INTEGRATING CULTURE WHILE TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGE AS THE FIFTH LANGUAGE SKILL

INTEGRATING CULTURE WHILE TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGE AS THE FIFTH LANGUAGE SKILL

KONCA, M. Yavuz
Kaya, Fatma

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of culture in language teaching and the significance of integrating it into teaching activities as the fifth language skill in addition to listening, speaking, reading, and writing. As is the fact, language should be thought as a whole to achieve the desired communication. Without knowing the cultural norms and aspects of the target language, accurate and appropriate language use and understanding will be at risk and learners will transfer their native cultural knowledge which will have a negative effect on the quality of learning and teaching process. It is known that understanding, teaching , and learning a language require not only the knowledge of grammar, phonology, and lexis but also certain other features and elements peculiar to the target culture. It is not possible to fully understand the language used in context without knowing the cultural aspects of the target language since learning another language also includes learning how the speakers of that language live, think, and perceive the world around them. To achieve this in EFL courses, language teachers should equip themselves with the knowledge of the culture of the language they are to teach, make learners aware of cultural differences and develop their communicative competence using realistic and authentic materials because just linguistic compentence is not enough to communicate effectively in the target language.

Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed

2014

3470