LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

“Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.” — Rita Mae Brown —

One couldn’t deny that we can learn language without learning its culture. I remembered when I was young, I wasn’t only learn English in my English classes, but I also learned about Christmas, Valentines, and Queen Elizabeth. When I grew up, I learned English cultures through their literature. Looking back at those moments, I can say that I was taught the language and culture at the same time.

How to learn language and culture using CALL software?

There are a lot of language learning programs allowing learners to explore the cultures or connect with people from different cultural backgrounds. For example, Code Switch provides learners with different stories from different themes of race, ethnicity, and culture. In addition, StoryCorps is also a good source for learning language and culture. It provides learners of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of their lives.

It is the teacher’s responsibility to make sure that learners successfully learn language and at the same time they are familiar with its culture because “to speak a language is to take on a world, a culture” (Fanon, n.d.)