Influence Of Cultural Difference On Oral English Teaching

With the development of transportation and advancement of science and communication, we have now stepped into an information age. The world is becoming smaller and smaller, people of different background communicate more frequently than before. Instances of intercultural communication that were once rare events are now witnessed every moment on a global scale. New technology and information systems have created windows through which we may view other societies and cultures in the globe. It is in this .sense that people at times say,"The world seems to be shrinking". The communication between people of different cultures, the greatest barrier lies not only in the differences of languages, but also in those of cultures, which permeate all aspects of human life. Cultural mistakes are even more serious and irritating than linguistic ones. Therefore, the importance of the target culture teaching has been drawing attention ever since.In China most of education is completed at school .But in the past, and even at present, most oral English teachers still put their attention mainly on the development of students'linguistic competence, such as pronunciation, sentence structures, etc. Most teaching methods adopted in oral English class are: read the text aloud, listen to the tape and imitate, do pattern drills, or recite the sentences, and so on. The result of such teaching methods is that students lose their interest in oral English learning and think it is useless. This greatly hinders the Chinese people's contact with the outside world and the development of science and technology in China. Therefore, to cultivate and develop the competence of communication has become the first and foremost of all the problems.In the new century, people from different parts of the world interact with each other even more frequently than before. The English language teaching should meet the needs of the society and the development of economy. Unfortunately, many Chinese students of English are good at writing and reading, but when they encounter foreigners, they get dumbfounded. Therefore, the goal of College Oral English Teaching should be to enhance students'cross-cultural understanding and cross-cultural communication. Both teachers and students must notice the inseparable relationship between language and culture. Learning a foreign language inevitably involves the learning of the target culture. College Oral English Teaching should incorporate with culture teaching, because communicative competence involves far more than knowledge of grammaticality. There are"rules of use without which the rules of grammar would be useless".Culture teaching can help the learners to explore more knowledge about foreign culture. This thesis first analyzes the communicative competence and the necessity of culture teaching in Oral English Course. Based on the analysis, the author lists the content of culture teaching which is most closely related to everyday life and basic to a successful conversation. Finally, the thesis provides some strategies for foreign language learners, aiming at promoting their cultural awareness and understanding in cross-cultural communication and facilitating the process of foreign language learning.