Exploring Cultural Fluency: An Investigation Of Chinese-English Bilinguals With Residential Experiences In L2 Culture

This research is exploratory in nature. It aims to explore Chinese-English bilinguals'cultural fluency after they have experienced the second language (L2) Culture immersion. Firstly, three assumptions are forwarded: 1) Bilinguals change their cultural identity as they shifted between cultures; 2) The possibility of being bicultural (100% of culturally fluent) is almost at zero in the context of second language learning, so attitudes towards native culture and second language culture reveal bilinguals'level of cultural fluency; 3) Cultural fluency and cultural identity are mutually affected. In this research, positive attitudes and negative attitudes toward native culture and target culture are bilinguals'basic attitudes. According to the three assumptions, a framework with four levels of tendency in terms of cultural identity is built, that is, monoculturation, deculturation, biculturation, and anomie. What's more, four tendencies assume to be the reflections of various levels of cultural fluency.Based on this framework, the current research uses questionnaire together with interview as the major instruments to investigate bilingual's cultural tendency and degrees of cultural fluency. Seventeen bilinguals participates in this investigation (they are scholars or teachers, students or workers or businessmen); the mean age of these bilinguals is around 31, and the general length of their overseas residential experience is above one year and below 23 years. Analysis of data in this research is to count frequency. After combining quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis, several major findings are captured.Firstly, it is hard for bilinguals to be psychologically well adapted to their native socio-cultural environments after L2 immersion. It has been supported that 100% bicultural is impossible, which further proved that a completely re-integration is not realistic. Secondly, bilinguals'attitudes towards native culture and target culture determine their tendencies in cultural identity. What's more, they do predict bilinguals'levels of cultural fluency. Thirdly, degrees of cultural fluency are affected by various elements, including linguistic fluency, age, length of overseas residence, length of return, frequency of sojourn, and so on. Fourthly, reverse culture shock maximizes the problem of cultural identity changes and meanwhile makes the problem of cultural fluency manifested. Besides, the relationship between cultural fluency and cultural identity is justified: Cultural identity determines degrees of cultural fluency; fluency reflects the basic trend of identity. The last but the most valuable finding locates in bilinguals'degrees of cultural fluency. Degree of cultural fluency is the last factor determines second language learners'index of happiness and even controls their moods through all their life.Results of this survey indicate that in learning and teaching second language and culture, the four requirements"knowledge, skills, attitudes, and critical cultural awareness"in intercultural communicative competence should be developed. Moreover, educators should extend some training for learners to make sure that they are able to understand the subtle differences between cultures, thus to improve learners'cultural sensitivity. Furthermore, learners'good attitude is beneficial in language and culture learning; it helps them to fulfill the target which is from"communicating across culture"to"communicating beyond culture". Finally, results of the research implicate that cultural fluency and socio-cultural anomie together with cultural identity should be paid more attention in order to promote students'self-awareness. In the final analysis, it could favor seeking a better way for language learning which is in accordance with their faculty of self-adjustment.