Chinese Culture and the Importance of Culture in Language Teaching

Summarizing the Ideas of Chapter Two
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Summarizing the Ideas of Chapter Two
Chapter two of the book suggests various ways of incorporating culture into teaching the Chinese language. According to chapter two, imparting cultural skills and language among children is crucial for attaining competency in the Chinese language (Christensen, 2011). Chapter two presents different perspectives of defining the concept of culture. For example, many individuals understand culture as great achievements of individuals or civilizations or things taught in a culture, such as art, architecture, history, philosophy, religion, etc.
According to Chapter two, Hammerly (1985) states that the above definition of culture can be divided into informational and achievement culture. Information and achievement cultures can enable learners to study a language of a given society. Regrettably, informational and achievement cultures are not readily applicable, making Hammerly come up with another definition of culture. He created behavior culture denotes the common day-to-day practices and beliefs that define an individual and dictate behaviors in a given society. Behavioral culture entails usual manners, eating habits, and manner of greeting.
The article also expounds on initiating Chinese culture into a classroom of students learning the Chinese language. As mentioned earlier, imparting cultural skills and knowledge among children is crucial for attaining competency in the Chinese language (Christensen, 2011). The chapter suggests various ways of using behaviors culture when teaching the Chinese language. For example, the instructors can direct learners to write, speak, greet, and respond ...