Kossinov K.I, Iskakova A.O.
L.N.Gumilyov Eurasian National University, the
Republic of Kazakhstan
The role of cross-cultural
communication in foreign language education
Abstract: The article is intended
to provide information about the importance of cross-cultural communication in
foreign language education. It describes the perspectives of greatest
contemporary Ph.D professors, such as Orlando L. Taylor, Prosser, Michael H,
who dedicated their studies to cross-cultural communication.
Key words: cross-cultural
communication, communication and education, language, society and culture
At present times the significance of
cross-cultural communication has been amplified. Each society needs this
communication to maintain reliable and strong relations with other cultures.
Not surprisingly, we are living in a time when misapprehension can lead to
dreadful consequences in form of clashes, feuds and even wars. Cross-cultural
communication is a hope to eliminate these consequences. Deborah Tannen, an
American academic and professor of linguistics at Georgetown University in
Washington, D.C., quotes the following: “The fate of the Earth depends on
cross-cultural communication”. It is overwhelmingly crucial to nations, states,
groups and even individuals. Only if we can forge a bond and fortify these
relations, the humanity will exist many eras [1]. We do not wonder why a
linguist dares to announce the utterance. The answer lies in the fact that as
many cultures exist as many languages do. We can conclude the burden of perfect
relations between cultures falls to foreign languages teachers’ lot. Teachers
of foreign languages have to focus on cross-cultural communication to raise
good communicators from students. Surely, linguo-cross-cultural approach, which
is aimed at providing information about country, its cultural heritage,
language history and social norms, is directly connected with cross-cultural
communication improvement. At this point it is essential to scrutinise the
essence of cross-cultural communication and its increasing prominence over the
past few years among countries.
We do not exaggerate when
accentuating that cross-cultural communication is much-needed exactly in our
country, Kazakhstani land. Our president Nursultan Nazarbaeb’s quotation reads:
“Polyethnicity in our country is our proud and treasure”. Kazakhstan is a
polyethnical state. He asserts that it is quite significant to join in world
civilization and values of other cultures. Our citizens are aware of the
importance of dialogues between nations within the country of ours. We live in
harmony with various peoples sharing one land. In our world the dialogue of
cultures is of great value, and teachers, who are disagreeably the mentors and educators of hodiernal and
future generation, have to hand on the lamp pertaining to communication between
different cultures [5].
Everything which is related to
schools is connected with communication. The act of sharing information is an
inevitable component of education. Orlando L. Taylor summed up that
“communication permeates education”. But communication depends upon culture.
The way he or she communicates is directly connected with his or her culture.
Thus, communication of people emanates from their culture. Undoubtedly, a
person can comprehend more than one culture and, therefore, is able to succeed
in so-called cross-cultural communication [2]. It is viable to reveal the
essence of cross-cultural communication profoundly.
We are aware of the fact that
according to the linguo-cross-cultural approach teachers of English language
compare and contrast different cultures. When doing this act teachers are able
to explain the idiosyncrasies of communication in other culture. This act is
perceived as cross-cultural communication study.
It cannot be disputed that the
knowledge of socio-spiritual and culture-specific nature of our partner in
communication, unique peculiarities of his or her culture reflected in the
language of a native speaker provides the usage of language as a means of
cross-cultural communication. All these points mentioned are a precursor of
good common ground between subjects of cross-cultural communication.
Consequently, as Salima Kunanbaeva points out, we are obliged to teach not so
much the language as semantic content of the country’s language, for the
language is the quite good reflection of the culture. It is a commonly known
fact that the more differences can be observed between cultures the more
complicated the process of the language learning becomes. The impact of this
factor leads to cross-cultural approach prevail in the contemporary foreign
language education [4].
Prosser, Michael H. stated that cross-cultural communication is
admittedly thought of as communication that occurs between members of whole
cultures in contact or between their cultural spokespersons or representatives.
It is critical to point out that cross-cultural communication should be and is
distinguished from intracultural communication, which happens between people
sharing a common culture, and intercultural communication, which refers to
exchanges in interpersonal settings between individuals from different
cultures. William B. Gudykunst and Carmen M. Lee assert that This cross-cultural
communication is of interest to several academic fields, including
anthropology, communication, international relations, psychology, and
sociology, and has been applied to concepts such as attitudes, beliefs,
cognition, cross-cultural business and training, journalism, language and
linguistics, mass media, nonverbal cues, organizational culture, perceptions,
stereotypes, thought-patterning, and values [3].
Kunanbaeva S.S. also mentions that
the issue of the affinity between language, society and culture, which is a
core of the next part of our research paper, has become one of the intriguing
subjects of the discussion within different fields of science such as
philosophical, historical-culturological, socio-ethnolinguistic,
anthropological, linguistic and others. Nowadays cross-cultural communication
is an entire science which plays crucial role in the whole world. Researchers
identify the following factors which urged the establishment of the discipline:
1. Socio-cultural contacts and the need of broad communication with the
representatives of the countries all around the world;
2. The scientific bases of anthropological researches, theories of the
interaction between language and cultures (E. Sapir and B. Whorf’s hypothesis,
anthropological researches of F. Boas, A. Kardiner, R. Benedict);
3. The practical approbation of cross-cultural communication courses in
form of trainings and seminars held by native speakers ( 20th
century, 60s-70s years);
4. The appearance of communication-oriented theories of cross-cultural communication;
5. The very establishment of cross-cultural communication studies [4].
Conclusion:
It is imperative to state that when
we teach a foreign language we unconditionally elucidate the reinforcement of
cross-cultural communication, for two cultures are intermingled. Edward Sapir
asserts in his work entitled “Culture, Language and Personality” the following
perspective: “No two languages are ever sufficiently similar to be considered
as representing the same social reality. The worlds in which different
societies live are distinct, not merely the same world with different labels
attached”. Cross- cultural communication denotes scrutinizing the cultures of
others to be ready to keep the dialogue of cultures. Teachers are liable to
this overriding objective of schools.
References:
1. Deborah Tannen, Key Thinkers in Linguistics and the Philosophy of
Language, Edinburg: Edinburgh University Press, 2005;
2. Orlando L. Taylor, Ph.D, Cross-Cultural Communication: An Essential
Dimension of Effective Education, Revised Edition, 2003;
3. Prosser, Michael H. "Cross-Cultural Communication"
Encyclopedia of Communication Theory, 2009
4.
Êóíàíáàåâà
Ñ.Ñ., Òåîðèÿ è ïðàêòèêà ñîâðåìåííîãî èíîÿçû÷íîãî îáðàçîâàíèÿ, 2010;
5.
Íàçàðáàåâ
Í.À. Âðåìåíà è äóìû, Àëìàòû, 2013;