The Influence of Culture in Learning English Language
As of today, the English language is considered, and widely accepted as the international language, so knowing how to use this language is on indispensable ability. When one decides to learn English as a second language, it is important to realise that he or she is also learning about the culture the language is tied upon. It is often said that language and culture are two inseparable aspects of society. One may think that language without culture is nothing and there is not a culture without a language.
In vocabulary, for example, culture plays a factor in meanings of some words and can change the statement as a whole. In the sentence, “Dressed in white, she approaches with tears in her eyes.” for some westerners and other people who believe in matrimony; they can picture a lady dressed in a white gown celebrating her wedding day. It understandable when you know that it is a common practice for a bride to wear a white gown for her wedding. But for Chinese people, wearing white is a symbol mourning, they wear white when a family member or a relative is dead. To learn this language completely, one does not only need to listen to it but to also have a good grasp of its culture and maintain a deep understanding of his culture.
For students to learn English more effectively, institutions and other educational centres are trying to develop and apply techniques in “teaching” culture with English courses. With this kind of practice, they can make learners of the language learning understand the cultural background of the language while subsequently learning the language itself.
You may learn the grammar rules, the words, spelling, and the pronunciation in English classes but only through further and deeper studies will you learn about the cultural ties of the English language.