Culture Teaching In College Oral English Course

Instances of intercultural communication that were once rare events are now witnessed every moment on a global scale. New technology and information systems have created windows through which we may view other societies and cultures in the globe. It is in this .sense that people at times say, the world seems to be shrinking In the communication between people of different cultures, the greatest barrier lies not only in the differences of languages, but also in those of cultures, which permeate all aspects of human life. According to Wolfson (1983) and Thorns (1983), cultural mistakes are even more serious and irritating than linguistic ones. Therefore, the importance of the target- culture teaching has been drawing attention ever since. In the 195 Os, scholars in Western countries, especially those in the USA started a new branch of study ?intercultural communication. In the 1 960s and I 970s, anthropologists, sociolinguists, experts of communication and linguists made studies in this field from different perspectives. Their research covers a wide range of,study: c1dture-loaded wQrds, pragmatics, nonverbal communication, customs and habits (Hu, 1992). In the late 1 960s and 1970s, the achievement of the scholars began to be applied to SLTIFLT. Intercultural communication was introduced in China by Hu Wengzhong and other scholars in the 198 Os. Ever since then many chinese scholars and foreign langi~age teachers have been working this field and have tried to apply the finding in their research to FLT. Offering the course Orar English to students is an example. But in the past, and even at present, most Oral English teachers still put their attention mainly on the development of students?linguistic competence, such as pronunciation, sentence structures, etc. Most teaching methods adopted in Oral English class are: read the textaloud, listen to the tape and imitate, do pattern drills, or recite the sentences, and so on. The result of such teaching methods is that students lose their interest in Oral English learning and think it is useless. This greatly hinders the Chinese people contact with the outside world and the development of science and technology in China. In the new century, people from different part of the world interact with each other even more frequently than before. The English language teaching should meet the needs of the society and the development of economy. Unfortunately, many Chinese students of English are good at writing and reading, but when they encounter foreigners, they get dumbfounded. Therefore, the goal of College Oral English Teaching should be to enhance students?cross-cultural understanding and cross-cultural communication. Both teachers and students must notice the inseparable relationship between language and culture. Learning a foreign language inevitably involves the learning of the target culture. This thesis analyzes the communicative competence and the necessity of culture teaching in Oral English Course. Based on the analysis, the author lists the content of culture teaching which is most close to the everyday life and basic to a successful conversation. Finally, the paper provides some strategies for foreign language learners, aiming at promoting their cultural awareness and understanding in cross-cultural comunication and facilitating the process of foreign language learning. This thesis consists of six chapters Chapter One gives an account of the challenges to English teaching, the aim of college English teaching and the layout of this dissertation. Chapter Two defines culture and communication,...