engleski

Incorporating cultural elements into teaching foreign languages to university students

Language doesn't exist in a vacuum, it's created by the surrounding society and it, in turn influences the society in question. Using a language means assuming both social and cultural roles. That is why our goal as teachers of foreign languages is to make teaching culture a vital part of our curriculum. However, culture thus taught is not a separate element or skill ; it is always in the background, acquired parallel to the language. Since the human society isn’t static, the culture is also ever changing, and hence we should teach our students to become more open towards cultural differences and ways of thinking, thus increasing intercultural sensibility. This is particularly important when teaching languages at the university level since many of our students will one day cooperate with people of various origins in a globalized multicultural world. The awareness of the differences between the domestic and the target culture is yet another goal which a language teacher should aspire to achieve. Such awareness reduces the risk of stereotypical view of the target culture and helps our students move from ethnocentricity towards cultural multiperspectivity, which is the acceptance of cultural differences and their understanding. As teachers of foreign languages, we may only point out and explain the differences and let our students form their own opinions. Another part of language learning is the study of connotative meanings, which provide a context for the understanding of different or additional meanings of terms in native and target languages. Aside from verbal communication, non-verbal communication also plays a vital role in the human society. This is why our students should also be made aware of cultural differences in the non-verbal signals which are cross-culturally present. The knowledge of such differences or culture-specific non-verbal signals reduces the risk of misunderstandings and helps the students actually learn about a foreign culture.

connotative meanings; non-verbal communication; stereotypes; teaching culture; verbal communication

nije evidentirano