TEACHER´S TALK: Ideas, tips and resources to support teacher development

A LANGUAGE IS MUCH MORE THAN A LINGUISTIC CODE

That teaching a language is much more than just teaching its phonological and grammatical system would seem to be a common place, were it not for the fact that in our rush to get on with the so called basic elements of language (word order, tense system, prepositions, intonation, phonemic distinctions, etc.) we sometimes tend to lose sight of the “real” dimensions of language, i.e. a vehicle for social interaction in the “real” world, where people behave to a certain extent according to cultural dimensions and constraints. Language is a manifestation of our culture and the realities we face from day to day, and as a rule, we see the world from the perspective of our own culture.

Let us take a trivial example which shows cultural differences even within a country. Take punctuality: generally speaking, teachers’ seminars start far more punctually in Capital Federal than they do in some northern provinces. Distances, on the other hand, are measured differently according to whether you live in a city like Salta or in Buenos Aires or Rosario. Anything which is farther than seven or eight blocks in a small city begins to look like a long way, whereas in Buenos Aires, if you live Palermo and a friend of yours lives in Colegiales you could almost say that you are neighbours, despite the thirty, or forty blocks that may keep you apart. Hence the same linguistic expression “We are starting at nine” or “My friend and I live nearby” may mean a different reality because of cultural expectations.

For some time now, Planet Earth is being referred to as the Global Village. This may well be the case for some people, and having an awareness of world citizenship, may contribute to intercultural understanding, tolerance and an acceptance of some social norms different from our own. This however is not always the case, particularly for those who seem to be limited by the perceptions imposed upon them by their own culture. Consequently, as foreign language educators, one of our concerns should be to broaden our students’ horizons, to overcome the prejudices which may stem from provincialism. Getting our students to learn about other cultures and the language which they use can then become a truly enriching experience.