Does Teaching Language Automatically Entail Teaching Culture

Abstract

Abstract:It is widely believed that understanding a language does not only entail knowledge of phonology, grammar and vocabulary, but it also requires one to have information about certain features of the culture of that language (Cakir, 2006). There are various views regarding the importance of culture in language teaching. The aim of this paper is to discuss whether teaching language automatically entails teaching culture or not. To answer this question, the relationship between language and culture is first examined by referring to various views in literature. Then, teaching language and culture is explained by drawing on different points of view. This study uses a theoretical approach to review relevant literature on the topic and present different arguments for and against teaching language and culture.