Tema 5: Marco geográfico, histórico y cultural de los países de habla inglesa.

Aplicación
didáctica de los aspectos geográficos, históricos y culturales más relevantes.

Topic 5: Geographical, historical and cultural framework of English-speaking

countries. Didactic considerations of the most relevant geographical, historical and
cultural aspects.

Index

0. Introduction and relevance of the topic

1. Geographical, historical and cultural framework of English-speaking countries
1.1 The United Kingdom
1.1.1 Geographical Framework
1.1.2 Historical Framework
1.1.3 Cultural Framework
1.2 The United States of America
1.2.1 Geographical Framework
1.2.2 Historical Framework
1.2.3 Cultural Framework
2. Didactic application of the most relevant geographical and cultural aspects
2.1 Reasons for teaching socio-cultural aspects of the English language
2.2 Sociocultural aspects in the curriculum
2.3 How to work on the socio-cultural aspects?
3. Conclusion
4. References
4.1 Bibliographic references
4.2 Legislative references

1
 0. Introduction and relevance of the topic

“The limits of my language are the limits of my world”

Ludwig Wittgenstein.
This quote is a great way to start this topic, since it expresses masterfully the
importance of learning a foreign language. It tries to show that when we learn a language,
we will enjoy the possibility of expanding our limits, since a language allows us to
communicate and to get to know the world that surrounds us. When we learn a language,
we do not only accept the linguistic aspects that concern it, we also accept its history,
culture and traditions. Therefore, the complete domain of a foreign language implies the
development of communicative skills and the awareness of sociocultural aspects.

According to Alvarez-Sandoval (2005), history demonstrates the need of a lingua

franca, which is an existing common language which can be used to facilitate the
communication and exchange of ideas among people who do not share the same first
language. Nowadays, the absolute protagonism as a lingua franca in any field is for the
English language. Therefore, the learning of a foreign language such as English should
be considered as an educational right to which all children should have access.

It is relevant to accentuate that the Organic Law 3/2020, of December 29th, stated
in its art. 17 two stage objectives related to cultures and foreign languages: the objective
“d” emphasize the importance of valuing cultures, and the goal “f”, outline the relevance
of developing students’ communicative competence in at least one foreign language,
being it the main concern of our area.

Overall, throughout this topic we will analyze several factors related to the most
significant geographical, historical and cultural aspects of the main English-speaking
regions. Furthermore, we will provide some didactic applications of sociocultural aspects
in the classroom.

1. Geographical, historical and cultural framework of English speaking

countries

Our country belongs to the European Union since 1986, where English is the most
widely spoken language. The UNESCO estimates that English is spoken in more than 60,
where more than 750 million people speak English. Therefore the hegemony of English
today is unquestionable

In this section, we are going to focus our attention on the most dominant Anglo Saxon
cultures: The United states of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland. Of course, English teachers should never limit themselves to cultural
content from only these two countries.

2
 1.1 The United Kingdom

It is a political union formed by England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Its full name is the “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”, but from
now, we will refer to it using the official abbreviation: the UK.

In the UK there is a constitutional monarchy, it means that the head of the state is
the Queen Elizabet II, and she can only reign with the support of the Parliament.

The government is composed by the Prime Minister, which is at the moment Boris
Johnson. It is relevant to mention that Theresa May was the Prime Minister from 2016
to 2019.

1.1.1 Geographical Framework

The UK extends beyond the boundaries of the Island of Great Britain to part of
Ireland, an island to the West and a number of outlying islands. There are more than 66
millions of inhabitants.

Great Britain is a large island surrounded by the English channel, the Irish Sea
and the Celtic Sea. England, Wales and Scotland form Great Britain:

- England presents uplands and hills in the North and West, with the Cumbrian
mountains; and lowlands in the South-Eastern. The national capital of UK is
London, which is situated in the South-Eastern corner of England, by the River
Thames.

- Scotland is very varied with highlands in the North and the West and lowlands
in the South and in the East. The capital is Edinburgh.

- Wales is the most mountainous place, and its largest city is Cardiff.

Northern Ireland is hilly and the largest lake, the Lough Neagh, is located here.
Belfast is its capital.

Regarding the weather in UK, it has a generally mild temperate climate. The
weather tends to be very changeable as a result of the constant influence of different air
masses. Temperatures don’t usually fall below -5 degrees and rarely rise above 30
degrees, in general.

3
 1.1.2 Historical Framework

By the year 1,000, the kingdom of England and Scotland has consolidated
themselves. At the end of the 12th Century, Ireland was annexed to the English Crown.
In the 13th Century, the principality of Wales became a part of England.

In the 18th Century, the kingdoms of England and Scotland were merged to create
the Kingdom of Great Britain with the King George I, and in the 19th Century the
kingdom of Ireland joined to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
However, after the Second World War, the Catholic Irish part was separated from this
Kingdom becoming the Republic of Ireland.

The United Kingdom has been a member of the European Union (EU) since the
1973. However, a series of crises have shaken British confidence in EU.

The Brexit (abbreviation for the term British exit) took place on the 23rd of June
2016 in UK to ask if the UK should remain a member of or leave the UK. Therefore,
Theresa May formally notified the EU the country’s intention to withdraw, beginning the
Brexit process. The negotiation process was extended and it was not until the 31st of
December 2020, when the UK officially left the EU.

1.1.3 Cultural Framework

The UK’s is the oldest and most influential of the English-language cultures in the
world. Following, we will analyze different cultural fields:

- The UK has many of the best universities in the world, including the
University of Oxford and Cambridge. These schools have produced many
great scholars, such as Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

- The UK’s literary framework has given us some of the major works we all
recognize: Oliver Twist, Pride and Prejudice, Robinson Crusoe, The Lord of
the Rings, Harry Potter, and so on.

- UK cinema has provided Hollywood with great actors and directors. Among
the actors, we have to mention Charles Chaplin, Cary Grant, and some present
Hollywood stars like Sean Connery and Anthony Hopkins. The most famous
British director is Alfred Hitchcock.

- The UK’s music has covered a wide variety of styles. The best-known artists
from the UK come from the field of pop and rock music. Among them, we
find outstanding groups such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The
Police. Nowadays, music is also influenced by a wave of British bands such
as Coldplay.

4
 1.2 The United States of America

The United States of America is one of the most influential nations in the world.
It also has the world’s largest economy.

It is a federal republic comprising 50 states and the District of Columbia

(Washington DC).The nation also possesses several territories in the Caribbean and
Pacific. From now, we will refer to it using two different abbreviations: USA and US.

1.2.1 Geographical Framework

The US is the third-largest country in the world in terms of land area. Three main
areas can be distinguished:
- Continental, which cover all Northern America between Mexico and Canada.
- Alaska, which is located inside the artic circle.
- Hawaii, which is located in the Pacific Ocean. Its landscape varies but is
dominated by volcanic topography.

Like topography, the climate of the US also varies depending on location. It is

considered mostly template but it is tropical in Hawaii and Florida, artic in Alaska,
semiarid in the plains west of the Mississippi and arid in the Great Basin of the Southwest.

Furthermore, the USA is the fourth country in the world in terms of population.
There are more than 327 millions of inhabitants. America has always been known as the
land of opportunities for people worldwide. Consequently, white Americans are the racial
majority, the 13% are African American, and the 17% are Hispanics. This has a huge
cultural impact, so we can conclude saying that the USA is one of the most ethnically
diverse and multicultural nations.

1.2.2 Historical Framework

History of US is short but full of events. Hereby we will mention some of them:

- In the 18th Century, American colonies got dissatisfied with the British
authorities over heavy taxes and lack of sufficient autonomy to govern their
land. Therefore, on July 4th, 1776, representatives of different colonies signed
the Declaration of Independence and fought against Britain in the
Independence War. It was successful and George Washington was the first
president in the USA. It is considered that the story of USA starts at this point.

- In the 19th Century, Abraham Lincoln was elected president. When slavery
was forbidden by this president, the first civil war between Unionist and
Federalists started.

5
 - The United States did not remain outside the World War I. Its entry was
decisive in bringing about an Allied Victory, making the USA become the
leader of the western world.

- From 2009 to 2017, Barack Obama was president of the US. He was the first
African American president. He received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2015.
Lately, a new turn in the American policy seems to be settled after the election
of Donald Trump.

- Nowadays, Joe Biden is the president of the USA, since January 20th, 2021.

1.2.3 Cultural Framework

In general, the culture of the United States shows a strong influence of Northern
Europe, but it is also influenced by the waves of immigrants that make it their home. We
can highlight the following fields:

- The US has many of the world’s best universities, such as Columbia, Yale or
Harvard, for instance.

- Literature has got a strong tradition too: Truman Capote, Mark Twain or
Edgar Allan Poe has contributed with “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, “Tom Sawyer”
and “The Oval Portrait”, respectively.

- The birth of the development of the cinema took place in the US. The
American movies based on Hollywood and California have has a large and
international influence. Among the American actors and actresses we have to
mention Brad Pitt, Marilyn Monroe and Angelina Jolie, among others.

- Many musical movements start here: Jazz, Blue, Rock and Roll, R&B, and so
on. Some of them have got African roles.

2. Didactic applications of the most relevant geographical and cultural aspects

Regarding Alvarez-Sandoval (2005), through the learning of a foreign language

students perceive that there are other ways of understanding (other codes) and other ways
of life (other cultures and societies). Therefore, the language teacher has to make students
aware of this linguistic and socio-cultural diversity in order to promote mutual
understanding, tolerance and respect for the cultural values of others, as well as
broadening the mind.

6
 2.1 Reasons for teaching socio-cultural aspects of the English language.

The students should be aware of the cultural background of the foreign language
they are learning in order to communicate appropriately. Therefore, part of teachers’ work
consist on introducing relevant knowledge of that country. These cultural contents will
motivate our students to know other ways of life and sociocultural aspects of the countries
where the language is spoken. These cultural contents will provide students multiple
benefits such as (Usán-Romero, 2013):

§ It helps to avoid the stereotypes that many people have from other countries.
§ It enables students to take control of their own learning and to achieve
autonomy by evaluating and questioning the context where the target
language is used.
§ It helps to educate our students for a more tolerant world without prejudices,
and to develop in our students a positive attitude towards the foreign language
and their people.

2.2 Sociocultural aspects in the curriculum

Our legislative framework highlights the importance of socio-cultural aspects in the

curriculum. It is clearly stated in the following curricular elements:

- Among the Foreign Language objectives stated in the Annex II of the Order of
January 15th, 2021, we find the goal number 7, which states the following “To
value the foreign language and languages in general as a means of
communication between people from different cultures, developing a positive
attitude towards the multilingual and multicultural diversity in Andalusia”.

- The Organic Law 3/2020, in its art. 17, gathers the following stage objectives:
A) “To appreciate values and social rules, respecting human rights and the
plurality of a democratic society”; and D) “To know, understand and respect
different cultures and the differences between people, equal rights, and non-
discrimination attitudes towards people”.

- Furthermore, the development of students’ positive attitudes towards a foreign

language and its socio-cultural aspects, contributes to the fulfilment of several
Key Competences establishes in the art. 2.2 of the Royal Decree 126/2014, of
February 28th, such as: the Competence in Linguistic Communication; the
Learn to learn Competence; and the Cultural and Expression Awareness
Competence.

7
 2.3 How to work on the socio-cultural aspects?

Our current educational system has incorporated functional and communicative

principles into its syllabus design. Currently, the finality is not just the mastery of
structures and vocabulary, but there is an emphasis on communication. In this sense,
the main goal of the English Foreign Language Area is the development of students’
communicative competence, which was first defined by Hymes (1972) as “ the
knowledge which enables someone to use a language effectively, and the ability to
actually use this knowledge for communication”.

The learning of a language through its socio-cultural aspects makes the learning more
meaningful, since they offers a context where the language can be learn with ease.
Furthermore, it helps pupils to get immersed into the culture of the language, gaining
some perspective about the way in which the is used. Now, we are going to show some
possible examples of how to work on socio-cultural aspects in our daily practice in the
classroom (Brewster and Ellis, 2002):

§ Songs and rhymes: through songs, we can introduce various elements:

historical; social; lifestyle, habits, geographical aspects, and so on.

§ Projects: the fact that Spain belongs to the European Union has created new
formative necessities for cultural interchange. Some of the programs which
offers opportunities for for mobility of learners are the following: Erasmus,
Comenius, The Leonardo Da Vinci and Grundtvig.

§ Role-plays: in role-plays, we recreate real life situations. The student has to

use social conventions, prices, norms of courtesy, and so on.

§ Celebration of traditional festivities or ephemerides in class: we can

celebrate Easter, Halloween, Christmas, The Pyjama Day, Saint Valentine’s
Day, and so on.

§ Looking for information: students can read or listen to information about

different cultural and geographical aspects. The use of digital tools for this
purpose is highly recommended, since ITC’s open doors to a limitless world
of knowledge.

§ The use of authentic material: today’s foreign language teaching stresses

the importance of authenticity in language use, so the use of authentic
materials is highly recommended since it enables students to study the country
through the eyes of the people living there and to gain a perspective on the
way people use their language.

8
 3. Conclusion

“To learn a new language is to open one more window

from which we can look at the world”.
Chinese Proverb.

Having analyzed this topic, it seems reasonable to think that the learning a foreign
language and the socio-cultural aspects of that language is a necessity in our current
society, which tends to remove language barriers and promotes international relationships
at social, professional and political levels.

Concluding and going back to Vygotsky’s quote, language and cultural diversity
suppose a great wealth which will develop our students’ communicative competence and
will also provide students a wider vision of reality and greater tolerance. Therefore, by
helping students to value languages and cultures we will contribute to the development
of competent students, ensuring their maximun development, which is the main concern
of the Primary Education Stage, stated in the preamble of the Organic Law 3/2020, of
December 29th.

4. References

4.1 Bibliographic references

- Alvarez-Sandoval, E. (2005). “The importance of learning a foreign language in

a changing society”. iUniverse.
- Brewster, J. and Ellis, G. (2002). “The Primary English teachers’ guide”. Penguin
English Guide.
- Council of Europe (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for
languages: Learning, teaching and assessment”. Companion volume.
- Hymes, D. (1972). “On communicative competence”. Ethnolinguistic essays.
- Usán-Romero, S. (2013). “Instrumentos de hoy, instrumentos de ayer, la
enseñanza cultural en el aula de inglés”. Bachelor's thesis.

4.2 Legislative references

- Organic Law 3/2020, of December 29th, which modifies the Organic Law on
Education 2/2006, of May 3rd , of Education (LOMLOE).
- Order of January 15th, 2021, which develops the curriculum for the Primary
Education Stage, regulates attention to diversity, establishes the ordination of the
evaluation process and determines the transit process between the different
educative stages in the Autonomous Region of Andalusia (CEJA, 2021).
th
- Royal Decree 125/2014, of February 28 which establishes the basic curriculum
for Primary Education nationwide in Spain (MEC, 2014).