Task 4 – Final Evaluation
Language and Culture 551036
Jenny
Paola Quiroga Ramirez
Code
1018404208
Universidad
Nacional Abierta y a Distancia – Unad
Bachelor Degree in English as a Foreign Language
August 2nd
2020
Monday, August 3, 2020
UNIT1: The relationship between language and culture and culture. Individual written essay
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE,
THE PROPORTIONAL RELATION OF THE GLOBALIZED ERA: DO WE TEACH LANGUAGE USING
CULTURE OR DO WE TEACH CULTURE USING LANGUAGE?
The relationship
between language and culture is an element that has been addressed for
thousands of years by various civilizations that have tried to show how between
both aspects there is an innate relationship of what constitutes the human.
Evidence of this is manifested by Claire Kramsch, who finds another way in
which cultures are modified, as well as each subject who belongs to it,
referring to the fact that language when transcending a place becomes a new
element cultural that is adopted in the environments inside and outside the
families.
Although the language
is innate to the human being, the fact of being social animals makes this
relationship change from anthropological, sociological, and educational points
of view that allow positioning an integral perspective. At first, culture can
be defined as the different dimensions of society that have a direct impact on
individuals (Sánchez Fernández, 2014). For this, the concept of Tylor stands
out, who details each element that constitutes it: beliefs, arts, morals, laws,
and customs to facilitate survival.
But in the globalized
age, one cannot only talk about survival, which is an anthropological
perspective to explain how language shows the integrity of a culture, because
both elements are social and require interaction with an equal. It is at this
point that Alexander focuses his analysis on how a cultural dimension must
always be taken into account, bearing in mind that in any measure these facts
are cultural, in this case by the impact of language in the relationship
culture and society. (Alexander, 2000)
It is from this
perspective that beyond establishing a relationship of who determines who, with
detractors and followers, many educational systems present languages (mother
and foreign) as a way of knowing the culture. But attention must also be paid
to the call that Pourkalhor & Esfandiari (2017) make to involve both
students and teachers in a different dynamic and that is to understand that
language is only part of the culture, but to manage it comprehensively they
must participate in much more than grammar and phonetics.
The language and purity
of each tongue are being distorted with cultural changes, most subjects tend to
integrate and make them part of their daily lives at the time of the global
village, to which we can also add some members of other cultures when arriving
at another. They decide to integrate and thus adapt, but keeping their
elements, a large part of them transverse by the mother tongue and customs.
All the aforementioned
elements generate the occurrence of social phenomena because the interaction
with cultural phenomena such as rapprochement with other cultures or the rapid
mobility of information cause certain elements to which a group of individuals
is exposed to be constantly re-evaluated according to their relevance and
identity
The point is to analyze what Kramsch highlights and is the reflection that must be raised in educational systems where there is the teaching of a foreign language: what culture is being taught in schools, using the language as a vehicle? Perhaps by being able to answer this question, the didactic and pedagogical practices that are manifested in Colombian education can be adapted to the needs and wishes of participating actively in global dialogues, involving children with learning for life and not as a subject more within the curriculum.
UNIT 1: Interview to an English teacher
Topic of
the interview:
|
The relation between Language and culture in
educational environments
|
Date and
time
|
June 27th
2020. 12:10pm
|
Place
|
WhatsApp
video chat
|
Interviewed
name
|
Henry
Osvaldo Merlano G.
|
Profession
|
Psychologist,
Master in education
|
Courses in
charge
|
Primary
school from first until fifth grades
|
TRANSCRIPTION
QUESTION
|
ANSWER
|
o What do you think is the
relationship between language and culture?
|
There is no doubt that language is the shared heritage of the
community. The language is born from culture mainly due to people's desire to
establish a process of communication and transmission of knowledge, not only
to contemporaries but to future generations. It could be said that language
is born from culture as a method of preserving it.
|
o What is the influence of culture
in the process of a foreign language process?
|
Through the
acceptance of globalization, the loss of fear, the opening of the media to
international events, the expansion of education in schools and the inclusion
of the second language. It seems an exaggerated skin change but there are
countries that have two or even three languages.
|
o Which cultural expressions do
you know countries have through language?
|
The most important is music and then entertainment, which is a not so formal but valid form of culture. I think music is the most relevant because it shares not only aspects of language but what it means to have reason and share characteristics with others.
|
o Why do you think is it important
to have an oral tradition in a country?
|
Maybe it is important, but the oral tradition, as you can see, is being abandoned by other forms of communication that try to be shorter. For example, you can say "lol" for "laughing out loud" and there are other examples of how orality shrinks to a world that needs to say more things in less time. Oral tradition is important, no doubt, but it is more important to go with the flow of communication.
|
o What do you think, do we teach
language using culture or do we teach culture using language?
|
We teach
culture through language because language can be learned through imitation and coexistence, but culture needs specific patterns of behavior that are acquired by living in a context. I can teach language without culture but I
couldn't teach culture without language.
|
o Do you take into account culture
in the strategies you use in your English classes? Can you give me some examples?
|
Only if it
is culture in context. I think that if students want to enter the culture of
a language, the best thing is to apply grammar to music, movies, video games and that they can not only learn what I teach them but other ways of
expressing themselves that are not exactly correct. An example may be the use
of the negation "ain't" which is not correct but is quite common.
|
UNIT 1: REFLECTIONS
REFLECTIONS UNIT 1: THE INTERVIEW AND PERSONAL IDEAS
In the first question, I can understand other important points: the language like a human strategy for conservation, it is true the language changes with the time, we have many cultural traditions like the cooking, the principal meaning for some words and the family life.
With the second point, I agree when we talk about schools with 2 or more foreign languages, but that is only possible with significant pedagogical experiences because many students learn English using the media. After all, it is important or funny. The traditional foreign language practice is boring and only teaches grammatic and thinks without sense.
I was surprised by the third answer because it is true, the art it’s a pure way to know a culture and we forget easily and make bad conjectures about those expressions.
I don’t agree with the fourth answer because the oral traditions are important because lives in collective memory and if the language changes the principal ideas lives with the oral tradition.
Finally, with the last answers I can understand other points of view because it’s true some ideas between the relation with these expressions) culture and language) but I need to think about the idea if the culture and language will be a break in the learning process.
In the first moment when the interview talked about music like a cultural expression, I agreed and I never think about that variable in the relationship between culture and language; later I saw the importance of not only the music… the arts, in general, have the importance and I can't understand why in school environments we only have 1 or 2 hours per week for developing this area and we consider more important math, sciences or other things that talk about theory far to the reality.
With fifth question I needed to think a lot because the interwire has a point: I can teach another language without culture because is the Colombian practice in many cases: I teach English grammar like tenses, a lot of vocabulary and translation method works with the dictionary, but isn’t have a sense in real live: the traditions, the meaning for some practice, the comparison between the families, education or economic practices was rare to find. The language is only understanding a grammar structure for a foreign language? It is true, yes, I can teach a language far away from the culture.
Finally, if we want to teach a foreign language like a social practice with meaning far away from the subject inside the curriculum, we need to change many things. The last answer gives me many ideas and I recognized the importance of photos, experiences in other countries, and reasons for comparing the situations for doing more sense to the learning of foreign language for my students.
UNIT 2 Investigation about the oral cultural traditions
|
The importance of
oral tradition in humanity
According to UNESCO, “it encompasses an immense variety of spoken forms, such as proverbs,
riddles, tales, children's songs, legends, myths, songs and epic poems, spells,
prayers, chants, songs, dramatic performances, etc. to transmit knowledge,
cultural and social values, and collective memory. They are essential to keep
cultures alive. " (UNESCO, 2020)
If we start from this aspect, many of the African and
American territories were colonized, and sometimes the beliefs of the
inhabitants. This without counting on the mestizaje process that took place in
America that generated a mixture of identities and the creation of a culture
with various roots.
When verbally transmitted, oral expressions and
traditions often vary greatly. The stories are a combination of imitation,
improvisation, and creation that vary according to gender, context, and
performer. This generates that it will transform through time and if no line
continues, they disappear and die in oblivion.
That is why the oral tradition, being older than
writing and immaterial, has allowed keeping alive the legacies of cultures
that, when colonized, were forced to burn their cultural samples, but what
remains in the collective memory continues to live through time.
THE ORAL
TRADITION IN UGANDA
From UNESCO, it is considered an important part of the intangible
heritage of humanity "The empaako". This is a naming system used by
the Batooro, Banyoro, Batuku, Batagwenda and Banyabindi communities in Uganda
to impose on children, in addition to their name and that of their family, one
of the twelve names that all these communities share in common. Addressing a
person by calling him empaako is one way of reaffirming social ties. The use of
this name is a sign of closeness, sincerity, love, and strengthens the
collective ties. Besides, these names have a meaning in the tribes, therefore
who has each one has special characteristics that occur in the community. 
Also, the stories of Koogere who was a chief of the Basongora people
about 1,500 years ago. In a set of stories from the oral tradition - which are
part of the collective memory of the Basongora, Banyabindi and Batooro
communities, reference is made to their exceptional wisdom and to the
prosperity that reigned in the territory where they exercised their leadership.
Composed of adages and stories that describe wealth and abundance as rewards
for the effort at work and illustrate the charm and heroism of women, Koogere's
oral tradition is an essential integral part and source of inspiration for
social philosophy and cultural expressions. popular from those communities. To
preserve them, they are protected by elders and wise artists who are the
guardians of this oral tradition so that it persists through time.
These
stories are shared in the community and families in the form of stories or
songs, so the artists of the community are also in charge of protecting them.
Finally, the Swahili language, which has more than 10 million people,
has this language as their mother tongue, and more than 50 million use it as a
second language. The Swahili name derives from the Arabic word Sahil, which
means "from the coast."
it comes
from the contacts of Arab merchants, for centuries, with the natives of the
eastern coast of Africa. Under Arabic influence, Swahili was established as the
lingua franca used by various tribal Bantu groups. Currently, it is related to
"HAKUNA MATATA" which is a phrase of this language.
HAITI TRADITIONS
Haiti was one of the colonies that had greater
miscegenation in America and this allowed its cultural wealth to have
invaluable contributions to the oral tradition of humanity.
In the first place, Creole as an official language,
although Spanish (the island where Haiti is located next to the Dominican
Republic) was initially conquered by the peninsular troops, it was quickly
conquered by the French, leaving half of the island under its administration.
Also, a large number of African slaves who were taken but who did not forget
their traditions were part of this interesting mix where an almost exclusive
and official language for the country is constituted, as well as French, which
is not so common.
Additionally, their oral tradition remains
strongly rooted thanks to Vudu: This religion was brought by African slaves. It
is believed to have started in Haiti in 1724 as a serpent cult that worshiped
various spirits relevant to everyday life experiences. Their practices were
mixed with various Roman Catholic saints and rituals that were the religion
imposed by the colonizers. (Zapata Olivella, 1988)
Voodoo rituals are elaborate, steeped in secret languages that have been
passed down stealthily for generations, allowing them to maintain their African
cultural richness.
Despite the country's poverty and corruption,
Voodoo and Creole have remained in this community for more than 300 years,
which identifies them as uniting elements and part of the identity of those who
preserve them.
THE ORAL LEGACY
OF JAMAICA
Like Haiti, the island of Jamaica was
colonized and has African influence, the result of slavery experienced during
the colonial period, but in this case, it was by the British.
Much of the history is preserved thanks to the
maroon towns on the island. The word "maroon" designates slaves who
fled the plantations in the early 17th century. (UNESCO, 2008)
Coming from West and Central Africa, with diverse languages and cultural
practices, the Maroons of Moore Town (the city where the greatest indigenous
cultural wealth of the island is preserved) elaborated on new collective
religious ceremonies that integrated various spiritual traditions. Those
traditional expressions and practices that were later called Kromanti Play
still constitute the identity base of the maroons today.
Another of the legacies that arrived from
Africa but that were rooted in this island includes a figure called Ananse, who
can become a spider, a sword, and a human being.
Always in
Ananse's stories, she sets difficult goals for herself. Ananse is a popular
African character, believed to have been born from the Ashanti tribe and later
to Jamaica, Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, and the
archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa
Catalina. Their stories took root on the island and over the years became a
fundamental part of the oral tradition.
Jamaica stands out for its rich culture and music,
which have made the island famous worldwide. The musical genres Mento, Ska,
Reggae, among others, have all been conceived there. The most popular music is
reggae, with its different styles and mixes
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Currently, talking about culture is related to something like antique and not really because society is globalized right now. The definition of culture is each time more complex and invisible for new generations.
The reflection about the relation and culture is important because is the element that permits us to understand the humans characteristics. Language is the best way to reproduce and guarantee the culture survives across the years.
The language, the arts, and other cultural manifestations are the pure essence about the ideas for saving the traditions because the oral language gives liberty and in humans, a history is a control tool for erasing other ideas.
Conclusions about Unit 2
REFLECTION
Talking about the role of language
in the constitution of the culture of a place is a fundamental element to begin
to understand the conception of the world, of society and of the person who
belongs to a certain place; Furthermore, language is how identity is generated
from the conception of the world made up of different groups.
Even so, it is important, even
knowing that this will not be liked, to reveal the role of English as a
language of pressure and submission of those who do not share it and as the
foreign language in the colonization processes they become a weapon against the
inhabitants of different cultures around the world.
Although the language is innate to
the human being, the fact of being social animals makes this relationship
change from anthropological, sociological, and educational points of view that
allow positioning an integral perspective. At first, culture can be defined as
the different dimensions of society that have a direct impact on individuals
(Sánchez Fernández, 2014). For this, the concept of Tylor stands out, who
details each element that constitutes it: beliefs, arts, morals, laws, and
customs to facilitate survival.
This leads to show how English
came to Uganda as part of the process of British colonization on the African
continent, causing elements of culture to be eliminated as their religion.
Although one of the native languages is preserved, it is important to analyze
how learning a new language also became a way to begin to erase its customs.
On the other hand, in the case of
Jamaica, the island of Santiago was conquered by Spain and later taken by the
English. Even so, history repeats itself and that is that its initial settlers
were practically razed and with them it is legacy; therefore, the arrival of
Africans and their flight to become maroons were what gave identity to the island from the language they began to share with its colonizers. To date, this
roots in the fact that the head of state is exercised by the Queen of England.
Finally, the situation in Haiti is
more complex, English is not one of the official languages, they were taken by
Spanish, English, and French, the identity of its inhabitants is based on
miscegenation and much of its culture live thanks to oral tradition... This is
a good example of the intercultural communicative competence that L. Oxford and
others develop in their texts because it is not only the competence to
communicate but the intercultural way in which this has been gaining strength.
Although the primary objective of
this document from the university was to highlight the importance of English in
the oral traditions of these countries, personally for me, after deepening some
of the history and oral legacy, is that English is only a language that imposes
different cultures to erase what they are and maintain what from a dominant
language is considered valid and necessary. Perhaps, the only advantage is that
if it is possible to transmit to English some parts of what was the identity of
these nations, it can be systematized and last a little longer.
REFERENCES
REFERENCES
Adamson,
E. & Weaver, T. (1985) Antropología y experiencia humana. Barcelona:
Ed. Omega, Pág.: 2-5.
Alexander, J. (2000). Sociología cultural. Formas
de clasificación en las sociedades complejas. México: Anthropos
Editorial.
Kramsch, Claire. [Hamid
Saffari]. (2013, enero16) Claire Kramsch: do we teach language using culture or
do we teach culture using language. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Gk9A_dnmK8&t=47s
Pourkalhor, O. & Esfandiari, N. (2017). Culture in Language Learning:
Background, Issues and Implications. International Journal of English Language &
Translation Studies. 5(1), 23-32
Sánchez Fernández, J. O.
(2014). Antropología. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
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