Culture and Language

CULTURE AND LANGUAGE

David Aguirre FernándezCarolina Fernández HerreraAna María Narváez TempranoMónica Zambrano Ponguillo

Key words

• Legacy of the history – Herencia histórica• Awareness - Conciencia• Culture - Cultura • Language - Idioma• Flesh - Carne• Blood - Sangre• Core – Núcleo

What is culture?

• “The set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and that it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs.”

(UNESCO)

Language as a fundamental part of culture

• Philosophical point of view: flesh + blood• Communicative point of view: swimming skill + water• Pragmatic point of view: vehicle + traffic light

Why is culture becoming a central core of language learning?

Most important reasons:• Globalised world• Influence of culture• Learning culture through language

Other reasons:• Need of developing – cultural awareness– intercultural learning–empathy and tolerance

• Contents are not enough

How can we use culture to teach foreign languages?

• British culture as a model.

• British culture: legacy of the history of a developed country.

How can we use culture to teach a foreign language?

1. The London Philarmonic Orchestra

2. The Five O’clock Tea

3. Let’s play football!

4. Hamley’s toy shop. The coolest one!

5. Let’s go to London =)

But this is not the end…

• Songs, rhymes, games…– The English corner.

• Food, clothes, typical toys.• Books, comics, newspaper, restaurant menus,

labels…– Using real texts

• Don’t forget about Australia, New Zealand, Southafrica, Canada…

To create new cultural activities:

Think about differences in: Language , food, architecture, clothing, expression of emotions., physical contact…

CONCLUSSION

Grammatical and formal features combined with cultural contents.

Bibliography- UNESCO (2002) Culture – competing

definitions. (http://www.unibas-ethno.ch/redakteure/foerster/dokumente/Culture20080228.pdf) Seen on the 7th May, 2013.

- Jiang, W. (2000). The relationship between culture and language. ELT journal, 54(4), 328-334. (http://203.72.145.166/ELT/files/54-4-3.pdf) Seen on the 7th May, 2013.

- Brewster, J. Ellis, G. & Girard, D. (2002) The Primary English Teacher's Guide. Second Edition. Longman. (http://moodle.unican.es/file.php/735/CULTURE/Brewster-cap._10-Culture.pdf) Seen on the 7th May, 2013.

Thank you for listening!