浅谈初中英语中的文化教学(1)(2)
2014-11-26 02:14
导读：Therefore, the present paper will discuss about the problems and merits of the culture education of junior English in China, probe into how to introduce culture backgrounds in EFL teaching and explore
Therefore, the present paper will discuss about the problems and merits of the culture education of junior English in China, probe into how to introduce culture backgrounds in EFL teaching and explore the improvements for it.
2. Culture and language
2.1Definition of Culture and Language
What is culture? Facing this heatedly debated issue, people gives hundreds of answers.
English word “culture” is a loan word from Latin in which it mainly meant, “cultivating or trilling the land”. As time passed, its meaning was extended from physical activities and production of food to include metal, moral, aesthetic, educational and intellectual activities. For example, the National Center for Cultural Competence in U.S.A defines culture as an “integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thoughts, communications, languages, practices, beliefs, values, customs, countries, rituals, manners of interacting and roles, relationships and expected behaviors of a racial, ethnic religious or social group; and the ability to transmit the above to succeeding generations”. (Goode, Sockalingam, Brown, and Jones, 2000) [1]
The following definition advanced by Daniel Bates and Fred Plog (1990) is generally regarded as the most complete one:
Culture is a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors and artifacts the m embers of a society use to cope with their world and with one another, and that are transmitted from generation to generation through learning.[2]
“Culture” in the contemporary teaching of language may be understood on broad and narrow senses, divided into two kinds: “Culture with big C” which focuses on “the sum total of a people’s achievement and contribution: art, music, literature, technology, scientific discoveries and philosophy” and “Culture with a small C” which includes “ the behavior patterns of the life style of people: when and what they eat, how they make a living, the way they organize their society, the attitudes they express towards friends and members of their families, how they act in different situations, which expressions they use to show approval and disapproval, the traditions they must observe, and so on”.[3]
（转载自http://zw.ＮＳＥaＣ.com科教作文网） Language can be defined in many ways depending on the characteristics one wishes to stress. Therefore, it is difficult for us to arrive at a single definition. However, a good example of an all-inclusive descriptive definition is as follows;
A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which the members of speech community communicate, interact, and transmit their culture.
This definition given by Albert B. Cook Ⅲ emphasizes not only the function of language being a tool of communication, but also the one of its being an important vehicle of culture. [4]
As it is known, language has at least two rule systems: one is the structural system, which consists of phonology, morphology and syntax; the other is the use system, which is closely bound up with social behavior and social. Situation and determines whether language is used appropriately or inappropriately.
