Topic 4
Topic 4
Topic 4
Language is the main means of human communication, although, it also constitutes the main barrier. The fact
that so many languages exist prevents people from understanding each other. We quickly notice this barrier
when travelling. There have been many attempts at getting around this linguistic barrier: translating and
interpreting, creating an artificial language and using an existing language as a lingua franca, which is the case
of English.
Learning a foreign language is, therefore, no longer a luxury in today’s international world. If the citizens of
a country are able to meet people from other countries on equal linguistic terms, this gives them strength and
power. It also promotes mutual understanding, tolerance and respect for the cultural values of others, as well
as broadening the mind.
This chapter will deal with the development of the students’ positive attitude towards a foreign language and
its socio-cultural aspects. According to David Crystal (1987), “if a student perceives a country or culture to
be unpleasant for whatever reason, the negative attitude is likely to influence language learning achievement”.
We will begin by analyzing the reasons why children should learn a foreign language at school and by looking
at the factors that have contributed to English being a lingua franca today. Then we will look at how teacher
can encourage the students’ valuation of the foreign language as a tool of communication and the appreciation
of a culture different from their own.
1 THE LANGUAGE BARRIER
The discovery that language can be a barrier to communication is clearly made by anyone who travels to a
foreign country, or, in some cases, within our own country. The lack of a common language is generally seen
as halting, or at least, impeding progress. There are several ways of getting around barrier formed by lack of
knowledge of the foreign-language, but none has yet been entirely successful. The most important ones are:
Demographic features. The quick growth of English native speakers during the 19th century in Great
Britain and the USA.
Political and military factors. Development of the English colonies during the 19th century in Canada,
Africa and Australia. Political and military hegemony of the USA in the 20th century.
Economic factors. Great economic development of the USA in the 20th century, as the first worldwide
economic power.
Technological factors. Rapid development f means of communication in the USA and Great Britain.
Linguistic factors. The degree of morphological and syntactic simplification of English is an advantage
when learning this language.
Nowadays, there is no doubt of the position of English as a lingua franca. Its importance is demonstrated in
the following fields:
Geographical frame. English is spoken in more than 60 countries, and that it has a prominent place I a
further 20. It is a dominant language or, at least, well-established in all five continents.
Number of speakers. More than 750 million people speak English; 400 million speak it as a mother
language. If we include those who have a lower level, it exceeds 1 billion people.
Political field. English is the language of the most important world institutions: UNO, UNESCO, etc.
Economic field. It’s also the language of business, almost 50% of business is done in English.
Cultural and informative fields. English is widely used in literature, cinema, music, television and
radio.
Scientific and technological fields. From the Second World War onwards, English became the
language of scientific and technological advances.
Educational field. Millions of children in the world study English in Primary Education.
Sports field. The international Olympic Committee (IOC) also uses English as a means of
communication.
Linguistic fields. The number of Anglicism in our language shows the hegemony of English in our
society.
The facts speak for themselves: English has very few competitors today. In Europe, French is important
because it is the official language, along with English in the Council of Europe. In the USA, Spanish is gaining
more and more strength, due to the high number of Spanish-speaking people living there.
1.3 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF A LINGUA FRANCA
Ironically the main danger of a language used worldwide is the language itself. The fact that it is spoken in
different parts of the world by people of such diverse cultural backgrounds makes the language suffer from
linguistic variations.
These variations can end up being unintelligible, as in the case of pidgin languages. Pidgin is a communication
system that is developed among people that don’t share a common language, but who want to communicate
in a language for commercial or other reasons. It’s a language which is reduced in vocabulary and structures.
They sometimes die, but if they survive they become Creole languages.
Another problem with the use of a lingua franca is the disadvantages encountered by people who don’t speak
that language. Of course, it will be very difficult for them to express themselves exactly the same as native
does, but they would benefit enormously from speaking it.
However, in spite of the problems that the existence of a common language presents, there are many reasons
to favour it:
Social aspects.
o Courtesy formulas and their use in each situation.
o Education.
o Food and drink.
o Housing.
o Money.
o Names.
Cultural aspects.
o Festivals.
o Music.
o Monuments.
o History.
o Names of English TV programmes
o Sport.
Geographical aspects.
o Main English-speaking countries.
o Main cities.
o British weather.
o Population.
Activities: songs and rhymes, projects, role-play, quizzes, celebration of traditional festivals in class.
Socio-cultural materials: visual aids, auditory aids, realia and text.
CONCLUSION
Learning a foreign language is a necessity in a society that tends to remove language barriers and promotes
international relationships at social, cultural, professional and political levels.
The learning of a language implies the learning of socio-cultural aspects of that language. The development
of positive attitudes towards the language and culture that the students are learning will not only improve their
communicative competence, it will also provide them with a wider vision of reality and greater tolerance.