Преподаватели
английского языка Сыдыкова Ж.К., Шахантаева Д.Б.
Восточно
Казахстанский Государственный Технический Университет
Cross - cultural communicative
competence in the course of learning foreign language
Key words: intercultural communicative competence, cross-cultural
communication, competence, modern foreign language education.
В статье рассматривается проблема формирования
межкультурно – коммуникативной
компетенции в процессе изучения иностранного языка. Особое внимание уделяется коммуникации,
общению на иностранном языке, учитываются компоненты способствующие формированию способности к межкультурной
коммуникации. Интерактивный характер деятельности обучаемых, предполагает
применение современных технологий, обеспечивающих актуализацию и развитие
личностных качеств студентов.
Modern society is interested in strengthening
international cooperation, as one of the conditions of formation of mutual
understanding and consent in the world. In this regard the role of learning of
foreign languages both increases in the world, and in Kazakhstan. To important
circumstances which testify in favor of a demand of foreign languages, it is
possible to carry such as changes in economic and political spheres of life,
entry of our country into world educational and information space, interstate
integration in education. The knowledge of a foreign language is one of the
important indicators of modern education and modern life.
The developed economic and cultural situation compels
the person to be able to coexist in general vital world. It means to be capable
to build mutually advantageous dialogue with all subjects of the general vital
space, to be able to establish humanitarian and cross-cultural connection
between cultures of various people. An important role in this process is played
by language, by means of which there is an establishment of mutual
understanding is possible and interaction between representatives of various linguo
and enthnic communities, a solution of the problem of cross-cultural
communication.
The questions connected with the theory of cross-cultural
communication in system of modern foreign-language education with perspective
ways of its formation at various stages of learning foreign language are
considered in scientific researches of S.S. Kunanbayeva, V. I. Zagvyazinsky, O.
A. Leontovich,
R. P. Milruda, I. L. Pluzhnik, E. I. Passova, V. V.
Safonova, etc. The purpose of our article is to consider and concretize essence of
cross-cultural communicative competence in relation to learning of foreign
language, to reveal the pedagogical conditions promoting development of ability
to cross-cultural communicative competence in teaching.
Competence is understood as ability to carry out
activity on the basis of the created motives, personal qualities, ability to
use the standard acceptable examples of behavior in professional area.
Mastering competence creates a basis for development of professionalism and
skill.
Communication represents socially caused process of transfering
information and exchanging thoughts, feelings between people in various spheres
of informative, labor and creative activity. Communication is the oral verbal and nonverbal interaction,
realized in practical activities. Opening essence of the concept
"cross-cultural communicative competence", O. A. Leontovich
emphasizes that cross-cultural competence "is a conglomerate of three components:
language, communication and cultural competence.
We agree with O. A. Leontovich’s opinion about education, "which possesses own
signs other than each of the components taken separately [1, 32-33]. Language
competence is responsible for a right choice of the language means adequate for
a communicative situation; communicative competence turns on mechanisms, receptions
and the strategy necessary for ensuring effective process of communication; the
concept of cultural competence coincides with concept of cultural literacy and
assumes knowledge of political realities, phrase logical units, terms,
dialecticisms etc. More specifically the essence of cross-cultural communicative
competence I. L. Pluzhnik has defined as: "… it represents functional
abilities to understand views and opinions of representatives of other culture,
to correct the behavior, to overcome the conflicts in the course of
communication, to recognize the right for existence of various values,
standards of behavior …" [2, 6].
We will define a range of the directions of formation
of ability to cross-cultural communicative competence in the conditions of
training in a foreign language of the senior classes. They include:
• the multicultural direction (enrichment of the
culture due to acceptance of another, readiness for development of other
culture): acceptance of new knowledge of foreign culture for deeper knowledge;
respect for all cultures; vision in foreign-language culture that distinguishes
us from each other that pulls us together and unites; ability to look at events
and their participants not from the point of view, and from positions of other
culture;
• tolerance (aiming at interaction, ability to
communicate): ability to interact with people of other culture on the basis of
the accounting of their values, norms, representations; ability to correct the
behavior in the course of communication on the person of other culture; lack of
rigidity in behavior; ability to empathize, responding to emotions, experiences
of carriers of foreign culture; to feel and understand mood of people;
• behavioural direction: the adequate behavior
accepted in business professional spheres; finding of constructive compromises;
ability to come into contact and to support him;
• the linguo socio cultural direction (use of
linguistic means of language according to cultural standards of language in a
professional field of activity): ability to exchange opinions; ability to
listen, pay attention to the interlocutor; to raise the questions pushing to an
explanation told [2, 12].
The problem of formation of ability to cross-cultural
communicative competence is carried out in the course of speech interaction:
auditions, readings, speakings, letters as in the course of classroom
occupations, and out-of-class work with teacher.
We will
consider the principles and approaches which are been the basis for formation
of ability to cross-cultural communicative competence.
We will address to the following:
• understanding by trainees of own national culture
and native language; for this purpose a combination of communicative and
activity approach with socio cultural competence that gives the chance to form
not only concrete cultural ideas of the countries the foreign languages, the
people and communities, but also to stimulate knowledge of cultural material
about the native land, to develop representation of native culture in a foreign
language in the foreign-language environment, in the conditions of
cross-cultural communication;
• a support on background knowledge, a sociocultural
background in the context of which the learned foreign language because the
background knowledge playing a part when using language and by that influencing
foreign-language communication competence of trainees is necessary for adequate
cross-cultural communication with native speakers functions;
• training in lingual interaction in the context of
dialogue of cultures that assumes expansion of a circle of cultures and
civilizations, understanding "trainees of as the cultural and historical
subjects which are carriers and spokesmen not of one, but a number of the
interconnected cultures, for preparing them to perform in the society of a role
of the subject of dialogue of cultures …" [3, 17-24];
• the humanistic psychological approach of the
educational environment understood as promotion of the trainee as the subject
of cross-cultural communication and as the subject of language educational
process and allowing to speak about shift of emphasis in the course of training
in a foreign language from teaching activity on activity trained, its formation
as creative person;
• the interactive nature of activity of trainees
assuming application of the modern technologies providing updating and
development of personal qualities of school students (training in cooperation,
a method of projects, information technologies (Internet), distance learning on
the basis of computer telecommunications); the differentiated approach to
trainees putting them in a choice situation inducing to independence and
activity, development of a reflection
Interactive nature of activity trained on classes in a
foreign language is caused by creation of the educational and speech situations
inducing trainees to need for foreign and speech communication for conditions
which are same with the natural. The educational and speech situation is
defined as set of the speech conditions necessary in order the trainee to
correctly carry out speech action according to the planned communicative task.
Situations can be designed on the basis of the studied foreign texts and can be
considered in connection with work on them, and can be created out of
communication with texts and join in occupations as exercises on development of
educational and speech activity. The speech situation allows to define
relevance of speech activity on the basis of a subject, to provide
communicative motivation; to reveal aspects of communicative communication by
means of modeling by conditions (I agree - I don't agree, doubt – the
statement, unambiguity of the statement – free discussion, obstacles to action
implementation – opportunity to carry out it, etc.); on the basis of structural
components a speech situation (the formulation of communicative tasks) to make
the impact inducing communication, intension to the statement.
The system of
the speech motives defining requirement of communication [4,53] presented by V.
L. Skalkin gives the chance to allocate the most significant motivational and
target components promoting formation of ability to cross-cultural
communicative competence; to change or strengthen someone's views or motives;
to stimulate someone's action, an act; to resolve a problem by means of
discussion, to express the relation to any event, the phenomenon, judgments,
etc.
The contents of
the speech in different public fields of activity (household, business, public,
production, etc.) are defined by a subject (subject) of the message.
Within the
solution of a problem of formation of ability to cross-cultural communicative
competence we will consider approximate options of situations, approaching
trainees to establish contacts with native speakers.
1) A situation of a business meeting with native
speakers in connection with discussion of the plan of collaboration in any
area, adoptions of obligations of the conclusion of possible contracts, etc.
The following speech intensions are possible: to let know your interest in
nature of conversation; to support judgment of foreign-language partners in the
discussed question; to define (to state) the point of view; to express
disagreement with a position of native speakers, to find the compromise solution
of a question; to let know your satisfaction nature of conversation, its course
results.
2) A situation
of a meeting with business partners at an exhibition presentation of the new
equipment in some sphere of production, delivery of equipment, various
preparations created by domestic associations. We use such speech intensions
as: to express aspiration to interest native speakers in what acquisition - or
exhibition objects; to give the chance to feel your desire by a positive
outcome of a meeting; to induce to give an assessment of that is presented at
an exhibition; to suggest to prove more with deep arguments the point of view;
to ask to repeat at slow speed told, to ask some words that unclear to you,
expressions; to give the chance to the opposite side to feel hardness in
upholding of your position in some aspects of your problem; to give the chance
to feel your incomplete satisfaction from intention of native speakers to
transfer final negotiations to later term; to express readiness to make a compromise;
to thank native speakers for their active participation in holding an
exhibition – presentation.
3) A situation of stay in a foreign-language family on
the basis of an exchange. The speech intensions inducing to communication: you
want to express admiration of the welcome accorded to you, hospitality of
owners, beauty of an interior of the house and the landscape surrounding you;
you ask to make indulgence for insufficient command of the language, to
consider it under the authority of dialogue; don't agree with remarks
concerning your any manners which aren't answering to etiquette of the country
of native speakers; your reaction if you consider yourself touched with some
remark concerning you someone from family members (contemporaries); you seek to
show interest in statements of owners, their information on sights of the city;
your reaction if you have no desire to participate in survey of some memorable
places; you want to be interested in your city, native places, the family, its
customs, traditions; you aren't surprised by something that from the point of
view of owners, is important, deserves attention; your behavior, character of
statements if you don't share emotional feelings of owners.
Proceeding from structure of cross-cultural communicative
competence and considering the principles on the basis of which formation of
the functional abilities allowing to assess adequately a communicative
situation and to realize communicative intention is carried out, we will define
the pedagogical conditions necessary for ensuring effective process of
communication.
They include:
• functioning of pedagogical space through creation
and use of communicative situations, the importance of manifestation of a
complex of the abilities necessary for successful participation in
cross-cultural communication;
• motivational readiness of trainees for learning of
foreign language which components are focus, activity, the object and subject
relations in the course of educational activity, the individual and
psychological properties of the personality stimulating ability to carry out
cross-cultural communication with native speakers;
• creation of positive emotional climate in all range of the educational field promoting
education of the person of culture committed to universal values, which
absorbed in itself richness of cultural heritage of the last people and the
people of other countries seeking for mutual understanding with them and ready
to carry out interpersonal and cross-cultural communication.
Development of
ability to cross-cultural communication competence conducts to positive
personal changes trained on the basis of a reflection, focus on comprehension
of values of other culture, on deepening of feeling of civic consciousness in
the course of the appeal to native culture and language.
List of Literature
1. Леонтович О.А. «The international training at base of the Center of American studies of
VGPU//Modernization of contents and methods of foreign-language training as the
priority direction in the conditions of continuous language education»: - Тез. докл. II регион науч.-
практ. конференции, Волгоград 17-18 янв.
2. Плужник И.Л. «Formation of cross-cultural communicative competence of students of a
humanitarian profile in the course of vocational training»: Автореф. докт. дисс. – Тюмень. - 2003.
3. Сафонова В.В. «Cultural
studies in system of modern language education» //Foreign languages at school .
– 2001. - № 3. – С. 17-24.
4. Скалкин В.П. «Situation, subject and the text in linguomethodical aspect» // Russian
language abroad– 1983. - №3. – С.53.