Providing effective communication in a foreign language: Acquisition of vocabulary in a cultural context

Proficiency-oriented or communicative approaches specially emphasize the need to analyze the details of close connection of language with its cultural content. It is obvious that every word and every expression has a cultural dimension. Culture is the means, which helps people to communicate with each other. If people were not referring to a commonly agreed upon set of meanings in their interactions, no communication would be possible. Speakers of a language share not only the vocabulary and structure of the language; they share the perceptions of reality represented by that vocabulary and structure. Speakers of different languages have different perceptions of reality; therefore different languages do not have direct correspondence between vocabulary items or grammatical structures. It stands to reason, that learning a second or additional language without learning and understanding the culture in which it is used will not enable the learners to communicate effectively with the native speakers.

The article examines research approaches to the interrelations of two vital elements emphatically necessary for effective communication in a foreign language – the understanding of a foreign culture and the acquisition of vocabulary in a cultural context, which often receive inadequate or inappropriate attention in the classroom setting.

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