CulureFacorsinEnglishTeaching_开题报告

With the continuous development of social economy, more and more people pay close attention to foreign language teaching, especially English teaching in middle school. Theory has also been gradually reached a consensus, that is between language and culture have a mix, inseparable relationship.

This study will conduct with the relationship between language and culture in middle school English teaching. We will try to find out what’s the best way to improve the middle school students' English level. Maybe, there is someone who is very good at English exam, that one could be a mechanical memorizing person. But learning a language also entails learning about its culture, in addition to teaching the language itself. Teachers might need to inform their students when, where, and how the discourse should be used in English-speaking contexts. This study will illustrate the relationship between language study and cultural sense, what a kind of relationship, and the influence in middle school English teaching.

The paper outline

1. the importance of cultural factors in middle school English teaching

 The relationship between language and culture has always been anthropologists and sociologists, linguists concern. Culture is a part of human life, is the Shared patterns of behavior or habit, is a social a unique system of political economy, religious beliefs, customs, peoples combined. It becomes an important factor of people living in the same community, to the people to the method to solve the problem, promote the communication between people. And language is that people have learned the behavior of the automatic mode, so it is part of the culture. The close relationship between language and culture are inseparable. In a sense, the language of a nation must carry all the nation's culture and social life experience, reflects the important characteristics of national culture. And in the use of language to create a culture at the same time, become a very important channel for the cultural heritage and the main performance way. Witherspoon once said: "Language is not the mirror of reality, but the reality is the mirror of the language." Culture is a fluid, is constantly changing. Cultural teach people how to use the language, and language form only in the specific cultural background, to produce the relevant language communication.

Thus, emphasis on cultural factors in the teaching, it is adapt to the relationship between culture and language, so that language learning is not from the cultural foundations. To undertake to the student in the teaching of cross-cultural teaching, guide students to gain knowledge of cross-cultural, and forms the effective cross-cultural communication, understanding and reference, the spread of ability. Accurate perception of cultural similarities and differences, the different cultural behavior can make a precise description and understanding, causes the student to have knowledge of the language of social rules and be able to use them. At the same time of learning a language to understand students' communication rather than to conform to the language specification, but also conform to the cultural norms.

2. the lack of cultural factors in the traditional English teaching in middle school

However, traditional English teaching in middle school usually focus on the basic teaching of language points, such as grammar, vocabulary, and to basic skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing of the training. Teachers generally believe that as long as students have mastered enough language knowledge, has the certain application ability, can see can say to listen to can write test can get good grades, it is to learn English well. This guiding ideology inevitably causes the lack of education or culture is weak, the students lack the necessary cultural background knowledge, deep, flexible, and can't use English appropriately and effectively express ideas, can't learn language use it well. Specific performance in the following aspects:

2.1. the neglect of cultural factors in vocabulary teaching

Vocabulary teaching is an important part of traditional English teaching. The size of the vocabulary in the very great degree shows a level of English learners. However able to read and spell, is to know the meaning of basic Chinese words do not represent the mastery of the usage of the vocabulary. Because vocabulary is also rooted in culture, if ignore the cultural connotation of vocabulary, will inevitably lead to the failure of the communication. In English culture, for example, red (red) is a dangerous signal, whereas red in Chinese culture represents the festival; Blue (blue) symbol in Chinese culture the solemn, whereas people in English countries expressed frustration with blue, depression, and even dirty; In Anglo-American countries, the "dragon" is the ancient gigantic, brutal monsters, specially do harm to people's bad, which is obviously contrary to Chinese culture, the dragon is the totem of the Chinese nation, is a symbol of strength and good luck; Nowadays there is a brand on the domestic market of instant noodles, called "white elephant", but the brand exports will not get the favour of the British and American countries people, the reason is very simple, "white elephant" in English culture is discarded useless items; The teacher is a more common English vocabulary, however, it represents a kind of professional in English, however, cannot like Chinese say "teacher zhang, wang" directly in front of the name.

From the above example it is not hard to see, if only in vocabulary teaching Chinese meaning of the English vocabulary for translation, interpretation, and tend to go wrong, lead to communication failure. Because vocabulary is based on culture, only in the context of cultural learning vocabulary, these seemingly isolated vocabulary will be thriving vitality.

2.2. the sentence pattern teaching ignore the cultural factors

  To express a complete sentence mean language units. But it is not a simple accumulation of words or phrases. For a long time, the content of many sentence patterns in our English teaching emphasis on language form and ignore the social significance of language, ignore the use of language in actual situations and its customs and habits, and students mechanical imitation, lead to communication failure.

We almost all English learners from "what 's your name? How old are you? Where are you from?" These patterns started his career of English learning. But in fact, in english-speaking countries, these words are generally appear in hospital, immigration, and police stations of this kind of place. If meet foreign friends at one fell swoop put forward these problems, where they will think they broke the law, has received the inquiry. Meet my friends for a "how you" is enough, other problems should use a more tactful way at the right time. Look at another communication scene: a: you look tired. B: I don 't feel well. A: youshould ultimately responds more water. B: I have a sore throa. A: you musttake some medicine. Chinese people like the disease showed real friends love, words as earnestly as possible. However, modal verbs in English culture must/should normally is elder to junior, the teacher to the student, the doctor told the patient, should use less as far as possible in our usual contacts such words, or misleading for speakers gruff and impolite. Although these patterns and dialogue is very correct in form, but ignored is in line with the western custom and culture is an important aspect. That is to say, in middle English teaching, the structure of the sentence should not be taught in isolation, and the structure of sentences and sentences should be linked to the communicative functions of teaching and training. Students learn the sentence pattern in the context of that will be in the actual language communication correctly and appropriately use the sentence pattern.

2.3. discourse teaching ignore the cultural factors

Sentences together to form the discourse. Discourse usually refers to a series of consecutive words in the composition of the sentence or paragraph, with a thesis structure or logic structure, there is a certain logic relationship between sentences of language as a whole, it is the actual use of language units. Compared with the vocabulary and sentence patterns, more emphasis on students' discourse understanding of discourse meanings. This requires teachers to combine more the language of the article, to teach the social culture of the target language related knowledge and other knowledge, namely teach language knowledge at the same time, the knowledge will be pragmatic, style, and the target language cultural background knowledge to students. Only with the comprehensive cultural knowledge to understand the real meaning of discourse. Following the ideas in a English joke, for example: a: according to Cinderella couldn 't be a soccer player? B: she lost its ehrs shoe, she rail away from the ball, and its ehrs coach was a pumpkin. Don't understand western culture English learners will not understand the meaning of this two dialogue. Cinderella how about shoe, and how her coach is pumpkin, another ball here the word and the word pun intended effect. Only know Cinderella is the famous Cinderella as well as the legend of her learners to understand the clever answer. Thus, cultural factors directly in discourse teaching has a decisive influence on learners' understanding.

3. Strengthen the cultural factors in middle school English teaching 

   Above all, middle school English learning is not only a vocabulary, syntax and grammar learning and the cultivation of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, but also through language learning process of a kind of cultural awareness and understanding. Cultural factors played an important role in English teaching. Teachers in teaching should pay attention to cultural differences, the meaning of words and communicative functions of teaching, consciously combine language forms and social context, should have the consciousness to cultivating students' observation and understanding of the social context of language, pay attention to what occasions what kind of style, make the language teaching and culture teaching organically. In culture import must give full consideration to the students' language level, cognitive ability and physical, psychological status, pay attention to the gradual, let the students understand the essence of the culture content gradually, so as to achieve flexible learning and the ultimate goal of language use.

4.Conclusion

  Leave the English culture, it is impossible to grasp and use English accurately. Therefore, in middle school, English teachers should guide students to deepen the understanding and awareness of English culture and on the basis of learning to use a foreign language gradually cultivate the students' cross-cultural thinking and ultimately to cultivate students' communication ability.

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