An Investigation Into Culrural Elements Via Linguistic Means In New Headway Textbooks.pdf

Output file VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES *************** NGUYỄN THỊ THÚY HẰNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO CULTURAL EL[.]

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES *************** NGUYỄN THỊ THÚY HẰNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO CULTURAL ELEMENTS VIA LINGUISTIC MEANS IN NEW HEADWAY TEXTBOOKS (Nghiên cứu yếu tố văn hóa thơng qua phương tiện ngơn ngữ giáo trình New Headway) M.A Minor Programme Thesis FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS CODE: 60.22.15 HÀ NỘI – 2010 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES *************** NGUYỄN THỊ THÚY HẰNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO CULTURAL ELEMENTS VIA LINGUISTIC MEANS IN NEW HEADWAY TEXTBOOKS (Nghiên cứu yếu tố văn hóa thơng qua phương tiện ngơn ngữ giáo trình New Headway) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS CODE: 60.22.15 SUPERVISOR: PHAN THỊ VÂN QUYÊN, M.A HÀ NỘI – NĂM 2010 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Declaration i Acknowledgements ii Abstract iii Table of contents iv List of tables vi PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims of the study Research question Scope of the study Methods of the study Design of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Theoretical Background 1.1 Culture 1.2 Elements of Culture 1.2.1 British Culture 1.2.2 American Culture 10 1.3 Language 11 1.4 Interrelationship between Language and Culture………………………………….12 1.5 Cultural dimension of English language learning and teaching………………… 14 Chapter 2: Methodology 17 2.1 Materials under investigation…………………………………………………… 17 2.2 The context of the study………………………………………………………… 18 2.3 Research question………………………………………………………………….19 2.4 Research methods ……….……………………………………………………… 20 2.5 Data collection procedures……………………………………………………… 20 v Chapter 3: Findings and Discussions 21 3.1 Identifications of British cultural elements in New Headway textbooks .21 3.1.1 Norms……………………………………………………………………………21 3.1.2 Values 22 3.1.3 Attitudes 23 3.1.4 Communication styles 26 3.1.5 Discussion……………………………………………………………………… 28 3.2 Identifications of American cultural elements in New Headway textbooks………31 3.2.1 Norms 32 3.2.2 Values ……………………………………………………………………………32 3.2.3 Attitudes 33 3.2.4 Communication styles………………………………………………………… 34 3.2.5 Discussion 34 PART C: CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………….36 Conclusions 36 Implications for incorporating culture teaching into English language teaching……39 Limitations of the study and suggestions for further study 40 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………… 42 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: The frequency of occurrence of British cultural elements in New Headway textbooks Table 2: The frequency of occurrence of American cultural elements in New Headway textbooks Table 3: The comparison of frequency of occurrence between British and American cultural elements in New Headway Textbooks 1 PART A: INTRODUCTION This part consists of rationale, aims of the study, research question, scope of the study, methods of the study and design of the study Rationale As we know, language and culture are interdependent and interactional Culture affects the way language is used and language may reflect many factors of culture in turn In addition, what is right one culture may not be accepted in another culture As people from one country to another , cultural differences become apparent to them Bentahila, A and Davies, E (1998:99-111) when discussing culture and language use have come to the conclusion that if learners not acquire some familiarity with the cultural norms of native speakers of their target language, they will meet difficulties in communicating these ones Thus, cultural knowledge is obviously a vital key for Vietnamese students for success in learning English because second language learning is second culture learning Without the study of culture, foreign language instruction is inaccurate and incomplete Clearly, if you not understand about culture of a community, you cannot understand and express fully meanings in the context of that communication; therefore you will not be able to gain a successful communication English – the popular language in international communication, has played a crucial role in many fields It has been taught in Vietnam for decades Nowadays, English has become a compulsory subject in schools, colleges and universities in Vietnam Therefore, different kinds of English teaching and learning materials are available now in Vietnam However, the main emphasis on structural rules and forms often serves as the principal method of teaching English Most Vietnamese teachers tend to focus on teaching grammar, vocabulary, language skills without paying much attention to cultural background knowledge The students may get difficulties in achieving contextual, situational and cultural appropriateness in communication For foreign language students, language study seems meaningless if they know nothing about the people who speak that language or the country in which that language is spoken Foreign language learning is also foreign culture learning So, language learners need to be aware, for example, of the culturally appropriate ways to address people, make requests or invitations, suggestions or express gratitude to someone, etc To communicate successfully, language learners need to understand that language use must be associated with other culturally appropriate behavior Understanding a language involves not only knowledge of grammar, phonology and lexis but also of certain features and characteristics of the culture For the aforementioned reasons, the author has decided to choose “Cultural Elements via Linguistic Means in New Headway Textbooks” as the topic for this thesis Aims of the study This research was carried out to serve the following purposes: - To identify British and American cultural elements revealed in the New Headway Textbooks ( at Elementary, pre-intermediate, and Intermediate levels ) - To raise the teachers‟ and students‟ awareness of the importance of cultural knowledge in cross-cultural communication as well as in mastering English language - To give suggestions for incorporating culture teaching into language teaching so that English learning and teaching become more interesting and effective Research question This research is carried out to find the answer to the research question: What are the cultural elements that can be found in New Headway Textbooks? Scope of the study - Pointing out British and American cultural elements revealed in the New Headway Textbooks such as norms, values, attitudes and communication styles - New Headway Textbooks at Elementary, Pre-intermediate, and Intermediate levels are under investigation Methods of the study - This study used quantitative method in order to quantify British and American cultural elements such as norms, values, attitudes and communication styles in New headway Textbooks - Data was collected by means of descriptive analysis and statistic 3 Designs of the study This research consists of parts: INTRODUCTION, DEVELOPMENT, AND CONCLUSION Part A: INTRODUCTION This part discusses rationale, aims of the study, research questions, scope of the study, methods of the study, and designs of the study Part B: DEVELOPMENT This is the focus of the study which is divided into chapters Chapter 1: Theoretical Background This part discusses the culture, elements of culture, British and American culture, language, interrelationship between language and culture, and cultural dimension of English language learning and teaching Chapter 2: Methodology It consists of materials under investigation, the context of the study, research question, research methods, and data collection procedures Chapter 3: Findings and discussions This part focuses on analyzing cultural elements such as norms, values, attitudes and communication styles revealed in the New Headway Textbooks Then, give discussions Part C: CONCLUSION To sum up the major findings, give implications for incorporating culture teaching into English language teaching and then, give suggestions for further research PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND This chapter consists of theoretical background such as culture, elements of culture, British culture, American culture, language, interrelationship between language and culture, cultural dimension of English language learning and teaching 1.1 Culture When referring to culture, we often relate to art, music, history, geography , literature, architect, religions, customs and traditions and social relationship… Up to now, the term “Culture” has been understood and defined in many ways Each author gives different ideas There are many particular definitions and conceptualizations of culture “ Culture , in its broadest sense , is what make you a stranger when you are away from home It includes all beliefs and expectations about how people should speak and act which have become a kind of second nature to you as a result of social learning When you are with members of a group who share your culture , we or you not have to think about it, for you are all viewing the world in pretty much the same way and you all know , in general terms, what to expect of one another” ( Phillip K Bock, 1970: ix) Levine and Adelman ( 1993) asserted that “Culture is a shared background ( for example, national, ethnic, religious) resulting from common language and communication style , customs, beliefs, art, music and all the other products of human thought made by a particular group of people at a particular time It also refers to the informal and often hidden patterns of human interactions, expressions and view points that people in one culture shared” Levine and Adelman compared culture with an “iceberg” The visible part of an iceberg or culture consists of appearance, food, language, tradition and customs… and the invisible part includes values, beliefs, attitudes and communicative styles, perceptions, etc the visible part of culture is a small part of a much bigger whole Therefore, people cannot see the significant influence of culture on an individual behavior and interaction with others Culture makes people bind together Culture is all the accepted and patterned ways of behavior of a given people It consists of a group‟s way of thinking ,feeling, and acting and patterns for doing certain things in certain ways… All in all, “ Culture is everything that people have, think and as a member of a society” ( Ferrando, 1996:18, cited in Nguyen Quang, 2006:16) The concept of culture, therefore, involves the way people from a particular cultural background think, feel, act ,make friends, worship and behave in a community Culture distinguishes one human group from others It also distinguishes human being from animals Culture is shared, learned symbolic system of values, beliefs and attitudes that shapes and affects people‟s behaviors, norms, values, attitudes, customs, lifestyle, perceptions, taboos and communicative styles, art, history , geography, economics and political systems… 1.2 Elements of culture There are many ways of understanding and defining about the culture So each author gives different definitions of cultural elements Some authors define and classify elements clearly, but others have not classified them clearly, only give some suggestions about them or only list some of typical elements of culture In this part, I only list some classifications of cultural elements from some famous authors such as Stephen Moore, Stephen Dahl, Saville-Troike, Tomalin and Stempleski, Gail Robinson, Nelson Brooks and UNESCO organization According to Stephen Moore (1985:4 as cited by Do Mai Thanh & Dao Thu Trang , 2006: 5-6) culture consists of the following elements: Beliefs, values, norms, roles, role conflict, and status  Beliefs: are general, vague opinions held about the world and about the nature of society They vary by society and sometimes by subcultures, eg God created the earth in seven days, or that Jesus was the son of God  Values: are vague beliefs about what is right and correct in the world They imply that there are certain appropriate forms of action which ought to be taken, eg Life is precious therefore, it is wrong to kill anybody  Norms: are socially expected patterns of behavior (Actions that are regarded as normal) eg Not talking out loud during a play, wearing black clothes to a funeral  Roles: social roles are patterns of behavior expected of certain people according to the occupation or position they hold in society Eg The role of clergyman is to be sympathetic, well-mannered, well-spoken, religious, and charitable A swering, heavy-drinking, perty-going clergyman would be regarded with astonishment by most people 6  Role conflict : There are innumerable social roles- father, mother, child, shopkeeper, etc All of us occupy a number of roles, which are generally complementary, but sometimes they may conflict, for instance, …  Status: refers to the position of a person or a social role in society according to the amount prestige received from others In different societies or cultures, status varies In Britain those with the highest status are the best educated and the rich , although this will obviously vary within subcultures In traditional Japan, it was the samurai warriors who received the greatest prestige, after the Emperor In Stephen Dahl‟s description ( cited by Do Mai Thanh & Dao Thu Trang , 2006:6), culture is “ order into” three layers, like an onion, where one peel has to be taken off in order to see the following inner The outer layer, artifacts and products, this is the most explicit part including language and food, architecture and style etc The second layer is norms and values The inner most layer, basic assumptions, represents the core assumptions of what life is , assumptions about how to handle everyday problems that have become self-evident, that is communication Whereas, Saville-Troike (1982:30) suggest that norms, content of a language, beliefs, values and needs are components of culture But Gail Robinson (1985, as cited by Tomalin and Stempleski, 1993:7) classifies culture into three components: Products, ideas and behaviors  Products includes literature, folklore, art, music, and artifacts  Ideas includes beliefs, values, and institutions  Behaviors consists of customs, habits, dress, foods, and leisure According to UNESCO ( World Conference on Culture policies Mexico City: 1982), components of culture consist of art, letters, modes of life, the fundamental rights of the human beings, values systems, traditions and beliefs Nelson Brooks identifies five meanings of culture: growth; refinement; fine arts; patterns of living; and a total way of life He believes that patterns of living should receive the major emphasis in the classroom It is patterns of living that are the least understood, yet the most important in the early phases of language instruction He labels this meaning of culture as culture “Culture (patterns of living) refers to the individual‟s role in the unending kaleidoscope of life situations of every kind and the rules and models for attitude and conduct in them Culture can be divided into formal culture and deep culture Formal culture, sometimes referred to as “culture with a capital C”, includes the humanistic manifestations and contributions of a foreign culture: art; music; literature; architecture; technology; politics Deep culture, or “culture with a small c,” focuses on the behavioral patterns or lifestyles of the people: When and what they eat; how they make a living; the attitudes they express towards friends and members of their families; which expressions they use to show approval or disapproval Obviously, there are many different ideas from the classifications of cultural elements To serve the purpose of this thesis, I will try to identify elements of culture such as norms, values, attitudes and communication styles in the New Headway Textbooks * Norms are the rules of culture that tell the members of a culture how they are expected to behave in a given situation Other words, norms are cultural standards for behavior “The way we things around here” Every society or every civilization has a set of norms This can include the folkways, mores, taboos and rituals in a culture Eg: Not talking out loud during a play, wearing black clothes to a funeral “Norms are prescriptive principles to which members of a culture subscribe The attributes of a norm include: (1) a collective evaluation of behavior in terms of what ought to be; (2) a collective interpretation as to what behavior will be; (3) particular reactions to behavior including attempts to apply sanctions or otherwise include a particular kind of behavior” ( Gibb,1965:590, cited by William B Gudykunst and Stella Ting-Toomey with Elizabeth Chua, 1988:61) * Values are cultural standards or judgments of what is right, good, or desirable Values are ideas that we hold to be important Values govern the way we behave, communicate and interact with others A value system differentiates right feelings, thoughts and behavior from wrong feelings, thoughts and behavior Geert Hofstede (1980: 6) offers a short list of some topics that deal with values: Evil versus good Abnormal versus normal Dangerous versus safe irrational versus rational Ugly versus beautiful dirty versus clean Decent versus indecent paradoxical versus logical Unnatural versus natural moral versus immoral Values are feelings with arrows to them Each has a plus or minus pole And he also reminds us that “ values are programmed early in our lives”, therefore, values are not often irrational Eg: Personal freedom, egalitarianism Examples of right: loyalty to nation; sense of duty Examples of wrong: cowardliness; abuse of authority * Attitudes are the external displays of underlying beliefs that people use to signal to other people of their membership This includes internal members Attitudes also can be used to give warning For example, in Vietnamese family, children are not regarded as having „rights‟ Daughters are expected to assist with household chores from an early age, to defer to men, to protect their virginity, and to regard marriage as automatic Boys are often indulged, and encouraged to pursue „manly‟ activities Children share rooms with their brothers and sisters, and in poor families, with their parents as well Nakedness and family discussion of sexual matters are taboo * Communication styles Communication style means the way a particular individual communicates with other persons Different people follow different styles of communication, depending on their personality and attitude Then, there are some people who follow all the communication styles, depending upon what is required at a given point of time, in a particular situation While some people are direct, honest and upfront; some are indirect, manipulative and aggressive in a rather passive way Most people use a mix of styles consciously or naturally The style of communication can affect the results achieved in business and personal situations For example, in Britain, “please”, “thank you”, and sometimes “thank you very much” are involved in just about every human transaction They are necessary and expected in communication with the British People in Britain are very time-oriented, respecting deadlines and punctuality People who talk loud are considered ill-bred, illmannered and ill-educated British people have a quite indirect communication style Most British are masters of understatement and not use effusive language Brits tend to be indirect, subtle and suggestive communicators “Perhaps we could ask John whether he could finish that report by Monday” actually means “Tell John he must finish the report by Monday” 1.2.1 British culture Britain is comprised of different countries (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales) and numerous different regions that all have their very own and very different traditions, dialects and even languages The British culture is defined a very old culture Societies change over time while their reputation lag behind Many things which are often regarded as typically British derive from books, songs, or plays which were written a long time ago and which are no longer representative of modern life However, in their private everyday lives, the British as individuals are probably less inclined to follow tradition than are the people of most other countries There are very few ancient customs that are followed by the majority of families on special occasions In addition, for example, British are the most enthusiastic video-watching people in the world, opposite to traditional pastime Even when a British habit conforms to the stereotype, the wrong conclusions can sometimes be drawn from it; for example, it would seem wrong to conclude that their habits of queuing shows that the British are patient people Apparently, the British hate having to wait and have less patience than people in many other countries Like all European nations, Britain does not have the luxury of space Houses, apartments, cars and appliances are all smaller than you are accustomed British is well known for drinking heavily at young ages, having sex from about the age of 12-16 and kicking the crap out of each other pretty much daily Football is the greatest loved sport in Britain with Cricket, Rugby and maybe Tennis Most people in Britain grow up with an ambition to claim benefits, become a hair dresser or a car mechanic Religion is not very big in Britain and maybe about 10% of the population are actually religious or actually believe in some sorts of god The pub is a very important part of British culture and nothing will immerse you more than a pint of beer Students, work colleagues, friends and family all meet in the pub and it is used as a focal point of social contact In general, the British people are well known with sense of fair play, integrity, and understatement The British, especially the English, are renowned for their politeness and courtesy So British communication style is “indirectness” When doing business in the UK you generally find that direct questions often receive evasive responses and conversations 10 may be ambiguous and full of subtleties When chatting with the strangers, they often talk much about the weather to avoid private things They always apologize for bumping into someone even if it is not their fault They quite respect people's personal space and always wait in line They are quite reserved, quiet So it is difficult to make friends with them but when you are closer, they are very friendly We can learn the humour, stiff upper lip and patience of the British people The importance of humour in all situations, including business contexts, cannot be overestimated They accept the jokes One of the most confusing aspects of British culture is humor Bantering, ribbing, or "taking the mick" are all ways to describe making fun of someone but this isn't necessarily a bad thing Teasing someone is a common way to show affection In Britain, women are entitled to equal respect and status to men in all areas of life and tend to have more independence and responsibility than in some other cultures Women are usually independent and accustomed to entering public places unaccompanied The British people consider the ideal person to be an individualistic, self-reliant, independent person and they especially respect individual freedom, in thought, action and feeling, etc They have been trained since very early in their lives to consider themselves as separate individuals who are responsible for their own situations in life and their own destinies, for their own decisions Hence, they work very hard The people of Britain are also very conscious of time and they are very particular about reaching an appointment on time Being late for an appointment is considered impolite in Britain For examples, you should arrive a few minutes early for public meetings, plays, concerts, movies, sporting events, classes, church services, and weddings but if you are invited to someone's house for dinner at half past seven, they will expect you to be there on the dot An invitation might state "7.30 for 8", in which case you should arrive no later than 7.50 However, if an invitation says "sharp", you must arrive in plenty of time The British people are the ones who love the nature and animals They like fresh and healthy life in the countryside 1.2.2 American culture The development of the culture of the United States of America has been marked by a tension between two strong sources of inspiration: European ideals, especially British and domestic originality 11 American culture encompasses traditions, ideals, customs, beliefs, values, arts, folklore and innovations developed both domestically and imported via colonization and immigration from the British Isles It includes both conservative and liberal elements, military and scientific competitiveness, political structures, risk taking and free expression, materialist and moral elements It also includes elements which evolved from native American, and other ethnic subcultures; most prominently the culture of African American slave descendants and different cultures from Latin America In general, Americans are renowned for individual freedom Freedom is the most prominent value of American Americans commonly regard their society as the freest and best in the world Americans who respect the rights of other citizens are free to work, play, worship, travel, and live as they please We can encounter that in America children are also allowed to make many of their own choices – what to wear, what to watch on television, how to spend their free time, even what school to attend because American parents feel their children have many rights, including freedom of speech American life is marked by change and those who thrive are self-sufficient, quick jumpers, who can exist, if need be, far from family They are very self-reliant, self-sufficient and dependent people They are also very friendly and informal People tend to not wait to be introduced, will begin to speak with strangers as they stand in a queue, sit next to each other at an event, etc With Americans, equality is a good chance for a personal success They work hard and always compete to survive Americans believe that people should hold jobs and not live off welfare payments from the government Volunteerism in American community and political life reflects Americans‟ optimistic pride in their ability to work out practical solutions themselves In spite of equality, the women still most of the housework and childcare in the family due to old habits They also love the nature and animals Cats and dogs are considered the rest of the family In America, time is a very important commodity People 'save' time and 'spend' time as if it were money in the bank Americans ascribe personality characteristics and values based on how people use time For example, people who are on-time are considered to be good people, reliable people who others can count on Also, materialism has always been an integral part of life for most Americans They consider it almost a right to be materially well off and physically comfortable 1.3 Language 12 Living in a society, people cannot survive without communication with others In order to communicate, human beings need a means Language is the most effective means of communicating between people to people over the world As we know, each community or nation has its own language and each individual has competence to use at least one language which is called mother tongue Language plays an important part in our life Language is not only for communication but also for transferring culture from generation to generation It is difficult to imagine what our life would be like without language Language is a sign that make human beings different from all other species in the animal Kingdom Radford ( 2000) said that language is regarded as a cognitive system which is part of any normal human beings‟ mental and psychological structure Every language has its own unique features and ways of allowing those who speak it to identify specific objects and experiences These linguistic features, which distinguish each language from all others, affect how the speaker of language perceive and experience the world Language is also considered as a social phenomenon It reveals social consciousness The fact that language serves society as a means of communication and the existence and development of language, in turn, are attached to the existence and development of a society According to Claire Kramsch (1998:3), “Language is the principal means whereby we conduct our social lives When it is used in contexts of communication, it is bound up with culture in multiple and complex ways.” When communicating, human beings both express their experience and create their own experience through language They give meaning to it through the media they choose to communicate with one another in order to make people understandable to the community or social group they belong to It is obvious that language is the primary and essential means people use to communicate and express their thoughts, feeling, ideas, desires, etc Moreover, language is not only our main link with the outside world, it is also a marker that distinguishes us from the animal creatures we share the world with ( Larry A Samovar, Richard E Porter, Edwin R McDaniel, 2007:164) Thanks to language, people can understand each other more easily It helps people build a better society to satisfy their lives and desires 1.4 Interrelationship between Language and Culture 13 As we know, each country or nation, small or large, has its own language and culture Language and culture are not separate They are always interrelated To gain a better communication, people not only use the spoken language fluently, but also need a stock of cultural background knowledge such as music, art, literature, history, geography, customs, traditions, habits, foods, clothes, drinks, norms, communicative styles, values, beliefs, perceptions, attitudes…… It is clear that one cannot master a language without its cultural background and in all communicative activities, culture makes itself strongly felt It is commonly accepted that the relationship between language and culture is well established and must be placed within the social context They are dialectically interrelated and language is one of the most typical presentations for perception and thinking Language both reflects and affects one‟s world view When referring to the relationship between language and culture, Joyce M Valdes (1986:4) suggests the circular pattern of language, culture and thought in which each influences and is influenced by the others “They are not all the same thing, but none can survive without the others” Obviously, it is impossible for human beings to study anything without being acknowledged of the language and its culture at the same time Culture is a deeply ingrained part of people‟s lives However, language - the means for communication among members of a culture - is the most visible and available expression of that culture It is believed that language is a reflection of culture and in turn, words, of course, always reflect cultural elements Language and culture can be seen as the faces of a sheet of paper ( Nguyen Van Do, 2006) Language expresses, embodies, symbolizes cultural reality and in turn, cultural knowledge makes language alive Language cannot exist outside the social context , language is a social institution, both shaping and shaped by a large society This relationship is expressed in the following this diagram: Language Culture Society 14 Language is used to maintain and convey culture and cultural ties Different ideas stem from differing language use within one‟s culture and the whole intertwining of these relationships start at one‟s birth From birth, the child‟s life, opinions, and language are shaped by what it comes in contact with Brooks (1968) argues that physically and mentally everyone is the same, while the interactions between persons or groups vary widely from place to place Patterns which emerge from these group behaviours and interactions will be approved of, or disapproved of Behaviours which are acceptable will vary from location to location (Brooks, 1968) thus forming the basis of different cultures It is from these differences that one‟s view of the world is formed Therefore, everyone‟s views are dependent on the culture which has influenced them, as well as being described using the language which has been shaped by that culture The understanding of a culture and its people can be enhanced by the knowledge of their language In short, culture influences the way in which language is used; each individual, social group or community communicates basing on its own typical cultural viewpoint And in its turn, language which contains many factors of culture plays a crucial role in expressing cultural values and perceptions as well as maintaining and developing culture from generation to generation Culture shapes our view of the world and language is the most representative element in any culture 1.5 Cultural dimension of English language learning and teaching Teaching a language cannot be separated from teaching its culture because the purpose of teaching a language is to help people communicate with each other and culture plays an important part in communication Claire Kramsch ( 1993:93) asserted: “If language is seen as social practice, culture becomes the core of language teaching Cultural awareness must then be viewed as enabling language proficiency Culture in language teaching is not expendable fifth skill, tacked on, to the teaching of speaking, listening, reading and writing” Regarding teaching culture in language training, it is very important to mention the conclusion of Robert Polizer, “ As language teachers , we must be interested in the study of culture ( in the social scientist‟s sense of the word) not because we necessarily want to teach the culture of the other country but because we have to teach it” ( 1959: 100-101) As Englebert (2004) also describes: “…to teach a foreign language is also to teach a 15 foreign culture, and it is important to be sensitive to the fact that our students, our colleges, our administrators, and, if we live abroad, our neighbours, not share all of our cultural paradigms.” In addition, Prodromou (1988) argues that the way we teach reflects our attitudes to society in general and the individual‟s place in society The nature of teaching culture is to increase the students‟ awareness and to develop their curiosity towards the target culture and their own, helping them to gain the understanding among the cultures If one teaches language without teaching about the culture in which it operates, the students are learning empty or meaningless symbols or when using the learnt language, may use the language inappropriately in a cultural context, thus fail to achieve the purpose of learning a language Language teachers must remember that people from different cultures learn things in different ways For example, in China memorization is the most pronounced way to study a language which is very different from western ideologies where the onus is placed on free speech as a tool for utilizing and remembering vocabulary and grammar sequences (Hui 2005) In learning a second language, culture becomes highly important because it is “ an ingrained set of behavior modes of perception” ( Brown 2000:118 ) It is impossible to learn a language by simple acquiring the forms without their contents And the content of a language is always culture-bound Tomalin & Stempleski (1993:9) said “When students have understood the language being used in a situation and then go on to gain an understanding of the cultural factors at work, this is for them one of the most absorbing and exiting parts of any language lesson” Equipped with the cultural knowledge and different worldviews, learners can easily fully understand and can use language as a tool to communicate and to avoid stereotypes Because culture affects our ways of thinking, feeling and acting Language learners need to be aware , for example, of the culturally appropriate ways to address people, express the gratitude, make requests, give and receive compliments…They should understand that language must be associated with other culturally appropriate behavior Therefore, if we want to learn another language, we need to learn to appreciate the culture of which the language is part Many of the meanings constructed in the language are culture – specific Culture provides guidelines for our linguistic behavior  ... HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES *************** NGUYỄN THỊ THÚY HẰNG AN INVESTIGATION INTO CULTURAL ELEMENTS VIA LINGUISTIC MEANS IN. .. way of thinking ,feeling, and acting and patterns for doing certain things in certain ways… All in all, “ Culture is everything that people have, think and as a member of a society” ( Ferrando,... knowledge in cross-cultural communication as well as in mastering English language - To give suggestions for incorporating culture teaching into language teaching so that English learning and teaching