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Abstract : The effects of cultural differences can have a great impact on teaching a foreign language.Course literatures for many English as a Second Language (ESL) programs seem to stress U.S.culture.Perhaps this is because the U.S.is the largest English speaking country, or it could possibly be an economy based decision that comes from the effect that the U.S.economy has on the world.Regardless of the literature focuses and examples, the path to successful teaching remains the same as always: teaching to increase the understanding of words and phrases to increase communication skills.This paper will discuss these cultural education limitations and possible solutions.
Key Words: culture cultural choices language teaching
Culture is defined as the values, beliefs, and customs of a people.Culture defines a society and its people, their thought processes and way of life.It affects societal beliefs such as government, economic values, art, religion and education.It defines the common goals of a society.These cultural values are taught to each new generation mainly through the language spoken in that society.Language is used to maintain and convey culture and cultural ties(Leveridge, 2015).This oral passing of beliefs and values is easily understood by members of that group, but may be misunderstood by members of another group.
Even within a large society, such as a country, there are smaller subsets of the larger society that hold different values and beliefs.The small differences can be extreme in some cases, but these differing views are allowed, and this acceptance of differences is also a part of the culture as a whole.
These values and beliefs may be difficult for newcomers to grasp quickly, and can lead to difficulties in communication.Teaching a second language to students requires lessons in grammar and translation, but true communication also needs lessons in culture to be truly successful.
The most difficult part of any language to teach is the use of slang and idioms within the culture.An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood by the true meaning of the words that make up the expression.“It is a form of the language that is spoken in an area that uses words and phrases that have a meaning that can only be understood by its members” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2014).These can be found in small parts of a country, or they can be part of a large culture.Other forms of slang may only be understood by persons living in the same country.For example, an expression used in the U.S.may be confusing to the people of Great Britain or Canada.If someone tells you to “take a hike” when they are telling you to leave; making a “pit stop” while in the car means stopping to use the restroom.A person that is said to have “deep pockets” has a lot of money.Two of the most common idioms in the U.S.are “give way” and “rock and roll”.The more difficult of the two, “give way”, means “quickly move out of my way, I need to pass”.“Rock and roll” is now common enough to have moved into the worldwide vocabulary and is understood in many languages and cultures throughout the world.The adoption of this phrase, describing a style of music, by other cultures also shows that every culture is constantly evolving and changing.
Successful ESL instruction must be taught with the awareness that a quarter of the world’s population is already fluent or competent in English, and this figure is steadily growing.In the early 2000’s this figure translates to 1.5 billion people.No other language can match this growth(Crystal, 1997).Many students will not study at an English speaking school or travel to English speaking countries.Many could however have jobs that require skills in reading and speaking English, if, after graduation they get jobs in an international corporation.In this environment culture plays a lesser role.They will employ a culture free form of English that is called International or Business English, a form of English used by non native speakers to other non native speakers (Dudley-Evans & St.John, 1998).In this form of English culture is not a factor.This form of English, read and spoken, often deals mainly with technical, scientific and business terms and speech.
In teaching English with a focus on the U.S.culture, there are several points that must be factored into the lessons that deal with basic communication.Students must learn the differences in greeting and leaving another person.In the U.S.a simple greeting of “what’s up?” is the most common greeting along with “good morning” and “good evening”, and when leaving, “goodbye”or “see you later” is the most common.These are more simple and direct than are used in China,but in the U.S.they are perfectly acceptable.If a compliment is given a simple “thank you”, it is the accepted response, as Americans readily accept compliments with little embarrassment.These small differences in culture can affect practically every conversation.Americans also use more direct and short communication.Questions are short and answers are expected to be short as well.It is common for Americans to say hello to strangers and thank a stranger for holding the door open for them to enter.These brief encounters very seldom lead to longer conversations.These conversations are considered to be polite, a social convention to be followed, and do not hold hidden meanings.
Some social conventions are non-verbal.Americans typically do not like another person to stand too close to them.It is common to look at the eyes of the person you are speaking with, and to avoid this eye contact may imply that you are not being truthful.Social conventions are impossible to teach because some are different from region to region, and even city to city in the U.S.The only solution is to caution students to be aware of these possible problems in communication.If the student is to be in the area long term, they may find it helpful to find a local resident to help them understand some of the major differences.
Media has become a major tool in English language instruction.Technology has allowed teachers to expand their cultural instruction, far beyond what was possible a decade ago.The use of movies, television, and music allow culture to enter the classroom.Watching a movie brings language to life and allows the students to hear the subtle differences in tone of voice and observe the body language of the speakers.It also allows the students to have a better grasp of other cultural aspects like personal interactions, politeness, respect, and verbal taboos (Valdes,1996).They can see the interactions between men and women, young and old, and between different races and economic groups.In discussions after the movie the student’s questions can be answered more fully because the student’s questions and the instructor’s answers are on the same cultural/contextual level.This is in itself a form of proper cultural communication.
In addition to movies and television that depict fictional situations, historical, educational,and current affairs programming can be used as well.Historical documentaries can be a vital tool in understanding how a culture developed and the origins of the values it carries.There are documentaries such as A“merica: The Story of Us” , that shows the U.S.through every success and failure in its history.Other shows may be about one aspect of history such as the Great Depression, World War I and II, the struggles of African Americans, the way that immigration created the U.S.and others.All of these events, and many more, helped shape the U.S.and its citizens.
News programs can provide students with insight into a culture’s current thoughts and beliefs.Watching news programs during the months close to national elections can give the students a view of every major and minor cultural issue in the U.S.that year.Every topic is discussed and debated as each candidate talks about their beliefs in order to get elected.Elections seem to show the great division between Americans, but they also all believe that most of the candidates for office only say what will get them elected, not what they really believe.
Much of the time spent in the U.S.revolves around sports.The most popular sport in America is football.Americans call this game football, while soccer in other countries is called football.Football is played by all age groups, beginning as early as elementary school ages.The professional football league is the National Football League (NFL), and has become the most watched sports league on TV in America.The season consists of 16 games beginning in late August and continues through December.After the regular season concludes, the playoff games begin that lead to the championship game, the Super Bowl.These games begin after the regular season is over and occur through January.The final two teams meet in the Super Bowl in early February.While it is not official, NFL Football’s Super Bowl has become the largest unofficial celebration in the U.S.It is viewed by over 100 million people worldwide, and Super Bowl parties are common with food, snacks and beverages.This Sunday in February is second only to the Thanksgiving Holiday in November for most food consumed in a day.Even non-football fans watch the Super Bowl on TV to see the advertisements that are on during the game.Companies create special commercials that have become a major part of the Super Bowl television broadcast.They are very popular and are rated from best to worst in the week following the game.These advertisements are very expensive.This year, the TV network that broadcast the game, charged$4.5 million for 30 seconds of time, and can do so because of the large 100 million person audience that see the advertisements.There is no other event that allows the advertisers to reach as many people.
The Super Bowl is also very popular because famous singers sing the National Anthem before the game.Before large sporting events in America it is customary for the National Anthem to be sung.Because of the nation’s short history the singing of the National Anthem is to show the nation’s patriotism, and to show others they are proud to be citizens of the U.S.These performances can be a very emotional experience for many, and it is common for the fans singing along to have tears in their eyes.Performances, like the advertisements, are discussed in the days following the game, and they are compared to performances in past years.Another special performance is shown in the middle of the game, which is called half time.The Super Bowl halftime performance is always a favorite of football fans and non-fans alike.These shows last only a short time, less than 15 minutes, but the singers and dancers rehearse for months before the game.Like the National Anthem at the beginning, half time shows are discussed and criticized for days after the performance.
Basketball is the second most popular sport, and studies have shown that work productivity drops in March during the college basketball playoffs.Games are secretly watched during work and much of the conversation at work is basketball related.Soccer is gaining more and more popularity.The recent World Cup had the highest TV viewership in the U.S.ever.Sports can bind people from different backgrounds, different religions, and different political views.The most common topic of discussion between two men who have never met is sports related.
The internet, not in existence a few years ago, can bring modern culture to the students in a class.As the students already know, the internet shows the constant change in almost every culture in the world, as it happens.Student’s exposure to different cultures is changing more rapidly each year as the internet makes the world smaller and smaller.People of all countries are linked in too many ways to count, and communication between people of different nationalities and cultures on a daily basis is common.Instructors must be ready for this access to affect the classroom environment, and must be better prepared to deal with the information students find on the internet.Not all the information on the internet is reliable or factual, and instructors must be prepared to correct inaccurate information.
In the classroom environment, instructors must also be prepared to limit student discussions to only those that fit the class literature and focus.The amount of information available is too great and unreliable to be used without proper editing by the instructor.Students must be directed to focus on the class goals and use the internet as a tool for extended communication and cultural study.
Incorporating culture into an ESL class will improve the communication skills of the students, but the students must realize that even with good language skills they will remain an outsider.For example, a child born and raised in the U.S.to Chinese parents and taught to speak Chinese in the home will be fluent in the language.However, if as a young adult he or she takes a trip to China, they will be able to communicate but will not understand many of the subtle parts of the culture, and will be looked at as an outsider.It must be remembered by students and teachers that all people, even of the same culture, make mistakes in communicating with each other.This basic fact reminds us that people, regardless of race or nationality, are individuals.No two humans are alike and we all have individual traits in our personalities.Communicating with another human requires time and patience to communicate effectively.To be effective teachers we must use all the tools at our disposal.Textbooks, media, internet, and geographic location are all only tools.Students must also be taught to value face to face communication, and to use this as the ultimate learning experience in overcoming cultural difficulties in speaking a foreign language.
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2.Dudley-Evans, T. & M.St.John.1998. Developments in English for Specific Purposes [C].Cambridge:Cambridge University Press: 30.
3.Leveridge, Aubrey Neil.2015. The Relationship Between Language and Culture and the Implications for Language Teaching [Z].TEFL.net.
4.Merriam-Webster Dictionary [Z].2014.Online Edition.www.merriam-webster.com.
5.Valdes, J.M.1996. Culture Bound [C].Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 38.