CULTURAL BACKGROUND IN COLLEGE ENGLISH TEACHING
Abstract: Cultural background introduction is an indispensable partofCollege English teaching. Teachers are supposed to try every possible means to acquaint students with cultural differences so as to improve their cultural awareness.
Key words: background; cultural awareness; college English teaching
1 Introduction
As is known to al,l language is the vehicle of culture. In this sense, learning the language means learning the culture. As for the students of College English, one of their study objectives is to appreciate the exotic cultural phenomena. Unfortunately, they are often ata losswith those cultural differences, distinctively different from their own culture and experiences. Myths and misunder standings come to arise more often than no,t or at other times, the profound meanings orhumor implied in the foreign texts can not fully hit home to those college English students. Based on these considerations, teachers of college English are obliged to center on the cultural background information during their teaching, among other things.
2 M aking Good Use of the Textbook Available and Exploring as Many Cultural Points as Possible
In the teacher's book of College English, there are invariably culturalnotes illustrating something typical of foreign society. While teaching the language points, teachersmight just as well focus on these culturalnotes, and students are in the position of trying to analyze and understand the implications and connotations, and even acquire the empathy between the lines. And those culturalpoints might include the foreign beliefs, values, attitudes, thoughts and other non-verbal behaviors which are embedded in the reading materials. The more cultural information the teacher finds out the better understanding the students acquire. Gradually, they form a habitof tapping their cultural potentials and become more and more sensitive about cultural differences.
3 PayingM ore Attention to the Cultural Connotations of theWord-Building
Besides conceptual meanings, many English words also have cultural connotations , which reflect the emotiona,l stylistic and metaphorical meanings of the words . The word dog is often cited as a common example. In the love-me-love-my-dog culture, it is a petphrase to any Englishman. For instance:
( i) I' ve got to getback to London to see aman about a dog.
( ii) I have been sick as a dog since I came back from Brazi.l
( iii) Don 't let your father know that you broke thewindow, let a sleep dog lie[1].
These three instances present the intimacy between man and dogs. However, The word dog is not included in Chinese people 's daily conversations because in any Chinese mind, it is a derogative term used as an insulting phrase or curse such as“狗咬吕洞宾”(snarl and snap atLu Dong-bing—wrong a kind-hearted person);“狗仗人势”( like a dog threatening people on the strength of itsmasters' power—be a bullywith the backing of a powerful person);“狗嘴里吐不出象牙”(no ivory will come from a dog 'smouth/what you can expect from a dog but a bark);“挂羊头,卖狗肉”(hang up a sheep s' head and sell dogmeat—try to palm off something inferior towhat itpurports to be)[2].
Instances of the same sortmightbe quoted indefinitely in college English teaching but these will suffice to show that the same words in different cultures have different implications which should be cast in a different light of backgrounds. It is the casewith different idioms and allusions in different cultures.
4 G iving Guidance to StudentsW hen They Read ExtracurricularM aterials
To their reading lis,t some other reading materials may be added. Among others, some literary works provide colorful and rich resources on the foreign customs and habits and other social characteristics, ranging from natural conditions to political systems. Teachers of college English are supposed to recommend some typicalworks to students so as to get them involved in the foreign culture and somewhat brought into the otherwise alien atmosphere. Of course, the reading listmight include novels aswell asmagazines and newspapers. Students are encouraged to pick out and accumulate various kinds ofbackground information which is quite different from their own culture. They can not only acquaint themselves with social customs or current affairs but also be intrigued to exploremore about the foreign culture. That does undoubtedly bridge the gap between teaching and learning, hence achieving the ultimate goalofcollege English teaching.
5 V isualizing Background Information via Modern Teaching Approaches
It is desirable that teachers have better facilities to present students with vivid cultural information. Pictures, video clips, movies, or electronic softwares mightbe the tools ormaterials at hand. These audio- visual aids simulate direct perceptions before students. Following these hands - on cultural materials may not substitute for regular classroom teaching, but the pay-off might be worth the effor.t Itwill stimulate the students' interest and curiosity in learning English. It will create a state of mind in which students will become more and more aware of cultural differences. Without exception, foreign teachers may be a good help to bring students person to person with foreign ideas and their impressions of Chinese culture. Therefore, It is not a bad idea that any chance is never to be missed when students couldmake direct contact with native speakers, spokesmen for foreign culture.
6 Conclusion
Awareness of cultural differences is the first and indispensable step toward the goal of college English learning. Students, most favorably, get acquainted with foreign culture via learning the language or vice versa. And in teacher 's par,t we are supposed to come up with as many channels as possible to provide students with background information on the basis of our own self-cultivation.
References
[1]刘杰,赵燕·英汉汉英成语小词典[M]·北京:中国国际广播出版社, 1991: 333-334
[2]中国社会科学院语言研究所词典编辑室·汉英双语现代汉语词典[M]·北京:外语教学与研究出版社,2002: 25-27
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