的文化因素Cultural Factors in English Learning and Teaching ABSTRACTEnglish plays an essential and significant role in our life How to teach and study English well has become a public concern As culture has closely associated with language many an educator finds that cultural knowledge has become a
2、n important part in our English learning and teachingThis thesis includes four parts The first part is about the relationship between language and culture As cultural difference is an obstacle to English listening speaking reading and writing and our mastery of English knowledge has an important inf
3、luence on our communicative competence the author explores why we teach culture in EFL in the second part What we should learn about the culture covers many aspects In the third part the author talks about cultural contents of English teaching The last part is the most important part of the whole th
4、esis It is about suggesting teaching methods in cultural learning and teaching Keywords culture English learning and teaching 摘要英语在我们的生活中起着举足轻重的作用如何学习英语已经成为一个备受公众关注的问题由于文化与语言紧密相连许多研究者发现英语文化已经成为英语教育和学习中的重要部分本篇论文共包括四部分第一部分主要是关于语言和文化的关系由于文化的不同是我们英语听说读写中最大的障碍并且我们掌握的文化知识将影响到我们的交际能力在第二部分中作者阐述了我们学习英语文化的原因我
5、们要学习的文化知识涉及到诸多方面在第三部分中作者论述了在英语教学中的应涉及到的文化内容最后一部分是全文中最重要的一部分在该部分中作者就文化教学中教学方法方面提出了自己的建议关键词文化英语教学CONTENTSIntroduction1Chapter One Relationship Between Language and Culture2IWhat is Language2IIWhat is Culture2IIIThe Relationship Between Language and Culture3iHistorical Relationship3iiGeographical Relat
6、ionship3iiiEducational Relationship3Chapter Two Why Teaching Culture in EFL5ICulture Differences-the Obstacle of Understanding English5iListening obstacles in English5iiSpeaking obstacles in English5iiiReading Obstacles in English6ivWriting Obstacles in English6IICulture knowledge-the Part of Commun
7、icative Ability7Chapter Three Cultural Contents of English Teaching8IOrdinary Cultural Background8iGreetings8iiThanks Compliments and Praise8iiiPrivacy and Taboos8ivFestivals8vReligion and Belief9IICultural Implications in Words9IIINon-verbal Language10iWhat is Non-verbal Language10iiThe Importance
8、and Effects of Non-verbal Language10Chapter Four Suggested Teaching Methods in Cultural Teaching and Learning12IClassroom Communication and Lectures12iCreating an English Cultural Atmosphere in Class12iiHolding Some Classroom Activities about English Culture12iiiHolding Lectures on English Culture12
9、IIReading Literary Works13IIIWatching TV and Films13Conclusion14Works Cited15Acknowledgements16 IntroductionThere is no denying that English has played and will continue to play a rather essential and vital role in our life Many an English educator exerts all their attempts and efforts to reform the
10、 English language teaching and learning methods As we all know language has emerged and developed together with culture Language is the keystone of the culture On the one hand language is shaped by the culture On the other hand as different languages have different culturelanguage influences culture
11、Nowadays there is a wide spread that educators associate cultural components with pure language teaching They pay more attention to develop students cross-culture awareness If students are lack of the important cultural knowledge about the culture they learn they cannot use it properly and freely th
12、en their communication obstacles will arise What is more a language learners understanding of the language is fundamentally influenced by his or her culturally-defined world views beliefs and presuppositionsChapter OneRelationship between Language and CultureWhat is LanguageSomeone may have already
13、known this legend God was afraid that we common people could climb to the heaven by the tower called Bible that people built So he decided to put an end to the common language shared by we common people Since without a common language we cannot communicate and cooperate with each other Then our grea
14、t dreams and plans will not come true forever From this legend we can see that language plays a quite significant and essential role in our lifeLanguage is so important that it renders us to wonder what language is Based on Oxford Advanced Learners English-Chinese Dictionary language is a system of
15、vocal sounds and combination of such sounds to which meaning is attribute used for the expression or communication of thoughts and feelings Wallance 833 Language to put it simply is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication In other words these vocal symbols are combined toget
16、her according to some special rules For these symbols there is no correction between the word and the item in the world that it refers toCommunication is considered to be the primary function of the language However functions of language are varied According to Hu Zhuanglin there are seven functions
17、1informative providing useful information for our life 2interpersonal function by which people establish and maintain their states in a society 3performative changing the social states of persons 4emotove function changing the emotive states of an audience for or against something or someone 5phatic
18、 communication social interaction of language 6recreational function 7metalingual function talking about language itself 11-16 What is CultureAs we all know different languages have different cultures Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguish the members of one category of
19、people from another Hofstede 154 Culture in a broad sense is an integrated pattern of human behavior that includes communication practices beliefs values customs thoughts rituals as well as manners of interacting and roles As culture is inclusive and rich it almost permeates every aspect of peoples
20、life and affects peoples behaviorIn this part I just want to explore two basic ways to define the term culture The first definition comes from humanities It emphasizes on the way a social group represents itself and others by its material productions for example their works of art literature social
21、institutions artifacts of everyday life and the mechanisms for their production The second definition comes from the social science It refers to the attitudes and beliefs ways of thinking behaving and remembering shared by members of the community The Relationship between Language and CultureThere i
22、s no doubt that language is a significant and vital part of a given culture and the effect of the culture upon a given language is evident and indispensable Different languages may reflect different cultures Different cultures entail different language expressions Language and culture closely associ
23、ated with each other and depend on each other In other words they emerged together developed bit by bit together at last they were mature togetheri Historical RelationshipThe origin of language is closely associated with the origin of human beings Around three millions years ago the natural conditio
24、n was very harsh and serious Humankind had to face the threats of low temperature fierce animals and other danger which made their living difficult As a result they were in great need of uniting and cooperating together Then language as an inevitable vocal tool for their communication emerged in the
25、ir life As any tribe or group has their own way of living their own customs habits their language evolved with the influence of their culture In a word language and culture intrinsically depend on each other They have evolved though the historyii Geographical RelationshipThere are numerous tribes an
26、d communities in different parts of the world For instance China is in Asia France is in Europe Different countries and societies have different cultures and languages To say China again the people in China speak Chinese and they also have their own way of thinking and behaving as well as some custo
27、ms and festivals For example the most important festival in China is Spring Festival while the French regard Christmas Day as their most important day What is more how to celebrate their festivals is different from one country to another according to their traditionsHowever with the global village t
28、he boundary of geography is gradually obscure Protecting the traditional culture has become a public concern Some countries have already taken some urgent and effective steps to protect their particular culture even their languageiii Educational RelationshipThe importance of teaching culture has bee
29、n widely recognized for teachers Educators fear that the mere mastery of language systems by no means guarantees the international communication and cooperation Although students gain a large number of vocabularies grammar points they could not use English in a proper and free way Nowadays in China
30、more and more English teachers try their best to find a way in which students can speak unadulterated English As a matter of fact students cannot truly master the language until they have also mastered the cultural context in which the language occursApplied linguists and language teachers have incr
31、easingly aware that a second language or foreign language can rarely be learned or taught without addressing the culture of community in which it is used Hinkel 2 Thomas observes that nonnative speakers are often perceived to display inappropriate language behaviors and often are not even aware that
32、 they do Thomas 92 He further points out that teachers must draw on research on to develop ways of heightening and refining students metagramatic awareness so that they are able to express themselves as they choose 94 Chapter TwoWhy Teaching Culture in EFLCulture Differences the Obstacle of Understa
33、nding EnglishAs different countries have different cultures some difficulties and obstacles will arise when we listen speak read write English In the following paragraphs I will explore some misunderstandings of English because of cultural differencesi Listening Obstacles in EnglishWith wide spread
34、of English we get more and more chances to listen to English However some teachers and students continue to complain the difficulties in understanding English They have an acceptable mastery of vocabularies grammar points as well as pronunciation knowledge Some students buy tape records for listenin
35、g and spend quite a few hours everyday on them Then what is the real reason for their so little achievementOne critical reason is that they are lack of cultural background of these western countries Aural comprehension which is closely related to the knowledge of American and British culture politic
36、s and economy in fact is an examination of ones comprehensive competence which includes ones English language level range of knowledge competence of analysis and imaginative powerThere are two jokes in the followingA Where are you fromB I will ask her Alaska A Why do you ask her B How are you Hawaii
37、 When you listen to them for the first time you would be very confused since Bs answer is irrelevant to As question However if we know something about geography knowledge of the USA and the names of the two states in USAAlaska and Hawaii we will understand what he say In view of this the introductio
38、n of cultural background is necessary for the teaching of English listeningii Speaking obstacles in EnglishMany foreign teachers who teach IELTS in China regard speaking part is the most difficult part for Chinese students to get high mark We Chinese students communication competence is not satisfac
39、tory because we ignore the social meanings of language forms and language applications in reality Moreover more often than not the materials we use today are outdated or seldom pay attentions to differences between different cultures So our students are usually ignorant of factors of culture and the
40、y can only mechanically copy what they have learned The following dialogues can often be found in our textbooksA How old are youB Im thirtyA Where are you goingB Im going to the libraryA How often do you write to your parentsB About once a weekThese dialogues are roughly the combination of Chinese t
41、hinking and English forms Although such forms are right in the means of English grammar they are not appropriate For those native speakers its unimaginable for someone to ask alike questions The natural reply of English-speaking people to the greetings like Where are you going would most likely be W
42、hy do you ask or Its none of your business Questions like How often do you write to your parents would be thought to intrude on ones privacy Therefore in oral teaching teachers should lay stress on factuality of language and adopt some materials approaching to daily life such as daily dialogues with
43、 tape magazines newspapers and reports etc because the materials are from real life and they help students to be well acquainted with standard pronunciations and intonation to speak English appropriate on the occasion to understand western way of life and customs etciii Reading Obstacles in EnglishT
44、he major difficulty encountered by language learners when they deal with written texts stems from the passage from orate to a more literate mode of speech Claire 130 Claire advocates that They thought they understood what it meant to talk like members of French or German speech communities are you n
45、eeded was to abide by their grammatical and lexical rules Now it appears that the rules in the use of written language are of a different order Claire130 To a large extent it would affect the readers reading speed and ability What is more since writers proper use of idioms proverbs and sayings is of
46、ten a mark of a persons command of the language they are fond of picking up some idioms and proverbs in their passage However it would be a great obstacle to the English learners because it is rather difficult to understand the cultural connotation and meaning For example one Chinese proverb goes si
47、lence is good It means that silence is more helpful and useful than speaking However English proverbs goes squeaking wheel get oil which means do not keep quiet otherwise you would receive nothing If you know nothing about cultural background of foreign countries you would be very frustrated and con
48、fused when you encounter them in the written materials iv Writing Obstacles in EnglishIn writing cultural knowledge is of great importance too When we tend to write in English what you should have is not only a mastery of vocabularies and grammar knowledge Without some cultural information such as economical political social information you would definitely not finish an excellent essay According to Halliday Language is not a set of isolated sentences rather it is an interrelated set of texts in which meaning potential is actualized People express meanings to realize some social goal 1