A Study Of Cultural Communication Within The Teaching Of Chinese As A Foreign Language

The formal teaching of Chinese as a foreign language began in the 1950s. The short history of the subject accounts for its comparative immaturity, but also for its considerable vitality. Furthermore, because of the economic ascension of China in recent years, proficiency in the Chinese language is an increasingly valuable skill in foreign countries. In response to this demand, the Chinese government has set up numerous "Confucius Institutes" in foreign countries. These aim both to promote the teaching of Chinese to foreigners, and increase awareness of Chinese culture abroad. Though teaching Chinese to foreigners naturally deals with language, the subject does not focus exclusively on linguistics. Because culture is expressed principally through its language, cross-cultural communication is highly significant when teaching Chinese. The four main theories used to analyze culture patterns by anthropologists and linguists all demonstrate that the study of culture inevitably deals with language. As the process of teaching Chinese as a foreign language involves many types of cultural communication, overall knowledge of a culture and culture specific to social interaction are taught with regard to this practical consideration. Teachers of this subject are responsible for helping students improve their communicative abilities in Chinese, but they can only do so from the perspective of their own culture. Therefore, in order to teach Chinese efficiently, teachers should become familiar with a variety of different cultural perspectives. However, cultural communication in this situation is still inevitably complex. Because of the many elements involved in cross-cultural communication, conveying and receiving information requires much practice before it may be done so effectively. Moreover, to guarantee that the "essence" of meaning is conveyed, one must also consider "communication /cultural change". It is important both to be able to deal with this change, and also to identify its potential effects on language teaching. In this way teaching Chinese as a foreign language will enable an increased appreciation for Chinese culture among foreign students.