Annie
Should Students Study Culture and Lifestyles of Native Speaker When They Learn a Foreign Language? When students study a foreign language, they should also study the culture and lifestyles of the people who speak the language. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Some people think that students should not only study the vocabularies and grammar rules of a foreign language, but should also study the culture and lifestyles of the people who speak the target language. I strongly agree with this opinion. The meaning and usage of the words and phrases are influenced by the social and culture customs. If learners who are not encouraged to study the background of the culture and lifestyles of country that the language is spoken, learning would be limited to the rote memorization of the words, phrases and grammar rules from the textbooks and dictionaries. For example, visitors who are native English speakers can find that there are so many street signs with wrong translations in some scenic spots of China. This translations are because the translators do not make full understanding of differences of Chinese and English. On the other hand, studying the culture and lifestyles of people who is native speaker of the target language also makes learning more motivated and fun. Students would feel bored and even lost their interests in studying if teachers simply read the words, pronunciation and grammar rules repeatedly without giving them lively examples. This also make learning inefficient and unproductive. By contrast, if teachers change their patterns of teaching and teach students by telling folk tales, films or musics associated with the culture and lifestyles of the target language, it would stimulate students’ interests of studying and make them gain better understanding of the target language. In conclusion, encouraging students to study the culture and lifestyles of people who speak the target language is a integral part of language class.
Aug 3, 2015 7:00 AM
Corrections · 3

Should Students Also Learn About the Culture and Lifestyles of Native Speakers When They Learn a Foreign Language?

When students learn a foreign language, they should also learn about the culture and lifestyles of the people who speak the language. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Some people think that students should not only study the vocabulary and grammar rules of a foreign language, but should also study the culture and lifestyles of the people who speak the target language. I strongly agree with this opinion.

The meaning and usage of the words and phrases are influenced by the social and cultural customs. If learners_are not encouraged to study the background of the culture and lifestyles of the country where the language is spoken, their learning would be limited to_the memorization of_words, phrases and grammar rules from_textbooks and dictionaries. For example, visitors who are native English speakers can notice that there are so many street signs with wrong translations in some scenic spots of China. These translations are wrong because the translators do not fully understand the differences between Chinese and English.

On the other hand, studying the culture and lifestyles of people who is native speaker of the target language also makes learning more motivating and fun. Students would feel bored and even lose their interest in learning if teachers simply read the words, pronunciation and grammar rules repeatedly without giving them lively examples. This also makes learning inefficient and unproductive. By contrast, if teachers change their patterns of teaching and teach students by telling folk tales, playing films or music associated with the culture and lifestyles of the target language, it would stimulate students’ interests in learning and make them gain better understanding of the target language.

In conclusion, encouraging students to learn about the culture and lifestyles of people who speak the target language should be an integral part of language class.

August 3, 2015
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