The Importance of Cultural Knowledge in English Teaching

I. The close relationship between language and culture

Language is the carrier of culture and culture is the content of language. There is no language without culture content. On the other hand， language is influenced and shaped by culture， reflecting culture. Therefore， culture and language are closely related. Social scientists tell us that cultures differ from one another， each culture is unique. Its only natural that with differences in cultures and differences in languages， difficulties often arise in communicating between cultures and across cultures.

For teachers， without knowing about the ample cultural knowledge of the target language， they cant teach the language well; for learners， without fully understanding the mode of thought and code of conduct of the target language culture， they cant truly master the language. （Lado， 1957） So， teaching and learning a foreign language involves not only the grammar， vocabulary and discourse patterns， but also the cultural rules of using those components so as to use appropriate language in a particular content. In language learning and teaching， both the language and its culture should be taken into account， otherwise the learners will fail to comprehend the language itself. English is no exception.

II .The importance of cultural awareness cultivation in English teaching

One purpose of English teaching is to develop learners awareness of cultural difference reflected in languages. To some extent， the successful English learning and teaching relies on students cultural awareness. Therefore， its important to take cultural knowledge as one of the contents in the whole English teaching process， teachers should help learners to have a good command of necessary cultural knowledge and to develop basic culture learning ability.

The New National English Curriculum regards that cultural awareness cultivation is as important as language knowledge， skills， emotion and learning strategies， requiring all foreign language teachers should posses the cross-culture awareness and attach importance to the students cross-culture awareness cultivation.

In daily English teaching， systematic explanation cultural knowledge can improve the quality of English teaching and to cultivate students cultural awareness in following ways. Firstly， through cultural knowledge acquisition， students can develop their sensitivity to cultural difference by themselves. They will also broaden their range of cultural knowledge， enhance their cultural absorption abilities and thereby improve their abilities to use the English language. Whats more， cultural knowledge presentation can help students to get to know politics， economy， thoughts and ideas of English-speaking and nationalities. It is helpful for them to think in English. Finally， by learning English culture， students will deepen their realization about our own culture in turn. The contrast of Chinese and western cultures is an effective way to arouse students to reconsider our own culture.

III.The solutions to develop students cultural awareness in English teaching

The importance of cultural education for English teaching is beyond doubt. English cultural teaching must follow some principles and adopt correct methods.

A. The principles

1. The principle of setting cultural understanding as the final goal of cultural teaching. It refers that cultural introduction in English teaching should make cultural knowledge as the starting point， cultural awareness as the bridge， cultural under standing as the final goal. （Cao Wen， 1998）

During the cultural teaching procedure， the teachers should help the learners to realize the similarities and differences between target language culture and native culture， their origins and causes through analyzing and illustrating the target language culture， but not the installment of cultural knowledge and the simulating of the behavior. Furthermore， the teachers should also focus on cultivating the learners empathy to the target language culture. It must be pointed all cultures are equal.

2.Systematic principle. It requires that arrangement of culture knowledge content should be arranged systematically in content and logically in structure firstly. Next， the cultural knowledge teaching should proceed step by step， obeying the laws of cultural knowledge itself and the development of the learners body and mind.

3. The principle of combining the transmission of cultural information and the practices. It requires teachers not only impart knowledge， but also try to create opportunity for students to properly use the knowledge in the real or simulated situations， which can deepen students understanding with the knowledge， develop their ability in using the knowledge they learn.

B. The approaches

Besides giving English culture courses， teachers should make some supplementary ways in teaching. The following approaches are suggested：

1. Have learners read some chosen books and essays in English literature under teachers guidance. Ask them to write down the cultural background problems. Then the teacher solves these problems or give a special lecture on relevant topics.

2. Organize discussions about cultural background problems emerging in English learning. The suggested content includes festivals， custom， religions and literature etc.

3. Focus on speaking and reading materials， analyze culture-related mistakes made by learners， and then explain them one by one.

4. According to the needs of learning and communication， the teacher can offer additional cultural background information for learners to take in， or do some analysis work，contrast Chinese culture with foreign cultures， and then summarize the characteristics of different cultures.

IV. Conclusion

Culture and language are closely related. Lack of cultural knowledge in reading， listening， writing， speaking， translating will hinder the improvement of the English learning and teaching， and prevent the learners from communicating in English appropriately， so we must attach more importance to the presentation of the cultural knowledge in the English teaching in the future， following some right approaches and in the English teaching and adopting scientific methods. As a result， the learners will be capable indeed of using the English language.

References：

[1]Lado，Robert. Linguistics across culture. Michigan： University of Michigan press， 1957.

[2]鄧炎昌，劉潤清.語言與文化[M].北京：外語教學與研究出版社， 1989.

[3]侯云潔.中學英語跨文化教學的缺失和解決對策[J].云南教育（中學教師），2013（11）.

【作者簡介】張亞娟，寶雞職業技術學院。