International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL)

Volume 8, Issue 1, January 2020, PP 21-27

ISSN 2347-3126 (Print) & ISSN 2347-3134 (Online)
http://dx.doi.org/10.20431/2347-3134.0801003
www.arcjournals.org

The Impact of Culture on English Language Learning

Dr. Mohammed AbdAlla AbdAlgane Mohammed*
Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics, Department of English Language & Translation, College of Science
& Arts Arrass, Qassim University, KSA

*Corresponding Author: Dr. Mohammed AbdAlla AbdAlgane Mohammed, Assistant Professor of

Applied Linguistics, Department of English Language & Translation, College of Science & Arts Arrass,
Qassim University, KSA

Abstract: This paper aims to highlight the impact of culture on English language learning. Language and
culture are considered as inseparable couple and can be simply described as two sides of the same coin.
Language is not culture-free. If one is to communicate effectively in a foreign/second language, one cannot
ignore the cultural context which gives the words broader meanings. There is no argument about the
importance of linguistic competency which is constituted with the knowledge of pronunciation, writing system,
vocabulary and grammar syntax for the language production. What is often neglected is cultural competency
that is a kind of knowledge of all the other systems of ideas and beliefs shared by members of a community
and transmitted through language (Bentahila & Davies, 1989).
Understanding of culture is very important for understanding any language. Mitchell and Myles (2004) argue
that “language and culture are not separate but acquired together, with each providing support for the
development of the other” (p. 235). Differences of culture may cause many mistakes. Language not only
changes people’s values and habits, but also affects people’s identity and behaviors. While English language
learning involves a number of different skills, including grammar, writing, listening and speaking so this
paper will illustrate the impact of English language culture on learning these four language skills.
Keywords: English language learning, language and culture relationship, influence of culture, cultural
awareness.

1. INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the intimate and inseparable relation between culture and
language and the implementation of instructional approaches and techniques for teaching second
language through culture to enhance students‟ linguistic understanding. Language is not only the
product of culture, but also is the symbol of culture (Gleason, 1961). Culture must be incorporated
essentially and basically as an essential component of second language learning and teaching. Only
after cultural issues become an inherent and natural part of the language curriculum and instruction,
can students be successful in their target language learning. Second language teachers, therefore,
should pay more attentions to the varieties of cultures, identify key cultural items in every aspect
when they design a language curriculum, and apply appropriate teaching strategies to learning
activities in order to help students to bridge and overpass the culture gaps. Language is a means of
expression. We express our feelings, emotions, thoughts, needs, desires etc. in words, symbols and
gesture which is considered as language. Language can be defined as verbal, physical, biologically
innate, and a basic form of communication. Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of
people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. Thus
culture finds its expression in language; so, learning a new language without familiarity with its
culture remains incomplete.
Kumagai (1994) cites that as Smith (1987a) claimed in the introduction to Discourse Across Cultures,
recognizing such things as the place of silence, appropriate topics of conversation, forms of address,
and expressions of speech-acts (e.g. apologies, requests, agreement, disagreement, etc.) are perhaps
more important to effective cross-cultural communication than grammar lexis or phonology, since the
former are not the same across cultures. In international and cross-cultural communication in which
English is used as the main medium, one should neither expect the discourse strategies in English to
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The Impact of Culture on English Language Learning

be the same as one's own, nor interpret the language behaviors of others on the basis of one's own
cultural presuppositions.
Societies which live in different areas of the world have different cultural upbringings, values,
attitudes and backgrounds and use different languages. Language and culture seem on the surface to
be two different fields, but they have an entangled relationship and affect each other mutually.
Gleason (1961) indicated that languages are not only the products of cultures, but also are the symbols
of cultures. The growth of a language frequently affects its associated culture, and cultural patterns of
cognition and custom are often explicitly coded in language. Moreover, language is also a social
institution, both shaping and being shaped by society (Armour-Thomas & Gopaul-McNicol, 1998).
This means that language is not an independent construct but social practice both creating and being
created by the structures and forces of social institutions in which we live and function. Definitely,
language cannot exist in a vacuum and there is an inevitable kind of “transfusion” at work between
language and culture. Learning a new language will also come with understanding the notions of
culture of that target society.
Language is a system of signals, including voice sounds, gestures or written symbols which encodes
and decodes information. The aim of language is to communicate meaning and to convey your
thoughts to others. When we begin to develop our language abilities, the main purpose is to
communicate or interact with others. Alyasery (2018) cites in Halliday (1973, p. 10) suggests that the
functions of language can be separated in seven areas, included:
Instrumental function: when language is used to manipulate the environment, to cause certain
events to happen.
 Regulatory function: when language controls events. The regulations may encounter the approval
or disapproval of the listener.
 Representational function: when language is used to make statements, convey facts and
knowledge, explain or report.
 Interactive function: when language serves to ensure social maintenance, this implies knowledge
of slang, jargon, jokes, folklore, cultural mores, politeness, and formality expectations in social
exchange.
 Personal function: when language expresses feelings, emotions, and personality.
 Heuristic function: when language is used to acquire knowledge and to learn.
 Imaginative function: when language is used to create tales, write a novel, poetry, tongue twisters, etc.
There are four views regarding the issue. The first one states that „target language culture‟ should be
taught along with English to acculturate language learners into the cultures of English speaking
countries (Byram, 1990; Byram & Flemming, 1998). The second study states that there should not be
any teaching of the „target language culture‟ together with English in the countries where English is
an existing variety( Kachru, B. 1985). Other two views also reject the idea of teaching „target
language culture‟ along with English. However, while one of the views supports the teaching of „local
culture‟ in English language teaching (Kramsch & Sullivan, 1996; McKay, 2003), the other view
holds the position that English has become a lingua franca and that‟s why it should be taught in a
culture-free context.( Alptekin, C. 2005
2. THE ROLE OF CULTURE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING & LEARNING
Saloomeh (2018) cites that the role of context and the circumstances in which language can be used
accurately and appropriately. (c.f. Kramsch 1). Culture offers ELT a vast landscape of perspectives
that can be employed to enhance the dynamics of a class; even more so among undergraduate
students, who have already chosen a certain area of study and may show antipathy or apathy to a
teacher‟s ambitious lesson plan if they do not consider it relevant. So, it is important to know the
methods that a teacher might employ in order to avoid “teaching meaningless symbols or symbols to
which the student attaches the wrong meaning” (Politzer, 100-101). Dimitrios Thanasoulas pinpoints
that up to now there have been two perspectives that have influenced culture teaching and that have
served as a model for integrating it to language teaching10: One pertains to the transmission of
factual, cultural information, which consists in statistical information, that is, institutional structures
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The Impact of Culture on English Language Learning

and other aspects of the target civilization, highbrow information, i.e., immersion in literature and the
arts, and lowbrow information, which may focus on the customs, habits, and folklore of everyday life (3).
Just like an efferent reading, all this perspective offers is mere data unable to provoke a deep
reflection in the class, and that restricts teachers and students to a mere awareness of the way of life of
the country where the information has been taken from. Since there is no other lead around this
information that could direct students to contextualize it, their idea of the culture of the country that
produces this “amounts to facts,” and could remain as sterile as if it came from a printed travel
brochure. The other perspective, which draws upon cross-cultural psychology or anthropology, “has
been to embed culture within an interpretive framework and establish connections, namely, points of
reference or departure, between one‟s own and the target country” Thanasoulas (2001). According to
the author, the limitations of this approach are that it can only give learners cultural knowledge and
leaves it to them to integrate it with the assumptions, beliefs and mindsets of their own society. This,
however, is where the role of the teacher can make a difference. Like in an aesthetic reading, the
teacher needs to guide the students so that they can construct their own interpretation and reflections
according to their own experience, by first thinking critically and then comparing and contrasting the
two different cultures.
Still, the employment of this model to the ELT is sine qua non. There are many factors to be
considered, such as relating new information to existing knowledge, the use of organizing principles
to relate conflicting phenomena, and vigorous and critical interaction with knowledge and experience.
So, it is fundamental, as Rosenblatt‟s perspective of aesthetic reading has already established, to keep
the communication channels between students and teachers open in order for cultural feedback to run
freely from ones to the others. This in turn maintains the active environment of personal and
collective creative experimentation. In the end, the role of culture in ELT is crucial, since it will mean
the difference between casual speakers who remain outsiders and speakers who understand the
meaning behind the words and the world that is constructed by them. As Samovar, Porter, and Jain
observe: Culture and communication are inseparable because culture not only dictates who talks to
whom, about what, and how the communication proceeds, it also helps to determine how people
encode messages, the meanings they have for messages, and the conditions and circumstances under
which various messages may or may not be sent, noticed, or interpreted... Culture...is the foundation
of communication (24).
Thus, when foreign language learners that have been taught the culture alongside the language encode
their messages, they will not do so from a void, but from a deep understanding of what they are
saying, its implications and history. They will be able to do much more than communicate simple
needs and ideas, and they will be much better equipped to interact within the target language culture
and truly give something back and participate in it.
Kumagai (1994) cites that scholars and researchers in the field of applied linguistics as well as
language teachers have been addressing the need to incorporate cultural knowledge into second and
foreign language teaching (e.g., Lafayette, 1988; Moorjani & Field, 1988; Patrikis, 1988; Robinson,
1985; etc.). A great deal of research has been done by sociolinguists, communication theorists and
anthropologists concerning the strong linkage between the way the language is used and the cultural
values which dictate this use (e.g., Hall, 1978; Hymes, 1962; Loveday, 1982; Scollon & Scollon,
1981; etc.).
Alyasery (2018) cites that culture is the full range of learned human behavior patterns. The term was
first used in this way by the pioneer English Anthropologist Edward B. Tylor in his book, Primitive
Culture, published in 1871. Tylor said that culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge,
belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of
society." Of course, it is not limited to men. Women possess and create it as well. Since Tylor's time,
the concept of culture has become the dominant focus of anthropology. Culture is a powerful human
instrument for survival, but it is a fragile phenomenon. It is constantly changing and easily lost
because it exists only in our minds. Our written languages, governments, buildings, and other man-
made things are merely the products of culture. They are not culture in themselves.
Therefore, archaeologists cannot dig up culture directly in their excavations. The broken vessels
and other artifacts of ancient people that they expose are only material remains that mirror cultural
patterns--they are things that were made and used through cultural knowledge and skills. Furthermore,
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The Impact of Culture on English Language Learning

Culture is the features of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion,
cuisine, social habits, music and arts. Cultures are what make countries unique. Each country has its
own different cultural activities and cultural customs. Culture is more than just material goods, that is
things the culture uses and produces. Culture is also the beliefs and values of the people in that
culture. Culture also includes the way people think about and comprehend the world and their own
lives. Culture can also vary within a region, society or sub group. A workplace may have a specific
culture that sets it apart from similar workplaces. This province of a country may have a different
culture than the rest of the country. For example people in the north of Yemen has a different culture
than the people in the south, which is expressed by different ways of talking, different types of music,
and different types of dances.in addition to that a family may have a specific set of values, according
to the ratio of their belief in religion of that society.
3. IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE IN LANGUAGE LEARNING
Alyasery (2018) cites that according to Wei (2005:56), language has a dual character: both as a tool of
communication and a carrier of culture. Language without culture is unthinkable, so is human culture
without language. A particular language is a mirror of a particular culture. Brown (1994:165)
describes the relation between language and culture as follows: 'A language is a part of a culture and a
culture is a part of a language; the two are intricately interwoven so that one cannot separate the two
without losing the importance of either language or culture'. In a word, culture and language are
inseparable (cited in Jiang, 2000: 328). When it comes to the essence of teaching and learning, as Gao
(2006) presents it, the interdependence of language learning and cultural learning is so evident that
one can conclude that language learning is culture learning and consequently, language teaching is
cultural teaching (p.59). Gao further states that foreign language teachers should be aware of the place
of cultural studies in foreign language classroom and try to enhance students' cultural awareness and
elevate their communication competence. Wang (2008), likewise, asserts that 'foreign language
teaching is foreign culture teaching, and foreign language teachers are foreign culture teachers'.
According to Tomalin (2008), the international role of the English language and globalization are the
two main reasons to teach culture as a fifth language skill, in addition to listening, speaking, reading
and writing. 'What the fifth language skill teaches you is the approach and technique to adapt your use
of English to learn about, understand and appreciate the principles, ways of doing things and unique
qualities of other cultures. It includes understanding how to use language to accept changes, to be
flexible and tolerant of ways of doing things which might be different to yours. It is an attitudinal
change that is articulated through the use of language.' Tomalin (2008) further argues that teaching of
culture in ELT should include cultural knowledge (knowledge of culture's institution, the big C),
cultural values (the 'psyche' of the country, what people think is important), cultural behavior
(knowledge of daily routines and behavior, the little c), and cultural skills (the development of
intercultural sensitivity and awareness, by means of English language as the tool of interaction).
3.1. Cultural Influence on Vocabulary
Language is the transporter of culture and vocabulary is the basic component of language. The
cultural difference will inevitably displayed on the vocabulary, and the explanation of vocabulary will
also reflect the national or cultural change. If we consider the color as an example in Yemen the
white color is used as a represent of virtue, piety and pure and that‟s why a girl wear white clothes on
the day of marriage party as a symbol of goodness, chasteness and faithfulness. On the other hand if
we consider this white color in china is completely opposite in their culture and they use it only in
funeral when one of the family member is dead. This is also opposing Arabic culture which leads
people to wear black clothes in their funeral ceremonies. If an American guy orders hot dog in
Arabian restaurant, no one will understand that he is asking a hot sandwich and may be they will
laugh at him. Thus, learning a language implies not only the knowledge of its grammar rules and the
denotative meanings of words but it implicates much more, such as the culture phenomena, the way of
life, customs, food and habits, history and everything that is contained of culture. In a word, culture is
a comprehensive combination with abundant implication, and each factor in it may be exhibited on
words. Learning vocabulary, while paying attention to cultural factors, is essential and crucial.
Otherwise one will be apt to mockery and irony.
3.2. Cultural Influence on Listening
Listening to something you are familiar with and is known to you is easier to comprehend and get the
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The Impact of Culture on English Language Learning

meaning very quickly, but if you are listening to something which is not familiar to your way of life
or some expressions of another culture, a thing you haven‟t heard about, one will not be able to grasp
the meaning. On the contrary, it will be difficult for us to understand, if the materials we are listening
to are closely related to the cultural background knowledge we are not familiar with. If somebody
says Mohammed is suffering from Alnakheleen day until now. if somebody is not familiar with this
province .he will not be able to get the idea that Mohammed is suffering from a traffic accident
happened in Alnaqkheleen because he does not know that Alnakheleen is a name of a very dangerous
mountainy road and many accidents happened there. From the above explanation we can see how
important the role that culture plays in our listening ability: Culture is one of its unalienable
connections. It can hamper our progress of listening, and it can also help it. So we should notice the
existence of culture and try to take advantage of it. Syllabus designers must consider this
consideration and make a curriculum which is suitable for cultural background of the students of that
place.
3.3. Cultural Influence on Speaking
As it is for the skill of listening, the ability of speaking is not a matter only concerned with
pronunciation or intonation. People need to read a lot to understand the cultural background
knowledge of the target language; only in this way they can communicate successfully with the others
and not to be misunderstood or misinterpreted. So in the training of oral English, teachers should
emphasize the practical use of the language, and try to use the materials which come from the daily
life. This can help people use proper sentences in proper context and proper utterance to a proper
situation. Otherwise, even if one may have been well qualified in the linguistic aspect of the language,
he may make mistakes or have misunderstanding for the sake of lacking related cultural background
knowledge.
Therefore, the experience of a young interpreter is a case in point: There is a young interpreter whose
pronunciation is standardized and natural. The first time he was appointed to accompany a foreign
guest, he tried to do everything he could to show that he was enthusiastic, kind, considerate, and
competent. He tried to be alert as possible by saying “You come this way.” “You sit here.” “Don‟t go
too fast.” “Follow me.” “Don‟t be late.” But the next day, he was shocked to know that the foreigner
didn‟t want to go with him, because the foreigner thought that the young interpreter was not polite. In
the foreigner‟s eyes, the interpreter is not helping him, but scolding him as scolding a child. There is
no problem in the interpreter‟s English, but the lack of the cultural background knowledge makes him
misunderstood for this job.
Thus we see it clearly that if you don‟t know the cultural background of some body and you don‟t
know the practical use of the language, what to say in this situation, when and for whom.
3.4. Cultural Influence on Translating
It is generally believed that translating is impressively influenced by culture. In translating, we should
have enough knowledge about both the target and the source language. The difficulty in translation
mostly lies in the understanding of cultural background knowledge. The cultural background
knowledge contains many aspects, such as art, history, geography, philosophy, science, etc. As we
know each society has its own proverbs and translating many idioms and proverbs used by many
speakers in English or in Arabic can be confusing misinterpreted if you don‟t know the cultural back
ground of each society. For example: I was not Pygmalion, I was Frankenstein. There are two points
that may puzzle us: one is “Pygmalion”, and the other is “Frankenstein”. Pygmalion is a symbol of “to
enjoy one‟s own creation”, while “Frankenstein” means “to suffer from one‟s own actions”. So the
success in translating this sentence does not solely depend on understanding its structure but is
determined by the knowledge of the cultural load the two terms carry respectively. Additional
examples of culture-related idioms that could be confusing to learners to translate:
 Rob Peter to pay Paul
 Walk down the aisle
 Any/every Tom, Dick, and Harry
 In one's Sunday best
 You're barking up the wrong tree
 Like a square peg in a round hole

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The Impact of Culture on English Language Learning

 Burn the midnight oil

4. TECHNIQUES FOR DEVELOPING CULTURAL AWARENESS
There are many opinions about what techniques should be used in the classroom in order to develop
cultural awareness in learners. Literature and drama have been found to be very effective for making
learners sensitive to alternative cultural perspectives. Role play is a popular method for
communicative use of language where students are encouraged to use language imaginatively and
creatively. Being based on real-life situations it is always welcome in a role play to use authentic aids
from English speaking countries. Drama is similarly useful for directly involving students in cross-
cultural misunderstanding. A discussion of common proverbs in the target language can help students
to understand how the proverbs are different from or similar to proverbs in their mother tongues.
Using proverbs as a transferred tool to explore two different cultures can guide students to analyze the
similarities and dissimilarities of cultures.
5. CONCLUSION
Understanding the relationship between culture and linguistics will help us to develop instructional
strategies and pedagogies for teaching second languages. Language is a part of culture and culture is a
part of language. The two are strongly dependent on each other and should be taught that way as well.
Since motivation is crucial for learning a second language, teachers should aim to make their
language instruction as much interesting and contextually relevant as possible. Culturally-based ELT
classrooms equip learners with intercultural competencies to successfully communicate in today‟s
globalized world. Foreign culture and one's own culture should be employed together in order for
learners to understand a foreign culture.
Learners' interaction with native speakers or text will require them to construct their own meanings
rather than having teachers simply transfer information about people and their culture. We put
learners‟ sociocultural background into consideration in choosing materials and educational
approaches for particular contexts of teaching since ignoring the students' norms and expectations –
that is, what students bring to the classroom- is denying the learners' experiences. A lack of
consideration of variations in cultures of learning can lead to frustration and subsequent failure in
language classrooms. Mastering in a language requires learners' mastery of the cultural contexts in
which important social acts occur because it conveys warm feelings and solidarity among speakers
and is categorized in the 'social' use of language. Language learners need to comprehend what native
speakers mean when they use the language, even if they do not choose to replicate native speakers'
behavior. After all, the more cultural concepts we learn, the more language abilities we gain; the more
language we gain, the more effectiveness we have.
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Author’s Biography
Dr. Mohammed Abdalla AbdAlgane Mohammed, is an assistant professor of
Applied Linguistics at Qassim University. Awarded Ph.D. from University of
Gezira, Sudan (2011). The author has several publications including:
1. Mohammed. A. AbdAlgane. (December, 2019). An Approach to English
Phonology, International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation,
ISSN: 2617-0299, Vol. 2, Issue 7, pp: (108 – 120), Al-Kindi Center for
Research and Development, Jordan.
2. Mohammed. A. AbdAlgane. (January, 2020). Utilizing Technology in ELT Classrooms. Open
Access Library Journal, ISSN: 2333-9721, Vol. 7, e6016, USA.
3. Mohammed. A. AbdAlgane. (January, 2020). English Language & Globalization. International
Journal of Novel Research in Education and Learning, ISSN: 2394-9686, Vol. 7, issue 1, pp: (5-
11), Lucknow: Novelty Journals, India.

Citation: Dr. Mohammed AbdAlla AbdAlgane Mohammed. The Impact of Culture on English Language
Learning. "International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL), vol 8, no. 1, 2020,
pp. 21-27. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.20431/2347-3134.0801003.
Copyright: © 2020 Authors. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original author and source are credited.

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