中国中学英语教学中如何融入文化背景教学

1 Introduction
 
The linguist Robert Lado defines the goal of learning a foreign language as “the ability to use it, understanding its meanings and connotations in terms of the target language and culture, and the ability to understand the speech and writing of natives of the target culture in terms of their great ideas and achievement” (Lado, 1964: 25)[1](p90) The teaching of a foreign language inevitably involves the teaching of foreign culture.
With China’s open-up policy and entry in WTO, how to lay a solid foundation for cultivating learners intercultural communicative competence in high-school education becomes an important objective in teaching English as a Foreign Language. For the first time “culture awareness” is prescribed in the New English Curriculum Standard. Culture instruction may be new to most middle-school English teacher in an examination-oriented environment in China’s EFL context. But the research and practice of intercultural communication still have a long way to go before they reach satisfactory results.
This paper, therefore, aims to present what most actual practices in the classroom are need to be clarified before anything can be done to improve future practices, when the new English Curriculum Standard is to be carried out in elementary education.
There are three major parts in the paper: firstly, it is the literature review, which consist of the relation of culture and teaching and current situation of English Teaching in China. Secondly, the extent to how to present cultural background information and expose learners to it in the need of English teaching so as to help learners grasp the crux of the language and develop their ability to communicate in English, followed by the introduction of some of such techniques. Finally the model of classroom practices was proposed by the teaching culture.
 
2 Culture teaching and language teaching
2.1 Definition of the culture
Definitions of culture range from broader ones to narrower ones since culture is ubiquitous, multidimensional, complex, and all-pervasive and many definitions have been suggested from different angles. From a definition that includes all learned behavior, we can move to a definition that proposes culture with distinct boundaries. “Bates and Plog (1990) proposed a descriptive definition that includes most of the major territory of culture on which scholars currently agree.                 
Culture is a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors and artifacts that the members of a society use to cope with. Their world and with one another, and that are transmitted from generation to generation through learning”. [2](p1)
This definition includes not only patterns of behavior but also patterns of thought, artifacts, and the culturally transmitted skills and techniques used to make the artifacts.
Culture was defined as the deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, actions, attitudes, meanings, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and artifacts acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving. [3](p21) Therefore, culture can include everything from rites of passage to concepts of the soul.
2.2 Language and culture
Languages are generally accepted words and rules drawn from speech. Language is the carrier of culture and culture is the content of language. There is no language without culture content. Social linguistics show that language is a system of structure rules and culture-specific behavior rules that humans use to interact with one another. Knowing a language is known not only the grammar, vocabulary and discourse patterns but also the cultural rules of using those components so as to use appropriate language in a particular context.
It is quite true that nothing more clearly distinguishes one culture from another than its language. For example, a major linguistic difference between Americans and Chinese lies in the use of direct and indirect language. Most Americans learn to say “yes” and “no” as a means of expressing their individual views. However, the Chinese usually use “yes” and “no” to express respect for the feeling of others. [4](P23)
In a word, the development of culture can undoubtedly promote that of language, and in the meantime, the up-growth and enrichment of language is the necessary preconditions to the improvement of the whole culture. It is for the especially close relationship between language and culture. Language is regarded as the carrier of culture, the mirror to reflect the national culture.
2.3 Relation between culture teaching and language teaching
Culture and language are closely related. A language can never be learned in a cultural vacuum. Language learning and culture learning are not separable. “It is the same with culture teaching and language teaching. Traditional teaching in foreign language education has limited the teaching of culture transmission of information about the people of the target country and about their general attitudes and worldviews.” (Claire Kramsch, 2000)[5](p3) In traditional teaching, though students master the pronunciation, grammars, vocabularies and quite a lot of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating skills, they still can not be said to fully understand and master English. English as a foreign language is the unity of English language and culture. English teaching is essentially a process of cross-culture communication. One purpose of English teaching is to develop learners’ awareness of cultural differences reflected in languages. The teacher must help learners to realize that thoughts and views of different nationalities and different types of societies about nature and human society are quite different. So it is evidently wrong to interpret things in foreign language in the same way as in mother tongue. To the same extent, the achievement of English teaching goal relies on students’ cultural awareness. Therefore, it is of great importance to take for cultural background knowledge as one of the contents in the whole process of English teaching so as to help learners to have a good command of necessary cultural knowledge and to develop basic culture-learning ability.
2.4 Current situation of English teaching in China
China boasts the world’s biggest population of English learners. The English language course has been one of the most important compulsory subjects in China’s high school for many years. In western countries, language theorists and language teachers have tried a lot to integrate culture teaching into language teaching for almost a century. Since the introduction of culture teaching started in the early 1980s, great achievements have been made in research during the past twenty years. [6](p15)
“As far as we know, there are a lot of essays about cultural differences and its teaching, such as The question of Culture, EFL teaching in non-speaking countries by Cem and Margeret Alptekin, English as Cultural Action by Luke Prodromon, Culture Teaching and Foreign Language Teaching by Gu Qianan, Culture Differences and Foreign Language Teaching by Hu Wenzhong and American Cross-cultural communication Research by Jia Yuxin.”[7](p17)
However, there does exist a big discrepancy between theoretical researches and actual teaching practice. And it is also true that weaknesses still remain in our English teaching system.
2.4.1 Teacher’s attitudes towards culture teaching and English teaching
A language teacher plays a leading role in language education. The teacher is the mediator of a foreign culture, and the catalyst of educational change. So teachers’ cultural competence is of great importance in culture teaching in foreign language education. They must get acquainted with the target culture as well as constantly update the knowledge about language teaching.
Nowadays, the traditional Grammar-Translation Method still enjoys popularity among teachers. This method aims at teaching learners to read and translate the written language with a good command of traditional grammar. It’s obvious that the method emphasizes grammatical accuracy, neglecting the importance of the spoken language, not to mention learners’ cultural competence.
Today most teachers have been informed over and over again of the important of culture teaching. However, their belief, in face of difficulties putting theory into practice, may be weakened. It will really be a problem if teachers themselves have not enough knowledge about the target language culture. And it is one of the major factors that hinder culture teaching in China.
2.4.2 Students’ attitudes towards culture teaching and English teaching
English testing should provide an objective and scientific means for the evaluation of the course and the learners’ language proficiency. On one hand, it should help to find out the advantages and disadvantages of the course itself in achieving the desired teaching and learning objectives. On the other hand, it must help to reveal the areas and extent of the students’ strengths and weaknesses, which in turn may help identify problems existing in the relevant high-school English curriculum. But as a matter of fact, the present English testing system fails to provide a good feedback of the actual ability of students’ concerning cultural competence and appropriate language use. English tests conducted in high-school now usually cover the area of vocabulary, language structure, listening, reading and writing. The test is still on measuring the students’ linguistic competence, but ignores the socio-cultural ability of them.
 
3 The importance of culture teaching in English teaching
“Culture learning helps eliminate communication barriers, prevent us from communication conflicts, develop our field of vision and promote our cultural communication. (Lin Dajin, 1996).” [8](p12) To learn a foreign language and its relative culture will help the students to know the world and themselves from different points of view. Foreign language learning is a spirit adventure, a development of modes of thought, a reorganization of values and a remold of personality structure. In the process of introducing foreign cultures and reorganizing our own culture, culture plays an especially important role.
Learning western culture is not to learn some words by heart, but to learn the thought and values that control one’s acts. Without this knowledge, one cannot really master a foreign language. Only Armed with this knowledge, can Chinese students hope to meet and talk with foreigners in English not only grammatically accurate but also socially acceptable?
3.1 Improving English reading
English reading ability is one kind of comprehensive ability. There are so many English article literature styles including the certain background knowledge. Some reading, although has not bumped into a new word in the reading process, and does not have the grammar barrier, but it is difficult for the students to know the meaning of the whole reading passage, especially when the students lack of the certain knowledge of the cultural context. [9](p31)
For example, there are such several speeches in a reading material：“Why don't you go to church?” asked the minister. The nonchurch goer said, “Well, I'll tell you. The first time I went to church they threw water in my face, and the second time they tied me to a woman I've had to keep ever since.” “Yes,” said the minister, “and the next time you go they'll throw dirt on you.”[10](p2) For understanding of this reading material, the student must know: 1) “The first time I went to church they threw water in my face” means when parents hug the newborn baby to the church for baptism, pastor threw water in the child’s face; 2) “the second time they tied me to a woman I've had to keep ever since.” means they held the wedding ceremony in the church. This article refers to the situation when a westerner dies, pastor finally prays and pulls up the earth to the coffin to carry on burying again. If the reader is not familiar with the religion cultural knowledge in the British and American country, he or she can cause the understanding of being blocked, let alone appreciates humor.
Another example is the dialogue- -lesson Britain and Ireland in Senior Student Book I Unit 22(SEFC):
“Zhoulan: ---Are you English?
David: ---No, I'm not.?
Zhoulan: ---But you speak English.?
David: ---That's correct.?
Zhoulan: ---Where are you from then? Canada?
David: ---No, I'm from Britain.?
Zhoulan: ---But I thought you said you weren't English.?
David: ---Right, I'm British, but I'm not English.?
Zhoulan: ---What are you then?
David: ---I’m Scottish, I'm from Scotland.
Zhoulan: ---Where's that?
David: ---It's to the north of England; It's part of Britain.?
Zhoulan: ---Have you got a map to show me? I'm puzzled.” [11](p87)
Why does Zhoulan feel puzzled about this dialogue? Because Zhoulan does not understand the background knowledge of the Britain and England. Although England and Britain are same to England, strictly speaking, English refers to People of England. England is only a part of Britain. England is bounteous, the populations larger, but it cannot represent Scotland, Wales and Ireland after all. As these local people, they are usually not willing to be regarded as Scottish/Welsh/Irish rather than as English. As British (English), they are may accept as British. That is why David said: “I'm British, but I'm not English.”
In this dialogue, if the students grasp this background knowledge, it is easy for them to understand this dialogue. Therefore, carrying on the background knowledge in this dialogue to the students appears the extremely importance.
3.2 Improving the communication ability
The aim of the English teaching syllabus currently in China stresses the basic skills of listening, speaking, writing and translating, while the most important goal of English teaching should be to foster the ability of communication. [12](p80) However, the various countries have different custom. There are huge difference between China and the western. Therefore, to carry on effective communication properly with the foreigners, one should know about the cultural background of the western nation as exactly as possible, especially the differences with Chinese culture the background knowledge.
Here are three questions: (1) What’s your name? (2) How old are you? (3) Are you married? Any one who knows a little English can ask these questions in English. But if a student asks a young lady from a western country the above questions, he has made a serious mistake in terms of appropriacy. To avoid such silly mistakes, the teacher should help students realize that it isn’t polite to ask westerners questions concerning the age, salary, marriage and other private things, such as political inclination and religious belief, etc. For example, there is such a dialogue in Senior Student Book II Unit 22(SEFC)
---Would you like another piece of beancurd?
---Yes, please. It's delicious. Did you cook it yourself?
---Yes, of course. It's very easy. I'll teach you if you like.?
---How about some more beef? There's plenty more.?
---Well, just a little, please.?
---Let me give you some more chicken. And have another pancake.?
---They're better when they are hot.?
---No, thanks. I'd had enough.?
---What about you, Bob? A bowl of soup?
---I'm full, thank you.
---What a delicious supper! Next time you must come to us. [13](p93)
Here requests student have a cultural background about the polite expression in dine time. China and the western culture have the difference in treating meal. The Chinese take pride in “modesty”, while the Americans in “straight forwardness”. An American hostess, who is complimented for her cooking skills, is likely to say, “Oh, I’m so glad that you liked it. I cooked it especially for you.” Not so a Chinese host or hostess, who will apologize for forgiving you “nothing” even slightly edible instead. The Chinese always like the visitors proposing a toast and the honored dishes, again and again, for fearing that the visitors have not eat enough. The westerners, especially the American, are different. The host or hostess usually offers the dishes for the visitors one time. He or she hopes the visitors help themselves not only cautiously. The visitors should understand the different dinner table for dialogue, communication Otherwise, they might be hungry or be very embarrassing. [14](p21)