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. 

Teaching Interlanguage Pragmatic Knowledge

Studies show that importance of teaching pragmatic knowledge to language learners. However, it is not an easy task for language teachers (Jianda, n.d.). Native speakers often forgive the grammatical errors made by non-native speakers but they hardly forgive pragmatic errors (Nelson, et al., 2002). Thus teaching of interlanguage pragmatic knowledge can prevent L2 speakers from negative interpretation of native speakers. 

Gass & Silenker (2008) maintained that language is a phenomenon that cannot be separated from its social context. Therefore, teaching structure of phonological, syntactic, and lexical of the language is just a part of whole. This means without teaching interlinguage pragmatic knowledge language teaching and learning cannot be completed. Therefore, “Students should learn to go beyond the literal meaning of utterances to understand the pragmatic force” (Gass & Silenker, 2008, p. 287).

Matsuda (1999) examines the issues of teachability and the teaching of pragmatics in Language classrooms. Unfortunately, few empirical studies are available. Teaching interlanguage pragmatic knowledge along with the language is very important. Teachers can use materials with a functional approach. That is, the materials should present the contextual reference of the lessons to help students acquire pragmatic competence. 

References:

Gass, S.M., & Selinker, S. (2008). Second language acquisition: An introductory course. New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group.

Jianda, L. (n. d.). Assessing EFL learners’ interlanguage pragmatic knowledge:
Implications for testers and teachers. Retrived from http://www.nus.edu.sg/celc/publications/LiuVol5.pdf

Matsuda, A. (1999). Interlanguage pragmatics: What can it offer to language teachers? Catesol journal 11 (1) pp. 39-59.

Nelson, G. L., Carson, J., Batal, M., & Waguida, E.B. (2002). Cross-cultural
pragmatics: Strategy use in Egyptian and Arabic and American English
refusals. Applied Linguistics (23) p. 163- 189.

Collectivism and Confucianism

Collectivist considers following their group is important than self fulfillment and places high value on relationship (Kumaravdivelu, 2008). The school context is influenced by Korea’s strong collectivism which also becomes one of the barriers of Korean students to learning to speak in English.  English is a foreign language in Korea and almost all Korean do not talk to each other in English. Therefore, speaking English out- side of EFL classroom is impossible for Korean language learners to practice. If there are more than one Korean student in ESL classroom, it is hard for the language teacher to stop them talking to each other in their language. Therefore, Korean collectivistic culture affects the process of language learning and teaching.

            Interactive practices are important in language classrooms to teach students to communicate in the target language. However, students in Confucianism society just listen to teachers in class without expressing their opinions and are not comfortable with disagreeing and criticizing someone’s work.

            Confucianism was the foundation to establish institution in traditional Chinese society (Berling, 1982). Therefore, Chinese classroom set is teacher centered learning environment where student listen to what the teacher says, and memorize it. Therefore, it is hard for teachers to apply student centered approach in Chinese classroom. However, language teachers need to use student centered approach to teach speaking. Therefore, teachers can introduce the language learners the importance of speaking in order to learn to speak in the target language.    

Refervences:

Berling, J. (1982). Confucianism. Asian Religions. 2 (1), 5-7. 

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

Language VS Culture

Language and culture are interrelated and influence how we express ourselves in various circumstances. Language affects culture and culture affects language in a never-ending cycle. There are many studies which show a learner’s second language competency is influenced by learner’s culture. Therefore, sometimes second language learners make errors which are grammatically correct but pragmatically inappropriate. However, it is challenge for teachers to distinguish whether a learner’s utterance is influenced by the learner’s culture. 

Second language culture should be integrated in language lesson in order to help the process of acculturation of language learners. Therefore, Gao (2000) said that value-free practical skill is not linguistic competence of a non-native language. Learning the target culture can help the learners to be able to survive in the second culture and learn the language successfully. 

 Brown (2007) noted that learner age, characteristics, linguistic factors, learning process, order of acquisition and many other things affect mistakes are made by whether native or non-native language speakers. Therefore, studying the reason of the mistakes that made by second language learner make ages. However, knowing more about the language and culture of the learners can help the language teachers to detect best way to explain the second language and culture to the learners. 

References:

Brown, H. G. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy.  (3rd 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 February 7, 2012, from http://www.immi.se/intercultural/nr4/gao.htm

Little Things Matter in Communication

People do same things or express same in different ways in different cultures. In American culture, privacy is important. Therefore, before you enter someone’s room people ask permission. When people come home they say “I’m home or I’m back” rest of the family does not have to reply or say something. 

In Hong Kong culture, people leave their door open to accept people without permission. When husband the father comes, he needs to say “I’ve come back” then children suppose to say “Daddy!” or other people suppose to stop doing whatever pay attention to him. One who comes becomes the center of the attention. 

Mongolian people announce that you are coming. People need to notice the person is at the present. The person becomes the center of the attention and people. The wife and children offer tea and food to their father or the visitor.

Moreover, Chinese and British people usually keep their door closed due they do not want to allow people to come without permission. On the other hand, American people keep office door open but does not mean that people can come in without permission (Hinkel, 2009). Looking at those cultures we can see the variety kinds of greetings when people arrive. 

Different culture has different “framework of assumptions, ideas, and beliefs that are used to interpret other people’s actions, words and patterns of thinking” (Cortazzi & Jin, 2009, p. 163). Therefore, to send appropriate message to the message receiver we need to know how people communicate in a special way within the society. Therefore, teaching culture in EFL/ESL classroom is important to prepare students to survive in different culture. 
References: 
Hinkel, E. (1996). When in Rome: Evaluation of L2 pragmatics behaviors. Journal of  

Pragmatics, 26, 51-92. 
Hinkel, I. (2009). Culture in second language teaching and learning. Cambridge, UK:

Cambridge University. (chapter 10 & 11)