In order to learn a language well, we should learn about the country as well as the cultures and lifestyles of the people who speak it. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Nowadays, learning a different language has become a global trend as the people are connecting more frequently. However, whether the culture learning should be one of the curriculums in the studies remains a controversial issue. I agree with the view that we should use a broader cultural approach when acquiring a second language.
Firstly, it is obvious that any language, as long as widely-used, is definitely derived from its own unique local culture and the speakers’ lifestyle. Unlike other natural science, the new learners can not create or deduce the new words and expressions themselves, but only immerse themselves in the pure spoken environment and absorb, which has been proved to be the most efficient method. Therefore, the language context should not be neglected during the learning process.
Moreover, we should remember that the purpose of learning a foreign language is communication. It is impossible to interact with a foreigner without knowing about his culture and mindset. The learners will probably get confused about the grand floor when they are in the elevator, for example, if they do not know the slight difference between the British English and American English.
That is not to say that memorising the words is not important. All languages are built upon the basic elements like alphabets, words and expressions. But honestly, we should not put too much attention to these things.
In sum, learning the cultural context is an indispensable part of learning a language; meanwhile we should also make effort to expand the vocabulary. Only by digging into the social background and mentality of native speakers can we hope to communicate with them effectively.
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