英语教学中的文化差异.doc

To Improve Students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence in Oral English Teaching
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Thesis : This paper points at suggesting useful English teaching methods for teachers based on the analysis of the problems existing in English teaching and barriers for developing students English communicative competence. These recommendations will be helpful for making English teaching more effectively.
Outline:
Ⅰ Introduction
1． definition of culture
2． definition of intercultural communicative competence
Ⅱ Problems Faced by Chinese Students in Intercultural Communication
1. Do not know how to respect English communicative patterns
1.1 verbal patterns
1.2 non-verbal patterns
1.3 thought patterns
2. Be over care about self-image and be passive in communication
Ⅲ Main Factors for Affecting the Development of Students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence
1. linguistic factors
1.1 Pronunciation and Intonation Transfer
1.2 Grammatical Errors
2. cultural background
3. psychological factors
Ⅳ Recommendations for Oral English Teaching
1. the characteristics of oral English teaching
1.1 the aims of oral English teaching
1.2 provides more opportunities to practice intercultural communication
1.3 output-centered English teaching
2. recommendations
2.1 raise IIC awareness
2.2 harmonize the relationship between students and the teacher to create a relaxed class atmosphere
2.3 Make students enjoy speaking English by putting teaching into entertainment
2.4 introduction to communicative strategies
2.5 psychology
Ⅴ Conclusion
Students’ English communicative competence should be attached great importance in English teaching. New ways of English teaching can make students communicate with English speakers more freely and comfortably.

To Improve Students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence in Oral English Teaching
By

Abstract： This paper aims to give some useful recommendations to oral English teachers based on the problems appearing in the intercultural communication. Firstly the author gives a detailed introduction to culture and intercultural communicative competence. Although there are many definitions to culture and intercultural communicative competence, most of them are not comprehensive. According to the personal understanding about culture, the author employs the definition of Hollo&Lazar. Then the author points out the problems met by most Chinese students in intercultural communication. The main difficulties met by English learners include English communicative patterns and passive psychology. After that is the analysis of the reasons for these problems. Linguistic factors, cultural background and psychological factors have become the main barriers for English learners to develop their intercultural communicative competence. At last, considering the problems found in English teaching and barriers in developing students’ English communicative competence the author gives a lot of suggestions to teachers to develop Chinese students’ intercultural communicative competence.
Key words: culture, intercultural communicative competence, English communicative patterns, factors, recommendations

摘要：本文旨在通过对当今学生在跨文化交际中遇到的一些困难和障碍给英语老师提出一些有用的教学意见和方法。首先，作者对文化和跨文化交际能力的概念做了一个详细具体的介绍在。虽然在教育界对于文化和跨文化交际能力的定义有很多但都不完整。根据自己对文化的理解作者在这里引用了Hollo和Lazar对文化的定义。然后作者一一指出了学生在跨文化交际中所遇到的问题和障碍。其中英语学习者遇到的问题主要包括英语交际模式和被动消极的学习心理。接下来作者又分析了引起这些障碍的原因。对于发展提高英语学习者的跨文化交际能力，语言因素，文化因素和心理因素是最主要的障碍。最后，鉴于在英语教学中所发现的问题和影响影响跨文化交际能力培养的障碍作者提出了一些针对性的教学意见帮助英语教师更好的培养和提高学生的跨文化交际能力。

ⅠIntroduction:

It is of no doubt that, in order to learn of their cultures and meanwhile introduce China to outside, the purpose of second language teaching lies in cultivating student’s intercultural communicative competence with native speakers But what is intercultural communicative competence? What is its content? How can we apply it to language teaching? All these questions should be answered by teachers first. Before we come to intercultural communicative competence, we should know what culture is. As for culture, there are many different definitions of it because of its complicated content. Many definitions are partial rather than comprehensive because they just define it specifically in terms of its content such as “the complete way of life of a people; the shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterize a group; their customs, art, religion, philosophy, etc; the pattern of learned and shared behavior among the members of a group” and “the system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors and artifacts that members of society used to cope with their world and with one another, and that are transmitted from generation to generation through learning. ”
The definition of culture employed in this paper divides this notion into three aspects: civilization, behavior and speech patterns, and text structure and skills. （1）The first aspect includes history, geography, literature, values, customs, institutions, and the like; the aspect of “behavior and speech patterns” comprises different language functions and non-verbal communication; and the last aspect of “text structure and skills” contains figures of speech, meditation, linking, and connecting ideas as well as developing and supporting arguments. In this definition, the content of culture has been stated clearly and generally. The three aspects have basically included all content of culture.
Intercultural communicative competence is connected with the concept of culture and communicative competence. Broadly speaking, Intercultural Communicative Competence is the ability to interact effectively with people from other cultures. The term “intercultural” implies a restructuring of one’s own attitudes and worldviews. In other words, Intercultural Communicative Competence involves awareness of different values, attitudes, and behaviors of the others, as well as skills to deal with them. In terms of language teaching in class, Intercultural Communicative Competence refers to activities connected with behavior and speech of patterns, such as appropriate choices for conversation topics, opening and closing a conversation, criticizing and complaining, reacting to cultural shock, personal space restrictions and non-verbal communication.
Despite its importance in effective communication, intercultural communicative competence is a relatively neglected area in L2 English teaching. Without a good language environment where students can use English, students become poor with English communication. Even with a good command of English listening, speaking, reading and writing, many Chinese students find it still difficult to communicate with English native speakers successfully. What are the barriers appearing in intercultural communication between Chinese and English speakers? What are the reasons for these problems? And what methods can teachers take to solve the problems so that they can improve students’ English communicative competence?

Ⅱ Problems Faced by Chinese Students in Intercultural Communication

Most English teachers focus their teaching on the competence in grammar and vocabulary due to traditional English teaching methodology. They only care about whether students can get high marks in exams about reading, writing, and listening, but never mind whether students can use English to communicate with others especially with foreigners. As a result, many students have been faced with a lot of difficulties in communication such as what are the culturally-determined patterns of verbal and non-verbal communication which native speakers follow, the unwritten rules of speaking, the appropriate styles of spoken and written for different situations, and the non-verbal communication signals most commonly used in English-speaking cultures as well as some psychological barriers.

2.1 Do not know how to respect English communicative patterns

As an important part of culture, communicative patterns are different in various cultures of nations. Local people obey it subconsciously in a good language environment. Lack of the language environment and enough knowledge about English communicative patterns Chinese students really find it difficult to follow English communicative patterns and so act very passively in communication.

2.1.1 verbal patterns
According to a research, many Chinese students very often find that although they can understand every word that an English speaker uses, they still cannot grasp the main idea of the message fully.(1) In English, a message is conveyed not only by words themselves but also by the stress, accents, intonation and speed of talking. For example, a person speaks the words ”I am gonging to the store. ” with different stress on different word to convey different messages. If the stress is on “to” the speaker want to tell you he is ready to the store at once but not come. If “the store” is stressed, he wants to point out that where his destination is the store but not where else. Chinese students always neglect the small difference of stress when they listen to foreigners or even speak English themselves.
English people emphasize modest very much in oral English just like Chinese. So it is quite necessary for students to know the native expressions. For example, in class teachers can order his or her students to sit down with the phrase ”sit down, please!”, but when in a conference a host can should say “Ladies and gentlemen ,please be seated.” but not “sit down” which will sound rude and impolite.
Without realization of these verbal patterns in English, students often make themselves understood not clearly. If the implicated meaning expressed by stress and intonation can not be grasped by Chinese students they cannot know accurately what foreigners’ intentions or needs. This will affect the successful intercultural communication. However, English teachers in china have not attached great importance to the intonation teaching.
Another example is phraseology of Chinese students. Some students speak English very fluently and they can be understood, but native speakers will misinterpret them because they do not choose the appropriate words. This is an example. In Chinese we always say “这是我们应该做的” when others show their thanks to us. It will be translated into English by Chinese students “It is my duty, I ought to do that ”. Hearing the answer, English people will not be happy because they think you help them not out of your own will but have to, so you should say in this situation that” You are welcome. It’s my pleasure. Not at all ”.
2.1.2 non-verbal patterns
Except for verbal patterns, non-verbal communication plays a major role in determining how effective our communication is. The cues and messages that we send out by body movement can either reassure our audience or reinforce our spoken messages or even help send out more information. People saying the same words but with different body language can give different message. What is more, there are different meanings of a body language in different cultures. For example, Chinese tend to smile more easily than westerns when they feel difficulty or embarrassment. Smile because of embarrassment by a Chinese might be interpreted as being friendly by an English and cause problems in ICC. Another example is that Chinese tend to avoid direct eye-contact in face to face interaction out of respect while they might be perceived as not paying attention or even disrespectful by English people. Many Chinese students only concentrate themselves on the meaning of the words without noticing the partners’ body language to get more information. So if they do not listen carefully enough they will misunderstand others. Sometimes they even do not know how to respond to foreigners’ some body languages.
2.1.3 thought patterns
Thought pattern is another important part of difference between Chinese and English speakers. Since the big differences between Chinese and English, many students do not know how to think like English people. This is also the reason why the Chinese English is found so widely among Chinese students. These words can be understood easily by other Chinese but English native speakers will feel strange towards them. Take the expression of address for example, the specific and small places always come first and general and bigger places come after in English while in Chinese places come from big to small one. Besides, the place in English is always placed at the end of a sentence while in Chinese we put it in the front. Another typical example is that Chinese people cannot know how to understand and enjoy jokes told by foreigners.
It is easy to find that Chinese English learners have difficulties in following arguments in oral discussions, debates, speech presentations. Chinese students have the habit of not going to point directly but describe a lot of background information, histories and only mention their point of view briefly at the end. Besides, Chinese students are more inductive in reasoning as compared to the deductive reasoning which is more common in the English world.

2.2 Be over care about self-image and be passive in communication
Chinese students’ passiveness in English class is a common phenomenon reflected by most English teachers. They are seldom brave enough in class to speak out what they are thinking about the questions asked by teachers because that they are afraid that they might make a mistake and lose face in front of other classmates. They even think that teachers and classmates will laugh at them if they give a wrong answer. For example, when the teacher asks a question “How do you think about the characters in this novel?” It is a very subjunctive question and there is no correct answer for it, so students can talk about freely. But a lot of Chinese students will keep silent. Some of them are afraid that their answers may be not good enough. Some do not want to speak out their ideas considering that it is a kind of show-off. As a result, it is difficult for teachers to continue discussions in English class. Thus, students miss a lot of chances to practice their English in use to develop their communicative competence,
Ⅲ Main Factors for Affecting the Development of Students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence
3.1 linguistic factors
When communicating with English speakers, Chinese should listen to them, understanding what they are expressing and react by speaking out the ideas in English. In this process, linguistic ability is the key point to perform the communication. Pronunciation, intonation and grammar are the premises. The following differences between the Chinese and English languages contribute to ICC problems:
3,1.1 Pronunciations and Intonation Transfer
Intonation transfer from L2 learners’ L1 to L2 is a natural phenomenon. A number of studies have found that English spoken by different Chines