DEVELOPING LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL AWARENESS THROUGH READING CONTEMPORARY LITERARY PROSE

The paper deals with teaching and learning languages from the intercultural perspective that aims at providing language learners with exposure to natural language and cultural aspects. Such a language learner is able to communicate within complex frameworks of interpretation, using the rules appropriate for linguistic and cultural contexts in which he/she occurs. The ability to select forms of accuracy and appropriacy enables language learners to become competent language users and use language effectively in different situations for a number of particular purposes.

Within project VEGA numbered 1/0106/15, a group of university language learners was provided with two pieces of British contemporary prose for a detailed analysis, being instructed to focus on a number of issues. Examining students’ proposals and investigating the purposes of their choice to address particular issues, we could summarise two lists of samples related to linguistic and cultural dimensions. In our paper, these samples are analysed in depth and completed by a number of examples that might be useful for those who teach English as a foreign language in the intercultural perspective.

The presentation focuses on different ideas related to teaching target languages in a way that supports developing competent language communicators using language effectively and naturally. What is more, they should be sensitive enough to identify nuances and undercurrents. Being aware of cultural conventions, patterns of behaviour and perception of the world of those whose language learners learn enables them as language users to communicate in situations unfamiliar to them. Language learners should expand and deepen intercultural understanding in order to avoid and/or overcome any potential communication difficulties arising from contrasting cultural viewpoints. Naturally, language learners need a continually developing awareness of sociocultural and sociolinguistic differences affecting intercultural communication. Recommendations related to intercultural language teaching and learning will be presented and discussed.