Socialculture Factors
Saville-Troike, M. (2005). Introducing second language
acquisition. New York: Cambridge UP.
By Lisa Cheng
Definition of Culture
Dynamic System of rules
 System of rules
 Groups and units
 Survival
 Attitudes/Values/Believes/Norms/behaviors
 Share by a group

Definition Of Cultures
Harbored differently by each specific units
 Communicated across generations
relatively stable
 Potential to change across time

By Matsumoto( Brown P189)
Ecumenical Approach

Culture that is viewing cultures not as
oppositional or mutually exclusives hues
and, but rather somewhat as hues and
colors covering a wide spectrum by
Atkinson (1999)

We should neither teach received views
of cultures nor place our profession in
the quick- sands of moral relativity by
Sparrow(2000)
Stereotypes or Generalizations

The bias of our own culture-bound
Worldview/Weltanschauung



African Africans
Europeans
Spanish
Culture Shock
Stage 1: Excitement and euphoria
Stage 2: Culture differences
Stage 3: Culture stress
Stage4: Assimilation or adaptation
Anomie
Feeling of social uncertainty or
dissatisfaction as a significant aspect of the
relationship between language learning and
attitude toward the foreign culture by
Durkheim(1897)
 Lambert (1967) research supports the idea
of Anomie.
After the third stage the feeling of anomie
decrease and the learner is over the hump in
the transition to adaptation.
(Brown P196)

Social Distance
Dominance
Permanence
Congruence
Integration
Cohesiveness
Social Distance

William Acton
◦ Perceived social distance
◦ PDAQ (Professional Difference in Attitude
Questionnaire)
◦ Support the theory of Lambert (1967)

Brown’s Optimal Distance Model (1980)
-Fossilized forms of language
Geert Hofstede
Individualism
Uncertainty avoidance
Conceptual
Categories
Masculinity
Power distance
World Englishes
Inner(the US/UK)
Outer(India/Singapore)
Expanded
World Englishes

EIL(English as an International Language)

ESL(English as a Second Foreign
Language)

EFL( English as a foreign Language)

NEST(Native English–speaking teacher)

Linguistic Imperialism
Framing
George Lakoff (2004)
 The importance of language and verbal
labels in shaping the way people think
Ex: Political rhetoric is carefully framed to
invoke positive imagines and feelings.

Carmichael / Hogan/ Walter
Questions

What is Singlish or Chinglish?

What do you think about the policy
“English Only”?

Have you ever gone through any
culture shocks? Please tell us
more.