A questão cultural e o ensino de línguas estrangeiras

Abstract

This article aims to clarify some important points concerning the teaching of culture in the foreign languages teaching. Language and culture are closely related and it is not possible to communicate effectively in a foreign language without being aware of the cultural context in which it is used. The text presents some considerations about the relationship between language and culture and the definition of culture in language teaching. Then it talks more specifically about what it means to adopt an intercultural approach in the foreign language classroom and its implications. Cultural differences exist, and both the learner and the teacher must learn to identify them so that they do not become a source of conflict in intercultural communication. The teacher's role is to support the learner so that they develop knowledge, skills and attitudes that prepare them to communicate effectively in a foreign language, overcoming cultural barriers and bringing them progressively towards intercultural competence. In this process, the cultural identity of the student should not be changed in favour of the acquisition of a new culture, instead, he should find himself a middle place between his and the target culture.