談高中英語教學中的文化意識培養(yǎng)

1、談高中英語教學中的文化意識培養(yǎng)摘要：語言是文化的載體，學習語言的過程也應該是學習語言文化的過程。只有真正了解語言中所包含的文化涵義，才能夠真正掌握一門語言。所以，從語言學角度講，學一門語言是學一種文化，教一門語言也是教一種文化。高中英語的教學目的是培養(yǎng)學生運用英語進行交際的能力。交際的能力不僅包括語言能力，而且包括對與語言使用密切相關的社會文化因素充分了解和掌握的文化能力。這就要求英語老師要加強對學生文化意識的培養(yǎng)。然而在我國的高中英語教學中，文化知識的輸入問題還沒有得到廣大師生的足夠重視，師生文化意識薄弱。針對高中英語教學中的現(xiàn)狀，本文作者力圖探索培養(yǎng)學生的文化意識的方法。只有在語言能力與文

2、化意識培養(yǎng)相結合的情況下，學生才能做到有效交際。關鍵詞：語言；文化；文化差異；文化意識1.IntroductionEverycountryhasitsownpeculiarculture.Becauseofculturaldifferences,misunderstandingsmayarise.Aharmlessstatementmaycausedispleasureoranger;aseriousquestionmaycauseamusement.Therefore,forlanguagelearnersandteachers,itisofgreatimportancetobeawareo

3、fdifferencesbetweenhomecultureandtargetculture.Culturalawarenessishelpfultoachieveeffectivenessinlanguageteachingandlearning.Infact,“l(fā)earningalanguageisinseparablefromlearningitsculture.”1Thereiscloserelationshipbetweenlanguageandculture.“Languageisthecarrierofcultureandcultureisthecontentoflanguage

4、.Thereisnolanguagewithoutculturecontent.”2“Asamirrorofculture,languageisstronglyinfluencedandshapedbyculture”3Theyevolvedtogetherandhavebeenmutuallydependentthroughtheirhistory.Understandingonerequiresunderstandingtheother.Inthebroadestsense,languageisthesymbolicrepresentationofapeople,anditcomprise

5、stheirhistoricalandculturalbackgroundsaswellastheirapproachtolifeandtheirwaysoflivingandthinking.Followingthedefinitionsofsociologistsandanthropologists,thetermculture“referstothetotalpatternofbeliefs,customs,institutions,objects,andtechniquesthatcharacterizethelifeofahumancommunity.”4Languageisthem

6、ostimportantofcultureanditreflectsculture.Andatthesametime,itisinfluencedandshapedbyculture.Culturesdifferfromoneanother,solanguagesdiverse.Withdifferencesinculturesandinlanguages,itisnaturalthatcross-culturalcommunicationisnotalwayseasy.Therefore,teachingEnglishwellmeansmorethanmerelyteachingstuden

7、tsthevocabulary,structures,andgrammars.ItalsomeansteachingthemhowtoslipintotheEnglishculture.LearnersshouldbeinformedofhownativespeakersofEnglishseetheworldandhowtheEnglishlanguagereflectstheideas,customs,andbehavioroftheirsociety.Inotherwords,tohaveagoodcommandofgrammaticalrulesofalanguagecontribut

8、estocorrectnessofsentencestructureswhilefamiliaritywithasmuchculturalknowledgeofthatlanguageaspossibleguaranteesappropriatenessofdiscourse.2.PresentconditionofculturaleducationinseniorEnglishteachingFromtheperspectiveofNEEC(NationalEntranceExaminationforColleges),Englishisconsideredtobeimportanttoal

9、lseniorschoolstudents.Formoststudents,themotivationoflearningEnglishisjustameanstopasstheexamsandgethighscoresinEnglishproficiencytests.AndtheteachersofEnglisharejustthefacilitatorsofrealizingthisgoal.Teachersgreatestconcernisgiventothemasteryoflinguisticknowledgeandskills.Studentsspendmostofthetime

10、onlearningvocabulary,structuresandgrammarthroughlotsofdrills,practiceandconsolidationsoastomemorizethoselinguisticelementsandreproducethem.Culturalknowledgeisignored.Inthiscase,cultureisoftenseparatedfromitscarrier-language.Bothteachersandstudentsculturalawarenessarepoor.Thelackofculturalknowledgele

11、adstothefailureincommunication.ThusculturaleducationinseniorEnglishbecomesabsolutelynecessary.3.ThecontentsofculturalintroductioninseniorEnglishteachingAlanguageisinseparablefromitsculture.Hence,theprocessoflearningalanguageisaprocessoflearningitsculture.TraditionalforeignlanguageteachinginChinaatta

12、chesgreatimportancetolanguageteachingbutignoresculturalteaching,which,asaresult,hascausedsomebarriersininterculturalcommunication.Therefore,Englishteachersshouldtrytoimprovestudentsculturalawareness.ThefollowingaresomesuggestionsforseniorEnglishstudents:3.1GreetingsandaddressesOneofthemistakesChines

13、estudentsoftenmakeistogreetnativespeakersofEnglishbysaying“Howoldareyou?Whereareyougoing?Whatsyourincome?”InChina,suchquestionsindicatefriendlinessandconcernofonepersonforanother.SoChinesestudentsthinkthattheforeignerswillhavethesamereactionstothesequestions.Butinfact,inAmerica,questionsliketheseint

14、erfereintopeoplesprivatelife.Traditionally,Chinesefamilyisabigfamily.Children,parents,grandparentslivetogether.Familymemberscouldhardlykeepanythingsecret.Itisconsideredquitenormalthatneighborsinterruptaquarrellingcouple.YetforAmericanstheywouldprefertocallthepoliceinsteadofbreakingintothedooroftheir

15、neighbors,becausetheywouldntruntheriskofbeingaccusedofinterferingintoothersprivacy.Hereisanotherexample.Afterwintervocation,somestudentsgotovisittheirforeignteacher.AtthefirstsightoftheEnglishteacher,astudentgreetshim,“Congratulations!Youlookwhiterandfatterafterthisvocation!”Hearingthis,theteachersf

16、aceturnspalewithfright,“Oh,no!”InChinesetraditionalculture,theadultsprefertodescribehealthykidsas“whiteandfat”.ButinBritainandAmerica,especiallyforthewhiteman,“whiteandfat”meansunhealthybecauseoflackofsunshineandexercises.Sowesternpeopleareveryfondofsunbathandvarioussportstokeephealthy.ThisChinesest

17、udentneglectstheculturaldifferencesandcausestheEnglishteachersmisunderstanding.Culturaldifferencescanalsobefoundinthewaypeopleaddresstheirrelatives.TherearenoEnglishequivalentstothedifferentformsofChineseaddresslike“堂弟”,“表姐”,“伯父”,“舅舅”.Butonly“cousin”and“uncle”inEnglishareusedtoaddress.Thedifferenceo

18、frelativeaddressreflectsthedifferentcustomsinthetwocultures.ForChinesepeople,thepaternalrelativesarecloserthanthematernalones,thusitisgreatlyimportanttodistinguishwhoiswho.However,inAmericanculture,itdoesnotmattermuchwhetherapersonisarelativefromthefathersfamilyorfromthemothersfamily.“Uncle”standsfo

19、rallthemalesofthesamegenerationoffatherand“aunt”forallthefemalesofthesamegenerationofmother.SomestudentsmayasktheirEnglishteacheraquestion,“WhyshouldthepronounIalwaysbecapitalizedinEnglish?”BecauseinChina,whenapersonmentionshimselfinformalsituations,particularlyinthewritingsofoldstyle,hewoulduse“鄙人”

20、,“在下”andwordslikethattodegradehimself.StudentsshouldbetoldthatChinesecultureisfamily-centered.Usually,severalgenerationsofafamilylivetogether.Inalargefamily,theyoungshouldobeywhattheoldcommanded.Undersuchcircumstances,itsquitecommonandnaturalforapersontodegradehimself.Incontrast,Americanputgreatemph

21、asisonindividualism.AccordingtoChinesetraditionandcustoms,peoplebelieveincollectivism.Differentcountrieshavedifferentsystemofvalues.Thealwayscapitalizedpronoun“I”andthefactthatChinesestudentsfeelpuzzledaboutitshowstheconflictingvaluesofthetwonations.InChina,elderlypeopleliketobecalled“老李”,“老王”,fromw

22、hichtheyfeeltheyaremuchrespectedandthereforegreatlysatisfied.Chinaisacountryinwhicholdpeoplearerespected.Theolderapersonis,themorerespectedheis.Studentsaretoldtoavoidsuchwordsas“old”and“elderly”whencommunicatingwithEnglishnativespeakers.Inthissituation,theyarealsopuzzled.BecauseChinesestudentsmaynot

23、quiteknowthatAmericanshatetobecalled“theold”.InAmerica,theysay“seniorcitizen”insteadof“oldpeople”,“adultshome”insteadof“oldpeopleshome”.3.2GratitudesandcomplimentsItisnotedthatastrikingdifferenceresultedfromthetwoculturesisthedifferentresponsestogratitudeandcompliments.“Peopleinthewesttendtoverbaliz

24、etheirgratitudeandcomplimentsmorethanChinesespeakersandthatthewesternerstendtoacceptgratitudeandcomplimentsmoredirectlyandfranklythanweChinesedo.”5WhenanativespeakerofEnglishexpresseshisgratitude,weChinesepeoplefeelembarrassedandsometimessay“No,itsnothing.”toturndownhisthanks.However,Englishspeakers

25、inasimilarsituationwouldsay“Iamgladthat,Icanhelpyou”or“itsmypleasure”toacceptthanks.Similarly,manyChinesepeoplewillfeelembarrassedwhentheyhearcomplimentslike“Youlookniceonthisdress!”or“YouspeakfluentEnglish!”Toshowthattheyaremodestanddonotdeservesuchacompliment,theywouldsay“No,notatall”.ButforEnglis

26、hspeakingpeople,theythinkitalmostdishonesttodenyanexpressionofsentimenttheyagreewith.SounliketheChinesepeople,theEnglishnativeswillacceptcomplimentsbygivingapositiveanswerlike“Thankyou”.3.3ColorwordsCulturaldifferencesarealsoevidentindifferentimplicationsassociatedwiththesamecolor.Thecolor“red”inChi

27、neseindicateshappyevents,joyousoccasionsanddelightfulthings.Forexample,inatraditionalChineseweddingceremonythebridewearsreddressfromheadtotoe,herheadparticularlycoveredwithapieceofredclothtoexpressgoodwishesofhernewlife.Besidesthat,inSpringFestivaloneofthedecorationsChinesepeoplemaketowelcomethenewy

28、earistoputredcoupletoutoneachsideoftheirdoor.Whatsmore,“red”isfrequentlyassociatedwithsuccessandvictoriesandwordslike“開門紅”,“滿堂紅”aregoodexamplesinthiscase.Butthecolor“red”inEnglishimpliesthingsofterror,fightandblood,andisfrequentlyconnectedwithangerandcrimes,hencethephrases“aredbattle”(afierce,cruels

29、truggle),“redrag”(somethingthatexcitesgreatanger),and“redlight”(signalofdangerorwarning).Take“white”foranotherexample,“white”inChineseisconnectedwithsorrow,misfortuneanddeath.Folkstakingpartinafuneraldressinwhite,withwhitefloweronthebreasttomournforthedead.WhatisdifferentinEnglishisthatwhiteindicate

30、snobility,justiceandpurity.InanAmericanweddingbridepurposelydressesinwhite,symbolizingpurityandperpetualloyaltyandlovebetweenhusbandandwife.InEnglish,therearephraseslike“whiteman”,“whitelie”,“whitewar”whichrespectivelymeanajustman,aliewithoutevilintentionandawarduringwhichnomanbleeds.InEnglishstudy,

31、Chinesestudentsmaybeextremelyconfusedaboutsomesentenceslike“Imfeelingratherblue”(Imfeelingdepressed.)and“Hewasborntothepurple(Hewasborninanobleandwealthyfamily.)”6Studentsknowthemeaningofeachword,buttheyhavemuchdifficultyinputtingthewholesentenceintoChinese,forthefamiliarwords“blue”and“purple”herein

32、dicatemorethantheirliteralmeaning.Atthemoment,teachersareexpectedtoexplainculturalfactorshiddenbehindthewords,otherwise,studentswillmakemistakeswhentheycommunicatewithforeigners.3.4AnimalsandtheirdifferentconnotationsAnimalsandtheirdifferentassociationsareanotheraspectofculturaldifferences.Forexampl

33、e,“DragonisatoteminChineseculture.Infeudalsociety,dragonstandsfortheemperor.”7Dragon“beingalwaysconsideredadeitywithinconceivablepowerinChina,bringingpeoplegoodluck.PeoplebornintheyearofDragonfeelveryproud.Butinwesternculture,dragonisacrocodile-likemonsterwhichcangushsmokeandfirefromitsmouth.”8There

34、fore,ifaChinesestudentwhodoesnothavethisculturalknowledgeinmindtranslatestheChineseidiom“望子成龍”into“tohopethatonessonwillbecomeadragon”,theEnglishmanwillbewonderingwhatkindofpersonparentsexpecttheirchildtobe.Chinesestudentswillbesomewhatannoyediftheyhear“Yourereallyaluckydog”.TheyclearlyknowthatinChi

35、na,“theimpliedmeaningofadogisusuallypejorative,asin“狗仗人勢“(beabullyundertheprotectionofapowerfulperson),“狗頭軍師”(apersonwhooffersbadadvice)”9Butwhattheydontknowisthatinwesternculturesmallanimalslikecatsanddogsareconsideredasmanspets,companionsandloyalfriends.InEnglish,ithascommendatorysense.“l(fā)uckydog”m

36、eans“l(fā)uckyperson”,“ajollydog”means“ahappyman”.Theaboveculturalknowledgereflectedinlanguagesshouldbeintroducedtoseniorschoolstudents,formanymisunderstandingsbetweenpeopleofdifferentculturesarecausedbytheshortageofculturalknowledge.ThusEnglishteachersshouldmakegreateffortstocultivatestudentsculturalaw

37、areness.4.ThenecessityandsignificanceofimprovingculturalawarenessinseniorEnglishteaching4.1CulturalknowledgeisoneofthedifficultiesinEnglishteachingIncurrentsituationofSEFCteaching,teacherspaymuchattentiontotrainingstudentsbasicskills.Theteacheronlyfocusesonteachinglanguageknowledgeandimprovingstuden

38、tsexam-orientedskills.Tolearnalanguage,wemustlearnitsculture,too.OneofthemajorpurposesofEnglishteachingistocultivatestudentscommunicativecompetence,whichincludesculturalcompetence,too.Inviewofthissituation,itsnecessarytocultivateculturalawarenessinEnglishteaching.“Culturalbackgroundteachingisoneofth

39、emostdifficulttasksinEnglishlearning.Culturalbackgroundpresentationisawaytoremoveteachersculture-orienteddeficiency.Culturalbackgroundisrelatedtopolitics,economy,history,geography,custom,thoughts,belief,religion,andhumanbehavior,etc.”10Studentsculturalknowledgefromeverydaylearningcantmeettheneedoffu

40、rtherEnglishlearning.Theydependontheteacherspresentationandexplanation.Theteachersareexpectedtohelpthemovercomethedifficulty.Thus,culturalknowledgeshouldnotbeignoredinEnglishteachinganymore,orstudentswillfailtocommunicatesuccessfullywithnativespeakers.4.2Studentsbasicskillsarerelatedtotheculturalkno

41、wledgeForexample,whenstudentsaredoinglisteningexercises,theymayhearsomedialogues,whichusuallyareeasy.Butifstudentsdonotknowsomeculturalinformationaboutwesterncountries,hemaymakesomemistakes.Forinstance,thesentence“IamnotsureIdliketodothat”isseeminglylikeconsideringamatter,butinfact,itisapoliteexpres

42、sionofrefusal.Thepurposeoflisteningistounderstandthespeakersrealmeaninginwordsandexchangeinformationsuccessfully.Sometimesthelearneronlycatchesthedenotationofthewords,butfailtoconsiderthemostimportantpart,whichisthecontextualmeaningofwordsandsentences.ReadingandwritingEnglishmaterialsinevitablyconve

43、ywesternculture.Thestudentslackofculturalbackgroundknowledgeoftenhinderstheircomprehensioninreading.Forexample,wemeanpornographicbytheword“黃”inChinese,butinEnglish,“blue”isusedinsteadof“yellow”.Iflearnersdontknow,theywillnotunderstandwhat“bluefilm”or“bluevideotapes”meanthoughthewordsareeasy.Thisillu

44、stratesthatwordsconnotationsistheresultofculturalimpactonlanguage.Somoreattentionshouldbepaidtoculturalbackgroundinlearningidiomsandliteraryworks,otherwise,wecannotunderstandtheimplicationofwordsandthepassagescorrectly.Inwriting,thedifferencesbetweentheChineseandwesternmodesofthinkingplaysanimportan

45、tpart.WeChineseareaccustomedtothinkinginaspiralway,whiletheEnglishpeopleandAmericansinalinearway.Thisdifferenceinthinkingoftenleadstomisunderstanding.Sometimesastudentscompositionisperfectintermsofgrammarandlogic,butwhenaforeignerreadsitheorshemaymisunderstandtheoriginalmeaningofthesentences.Unlesst

46、hestudentsunderstandtheculturalbackground,theycantfinishtheirexercisesaccurately.Itsevidentlywrongtointerpretthingsinforeignlanguagesinthesamewayasinourmothertongue.Tosomeextent,theachievementofEnglishteachinggoalreliesonstudentsculturalawareness.Therefore,itisofgreatimportancetotakeforculturalbackg

47、roundknowledgeasoneofthecontentsinthewholeprocessofEnglishteachingsoastohelpstudentstohaveagoodcommandofnecessaryculturalknowledge.4.3PresentationofculturalknowledgecanimprovethequalityofEnglishteachingPresentationofculturalknowledgecanbenefitEnglishteachinginatleastthreeways:(1)Itcandevelopstudents

48、awarenessofculturaldifferenceandhelpthemformagoodstudyhabit.Usuallystudentsarepronetofocusonlanguageitself,butneglectthecultureeffectonlanguageinEnglishlearning.Theyfailtonoticethatculturegiveslanguagespecialconnotationanddeterminestheuseofit.Throughculturalknowledgeacquisition,studentscandevelopthe

49、irsensitivitytoculturaldifferenceandgraduallylearntocatchculturalinformationthemselves.Theywillalsobroadentheirrangeofculturalknowledge,enhancetheirculturalabsorptionabilityandtherebyimprovetheirabilitytousetheEnglishlanguage.(2)Itcancultivatestudentsthinking.Presentationofculturalknowledgecanhelpst

50、udentsgettoknowpolitics,economy,thoughts,andideasofEnglish-speakingcountriesandnationalities.Withgeneralculturalknowledge,theymaygettounderstandthepsychologyandcodeofthinkingofEnglish-speakingpeople.ThisisgoodforcultivatingstudentsthinkingandalsoagreathelpforthemtothinkinEnglish.(3)Itcanpromotethestudyofourownculture.BymeansoflearningthecultureofEnglish-speakingcountries,studentswilldeepentheirrealizationaboutourowncultureinturn.TheCh