Unit 1.

The relationship between language and culture

Hellen Daniela Arias Arévalo

1.110.600.163

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

551036A_762

UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL ABIERTA Y A DISTANCIA

Ibagué

08/04/20
Claire Kramsch: Do we teach language using culture or do we teach culture using
language?

The mutual influence between language and culture will be the major focus of this
essay. According to my experience as a teacher, I can highlight that professors
teach language using culture. It is acknowledged that culture means that it is
something that we construct through language. Besides, I will focus on English
teaching.

Language is the most important aspect in the life of all humans, because though it
people can express, learn, teach and communicate. Therefore, language is a
means to develop and transmit the culture as well as to communicate within the
culture. Thus, nowadays, globalization and the global role that English language
plays in the world today are the two main reasons for teaching culture.

First of all, I would like to mention a definition according to the reading International
Journal of English Language & Translations Studies, ‘culture consists of shared
characteristics of behavior and social interactions, cognitive constructs, and
affective understanding; patterns that are acquired through a process of
socialization and transmitted to future generations; an ongoing meaning-making
process within a context.’ Bearing in mind the previous definition of culture, I would
say that it is a set of beliefs, ideas, customs, and a social behavior that is
specifically of a society.
Teaching culture when teaching English provides the students with an opportunity
to appreciate and understand values. It also gives them with the knowledge of
different ways of doing things. The students are made to use as a way of accepting
differences in the global society. Therefore, learning a language involves not only
gaining knowledge about the language but also being aware of beliefs and values
that frame the language to be in line with the culture.

In order to teach a language, specifically English, the professor must have cultural
knowledge, cultural value, cultural behavior, and cultural skills. Cultural knowledge
refers to the awareness of daily routines within the society, whereas cultural value
is the awareness of what people regard to be important in the society.

On the other hand, according to Schumann (1978) ‘constructed a model called

‘acculturation’. This model is the clustering of both social and affective variables
which, according to Schumann, takes into account the social and psychological
integration of the learner with the target language group.’ Some researchers (Hoeh
& Spuck, 1975; Klink, 1980) have recognized that the best way to learn culture
while learning language is to experience culture learning initially.
Referencias
Chalus, I. A. (s.f.). Obtenido de http://www.eltsjournal.org/archive/value5%20issue1/4-5-1-17.pdf