A Probe Into The CI Treatment Of ELDs

It's ever been an evident understanding that language learning is interwoven with culture study and cultural knowledge is indispensable to good command of a language, especially a second language (L2). Since ELDs are one of the main sources to furnish English learners with CI, the problem how to incorporate CI into them should be given more attention to. The present study, with focus on the CI treatment in the 'Big Five', makes an attempt in the improvement of CI (Cultural Information) treatment in ELDs in the light of Spreading-activation Model (SAM).The present study, based on the findings of a questionnaire concerning the necessity of integrating CI into ELDs and some comparative analysis on the CI treatment of the most representative ELDs (the 'Big Five'), gives a systematic survey to the CI treatment in ELDs covering such aspects as the main methods used to convey CI by the current mainstream MELDs; the defects and strengths of those main strategies; the CI categories that could be included in ELDs, etc.Apart from that, this study proposes a manipulation model for CI treatment. The model is made up four stages, namely, the CI categorization, the construction of subject-oriented network of related words, the distribution of CI into different entries and the setting of a special subject-related column for cross-reference. The model more or less offers an approach to the handling of CI in ELDs.In the end of the thesis, some implications and limitations of the study and suggestions for further study are presented.