LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 12 : 1 January 2012
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.

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Effect of L2 Learning on Learners' Perception of Culture -
A Case of Iranian Young Learners Compared with Their Parents

Gholam Reza Zarei

Abstract

The current paper is intended to investigate if learners of English who have been taught special books (Interchange Series) would come to perceive cultural issues differently compared with their parents as their regular cultural guides.

To conduct the study, a researcher constructed questionnaire of cultural components was administered to the two groups of participants. The first group involved English language learners about to complete the 3 volume Interchange Series program in a language institute. The second group consisted of the learners' parents who did not know English except for a few grammatical rules or some general greeting and basic interpersonal sentences.

The results indicated that learning English extensively transforms the language learners’ perceptions of cultural issues as compared with their parents whose cultural perceptions were domestically inclined. It can be concluded that textbooks may make learners conceptualize the world as portrayed therein.

Key words: L2, Culture, English language, Iranian learners, Interchange series

Introduction

Culture is usually defined as an ingrained mode of behaviour and perception inextricably bonded with language. It can satisfy biological and psychological needs formulated as conceptual networks or mental constructs of realities (Brown 2007). As Halliday (1978) says, mental constructs or semantic networks are sociologically grounded and need to be realized externally through the medium of language. As such, language is social semiotic used to symbolically encode and carry over the underpinning socio-cultural values. It must be noted that Halliday (ibid) tends to transcend this limit by suggesting that 'language neither drives culture nor is driven by it' (p. 296). He believes that the relation is not one of cause and effect but rather one of realization, i.e., culture and language coevolve in the same way as do meaning and expression.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Gholam Reza Zarei
English Language Centre
Isfahan University of Technology
Isfahan 84156-83111
Iran
zareigr@hotmail.com
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