VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ---#œsEltocs--- A NGUYEN NGOC ANH M. MINOR THESIS A study on the effects of some cultural dimensions on the learning of English at Thanh Hoa Medical College (Nghiên cứu sự ảnh hưởng của một số phạm trù văn hoá đến việc học tiếng Anh tại trường Cao đẳng y tế Thanh Hoá) Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60.10 Hanoi, 2011 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ---#œsEltocs--- A NGUYEN NGOC ANH M. MINOR THESIS A study on the effects of some cultural dimensions on the learning of English at Thanh Hoa Medical College (Nghiên cứu sự ảnh hưởng của một số phạm trù văn hoá đến vié học tiếng Anh tại trường Cao đẳng y tế Thanh Hoá) Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60.10 Supervisor: Do Mai Thanh, M.A Hanoi, 2011 iv ABBREVIATIONS Anglicist American and English ELT English language leaching VNU ‘Vietnam National University forth. Culture is something to lear, it affacts the way we act and respond, including the visible aspects and dos and taboos of working in other count 1.
Language and culture: “Just as birds have wings, man has language. The wings give the bird its peculiar aptitude for aerial locomotion. Language enables man’s intelligence and passions to acquire their peculiar characters of intellect and sentiment.H Lewes —‘The study of psychology) Language is “a system of sounds, words, patterns, etc. used hy htmans to communicate thoughts und feelings” (Oxford advanced leamer’s encyclopedic dictionary: 506), Halliday (1970: 143) pointed out three basic functions of language as following - Tdeational function: expressing the speaker’s experince of the real world including the inner world of his own consciousness.
- Interpersonal functio: : establishing and maintaining social relations. - Textual fimetion: making links with langnage itself and with features of the situation in which it is used. From the above functions, we can see that language and culture have a close and inseparable relationship. We carol, comprehend the one without understanding the other.
Without the language of a culture, we surely have no means to communicate in that culttre, and vice verse, with the absence of cultural knowledge in a language; we are unable to use the language appropriately In goneral, language, ccrlainly, is determined by culture. Early anthropologists Imive the belief that language and its structure were totally dependent on the cultural context in which they existed. Ilowever, thanks to language. culture is preserved and enriched.
All the beliofs, values, altitudes, and percaplions. can be transmitted via language. They are interwoven in such a way that culture intluences the expressing language and language is full of cultural dimensions Many applicd linguists also concluded the interrclationship between language and culture. Edward Sapir (1921: 1961) stated that “language does not exist apart from culture, which is from the socially inherited assemblage of practices and beliefs that determines the texture of our lives.” and “language actually shapes the way in which we perceive, think and therefore act.” Language is really a misror to reflect the ways of looking at the world.
‘Therefore, in teaching and learning a language, language knowledge cannot be separated forth. Culture is something to lear, it affacts the way we act and respond, including the visible aspects and dos and taboos of working in other count 1. Language and culture: “Just as birds have wings, man has language. The wings give the bird its peculiar aptitude for aerial locomotion.
Language enables man’s intelligence and passions to acquire their peculiar characters of intellect and sentiment.H Lewes —‘The study of psychology) Language is “a system of sounds, words, patterns, etc. used hy htmans to communicate thoughts und feelings” (Oxford advanced leamer’s encyclopedic dictionary: 506), Halliday (1970: 143) pointed out three basic functions of language as following - Tdeational function: expressing the speaker’s experince of the real world including the inner world of his own consciousness. - Interpersonal functio: : establishing and maintaining social relations. - Textual fimetion: making links with langnage itself and with features of the situation in which it is used.
From the above functions, we can see that language and culture have a close and inseparable relationship. We carol, comprehend the one without understanding the other. Without the language of a culture, we surely have no means to communicate in that culttre, and vice verse, with the absence of cultural knowledge in a language; we are unable to use the language appropriately In goneral, language, ccrlainly, is determined by culture. Early anthropologists Imive the belief that language and its structure were totally dependent on the cultural context in which they existed.
Ilowever, thanks to language. culture is preserved and enriched. All the beliofs, values, altitudes, and percaplions. can be transmitted via language.
They are interwoven in such a way that culture intluences the expressing language and language is full of cultural dimensions Many applicd linguists also concluded the interrclationship between language and culture. Edward Sapir (1921: 1961) stated that “language does not exist apart from culture, which is from the socially inherited assemblage of practices and beliefs that determines the texture of our lives.” and “language actually shapes the way in which we perceive, think and therefore act.” Language is really a misror to reflect the ways of looking at the world. ‘Therefore, in teaching and learning a language, language knowledge cannot be separated PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1. Theorctical background: T part presenls the background knowledge of telaled issues with a crilical review.
The understanding of Culture © Language - Commmnication in general as well as the relationship between culture and language, language and communication, communication and culture, the influence of native culture on Lnglish leaming will be taken into consideration as key concspls. Aller thal, potontial influences of cultural dimensions will ‘be investigated. An overview of Culture— Language — Communication 1.1, What is culture? ‘The term “culture” has been defined by many scholars. It comes from the Latin word “colere” that teams to build on, to cultivate, and to foster.
Culture appeared al the sare time inankind appeared and began to work. However, culture is a general and abstract concept. In each domain, culture is dealt with fiom different points of view. Rosaldo (1984) clarified that culture is far more than a mere catalogue of rituals and toliefs.A-Hudson considered culture as “the kind of knowledge which we learn from other people either by direct instruction or by watching their behaviour.” This knowledge invalves: + cullurat knowledge — which learned from other people - shared non-cultural knowledge which is shared by people within the same community or the world over, but is not learned fram each other.
> non-shared non-culturat knowledge which is unique Lo the mdividuat According to Richard Camphell, culture in his book “Media and culture” was defined as “a broad category that identifies the ways in which people live and represent themselves at a particular historical times”. Ronald Wardhaugh shared the similar idea with him when saying that “culture is the “kvow-how” thai « person nus! possess to yel through the task of daily living, only for a few does it require a knowledge of some, or much, music, literature and the arts” (I9BS: 207) Tn short, the Ler cuftuse has been defined in different ways by many scholars. Culture is sometimes identified with notions of personal space, appropriate gestures, time and so cause the interference on the use of Ùinglish. 1lowover, by the supgested implications, the research is ‘pected lo reveal some practical ways for students to practies their English and.
As for teachers, this is a good chance for them to reconsider the role of cultural dimensions in learning Tnglish. Through the research, they can make use of some implic ions in order to improve students’ competence in English. The study is also expected to generate a setions issue on cross-cultural studies. Subsequent researches can develop the idea raised in the rascarch 5.
Scope af the research: ‘The study focuses on investigating the influences of some cultural dimensions on the Janguags learning. There will be thos potcutial cultural dimensions on investigation namely subjectivity objectivity, directness indirectness, accuracy inaccuracy presented in the theoretical background, and this predication will be looked into in the process of data analysis 6. Methods of the research “The study was designed to use a combination of various methods to achieve its aims and objectives (qualitative and quantitative). To begin with, an exlensive review of literature was conducted, ciitically examining some cultural dimensions affecting the English Jearning, Secondly, 4 useful and plausible lool is conducting a survey questionaire an second-year students and Icachors of English at Thanh Hoa Medical College to investigals how culisral dimensions affect the English leaming at Thanh Hoa Medical College and the solutions 7.
Design of the research: The tescarch consi: ls of three parts, part A — Iniradnetion as the first part, part Bo — Development including three chapters, chapter 1 is the Literature Review in which the review of works on the similar topics and the theoretical background will be revealed. To ‘be more specific, terms and relationship between culture, language and communication as well as the overview of some Vietnamese cultural dimensions are going to be presented. Chapter Il is known as Discussion of the survey and Data analysis Chapter IL named Some implications for Viettamess ELT teachers. Part C - Conclusion, which is the las one, concludes the major findings of the investigation, the limitations and suggestions tor farther research.
TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ATSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv TABLE OF CONTENTS: PART A- INTRODUCTION: eee Rationale Aims of the research " Rescarch questions TN me ow Significance of the research wR Scups of the research Methods of the research wow. Design of the research PART B- DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW Re 1. Theoretical background LLL An overview of Culture — Language — Conmunication he LELL What is culture? LIL2 Language and culture aa w 11. Language and communication LLL4.
Cross cultural commamivation 1. Cross-cultural studies on the Anglicist-Fietnamese comnuatication styles 1. The use of tenses 1.2 The use of genitive indicators 1⁄2. Review of previous studies forth.
Culture is something to lear, it affacts the way we act and respond, including the visible aspects and dos and taboos of working in other count 1. Language and culture: “Just as birds have wings, man has language. The wings give the bird its peculiar aptitude for aerial locomotion. Language enables man’s intelligence and passions to acquire their peculiar characters of intellect and sentiment.H Lewes —‘The study of psychology) Language is “a system of sounds, words, patterns, etc.
used hy htmans to communicate thoughts und feelings” (Oxford advanced leamer’s encyclopedic dictionary: 506), Halliday (1970: 143) pointed out three basic functions of language as following - Tdeational function: expressing the speaker’s experince of the real world including the inner world of his own consciousness. - Interpersonal functio: : establishing and maintaining social relations. - Textual fimetion: making links with langnage itself and with features of the situation in which it is used. From the above functions, we can see that language and culture have a close and inseparable relationship.
We carol, comprehend the one without understanding the other. Without the language of a culture, we surely have no means to communicate in that culttre, and vice verse, with the absence of cultural knowledge in a language; we are unable to use the language appropriately In goneral, language, ccrlainly, is determined by culture. Early anthropologists Imive the belief that language and its structure were totally dependent on the cultural context in which they existed. Ilowever, thanks to language.
culture is preserved and enriched. All the beliofs, values, altitudes, and percaplions. can be transmitted via language. They are interwoven in such a way that culture intluences the expressing language and language is full of cultural dimensions Many applicd linguists also concluded the interrclationship between language and culture.
