论文总字数：31032字

摘 要

语言与文化关系密切，使用语言进行交流时，不能忽略了对文化的了解。所以在英语教学中，要积极培养跨文化交际意识，以免在交流中出现不必要的尴尬状况，影响了人际之间往来。因此，在教学中要积极应对，引导学生，培养学生跨文化交际意识，系统地，有目的地导入西方文化，尽可能帮助学生了解英美国家的文化背景知识，最终提高学生的语言运用能力。跨文化意识的培养是非常必要的，也是现实英语教学中必须突破的课题。

关键词：跨文化意识；外语教学；策略；培养

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Cross-cultural Communication 1

2.1 Communication 1

2.2 Culture 3

2.3 Intercultural Communication 5

3. The Present Situation of Cross-cultural teaching 7

3.1Broad Cultural Content and Weak Language Foundation 7

3.2 Ignorance to the Cross-cultural Communication Ability Training 8

3.3 The Teacher Level 8

3.4 The Teaching Materials Level 9

3.5 The Single Model of Teaching Strategy 9

3.6 The Exam oriented Level 9

4. Ways for the Cultivation of the "Cross-cultural Awareness" 10

4.1 Importing Cultural Elements 10

4.2 Combining with the Language Learning and Training 10

4.3 Comparing the Similarities and Differences between the Culture of Target Language and Native Language 11

4.4 Simulating the Real Situation and Strengthening the Language Practice 12

5. Conclusion 13

Works Cited 14

1. Introduction

We are now in a world, which is often referred to as a “global village”. With a rapid development of international trade, advanced technologies of communication and the tendency of globalization, more and more communication is taking place internationally almost in every industry, which is sure to call for a better study and ability of cross-cultural communication to help those intercultural activities get better results.

In addition, this thesis will specially focus on the obstacles that we encounter in the process of communication. Also on this front, firstly this thesis will introduce several common obstacles which is usually have a negative influence on cross-cultural communication, including causes of these obstacles, what consequences they will result in, and how to solve these obstacles. What is referred to above will must be the main part of this thesis.

Last but not least, this thesis will also include the use of the study on obstacles to cross-cultural communication, and what is especially important is that in English lessons. As an English learner and in the future maybe an English teacher, I hope that, through the study on the obstacles to cross-cultural communication, I can help my students overcome the difficulties in communicating with foreigners.

2. Cross-cultural Communication

2.1 Communication

2.1.1. Definition of Communication

It’s difficult to find a exact definition of human communication. Being concerned with the intercultural aspects of communication, we tend to agree in the definition "Any act by which one person gives to or receives from person information about that person"s needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or effective states. Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional or unconventional signals, may take linguistic or nonlinguistic forms, and may occur through spoken or other modes."

2.1.2. Components of Communication

Interpersonal communication includes at least the following elements:

The first is a sender. A sender is someone who wants to "send" a message verbally or non-verbally to someone else. He or she could send a message with or without knowing his or her actions were communication.

The second is a receiver. The receiver is the person or persons who come into contact with the message. Receivers may be those for whom the sender intended or they may be others who, for whatever reasons, come into contact with the message.

The third component, a message, is the production of encoding. The message is a series of verbal or nonverbal symbols that represent the meanings and ideas of the sender. It also includes symbolic messages that the sender is totally unaware of having sent.

Noise is the forth component. Anything that interferes or causes the deletion, distortion or generalization of the exact replication of information is transmitted from the mind of the transmitter to the mind of the receiver.

Feedback is also one of the components of communication. It is both the sender and receiver constantly elicit verbal and nonverbal feedback to the other person.

Another component of communication is replication. The duplication of understanding in one person is in the mind of another person. Replication is an approximate goal and philosophically not perfectly possible, though desired.

The last component is understanding. It is an approximation of what the message means to the sender by the receiver.

2.1.3. Characteristics of Communication

Communication is a dynamic course. It means that communication is an ongoing activity. It is like a motion picture, not a single snapshot. A single word or action does not stay frozen when we communicate; it t is immediately replaced with yet another word or action. Once a word or an action is employed, it cannot be called in. What is said cannot be unsaid. And what is done cannot be undone.

Communication is symbolic. Humans are symbol-making creatures. We are able to generate, receive, store, and manipulate symbols. We employ symbols to share our internal states. Our words and actions are other sets of symbols through which we convey our messages, ideas and feelings to other people.

Communication has a consequence. This characteristic implies that when we receive a message, something happens to us. It also means that all of our messages, in one degree or another does something to someone else. We cannot send messages without influencing others. This is not a philosophical or metaphysical theory but a biological fact. It is impossible not to respond to the sounds and actions of others.

2.2 Culture

2.2.1. Definition of Culture

There are more than one hundred definitions of the English word culture offered by researchers from different perspectives. Samovar and Porter evolved a definition from the perspective of intercultural communication:

Culture is the deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notion of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.

Culture is mental programming, it tells us from early childhood what matters, what to prefer, what to avoid, and what to do. It gives us assumptions about the ideal beyond what individuals may experience. It establishes codes for behavior and provides justification and legitimization for that behavior.

2.2.2. Components of Culture

In spite of the lack of agreement on one definition on culture, most scholars, Chinese and foreign, seem to agree that culture includes three major aspects. Almaney and Alwan submitted three categories of culture elements:

Cultures may be classified by three large categories of elements: artifacts (which include items ranging from arrowheads to hydrogen bombs, magic charms to antibiotic, torches to electric lights, and chariots to jet planes); concepts (which include such beliefs or value systems as right or wrong, God and man, ethics, and the general meaning of life); and behaviors (which refer to the actual practice of concepts or beliefs) （Rogers and Steinfatt 1999）.

There is an excellent example of how these three aspects might be reflected within a culture. Whereas money is considered an artifact, the value placed upon it is a concept, but the actual spending and saving of money is behavior.

2.2.3. Characteristics of Culture

Culture is learned. Culture is not something we are born with. From infancy on, members of a culture learn their patterns of behavior and ways of thinking until they have become internalized. People learn to think, act, feel and believe what their culture considers proper. For instance, humans need food. But what to eat, when, where and how to eat is learned. That’s why we use chopsticks while westerners prefer knife and fork, and why we like rice while Americans prefer bread.

Culture is subject to change. Cultures, once formed, are stable, but are at the same time changing with the development of human society. It seldom remains constant. It is not difficult at all for us to think of examples of how social and historical events bring changes in our culture. The founding of new China, the implementation of the policy of opening to the outside world and China’s WTO entry, are all good examples.

Culture is interrelated. It means that culture is composed of interrelated facets. When you touch one place of a culture, everything else is affected. The outbreak of SARS in spring 2003 in China is an illustrative example. It made its effects felt in medical systems, tourism, lifestyle, family life, government policies, environment protection and many others.

Culture is invisible. Most of culture is hidden, like the part of the iceberg under water. Culture exists in the subconscious mind of people. People not only learn the cultural behaviors below the level of consciousness but also perform them almost habitually. Therefore they aren’t aware of the fact that their actions are governed by their own culture, or cultural rules.

2.3 Intercultural Communication

2.3.1. Definition of Intercultural Communication

In general, intercultural communication occurs as a member of one culture produces a message for consumption by a member of another culture. The formal definition given by Rogers and Steinfatt is that intercultural communication is the exchange of information between individuals who are unalike culturally（Rogers and Steinfatt 1999）.

This is a very broad definition, involving any type of cultural differences among communication participants. They may differ in nationality, region, race, religion, status, occupation, gender, age, and many others. However, my priority of this paper is given to communication across different national cultures.

2.3.2. The Development of Intercultural Communication

Intercultural communication studies arose in the United States around the corner of the late 1950s. As an interdisciplinary subject, it has been significantly influenced by anthropology, linguistics, communication, psychology and other disciplines. In recent years, it has extended its study range from writing to thinking, from family to society, from myth to religion, from behaviors to values.

In China, intercultural communication began to be seen as an independent discipline for study in the early 1980s. It was first introduced into China by some English teachers and has made remarkable progress over the years. The main reason for the university English teachers’ enthusiasm in the study of intercultural communication is the shift from traditional methodology to the communicative approach in EFL in China in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

As a matter of fact, intercultural communication is not a new thing, but something that has always taken place. A typical example is the famous “Silk Road” in Chinese history through which peoples of Asia, Africa and Europe interacted with each other.

Nowadays, we don’t have to go abroad to interact with people of other cultures. Even at home, we can watch overseas movies, attract overseas tourists, and employ overseas teachers, and so on. Intercultural communication has become more frequent, more abundant and, therefore, more significant than ever before.

2.3.3. The Study of Intercultural Communication

Intercultural communication is becoming an important part of our daily work and life. We will conduct more and more intercultural communication, the problem we are facing is how to do it, and how to do it well. A good knowledge of a foreign language, mainly English—the most widely used language in the world today, is of course indispensable. But only the language does not ensure successful intercultural communication. Therefore, intercultural communication competence has become an important quality for successful individuals in today’s China.

In the process of studying intercultural communication, we can understand Chinese culture better from new perspectives and learn to be aware of many cultural differences of other countries.

If we are better intercultural communicators, we might do things cross culture more confidently. If each of us can better understand others who are culturally different, it will be more productive under circumstances concerned. If individuals can attain a higher degree of intercultural communication competence, they will presumably become better government officials, entrepreneurs, teachers and so forth when they are having intercultural communication activities.

We study intercultural communication to communicate effectively with people from different cultures. Through the study of intercultural communication we can gain insight into different cultures. Meanwhile, it can broaden our horizons and open our minds to different perspectives and experiences. The study of intercultural communication can also awaken our cultural sensitivity and help the cultivation of an open attitude and the development of a healthy personality.

3. The Present Situation of Cross-cultural Teaching

In English teaching more attention paid to the cultivation of the students" cross-cultural communicative awareness put forward higher request to teachers. Not only should teachers have higher literacy on the basis of language and the view of culture keeping the pace with the Times, also objectively study the cultural elements in the language teaching practice. Teachers should teach different cultural phenomenon consciously in language learning, including world outlook, values, thought processes, customs, expectations, communication style, verbal behavior and nonverbal behavior, etc. Teachers should also clear away the cultural barriers as possible as we can in language communication, to serve for language study deeply and accurately.

It is worth paying attention to that intercultural communication study can not be simply interpreted as cultural communication in English or English culture integration of the English language learning, instead, it should be understanding and comparison by the method of contrast study of similarities and differences between mother tongue and target language at the same time of learning and understanding the purpose and the culture. It requires profound Chinese cultural basis. The more understanding and familiar with native language culture, the more tolerant and sensitive we behave in understanding of target language.

The form of intercultural communicative ability in the process of second language learning is a big challenge for students of learning English in local environment. The process of second language acquisition is difficult, more difficult to comprehend the culture contained in the language. We can analyze the difficulty of cross-cultural communication teaching, and understand the real problems of cross-cultural teaching from the following several aspects:

3.1Broad Cultural Content and Weak Language Foundation

Cultural learning itself with the whole process of English language learning, is profound and developing. Culture itself is like a huge iceberg, and cultural phenomenon in language teaching is also like an iceberg corner of the dominant, while the contact part of the general depends on attention in the process of implementation language communication, in which the sensitivity of the cultural awareness can be gradually increased. From the point of the relationship between language and culture, language is not only an important carrier of culture, itself is also a form of culture. language and culture influence and interact with each other ,which result that we must put the understanding of language closely linked to the acknowledge of culture. The compaction of language foundation is all-round, which requires that only having a certain English language foundation, they can achieve deep understanding and experience of the language culture. This complementary relationship is unbalanced from the view of the current situation of English learning. Students" ability in context understanding and listening and communicative competence is generally weak, who have long focus on the study of grammar, vocabulary, and practices in preparation for tests.

3.2 Ignorance to the Cross-cultural Communication Ability Training

Most students are willing to spend a lot of time remembering words and doing exercises, but as to culture content learning, that regard them as dispensable ornament. On the other hand, their appreciation and understanding of culture is superficial, lack of an objective evaluation of cultural concept. However, the connotation of cross-culture is not only simply absorb and either affirm or deny, but in the learning experience, compare differences, identify the advantages and disadvantages, increase understanding, at the same time have profundity of Chinese culture, guided by correct values and world views. In this way, we can realize the true sense of two-way communication in intercultural language communication.

3.3 The Teacher Level

In the systematic English teaching planning, they did not pay enough attention to the cross-cultural teaching. There also exists some problems like too much attention to the interpretation of language knowledge, ignorance of the cultural content of penetration, the lack of macro language presents analysis and integrating the cultural phenomenon, proper control of cultural phenomenon.

3.4 The Teaching Materials Level

Contents of cultural phenomenon combining with the teaching materials are lack of systematic introduction. The language learning materials in context are not real, and the cultural phenomenon are not prominent or divorced from reality. So, it formed language barriers that cannot be cleared away and detailed explanation can destroy the whole teaching.

3.5 The Single Model of Teaching Strategy

Teachers speak, students to listen, and teachers show, students to watch. There are not enough students-centered learning activities and the degree of students" autonomous learning. Cooperative learning ability and extracurricular language communication activities can"t meet the requirements either.

3.6 The Exam oriented Level

The university entrance exam that students and teachers pay most attention to gives priority to language competence test, but little the content of the cross-cultural communication. Not only schools and teachers but also students attach much importance to the university entrance exam. The university entrance exam passing rate is usually a very important indicator of the success or failure of the students" English learning and teachers’ teaching. So test， the summative assessment means is often the motivation of most of students’ English learning and the baton of teachers" teaching. Exam-oriented learning and teaching is of course deviated from the goal of learning English, which caused students" unbalanced language communicative competence and intercultural learning ability development.

4. Ways for the Cultivation of the "Cross-cultural Awareness"

4.1 Importing Cultural Elements

Culture teaching should be aimed at the learner"s need in daily communication and proper considering factors such as learners" future career .It should focus on those cultural elements which has the function of control and constraints on communicative behaviors and communication style: factors related to the value system including the value orientation, philosophy, evaluation standards and norms in things, etc; ways of thinking, including the macro structure of discourse and text;；cultural conventions in the way of communication; all the factors related to social contexts, such as expectations on both sides of the speech act, social status, familiarity, discourse appropriateness, politeness principle, etc; non-language factors associated with the communicator, also called non-linguistic factors which have influence on the speech act of both sides. Importing cultural elements mentioned above macroscopically, can make the learners from the overall understanding the cultural elements of the target language, which is good to cultivate learners" intercultural communicative competence.

4.2 Combining with the Language Learning and Training

The cultivation of cultural sensitivity depends on accumulation over a long period, and thus culture should be learnt throughout the course of language learning, and merge with language learning organically. The teacher should let learners feel and understand different cultural phenomena and cultural connotation in teaching through the study of vocabulary, sentence structure, grammar, discourse and hearing, reading, translation, writing and other activities. When teaching pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, rhetoric, semantics and other language knowledge and training listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating skills , we should make great efforts to excavate the cultural connotation of language form ,especially for those which have no words, background, culture, emotional words, idioms and so on, make the necessary social and cultural interpretation and indicate its cultural meaning or the cultural code in use, and teach language communication rules combining with cultural knowledge. In the audio-visual speaking lesson, for example, teachers should focus on cultural projects which are closely related to the social norms, such as the discourse structure, customs, ways of life, communication standards, social etiquette and politeness principle; means of non-verbal methods that westerners commonly used during verbal communication, which will let learners understand western mode of daily life, and speech act and nonverbal behaviors in communication. In reading and translation teaching we should focus on the eastern and western people"s thinking mode and analyze its influence on discourse structure, making learners understanding the structure of English and Chinese discourse differences and information transfer mode. English language is linear, discourse at the beginning, often cut to the chase, the point directly. English language is linear, when at the beginning of discourse, they often come to the point directly. And then straight forward to the text, reasoning process is strictly logical. The beginning and the ending echo with each other, making the clear skeleton of the article. However, the eastern discourse patterns are a circuitous type. Discourse tends to begin from the perspective of the peripheral issues related, and the methods of stating opinions are circumlocutory. The development of discourse is presenting as the “S”glyph, and its reasoning process follows the pattern of "turn". In terms of "information transmission model", because there are many means of connection, English semantic center can be located in the beginning of the sentence, and can also be located in the middle of the sentence or at the end of the sentence, which can be said in another way，the information transfer is more flexible. But in Chinese, the discourse patterns should follow the orders of development. Through the study, we are hoped to guide the learners to surpass our own native culture mode, enhance their ability to use language appropriately to reduce the pragmatic failures in cross-cultural communication.

4.3 Comparing the Similarities and Differences between the Culture of Target Language and Native Language

Understanding the similarities and differences of cultural elements for the both parties is an important step to successful cross-cultural communication. Therefore, when teaching cultural knowledge, use the comparison analysis of differences between mother tongue and target language cultural background, and compare the differences between the culture of the native language and the target language in the way of thinking, concept, values, aesthetic view, social norms, communication principles, the semantic system, and discourse structure, etc. For instance, Compare the differences in the ways of thinking and language structure between two languages; compare Chinese-English differences between realizing speech act and understanding the words; compare the Chinese-English cultural conversation between both sides of the master-slave position or the differences of social distance between the two sides; compare the Chinese-English ethnic differences in greeting and conversation topic; contrast them on the different reactions of praise, etc, to deepen the cognition of the target language culture and understand the different nationality"s cultural orientation and help explain the different cultural behaviors, avoid using our own cultural standards to require and explain the behaviors of others. By comparing, we can help learners to transcend cultural isolation, with open-minded attitude from different sights of view think about native culture and foreign culture, overcome narrow nationalism and cultural center of ideas, constantly adjust their own words and deeds specification, and improve the ability of cross-cultural communication, to meet the need of international communication

4.4 Simulating the Real Situation and Strengthening the Language Practice

Only through specific language practice, Learners could constantly improve their cross-cultural awareness, and thus improve their cross-cultural communicative competence. Teachers can make full use of modern teaching media in teaching, and according to the teaching content, demonstrate the country"s social scene and English communicative process, to enable learners to indirectly realize English actual use in a specific environment, and finally obtain the perceptual knowledge of communication, and intercultural comprehension ability. We can also carry out various forms of activities in class, simulate real communication scene, according to the needs of the situation, and make learners to develop cross-cultural role-playing, feel and experience cultural differences. When watching the film and television viewing, we should require learners to pay attention to western people’s speech act and nonverbal behaviors and their behavior norms. After watching, they should answer questions like “What did he do?” ,”What did he say?”, ”Why did they do or say so?”, and ”How are they different?” .Let learners compare target language country people"s way of life and daily behaviors to those relevant aspects of its culture to identify cultural characteristics and differences, aiming to make learners learn the mode of communication that foreign language country people follow ,and enhance learners’ awareness of and sensitivity to different kinds of behavior influenced by different cultural. We can also make learners have a deeper understanding of cultures of target language and mother language, and avoid errors caused by pragmatic transfer to ensure smooth cross-cultural communication.

In addition, learners can also strengthen the awareness of cultural differences by extracurricular reading newspapers and magazines about British and American literature cultural background, customs and habits, etc, watching live videos, television programmes sand films reflecting the life of English speaking country people, taking part in the discussion of cultural background knowledge, and contacting with people in English countries, etc.

5. Conclusion

In short, under the background of new curriculum cultivation of cross-cultural awareness is not only necessary, also it is feasible. The task of foreign language teaching is to cultivate high-quality foreign language talents with deep cultural accomplishment. In middle school stage, the attention to the cultivation of students" cross-cultural awareness and communication skills is an important way to improve teaching efficiency and cultivate students" comprehensive ability to use language.

Works Cited

[1] Craig Storti. The Art of Crossing Cultures [M]. Intercultural Press，1990.

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