CHINESE 318
CHINESE 318 Introduction to Applied Chinese Linguistics LANGUAGE AND CULTURE THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE In some schools, taking a foreign language class satisfy the so-called ‘non-western requirement’. What do you think is the reason behind this policy? ISSUES IN TEACHING CULTURE Teaching culture in a foreign language class is not easy, because 1. The study of culture involves time that many teachers do not feel they can spare in their overcrowded curriculum. 2. Many teachers are afraid to teach culture because they fear they don’t know enough about it. 3. The teaching of culture sometimes involves dealing with students attitudes. DEFINITIONS FOR CULTURES What do cultures include: a. The literature, the fine arts, the history, etc. b. The patterns of everyday life: the do’s and don’ts of personal behavior. STANDARDS FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING 5 Cs: Communication; Culture; Connections; Comparisons; Communities Cultures: Gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied. Standard 2.2: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the cultures studied. TEACHING CULTURE First, the teacher serves as an information source and teaches students about the culture. *Stereotyping: do not exaggerate some aspect or characteristic of a culture or its people. *triviality: do not present tokens of a culture divorced from the meaning of their context. *biased: it is hard not to be biased. TEACHING CULTURE Second, the teacher demonstrates to students how to practice in a culturally appropriate way. Example: compare the American way of greeting with the Chinese way of greeting: How do American greet? How do Chinese greet? What is a culturally appropriate way to greet a professor in the Chinese culture? (language, gesture, etc.) TEACHING CULTURE Try to integrate culture learning with language learning: Example: Compare American breakfast with Chinese breakfast… showing students how to make a ‘rice ball’? Practice the use of the past, the present, the progressive tense. Practice the use of ba or bei structure in Chinese. TEACHING CULTURE Third: the teacher guides the student to think about why people behave the way they do, and the differences between the target culture and his own culture. Examples: Why do Chinese always greet with “你吃了吗？” Confucius thinking about food based on statements in the Analects. “食不厌精，脍不厌细。食饐而餲，鱼馁而肉败，不食。色恶，不 食。臭恶，不食。失饪，不食。不时，不食，割不正，不食。不 得其酱，不食。肉虽多，不使胜食气。唯酒无量，不及乱。沽酒 市脯，不食。不撤姜食，不多食。” DISCUSSION What are the cultural differences that you have observed between Chinese and English? How would you teach them in a Chinese language class if you were an instructor? CONFUCIUS THINKING 修身、齐家、治国、平天下 cultivate one’s moral character, put one's house in order, run the the country well, and peace will prevail on earth 修身养性：cultivate the moral character & nourish the nature 以身作则: set an example by one's own action 正人先正己: sweep before one's own door 严于律己，宽以待人: be severe with oneself and lenient towards others CONFUCIUS THINKING 修身慎行 身体力行 独善其身 止谤莫如自修 身正不怕影子歪 淡泊明志，宁静致远 其身正，不令而行；其身不正．虽令不从 BUDDHIST THINKING 前因后果: cause and effect 人间地狱: a living hell 不即不离: be neither too close nor too distant 半路出家: start midway 无事不登三宝殿: never go to the temple for nothing 不看僧面看佛面: not for the monk's sake, but for the Buddha's BUDDHIST THINKING 生老病死 三生有幸 立地成佛 五体投地 醍醐灌顶 泥菩萨过江-自身难保 善有善报，恶有恶报；不是不报，时辰未到 METAPHOR Anger being fire: 发火，怒火，火气，火冒三丈，大动肝火 2. Happiness as upward movement 高兴起来， 兴高采烈，情绪高昂 3. Eating out: 下馆子， 吃食堂， 吃大腕 4. Thinking as object manipulation 交流思想， 挖空心思， 抛在脑后 METONYMY Body parts for people: 高个子，耳目，首脑， 心腹， 老骨头， 手足 Other body-related metonymies 眉目 眼光 嘴:嘴甜，嘴硬，嘴紧 ，人多嘴杂, 佛口蛇心 舌：毒舌，多嘴多舌，油嘴滑舌，三寸不烂之舌 牙齿：口吃伶俐， 伶牙俐齿 FACE Two related notions of face: 面子(miànzi)：public recognition of prestige and reputation 有面子，丢面子，面子很大 脸(liǎn)：respect from a community (for a person’s inner moral integrity) 没脸， 不要脸， 赏脸
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