SHORT QUESTIONS & ANSWERS COMPLEMENTOS

UNIT 5

1. How is English for Specific Purposes different from English as a Foreign Language? Have you ever
attended an ESP course? And of any other FL? How was it different from “regular” courses?

ESP should be considered an approach and not a product. This means that it “does not involve a
particular kind of language, teaching material, or methodology". Also, it has to meet the specific
learners’ needs. It is restricted in terms of the skills to be learnt, there is no pre-established
methodology, and is a goal-directed approach that is limited in time and aimed at professional
adults with some basic knowledge of English. Thus, ESP is constantly evolving.

ESP is not a not a particular type of methodology or a particular type of teaching material, but an
approach to language learning based on learners’ needs. In other words, it is an approach which
changes and shapes itself according to the changing needs of the learners.

[online] ESP teaching approach is known to be learner-centred where learners' needs and goals are
of supreme value, whereas General English approach is language-centred, and focuses on learning
language from a broad perception covering all the language skills and the cultural aspects of the
English speaking community.

2. In your opinion, what should the main focus of ESP be on?

An important thing that should be considered by ESP teachers is the field of activity of the learners,
since it will define the basic shape of their requirements. ESP teachers should learn from their
students and take advantage of questions about subject content to provide opportunities for them to
develop their fluency. Teachers should always take into account the balance between content and
language when teaching ESP.

3. What do you think it is essential to know as a teacher before teaching ESP (vocabulary and
grammar, methodology...)?

Needs Analysis: This is the first step you should follow to personalise ESP. Analyse what your
students need and expect. Curriculum and course design: In order to design a good curriculum for an
ESP course needs analysis is essential, since it will provide important information on the lexis and
grammar that should be included. Materials selection and methodology: The materials and
methodology will depend very much on the Needs Analysis. They are a question of planning,
structuring, and integrating everything.
4. What do you think an EFL teacher should know to be able to teach Business English (vocabulary
and grammar, methodology...)? What do you think non-native students need to know about Business
English in order to face the future challenges in their careers?

Business English is obviously the type of English used in business contexts. This includes many
different options such as international trade, finance, insurance or banking.

● Needs analysis: Before starting the course, teachers of Business English should do a
thorough analysis of their learner’s needs and their targets. The learner’s needs will vary
from one learner to another and they imply personalising education
● Syllabus design and course design: The goals should be defined in relation to the findings of
needs analysis. Also, ESP involves a specific corpus and it emphasises on particular types of
communication in a specific context.
● Materials selection, in which the use of authentic materials is usually encouraged. The
materials and students you might find in a Business English course can be challenging at the
beginning, so you should give yourself extra time to get ready for this type of course and to
familiarise with the contents and vocabulary you will be teaching.

UNIT 6

1. If History is artificial, why does it matter?

As David Carr (1986) said, one of the most important connections within a large group of people is
its common history, which leads us to the concept of Identity, since it can be somehow defined as
the awareness of a common history.

Society is also constructed by means of History, because it is what unites people and makes them
feel part of a common group, thus creating Identity, and all this is obviously very much connected to
the concept of Culture as well.

Culture is also another complex term that is extremely related to all these concepts. It is a crucial
aspect of what means to be human and to be part of a larger group; i.e. a society. As Terry Eagleton
(2000) states, Culture is a set of values, costumes, beliefs and practices which constitute a group’s
way of life. Culture emerges from humans’ needs and it is strongly associated with the dominant
values of the social group and, in many cases, to religious beliefs as well. Furthermore, culture is
transmitted from one generation to the next, so language is essential for its development.

2. How do the concepts of Language, History, Society, and Culture relate to one another?

The concepts of Language, History, Society, and Culture are very much intertwined.

● Language is a means of communication by and within (larger or smaller) communities.

 ● Society is the community united and conscious of it. v Culture includes the traditions,
knowledge, etc. of a community.
● History refers to the reconstruction of a community’s past, the record of facts, but also their
evaluation and analysis.
● Plus, it needs Language to be related (back to square one).

3. What about Identity? How does it relate to Society, Language, History, and Culture?

Identity:

● It brings about a sense of recognition and sharing (thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc.) with a
group.
● It is the connection within a community, its awareness of a common History.
● It includes the feeling of being part of a (constructed) group; i.e., Society.
● It is key to uphold Culture (which is connected to History and Society).
● In order to establish it, Language is a very important trait, (especially as opposed to another
group/society).

4. What is really the complexity of the term “culture”?

Culture is especially complex as a term:

● It is crucial to determine our concept as humans and as part of a large group and a Society.
● Eagleton (2000): It is a set of values, costumes, beliefs, and practices which constitute a
group’s way of life.
○ “The ways of a people” (Lado, 1957).
○ The system of values and behaviors of a community (Halliday & Hassan, 1972).
● It emerges from our needs and is associates with the dominant values of a social group.
● A multilevel phenomenon including aesthetic, sociological, semantic and sociocultural
senses (Adaskou et al.,1990).
● Cultivation of the land. (And of the mind?)
● Language is thus needed to pass along all these ideas and practices, and to create a sense of
unity.

5. Do you think that cultural identity is static? What influences its evolution?

Cultural identity is rapidly changing due to:

● The Global village (globalization) is deeply influencing nationalism and transnationalism.

○ Constant interaction makes identities change.
● Technology and the Media are key for that.
 ○ New advances in technology and science are creating new political, cultural, and
moral problems.
● Economy, too, is influencing the relations among countries and communities.

6. How does language specifically influence Society, Culture, and Identity? Can Identity be imposed
institutionally? How?

Language binds together Society, Culture, and Identity:

● In order to create Identity (be it individual or as a group), we need to interact with others.
● Hence, common identities can be created, constructed.
● But Identity is also built on difference.
○ By becoming part of a group, we exclude ourselves from others (and are perceived as
such by the rest).
● Identity is the result of one’s experience…
○ A sense of “belonginess” (personal, social, and spatial identity).
● ...But it can also be imposed.
○ E.g., Nationality (closely related to History, Culture, Society… and Identity).
● It even can be a constraint.
● ...And it all is affected (and affects) Language.

7. How do you think bilingualism affects personal and cultural identity?

Bilingualism and Culture:

● We learn Culture (rules, values, etc.) through socialisation, and one of Society’s structuring
principles (and its main tool of communication) is Language.
● Hence, it is possible to find people who are:

8. Can you think of specific examples in which History, Society, and Culture have influenced the
English Language?
History affects the evolution of language at all levels (in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and
pronunciation), and this happens because of the social contacts between different cultures.
Therefore, understanding all these notions helps us understand language itself.

9. What are the different types of culture? Which culture or cultures would you teach in the EFL
classroom?

‘Big C’ (‘High culture’) Culture:

● The canon inherited from the past

● The one belonging to the privileged elites
● Including the canon, History, Institutions, Art, etc.

‘Little c’ culture:

● Everything that makes up a community (Williams)

○ Attitudes; values; economic social, and political conditions
● The working-class culture
● Including myths and legends, how to behave, traditions and the way of life etc.

10. Do you think Culture/culture should be a key element in Foreign Language Teaching?

Language and Culture teaching in FL classes:

● Without a shared Culture, expressed through Language, we would not be able to

communicate, so we would not exist as a Society.
○ Hence, Language constructs Culture, evolves and is created through it and through
Society, and is connected to History, being its narration tool.
○ Plus, History itself is influenced by and influences Language:
■ At all linguistic levels (lexicon, pronunciation, grammar).
■ Because of social (and cultural) contact.
● Thus, we cannot fully understand the Language if it is not associated with Culture (and
History... and Society, etc.), and vice versa.
Being Language teachers and seeing the importance of Culture in all these concepts, it should be an
essential element in class.

11. If we have to teach culture, which culture should we teach?

We, as teachers, should avoid stereotypes when teaching culture. It is the teacher’s role to help
students understand the complexity of this matter. Moreover, we have to take into account Culture
and culture.

‘Big C’ Culture vs ‘little c’ culture

Some authors only regard culture as just high culture or Culture (with capital C), that is, the canon
inherited from the masters of the past, e.g. the canon: Shakespeare, Chaucer, cultural values,
History, Institutions. Others stated that everything that makes up a community should be
considered culture, e.g. values, attitudes... This is what is known as ‘little c culture’, since culture is a
mixture of a given set of economic, social and political conditions and people’s subjective impression
of these conditions (outside context + people’s reaction to it).

Both types of culture are represented in textbooks.

● ‘Little c’ used to be represented only by British and American culture, but nowadays it is
more diverse and global.
○ Usually through dialogs, listening and reading comprehension activities, or even
whole sections.
● Since English is a global language, we need to teach intercultural and cross-cultural
communication.
○ Language is a vehicle to learn different cultures, and vice versa.

12. How would you include Culture and culture in your lessons?

Culture should be taught as part of the regular FL class.

● Using the target language.

● Using realia, authentic materials (as much as possible; if not, adapted).
● In activities to make them aware of the differences/similarities.
○ Especially discussions, but also dialogs, quizzes (comparison and contrast), role plays,
research projects, games.

13. Do you think teaching culture in the EFL class is difficult? Why?

Teaching culture, however, is challenging:

 ● Values, meanings, and beliefs need to be interpreted through one’s language experience.
● When learning other culture, they should reflect on their own (enriching, but difficult).
● We need to avoid stereotypes and oversimplifications.
● As teachers, we need a wider knowledge not only of the language, but also the sociology,
ethnography, etc.

14. When and how did the British Empire rise?

The rising of the Empire:

● From the late 1400s, England settled itself as one of the main competitors for overseas
power and trade.
● Soon, and in the 16th century, Britain had increased its settlements in:
○ India.
○ Africa.
○ New England & Virginia.
○ Canada.
○ The West Indies (in the Caribbean Sea).

15. How many stages were there in the British Empire?

● The First British Empire

● The Second Empire
● The end of the Empire & Commonwealth

16. Which cultural identities predominated in the EFL classroom when you were a primary and/or
secondary school student?

British and American culture.

17. What is your opinion about the legacy of the British rule? From your point of view, what are its
advantages and disadvantages?

For some historians the legacy of the British rule (government, law, education, infrastructures...) is a
positive consequence for those territories that were colonies once. On the other hand, other
historians point out to the negative aspects (slavery,the loss of land and culture of the native people,
the violence and the death...).
18. How would you introduce other English-speaking cultures and identities in the EFL classroom?
What do you think about stereotypes? Do you think that teachers use them sometimes, either
consciously or subconsciously?

The term stereotype is a very difficult concept to understand. It is based on some truth, but it is an
exaggeration, a distortion of the truth.

Unfortunately, stereotypes order the world around us. They establish and maintain the hegemony of
the dominant group and, simultaneously, they marginalise and exclude those who do not belong to
that group. Therefore, as we have mentioned earlier, avoiding stereotypes poses a challenge for EFL
teachers.

More often than not, what we regard as typically British could be typically English, Scottish, Irish, or
Welsh. Nevertheless, although it is true that the everyday habits of the people of the four nations are
very similar, they are not identical.

19. Can you think of any British symbols and what they stand for?

An important cultural and symbolic figure is Britannia, which could be considered a mythical
personification of Britain. Britannia was the name by which the Romans called the area they
controlled: England and Wales. This symbol was used during the Imperial period: A helmeted woman
sitting in a chariot, holding a trident and a shield.