Contents: inroduction chapter. I. The interaction of language and culture in english

1.3.The role of culture in English language classroom
When it comes to identifying and defining the role of culture especially in language classroom, several issues are raised. Some of the concerns include the appropriate moment for teaching culture when teaching language, the best way of teaching culture in a language lesson, and the necessity of a target culture for the students. As it was mentioned earlier, culture and language are inseparable.
It is not enough to make the learners aware of a target culture but they also have to be shown how to use the knowledge of culture to interact within the society. Students have to be taught how to address different people in a culturally appropriate manner. They have to learn how to address their peers, and how to address their elders within the standards accepted in the society. The best moment to teach culture according to Tomlin is immediately after the students gain knowledge of basic grammar.
Many studies have been done in the area of culture and language and there is a wide range of complexity due to various findings reported. Most of the findings reported are based on theories and concepts in the field of psychology such constructivist, cognitive and behavioral . This therefore implies that studies in culture and language began as early as studies on these concepts were conducted⁹.
The chief proponent of behavioral theory is B.F. Skinner . The theory basically talks about observing changes in behavior either through negative reinforcement or positive reinforcement . Whenever learner display desirable behaviors, the instructors can encourage recurrence of the behavior through positive reinforcement of the behavior. This can be through rewards.
The final theory upon which culture and language are built on is the constructivist theory. This theory was developed by Bruner and it asserts that students construct knowledge by actively interpreting every learning experience that they go through.
This implies that the assertions that learners store information are insufficient for learning to take place . The students have to draw conclusions from every learning experience and as a result construct knowledge. Therefore it is not only a matter of receiving information but also a matter of constructing knowledge .
Culture and language have therefore been developed from the influence of the theories mentioned above. Development of culture and language began by Myers and has so far been advanced and expanded by Thellen in 2001. The studies conducted to develop the concept of culture and language has played a significant role in the learning of English as a foreign language and similarly as a second language.
The studies conducted by Rayner reveal how culture and language exist in the field of literature. The study tends to categorize individuals in two main areas, wholist and analytical. Analytical individuals tend to have structured kind f thinking and use logical sequences as the basis of their decisions. Their preferred style is mostly systematic and structured. On the other hand, individuals who are wholist, rely more on a combination of creativity and spontaneity.
Their decisions are mostly based on random methods unlike analytic individuals who base their decisions on systematic approaches. The study therefore has proved significant since it helps researchers determine how learners gain knowledge using each of the perceptual learning styles . Teachers have to engage the students in the cultural background of English language usage. Since English is an international language, its usage is within the global context.
Without giving students the cultural background of English, the teachers are simply giving the students empty symbols and expect them to attach meaning to them. Therefore, English student may find themselves using the language within a context where they are not supposed to use. The students would lack knowledge of proper cultural context to use the language. As a result conflict may arise.
Learning as a process is achieved whenever individual experiences are transformed into memorable knowledge that can be transferred or applied in a different situation. Learning styles therefore play a very important role in enhancing learning. This is the reason why individuals with ability to use multiple learning styles have an increased level of learning whereby they can easily gain information and retain it for long.
New information is used to build upon the one that has already been acquired. According to the theory, the way learning is organized in the memory is such that there are chunks of information that are built in the memory bank of learners for future use . For instance before a learner develops full knowledge of a learning concept, they first have to acquire the basic knowledge of the concept at low levels of learning.
Development of the concept progresses as the learner progresses in learning and continues to be met with experiences to enhance understanding of the concept . Instructors therefore can make use of this theory in the teaching and learning process by engaging learners to be proactive¹⁰.
Emphasis needs to be laid upon learning activities that provide for variety and originality. In this way learner’s attention will always be captured during the process of learning . One issue that needs to be considered when incorporating cognitive theory in the learning process by instructors, is providing only enough and required information. When too much is provided, the learners are likely to be confused and unable to properly develop concepts