English in the Community

1. Introduction

Teaching a foreign language involves several components such as grammatical and

communicative skills, also language expertise and cultural proficiency. People may think
that getting to know the culture involved in the target language is less important than
learning words and how to put them together in a sentence, but the truth is that culture
should not be let aside.

You may have communication problems sooner than you think if you do not consider this
essential factor. As Byram says: “knowledge of the grammatical system of a language
[grammatical skills] has to be complemented by the understanding of culture-specific
meanings [communicative skills or rather cultural proficiency]” (Byram, Morgan et al.
1994: 4). An example of this is an English learner who does not quite catch what an English
man says and therefore he/she says ‘What?’ The word expresses the question he/she wants
to ask. However, it might be considered rude by the English man who would expect a
different enquiry such as ‘I beg your pardon’ or ‘excuse me.’

The teacher’s challenge is to be able to provide their students with all that is to be learnt in a
foreign language course regarding the language itself but also cultural factors that make
students aware of the culture this language comes from. Not only do they have to distribute
the time to be able to teach the contents and some culture but they also have to decide what
cultural elements are relevant for their students.
The discussions and text book analysis shared by our classmates during the subject English
in the Community gave us a broader view of how to better include cultural projects in our
classes. During the study of the subject we learned about the variants of the English
language and how to make better use of each aspect discussed when applying multicultural
activities in the content, curriculum as well as knowledge of the material, design and
adaptation of materials. This analysis enriched our knowledge as English Teachers making
us more aware of what to choose for the preparation of our lessons looking forward to
having a positive feedback from our students.
This subject, English in the Community, invited us to go through a comprehensive analysis
on how multicultural activities can be applied, adapted and best taught in the different
forms they appear in textbooks. Understanding how to deal with the lesson without
stereotyping and knowing what to expect from the students and if the activity is appropriate
to our teaching context is extremely important for the success of lessons. This subject has
definitely enhanced our views on how to make a better use of the cultural components from
our textbooks without skipping it for assuming it is challenging for the students or for the
teachers themselves.
The goal of this assignment is to analyse the cultural content of three extracts from adult
course books, drawing on insights we have derived from the study of this subject.
2. Extract 1a
This extract belongs to Unit 5 of what seems to be an advanced course book and it has four
main sections. The first section (A) has three puzzles which are aimed at getting students
familiarised with English in relation to other languages, for example borrowed words,
words which have similar roots, etc.
The second section (B) is a pre-reading activity and a reading for gist activity which is
designed to help students understand the meaning of something from a given context.

The third section is a more detailed reading activity which requires students to pay
attention to detail and finally the fourth section is a follow-up activity where students are
able to apply the cultural elements recently acquired in a freer context.

We will now take a close look at the cultural content. In order to do so, we will analyse the
more interesting aspects regarding the cultural content exhibited in each part of this
extract.
As we read this extract we noticed that the most important aspects here are related to the
three different ‘raw categories’ distinguished by Clarke (1996:11) for discussing culture in
terms of what is relevant to ELT. One of the categories he describes and that can be
identified in this extract is connected to the development of “cross-cultural competence”.
The first two activities, 1A and B, make students aware of the fact that different languages
share common roots by showing eight languages from which students can identify similar
words in the different languages. The first three activities A, B and C were designed to help
the learner to ‘realize’ the way they are connected to each other.

In accordance with Hofstede’s framework described in 1980, we can definitely recognize the
aspects of individualism versus collectivism. In the reading skills activity letter B, we
observe that the activity asks the learner to: ‘Read the whole text quickly and answer which
nationalities have accepted the influence of English readily, and which have resisted it?’ By
means of this, the activity mainly looks at identifying the relationship between the
individual and the group to which he/she belongs without just ending up with a picture that
resembles a stereotype since it is aimed at helping the learner be able to make inferences
about why people can accept or resist the influence of a certain language inside a culture
allowing room for deeper cultural awareness. Activities like this also helps to develop the
values of tolerance and accepting who/what is different from his/her own culture achieving
wider educational goals than those purely devoted to teaching a language in the EFL class,
which was vastly discussed during the debate.

The inner, outer and expanding circles represented by the Indian linguist Braj Kachru can
also be observed in extract 1a and we can compare ‘The English-Speaking World’ to the
world categorized in the activities presented. The circles are characterized by showing how
each one can contain the others and how closely related they are. For instance, we can see
that the main goal of the activity makes the learner aware of the way the inner circle, where
English is spoken as a first language, exists because of the relationship with the other two
circles. This can be clearly seen by quoting activity C: ‘English has borrowed words from
other languages. Below is a list of twenty of these words, which have become part of the
English language by now.’

As a conclusion, we can say that the main aspects covered by this extract are mainly
intended at raising awareness of the cultural component of language in the EFL classroom.
Cultural awareness brings benefits either for the teachers, the learners and the society
involved in this process in terms of the circulation of English in the world. Ascension in this
awareness has been remarkable and shows the importance of the English language in the
curriculum in schools all over the world.

As teachers in different countries and part of the globalised world we must show our
students that learning a second language and its culture walk together and we should be
prepared to teach both properly without making choice of which country or language is
better than another.

3. Extract 1b

New facets of culture can be identified in the second part of the previous activity. In this
extract we see the influence of English in the languages spoken in the rest of the world
opposed to the influence that languages such as Spanish, Italian, Russian or German have
had in English, including borrowed words such as those seen in letter C.

Code-switching can be identified at the beginning of the text: ‘(1) …der TV in West Germany
and you might hear der talkmaster on eine talkshow.’ Code-switching is ‘a verbal strategy by
which bilingual or bidialectal speakers changes linguistic code within the same speech as a
sign of cultural solidarity or distance, and as an act of (cultural) identity” (Kramsch,
1998:125).

Particular attention is paid to the fact that “English is mixing and marrying other languages
around the world”, hence Kachru’s circles now being used from the inner circle to the
expanding circle. The influence has been so strong that it has led to many ‘English-based
Creole languages’ such as those which are a mixture of English and French, defined as
Franglais or English and Japanese defined in the text as Japlish. Another example closer to
our reality is ‘Spanglish’, a mixture of Spanish and English and it is very common among
students.

On the other hand, the examples provided in the extract are connected to the influence that
the English language has had not because of land expansion, but due to the fact that there
are many words that come from the English language and now belong to these countries
mother tongues, as seen while reading the text in extract 1b.

The text in the extract was written in 1982, which proves the strength of the English
language back then up to nowadays. New verbs and borrowed words are included mainly by
young people who make more use of the English language and adapt them their vocabulary
incorporating them in their everyday lives.
The awareness of cultural identity can be developed with the questions about the text For
instance, the following sentences: ‘Governments in both Bonn and Paris have tried to
eliminate English words – with mixed success’. Just as cultural identity is emphasised in
the text, it also helps to develop the headings suggested by Adaskou et al in 1990.

The principles of respect, acceptance of differences and tolerance can be identified in both
parts of this extract. For example, question 7: ‘Can you think of any words in your language
which derive from English?’ or question 8: ‘Do you accept these or do you think that
languages should be kept ‘pure’?’ include both aesthetic and sociological senses. These
questions help students ‘to encourage the learners to compare their own and the foreign
countries concerned or contacts with people from them’ (Adaskou et at 1990).
4. Extract 2
This extract, taken from a CAE course book by Leo Jones, gives a brief outline of the use of
English round the world nowadays. It mentions a few random facts as well as some
concrete information provided by UNESCO. We will now analyse the cultural contents in
the given material by using some sub – headings from the Funiber printed material.
Sociological Sense
This extract shows us the use of culture in a sociological sense due to the fact that the final
paragraph mentions a series of free – time activities, customs and social institutions where
English is deeply involved. The aforementioned paragraph assures that English ‘is the main
language of books, newspapers, airports and air traffic control, international business and
academic conferences, science, technology, medicine, diplomacy, sports, international
competitions, pos music and advertising.’ All of them sociological factors in culture.
Pragmatic Sense
This extract also illustrates that the culture content is pragmatic. It does make reference to
facts such as the Indian sub – continent and China learning English for historical reasons.
This data tells us that English is the language used when people who do not share their
mother tongue want to communicate.
Language, Cultural Identity and Code-switching
There are examples in this extract that demonstrate the fact that English is the language of
business and communication. According to this extract, ‘over two-thirds of the world’s
scientists write in English’, ‘three-quarters of the world’s mail is written in English’ and ‘of
all the world’s electronic retrieval systems, 80% is stored in English.’ When people from
different nationalities negotiate, they usually do so in English whether they are native or
non – native speakers of English because this language is now an accepted means for
trading and for commerce round the globe. Code – switching can be associated to this
cultural acceptance. For example, businessmen are able to switch to English in the middle
of a conversation to discuss terms with their foreign counterparts.
Pragmatics and Cross-cultural Communication
The writer of this extract let us think that he is a great supporter of the use of English all
over the world. We can realise that because of the way the essay is written and because of
the questions posted in section B are open – ended and they invite readers to think and
process the data given in the extract before answering. This reflection will potentially help
readers to be aware of the fact that many people from many different cultures communicate
by means of the English language and also that although people may have a good domain of
the language, it does not mean that people have similar non – verbal codes, thoughts and
feelings. Hopefully, after reading this extract our students would avoid making cultural fool
of themselves.
Kachru’s Circles
This extract also makes reference to Kachru’s three circles as it is divided in the different
parts of the world where English is spoken. For instance, the second paragraph talks about
the about 300 million mother – tongue speakers of English. This would be the inner circle.
Then, it mentions the additional 300 million speakers of English as a second language or
the outer circle. Finally, the extract refers to the rest of the world which corresponds to the
expanding circle, in other words, the further 100 million speakers that use English fluently
as a foreign language.
Diglossia
Diglossia also appears in this extract. The second paragraph mentions the use of English in
areas where more than one language is spoken. The example given in the extract is the case
of the Indian sub – continent where the nature of the size of the country and the many
languages and dialects together with the historical impact English has had on these places
in every way has resulted in English being used along with the local languages. This case
would be what Bloomfield (1993) describes as ‘native – like control of two or more
languages.’
5. Extract 3
The cultural content presented in this extract requires students to draw their attention on
their own personal experiences regarding body language in order to elicit the answers of the
questionnaire. By means of this extract students will became aware of the differences and
similarities between British and American culture as well as their own. They will also
practise their listening skills by means of a short conversation between an American and a
British talking about this topic.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, body language is ‘the movements or positions of
your body that show other people how you are feeling, even though you do not tell them in
words’. This form of non – verbal communication consists of body pose, gestures, eye
movements and facial expressions that usually occur unconsciously. As a consequence, we
cannot prevent ourselves from communicating through body language nor make the others
interpret what we really feel or think since people we interact with interpret our body
language unconsciously as well. This unconscious feature of body language can derive in
several misunderstandings due to the fact that every culture has different codes to interpret
it. This is a sort of cross – cultural communication which of course can be misunderstood
by members of different cultures if people is not aware of other people’s codes. This extract
can serve the purpose of making students aware of body language in other English speaking
countries. Hughes (1986) suggested several methods to raise student’s awareness of culture
such as the comparison method, culture assimilators, culture capsule, drama etc. It is our
belief that they can be applied to body language.
Activity number one exemplifies the culture assimilation suggestion since students have to
answer close questions regarding different social situations and the students’ possible
reactions. These questions involve body language and their own culture. After students
provide answers to this questionnaire teachers would be in conditions to give feedback
based on their own experience in the English speaking world and also to make suggestions
to avoid possible cultural embarrassment or discomfort. The comparison method is also
implicit in this first activity. Although students are not asked to compare nor is there any
discussion about it, comparison will be a component of the activity for students will
naturally and instantly notice the differences and similarities in culture as soon as the
teacher shares his / her own experience.
Activity number three is a listening task. It is a conversation between an American and a
British person. Students have to listen to this conversation and to identify the topics these
people talk about. Probably the purpose of this activity is to make students aware of the fact
that there are differences in culture and behaviour between English speaking countries such
as the case between the United States of America and Britain. After this kind of activities
students would keep that having the same language does not mean to have the same culture
which is a common belief in Chile for instance. In addition to this, students will have the
chance to compare the two speakers’ pronunciation and notice differences such as the /r/
which is mute in the United Kingdom and more marked in the United States.
Activity number four is a follow – up activity to the previous one. Nevertheless, we consider
that it could be carried on as a culture capsule because students get to know the some of the
main differences between the customs of both countries as well as the differences
interpreting body language as those examples provided in the extract. In addition to that,
teachers could eventually add a set of visuals to stimulate discussion among students.
The last activity aims at raising awareness of the similarities and differences between
cultures. Although other activities in this extract might have done so too, such is the case of
activity number one, here it is a more conscious process for the questions are quite explicit
‘Is the body language in your country like Britain or America? What are the differences?’
Students will answer both questions consciously which will help them to understand the
codes of the different cultures and it will also help them be more tolerant of other cultures.
This piece of information is essential for students for it will mean a significant contribution
for them not to do anything rude to foreigners in their own countries or abroad if they
happen to travel as well as it will help them not to suffer a tremendous culture shock
whenever they visit other countries for misinterpreting facial expressions, gestures and all
sorts of body language.
6. Conclusion

In the direction of concluding our analysis, we need to reaffirm and be conscious of our
roles as English teachers. “Culture should be our message to students and language our
medium” (Peck 1998). It is possible to accomplish this if cultural consciousness is viewed as
something more than merely a topic of secondary importance within the foreign language
curriculum.

Teaching cultural aspects will be of assistance for learners become more aware of the
different kinds of peoples that live all over the world and make them better users of the
foreign language.The teaching of culture will also make learners more conscious of
appropriate or inappropriate behaviour, as well as offer them with the chance to act out
being a member of the target culture.
7. Bibliography

• Adaskou, K.; Britten, D. & Fahsi, B. (1990): “Design decisions on the cultural content of a
secondary English course for Morocco”. ELT Journal, 44/1, pp. 3- 10.
• Apletkin, C & Apletkin M. The question of culture: EFL teaching in non-English-speaking
countries”, in ELT Journal 38/1, pp. 14-20 (1984).

• Bloomfield, L. (1933): Language. London: Allen Unwin. Byram, M. Cultural Studies in

Foreign Language Education, Clevedon: Multilingual Matters (1989).

• Clarke, M. (1996): “English on the Rampage” in IATEFL Newsletter 132: 10-13.Geertz, C.

The Interpretation of Culture, London: Fontana (1973).

• FUNIBER material

• Kachru, B. (1985): “Standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: the English

language in the outer circle.” In Quirk and Widdowson (eds. 1985), English in the World:
Teaching and Learning the Language and Literatures. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, pp. 11-30. Kramsch, C. Language and Culture, Oxford: Oxford University Press
(1998).

• Valdés, J. M. (ed. 1986) Culture Bound, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1986).

• http://www.selfgrowth.com/bodyl.html
• http://dictionary.cambridge.org/
• http://www.wikipedia.com
Gilmara Bezerra and Mary Barrera
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