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35IMPORTANCE OF RAISING CULTURAL AWARENESS OF EFL LEARNERS IN LANGUAGE Eshankulova N.H.
Eshankulova Nargiza Hayitmuratovna - Teacher, DEPARTMENT OF THEORETICAL DISCIPLINES OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE UNDER THE ENGLISH LANGUAGES FACULTY 3,
UZBEKISTAN STATE WORLD LANGUAGES UNIVERSITY, SAMARKAND, REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
Abstract: this article aims at presenting a general understanding of cultural awareness and surveying different ways through which it can be developed in language instructional materials. Regardless of different points of view, culture has taken an important place in foreign language teaching and learning studies. Keywords: culture, technology, educational institutions, language, communication, intercultural sensitivity, pedagogy.
Development of a science as a whole and a linguistic science, in particular is connected not only to the decision of actually scientific problems, but also with features internal and foreign policy of the state, the maintenance of the state educational standards which are to the generators of progress providing social, economic society. It forms the society capable quickly to adapt in the modern world. Nowadays some of the educational institutions are using different technology and internet to teach language. Language is a means of expression. We express our feelings, emotions, thoughts, needs, desires etc. in words, symbols and gesture that is considered as language. Language can be defined as verbal, physical, biologically innate, and a basic form of communication. Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. Thus, culture finds its expression in language; so, learning a new language without familiarity with its culture remains incomplete.
Language has a dual character: both as a means of communication and a carrier of culture. Language without culture
is unthinkable, so is human culture without language. A particular language is a mirror of a particular culture. Relation between language and culture as follows: A language is a part of a culture and a culture is a part of a language; the two are intricately interwoven so that one cannot separate the two without losing the significance of either language or culture'. In a word, culture and language are inseparable. When it comes to the realm of teaching and learning, the interdependence of language learning and cultural learning is so evident that one can conclude that language learning is culture learning and consequently, language teaching is cultural teaching. Language teaching is foreign culture teaching, and foreign language teachers are foreign culture teachers'. According to Brown [1] the international role of the English language and communication are the two main reasons to teach culture as a fifth language skill, in addition to listening, speaking, reading and writing.
'What the fifth language skill teaches you is the mindset and technique to adapt your use of English to learn about, understand and appreciate the values, ways of doing things and unique qualities of other cultures. Different cultures have different norms, values and schema. One's own culture is compared to air. People usually do not pay attention to it. They unconsciously regard it as standard. When they encounter something different, theytend to think it strange or abnormal. Therefore, it is necessary to be conscious of one's ownculture and realize that it is one of many [2].
As scholars have answered [3] this very question by outlining historical reasons for a discourse-based "culture as language and language as culture" pedagogy, the short answer here includes several points. First, though culture is implicit is what we teach, to assume that those who are 'learning the language' in our classes are also learning the cultural knowledge and skills required to be competent L2/FL speakers denies the complexity of culture, language learning, and communication. Second, we should include culture in our curriculum in an intentional manner in order to avoid the stereotyping and pitfalls. The third reason for expressly including culture in our L2/FL curriculum is to enable teachers to do a better job teaching culture and to be more
accountable to students for the culture learning that takes place in our L2/FL classes.
As our understanding of language and communication has evolved, the importance of culture in L2 and FL education has increased. This reality is reflected in current methods of language learning and teaching, including the recent Tapestry approach. While, there are still some 'fuzzy' aspects to our approach to culture both in the L2/FL class and the literature, we have moved from simply describing the sociocultural context of the L2/FL to speaking of contexts of competence considering second culture acquisition working to prepare students for meaningful culture learning recognizing context and culture in language teaching developing a new philosophy of teaching culture and teaching and learning language and culture.
That culture teaching and learning is a developing area in applied linguistics is further reflected in the growing list of recent publications that deal specifically with this aspect of our work. As Buttjes stated [2], it is the recognition of an "unbreakable bond between language and culture that motivates our profession's implicit commandment that 'thou shalt not teach language without also teaching culture" Language Teaching is Culture Teaching".
References
1. Brown G., 1990. Cultural Values: The Interpretation of Discourse. ELT (1): 11-17.
2. Buttjes D., 1990. Teaching Foreign Language and Culture: Social Impact and Political Significance. Language Learning Journal (2): 55-57.
3. Byram M. & Flemming M., 1998. Language Learning from an Intercultural Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
