[RELO] Sociocultural Awareness: Developing the Fifth Skill

Kevin HajovskySenior English Language Fellow

Galápagos, EcuadorAugust 2013

Sociocultural Awareness: Developing the 5th Skill

English as an International Language (EIL)Not “owned” by native speakers, but by anyone

who uses it for their purposesTool for communicationBridge between cultures

Globalization

Communication requires more than just language.

Importance of Culture as the 5th Skill

(McKay, 2002; Tomalin, 2008)

CultureStrengthen our understanding of culture and its

potential effect on our communication

SPEAKING FrameworkUse a framework for helping teachers analyze for

and develop their own sociocultural awareness

Use a framework to develop questions or tasks that help students analyze and build their own awareness of how culture is reflected in communication

Objectives of this Webinar

When you think about “culture”, what kinds of things generally

come to mind? ~Write down and provide

examples~

Culture: What is it?

How much of the iceberg do you think you can see?

Which part of the iceberg is more dangerous to your ship, the visible part or the hidden

part?

“Big C & small c” Culture

•Language•Food•Music•Dance •Clothes•Popular culture•Customs•Festivals•Etc.

(Bennett, 1998)

Big C: VISIBLE

small c: HIDDEN

Culturally appropriate ways to:Greet or address peopleExpress gratitudeMake requestsAgree/disagree with someoneGive or accept compliments

Interpersonal skills to:Maintain an open and non-judgmental approachWork with uncertainty and ambiguityBe flexible and adaptableFoster curiosity and empathyAdapt oneself linguistically

The 5th Skill in Speaking Contexts

The BIG Question: How can we help?

[verbal & non-verbal]

[consider one’s own & others’ conditioning]

Language-based questionsLooking at language in contextEx., how words’ meanings change depending on context

Function-based questionsAnalyzing interactions and social functions of languageEx., back channeling, language of agreement/following

Comparative questionsComparing (own) interactional norms in given contextsEx., expectations of listener, similar interactions (what?)

Speculative questionsFostering curiosity and interpretative skillsEx., “Why do you think….?”

Teacher: Kinds of Questions to Develop

(McConachy, 2009)

“Oh, I see.”

“Oh, is that right?”

S SettingP ParticipantsE EndsA Act SequenceK KeyI InstrumentalitiesN NormsG Genre

Hymes’ SPEAKING Framework~A Mnemonic Device for Contextual Awareness~

(Hymes, 1974; McConachy, 2009)

Questions Types:1. Language2. Function

3. Comparison4. Speculation

The time, place and physical circumstances and the potential expectations or influences on communication (ex. party, doctor’s office)

Teacher AnalysisDoes the setting affect the language used?Would the students’ culture consider the setting

appropriate for such an interaction?

Potential Focuses of Questions (effect on interactions)Location, environment, overall topic

Setting

(Hymes, 1974; McConachy, 2009)

The people involved in the setting and/or the interpersonal dimension on the language used (ex., professor, daughter, friend)

Teacher AnalysisHow are the participants related?How might their description affect the kind of

language used in any way?

Potential Focuses of Questions (effect on interactions)Relationship, age, familiarity, gender, position/title, etc.

Participants

(Hymes, 1974; McConachy, 2009)

The purposes or goals of the participants (ex., persuasion, equality/hierarchy gain something)

Teacher AnalysisWhat are the different participants trying to achieve? Is there any connection between the ends, participants,

and setting?How does the language effectively work toward the ends?

Potential Focuses of Questions (effect on interactions)Goals/desired outcomes, different or the same for

participants, how are they negotiated

Ends

(Hymes, 1974; McConachy, 2009)

The types and sequence of speech acts or ways of interacting in a given context (ex., greeting)

Teacher AnalysisWhat are the different speech acts involved? Is it important to notice the order of the speech acts?Are there any strategies used to switch between speech

acts?

Potential Focuses of Questions (effect on interactions)Number and types of speech acts involved, the order of

the speech acts, how the acts were negotiated

Act Sequence

(Hymes, 1974; McConachy, 2009)

The general tone or spirit of conversation and how emotions and nuances are conveyed (ex., clues in manner of speech, joking, change of topic)

Teacher AnalysisAre there any clues that notify the listener of the tone in

the messages being conveyed?Are there pauses or changes in mood reflected in the

participants speech patterns?

Potential Focuses of Questions (effect on interactions)Feelings, mood, or tone of the conversation; how are they

recognizable

Key

(Hymes, 1974; McConachy, 2009)

The style of speech and sensitivity to registers or language variation used in certain contexts (ex., casual conversation versus academic setting)

Teacher AnalysisIs the language used polite, casual, or formal?Are there useful examples that show how this

is important in the context with respect to other variables?

Potential Focuses of Questions (effect on interactions)Examples of polite, casual, formal, etc. types of

language

Instrumentalities

(Hymes, 1974; McConachy, 2009)

The social rules for interaction and how culture influences communication (ex., interruptions, turn taking, use of titles)

Teacher AnalysisWhat kinds of rules of conversation or interaction are

exhibited (or should be) in the conversation?Do such rules have a potential for creating a non-

linguistic misunderstanding? If so, how?

Potential Focuses of Questions (effect on interactions) kinds of rules that govern a given social and/or

communicative context

Norms

(Hymes, 1974; McConachy, 2009)

The types of speech events and how they are generally characterized (ex., story, telephone, interview)

Teacher AnalysisWhat is the basic kind of interaction involved?What are the common features of language found in

this situation?

Potential Focuses of Questions (effect on interactions)Differences roles or expectations of participants, or

other interplays of different aspects of the framework

Genre

(Hymes, 1974; McConachy, 2009)

AGAIN: It is NOT necessary to ask every kind of question every time. You can be selective and focus on key points for stimulating a healthy discussion.

Teachers can develop own sociocultural awareness, and pass it on to students through classroom tasksBuild socio-cultural awarenessDevelop interpersonal skills Work toward greater Socio-Linguistic

Competence

End Goals for the Framework’s Use

Socio-Linguistic Competence in Communicative Competence Model

Having awareness of:1.Social rules of

language (e.g., formality, politeness, directness, etc.)

2.Nonverbal behaviors3.Cultural references

(e.g., idioms, expressions, background knowledge, etc.)

(http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/eslapb/about_communicative_competence.html)

Questions?

Bennett, M. (1998). Current perspectives of intercultural communication. In M.J. Bennett (Ed.), Basic concepts in intercultural communication: Selected readings (pp. 191–214). Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press

Damen, L.(1997). Culture learning: The fifth dimension in the language classroom. New York: Addison Wesley

Hymes, D. (1972). On communicative competence. In Sociolinguistics: Selected readings, edited by J. Pride and J. Holmes. Hammondsworth, UK: Penguin.

Hymes, D. (1974) Foundations of sociolinguistics: An ethnographic approach. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

LaRay M. Barna (1994) Stumbling blocks in intercultrual communication. In Intercultural Communication : L.A. Samovar and R.E. Porter (Eds) : Belmont CA : Wadsworth Publishing Company. (pp. 337-346)

McConachy, T. (2009) Raising sociocultural awareness through contextual analysis: Some tools for teachers. ELT Journal 63(2).

McKay, S. (2002) Teaching english as an international language: Rethinking goals and approaches. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Tomalin, B. (2008). Culture - the fifth language skill. Available at http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/culture-fifth-language-skill

References

Kevin Hajovsky

Senior English Language Fellow

Galápagos, Ecuador

August 2013

Sociocultural Awareness: Developing the 5th Skill

galapagoselt@gmail.com