Acculturation

In the field of second language learning, acculturation is considered as being accustomed to foreign culture. Brown (2007) defines acculturation as the progress of adjusting and settling into a new culture, usually when one comes to new culture. This takes time and requires one to adopt certain behavior patterns of the culture.

People experience difficulty of identifying themselves within the new environment due to uncertainty that new culture and language bring to them. Therefore, Gao (2000) accounts a study on Chinese immigrants in Australia and their difficulty to identify themselves with their new environment because of cultural and linguistic problems, at least initially. Acculturation took place, at varying levels. An evidence of which will be “their difficulty to live in China if and when they go back” p. 8.

Brown (1990) questions whether language is value-free or independent of cultural background. Gao (2000) concludes in his abstract that “it is sometimes difficult to make out the difference between what is cultural and what is linguistic, that acquisition of a second language is not culturally value-free, that acculturation and linguistic competence goes hand in hand, and that acculturation indicates identity shift.”

 As a L2 speaker of English myself, I agree that it is indeed difficult, most of the time, to ascertain whether an utterance is brought about by either cultural or linguistic factors, the competence on either or both, or the lack of it. This something that we should avoid or escape when we are in foreign culture.  

References:

Brown, H. G. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy. (3^rd ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education Inc.

Gao, M. C. (2000). Influence of native culture and language on intercultural communication: The case of PRC student immigrants in Australia. Paper presented at the Symposium of Intercultural Communication, Department of Linguistics, Gothenburg University, Sweden. Retrieved from http://www.immi.se/intercultural/nr4/gao.htm

Culture and Second Language Learning and teaching

 Culture and language are interrelated. Risager (2006) defined language as “linguistically formed culture” (p. 6).  Therefore, integration of culture in language teaching and learning has become an important topic in the field of language teaching and learning. Language teachers are required to integrate culture in their teachings due to help language learners to understand English culture and to be understood by the strangers in the target culture. Therefore, without teachings of target culture, teaching language cannot be completed.

              Needs of native language teachers have increased while the number of non-native English teacher has been increased. Thus, the needs and availability of teachers are not the same.  Consequently, many language institutes are hiring native English speakers without teaching profession to be English teachers instead of hiring non-native English speaker teachers with teaching profession (Amin, Braine, Canagarajah, & Rampton, as cited in Maum, 2002).

 In Mongolia, most of the English teachers pursued their language teaching profession in the country and have not been to any English speaking country. Thus, integrating culture in language classroom is one of the challenges that many English teachers are facing in Mongolia today. However, the teachers may cooperate with instructional media to integrate culture in a language classroom (Yoko as cited in Warschauer & Meskill, 2000).  Mongolian government started supporting the young people to be educated in foreign countries therefore there is room for language teachers to improve their language teaching profession.  All language teachers should integrate culture in their teachings regardless of their different cultural identities.  

References:

De Capua, A. & Wintergerst, A. (2004). Crossing cultures in the language classroom. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

Maum, R. (2002). Nonnative-English-speaking teachers in the English teaching profession. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pric/is_200212/ai_4217021737/

Risager, K. (2006). Language and culture: Global flows and local complexity. Ontario, CA: Cromwell. 

 

Warschauer, M., & Meskill, C. (2000). Technology and second language learning. In J. Rosenthal (ed.), Handbook of undergraduate second language education

            (pp. 303-318). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Experiencing Cultural Shock after Two Years

           Several months ago, I went to Batangas which is one of the cities of the Philippines with my husband and my cousins. We had to go their due to get the things which were sent by my parents in law. We had not faced any problem until we started to go back to the AIIAS campus where we stay. We asked the policeman how we could find the bus station where we can find the bus to go back home. We follow the direction but we got lost our way and end up surrounded by strangers. We even did not know where we Finally, at 11 pm we have arrived at AIIAS campus riding on a tricycle.

Having experienced cultural shock after 2 years, I started thinking the cultural phenomenon behind the unpleasant experience that we had had. Bateson said that culture difference even in families therefore we know how to interact with cultural strangers outside the house (as cited in Kumarvadilu, 2008). This shows that the cultural values that we experience inside the AIIAS campus is far different than the culture that people practice. Therefore, Cortazi and Jin (2009) said each culture has its unique codes. Thus, it is important to know the target culture in order to survive. In addition, it would be helpful if we have cultural seminar at AIIAS for new students and professors to help them understand the target culture and adjust to it.

References:

Kumaravadivelu, B. (2008). Cultural globalization and language education. a study of interactional patterns, pathologies, and paradoxes. USA: YALE University.

Cortazzi, M, & Jun, L. (2009). Cultural mirrors: materials and methods in the EFL classroom. In E. Hinkel (Ed), Culture in second language teaching and learning (pp. 196-219). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.