earticle

영어

Language and Culture are so closely intertwined that it is difficult to separate them even for analytical purposes. Knowledge of the cultural background of a foreign language is absolutely essential for acquiring that language. In theory, foreign language learners might be able to become quite proficient in the foreign language and speak it fluently without learning the target culture. In practice, the language learner who has no understanding of the target culture cannot function effectively in that environment. In this paper the reader will see that Culture and Language are connected in such a deep and profound way that many native speakers of a target language may be unaware of the links. A knowledge of Christianity is essential to understand not only Western values but also many everyday expressions, idioms, and vocabulary used in the languages of the West. The 'hidden meaning' to many of these expressions can be found only upon closely examining the cultural origins of the expression. The fact that Korean culture has prized harmony and hierarchy more than objective accuracy and directness is reflected in some of its features and may cause confusion to a student of Korean language. Once a student appreciates that learning vocabulary is only a very small part of learning a foreign language, he will easily appreciate that knowledge of the cultural background is necessary to make progress in the language. This has the potential of opening up the student to a new world, to a different way of being human assuming that the student sees himself as more than just a passive participant. It is up to the educator to ensure that the students receives a holistic approach to learning a target language and culture is the most essential ingredient to such an approach.