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