Learning a foreign language is not an easy task. The student must not only master the grammar and remember a lot of words, but also get used to understanding the mentality of the interlocutor, customs and traditions inherent in his culture. Without this, it is impossible to fully conduct a conversation with foreigners, even perfectly mastering their speech. That is why the FSES pays special attention to the formation of sociocultural competence in the study of languages of other peoples. Let's take a closer look at the features of this concept.
The main purpose of teaching foreign speech
Coming to school or university and starting to study any subject, a person should clearly understand: why he needs it. Without this awareness, he will not exert enough effort to master the material.
According to the current educational standard, the goal of teaching languages of other nations is to fully prepare students for potential intercultural communication (communication). That is, to form knowledge and ability to conduct a conversation with a foreigner and understand not only what he says, but also what he means.
Why is it important? Due to globalization, and especially in the economy. In the modern world, in whatever sphere a person has to work in order to achieve better results, sooner or later he will have to face representatives of other nations. It can be business partners, customers, investors or just tourists who just need something to explain the way to the nearest supermarket. Not to mention their own trips to rest in the countries of near and far abroad.
And if the training really happened at the required level, the person who passed it should be able to understand the foreign interlocutor and communicate with him without problems. All this, of course, provided that the student himself exerted enough effort to master the material.
Communicative competence
The knowledge and skills necessary for a full-fledged intercultural dialogue (thanks to which you can participate in receptive and productive types of verbal communication) are called (QC) communicative competence.
Its formation is the main task of every teacher of a foreign language.
In turn, the QC is divided into the following competencies (the range of issues in which the student should be knowledgeable, possess knowledge and experience):
- Language (linguistic).
- Speech (sociolinguistic).
- Sociocultural competence.
- Subject.
- Strategic.
- Discursive
- Social.
Enrichment with such knowledge enables a person, by comparison, to understand the features and shades of not only the national culture of the states of the studied dialect, but also his country, to delve into universal values.
Sociocultural Competence (CCM)
Socio-cultural competence is a combination of knowledge about the state (in which the language is being studied), the unique characteristics of the national and speech behavior of its citizens, with the ability to use this data in the process of communication (following all etiquette and rules).
The value of sociocultural competence in teaching a foreign language
In the past, when studying the speech of other peoples, the main thing was considered to be to form the child’s ability to understand and speak it. Everything else seemed not so important.
As a result of this approach, the student, although he could interpret the shell of the language, did not feel his "soul." Simply put, he knew how to make a speech, but did not know what and with whom.
This is comparable to when a dozen different forks are laid out in front of a person at a dinner party and offer to try fricassee. Theoretically, he knows that it is possible to eat this dish with these devices, but he does not exactly understand which of all the instruments is appropriate to use right now. Given the development of technology, the unfortunate one can try to find a hint on the Internet, but not understanding the intricacies of French cuisine, he does not know the name of the food that put him at a standstill. After all, outwardly this is an ordinary rabbit meat stew.
CCM - this is the knowledge and skills thanks to which such a person from our example, even if he does not know which fork to choose, will be able to at least recognize the dish in the meat mixture on the plate and quickly ask for tips from the omniscient Google.
A more striking linguistic example is phraseological units. Since the general meaning cannot be understood from their components, when using such turns in a speech, a foreigner cannot understand what the interlocutor has in mind.
Consider the names of some books from the world famous series "Diary of a Wimp." Its author - Jeff Kinney, often used popular English phraseological units as a title. For example, the seventh book of the series is called The third wheel, which literally translates as "Third wheel". However, the true meaning of the phrase is "Third Extra". To understand this, you need to know the corresponding phraseological unit-analogue in your native language. And this concerns the translation of the titles of the eighth book: Hard Luck ("Hard luck") - "33 misfortunes."
But the fifth book of the Dog Days cycle ("Dog Days") has no analogue in the Russian language. That's because phraseologism means “The hottest days of summer” (usually from July to the first days of September). However, there is no name in Russian for this period, therefore, in order to correctly understand the interlocutor who used this expression, you need to know about such a feature of the language.
And a little more attention to this expression. A big role is played by who exactly says it. If the phrase I like to watch TV during the dog days is pronounced by a man, she conveys the meaning: "In the hottest days of the summer, I like to watch TV." However, if this proposal comes from a woman, it may mean: "On the days of menstruation, I like to watch TV." Indeed, in English dog days can sometimes mean a period of menstruation.
Naturally, it is impossible for a person to learn absolutely all the features of a language. But you can adapt to navigate them, distinguish even a little dialects, know what expressions are unacceptable in a decent society or in official correspondence, etc. The formation of the CCM is precisely the ability to recognize the peculiarities of the national mentality in speech and to adequately respond to it.
The proof that this is really very, very important is the Russian translation of Kinney’s Dog Days - Dog Life. The one who worked on the adaptation of this work made a mistake in its very title. The Ukrainian translation of "Kanіkuli psu pid hvіst" also did not please accuracy.
There is a lack of awareness of the authors about the cultural features of English. But this was not an essay from the series "passed and forgotten", but a popular story about a schoolboy, which is read by thousands of children.
In order for domestic specialists to make as few such mistakes as possible in the future, the modern educational standard for studying foreign languages makes a great emphasis on the formation of sociocultural knowledge.
A little bit about the mentality
CCM cannot be considered without paying attention to the phenomenon at the comprehensive level of research on which competence specializes. Namely - on the mentality.
In simple words - this is the soul of the people, which distinguishes it from others, makes it unique and unique. This is not just a combination of all the cultural features of a particular ethnic group, but also its religious views, value system and preferences.
Initially, this concept arose in historical science, as it allowed a better understanding of the premises of certain events. With the development of psychology and sociology, the study of mentality has become an important component in research.
Today this phenomenon has been adopted by linguistics and pedagogy. Studying it helps to research the history of a particular people, its features.
In the framework of the formation of sociocultural competence based on the study of mentality, it is especially important to protect students from cliches-prejudices. Sometimes they are mistaken for truth. As a result, it is not possible to establish intercultural communication correctly.
Many of these cliches are a consequence of the Cold War. The propaganda of the USSR and the USA (as its two most active participants) tried to paint the image of the enemy as black as possible. And although this confrontation is in the past, many still perceive the mentality of Americans through the prism of Soviet propaganda. And vice versa.
For example, it is still believed that housewives in the USA do not know how to cook. This misconception is largely generated by numerous series and films. Their heroes eat almost all the time in cafes or restaurants, and only semi-finished foods are stored in the refrigerator.
The truth is, residents of megacities are more likely to lead this kind of life, who really find it easier to buy something than do it yourself. While the inhabitants of small towns and villages involved in agriculture, know how to cook well. And if we talk about canning, they are not inferior to many immigrants from the USSR. Massively, Americans not only roll preserves, juices, salads, but also semi-finished products (sauces, lecho, corn, olives, peeled carrots and potatoes), prepared dishes (soups, cereals, meatballs).
Naturally, such housekeeping is characteristic of farmers who grow all these products or animals for meat. Children of the urban jungle prefer to buy all this in supermarkets. Living in small apartments, they simply do not have the place to store many products "in reserve", and even more so, to preserve them. This is justified by the fact that the cost of housing in megacities is fabulous, while suburban apartments, and even whole houses, are more affordable. The main reason is the poorly developed economy of these settlements. In search of work, their residents have to sell their homes for nothing, and moving to larger cities, huddled in tiny apartments.
Is it true that it differs from the widespread notion of Americans as waiting for fat idlers? And what will happen if a person oriented to false mental cliches about US residents arrives to work in this country or cooperates with companies from there? How much firewood he will break before he realizes that those who live here are not like he thought before. But with such a prejudice, even knowing their language at the level of William Shakespeare or Edgar Allan Poe, it will be difficult to establish communication.
That is why the modern standard of teaching every foreign language pays so much attention to the formation of CCMs within the framework of communicative competence. So the key to the full development of foreign speech is mentality (in simple words, a prism through which a native speaker perceives the world). Is he the only one? Let's find out.
CCM Aspects
The factor considered in the previous paragraph is essentially the cornerstone that underlies sociocultural competence. But there are other, equally important aspects. Without them, only knowledge of the mentality and structure of the language will not help.
Four aspects of the CCM are highlighted.
- Communication experience (skills to choose a style of behavior and speech according to the interlocutor, the ability to quickly adapt when falling into a spontaneous linguistic situation).
- Sociocultural data (mentality).
- Personal attitude to the facts of culture of the people speaking the studied language.
- Possession of the basic ways of using speech (the ability to differentiate common vocabulary, dialectisms and jargon, the ability to distinguish situations in which they can / cannot be used).
Personal qualities that contribute to the development of CCM
For all four aspects of sociocultural competence to be developed at a sufficient level, students must have not only deep intellectual knowledge and skills to use them, but also personal qualities. It is impossible to establish a dialogue with a representative of another culture, not being able to communicate normally with their compatriots.
Therefore, in parallel with the formation of exercises and skills in the development of CCM, it is important for students to cultivate such qualities as:
- openness to communication;
- lack of prejudice;
- politeness;
- respect for members of another linguistic and cultural community;
- tolerance.
At the same time, it is important to convey to the student the idea of the equal rights of all participants in sociocultural interaction. It is important for the student to learn that the courtesy and openness of the dialogue should come from both sides. And showing attention and respect for a foreign culture, he has the right to expect a reciprocal attitude even if he is just a guest in a foreign country.
Moreover, it is especially important to teach a person to properly respond to insults or quarrels. This does not mean teaching profanity in the language being studied and suggesting what this or that carrier of linguistic culture might be offended by. No! It is necessary to teach in time to recognize an emerging conflict, or at least smooth out an existing one, in accordance with accepted customs and traditions.
Ideally, the student should be presented with an algorithm of behavior not only in positive speech situations, but also negative ones. It is especially important to pay attention to the unique features of the language and culture being studied in this matter. Otherwise, competence will be defectively formed.
CCM structure
In addition to the above aspects, the structure of sociocultural competence consists of a number of components that ensure its versatility.
- Linguistic and Regional Studies. It includes the study of words, expressions and whole sentences with sociocultural semantics. In addition, the formation and ability to correctly and timely use them in the process of communication is important.
- The sociolinguistic component provides knowledge about the distinctive linguistic traditions of different age, social or social groups.
- Sociopsychological. This element of the CCM structure is concentrated on behavioral patterns characteristic of a particular ethnic community.
- The cultural component is a body of knowledge about the sociocultural, ethnocultural, and also historical and cultural background.
CCM development methods
When it comes to the sociocultural component of communicative competence, the ideal method is immersion in a linguistic environment. Simply put, stay in a country where they speak the studied language.
The best option would be not a one-time visit, but periodic visits to such a state. For example, once or twice a year for several weeks.
Such trips would allow a closer study of the language at the household level, taking into account real speech situations. And their frequency would teach to notice the changes occurring in the country, affecting its citizens.
Unfortunately, the reality of the post-Soviet space is such that not only every student can afford to participate in the activities of the sociocultural program for language learning, but for teachers themselves it is not always possible to travel abroad. Therefore, it is often necessary to form a CCM in other ways.
One of the most promising methods to date is the design work method. Its essence lies in the distribution of individual tasks between students. Each student receives a project, for the implementation of which he will have to show independence, looking for a way to achieve the goal set by the teacher.
The tasks may include:
- report;
- preparation of a scene / performance;
- the organization and holding of a national holiday of the country where they speak the studied language;
- presentation on a topic;
- A small scientific work devoted to a specific linguistic issue.
The task assigned to the student should be formulated in such a way that its implementation requires in-depth study of the mentality and linguistic culture. Thus, this method will contribute not only to the development of the CCM, but also teach the basics of research, including its methods and algorithm for their use.
The method of project work also develops skills that will be useful to everyone in the future in the process of socio-cultural adaptation when visiting foreign countries. Formed in this way the ability to quickly navigate and find the information you need, as well as accessible to express it more than once will help out.
It is also worth using the communicative method. Its essence is that the student learns to interact with others, using only the means of a foreign language. This teaching method is especially successful for the development of CCM in the case when the teacher is a native speaker or it is possible to periodically organize meetings with such a person. In this case, in addition to the ability to recognize "live" speech, it will be possible to question in more detail about life and culture.
The communicative method is very good for the development of sociocultural competence, if within its framework to establish correspondence of students with native speakers. This project can be organized through the leadership of educational institutions. It does not require special expenses, but at the same time it will help both parties to learn about the culture of each other’s countries, in practice, to study the rules of correspondence that apply in a particular language.
Although such communication can be arranged without the help of a teacher in any online forum on foreign languages, it would be better if the institution is in charge of it. In this case, there will be confidence that the interlocutors are who they claim to be. It is optimal to select persons involved in communication of the same age, gender, interests. Then it will be much more interesting for them to correspond with each other.
