SpringerLink
Log in

Culture in English Language Teaching: Let the Language Do the Talking

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Demystifying Corpus Linguistics for English Language Teaching

Abstract

In this chapter I demonstrate how corpus linguistics can be harnessed in English language teaching to raise awareness of the embeddedness of culture in language. I demonstrate how simple concordancing can illustrate how linguistic items (in this case sorry used as a discourse marker) function in the immediacy of everyday interaction, the kernel of the interface of culture and language, in the negotiation of meaning and the quest for intersubjectivity. In the example I give, using the online concordancing tool of the corpus linguistics software Compleat Lextutor, students are exposed to a wide variety of sociopragmatic applications of sorry, such as the management of the trajectory of talk-in-interaction and face-saving. This facilitates a diverse and naturalistic view of the use of language and a clearer view of the impact of the local interactional context.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
EUR 29.95
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
EUR 117.69
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
EUR 149.79
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
EUR 149.79
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    Ministerium für Schule und Weiterbildung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen (2008).

  2. 2.

    My own translation (K. H.).

References

  • Aijmer, Karin. 1996. Conversational Routines in English: Convention and Creativity. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barker, Chris. 2004. The SAGE Dictionary of Cultural Studies. London: SAGE.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Barron, Anne. 2009. Apologies Across the USA. In Language in Life, and a Life in Language: Jacob Mey – A Festschrift, ed. Bruce Fraser and Ken Turner, 9–17. Howard House: Bingley.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, Milton J. 1993. Towards Ethnorelativism: A Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (Revised). In Education for the Intercultural Experience, ed. R. Michael Paige. Yarmouth: Intercultural Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, Janet, Milton Bennett, and Wendy Allen. 2003. Develo** Intercultural Competence in the Language Classroom. In Culture at the Core: Perspectives on Culture in Second Language Learning, ed. Dale A. Lange and R. Michael Paige. Greenwich, CN: Information Age Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergman, Marc, and Gabriele Kasper. 1993. Perception and Performance in Native and Non-Native Apology. In Interlanguage Pragmatics, ed. Gabriele Kasper and Soshana Blum-Kulka. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernardini, Silvia. 2001. Spoilt for Choice: A Learner Explores General Language Corpora. In Learning with Corpora, ed. Guy Aston, 220–249. Athelstan: Houston.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2004. Corpora in the Classroom. An Overview and Some Reflections on Future Developments. In How to Use Corpora in Language Teaching, ed. John Sinclair, 15–36. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Boulton, Alex. 2010. Learning Outcomes from Corpus Consultation. In Exploring New Paths in Language Pedagogy: Lexis and Corpus-Based Language Teaching, ed. María Moreno Jaén, Fernando Serrano Valverde, and María Calzada Pérez. London: Equinox.

    Google Scholar 

  • Byram, Michael. 1997. Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter, Ronald. 1998. Orders of Reality: CANCODE, Communication and Culture. ELT Journal 52 (1).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cobb, Tom. Compleat Lextutor Tutor. Accessed January 2022. Lextutor 2021. https://www.lextutor.ca/

  • Cohen, Andrew D., and Noriko Ishihara. 2012. Pragmatics. In Applied Linguistics Applied: Connecting Practice to Theory Through Materials Development, ed. Brian Tomlinson and Hitomi Masuhara. London: Continuum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, M. 2021. The Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). Available online at https://www.english-corpora.org/coca/

  • Edmondson, Willis, and Juliane House. 1998. Interkulturelles Lernen: ein überflüssiger Begriff. Zeitschrift für Fremdsprachenforschung 9: 161–188.

    Google Scholar 

  • Everett, Daniel. 2012. Language: The Cultural Tool. London: Profile Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fay, Brian. 1996. Contemporary Philosophy of Social Science: A Multicultural Approach. Oxford: Oxford Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, Bruce. 2010. Pragmatic Competence: The Case of Hedging. In New Approaches to Hedging, ed. Gunther Kaltenböck, Wiltrud Mihatsch, and Stefan Schneider. Bingley: Emerald.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gabrielatos, Costas. 2005. Corpora and Language Teaching: Just a Fling Or Wedding Bells? Teaching English as a Second Language Electronic Journal 8 (4): 1–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geertz, Clifford. 1973. The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilquin, Gaëtanelle, and Sylviane Granger. 2010. How Can DDL Be Used in Language Teaching. In The Routledge Handbook of Corpus Linguistics, ed. Anne O’Keeffe and Michael McCarthy. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goffman, Erving. 1959. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Doubleday.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hadley, Gregory. 2002. An Introduction to Data-Driven Learning. RELC Journal 33 (2): 99–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hadley, Gregory, and Maggie Charles. 2017. Enhancing Extensive Reading with Data-Driven Learning. Language Learning & Technology 21 (3): 131–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, Edward T. 1976. Beyond Culture. New York: Double Day.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, Stuart, ed. 1997. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harlow, Linda. 1990. Do They Mean What They Say? Sociopragmatic Competence and Second Language Learners. The Modern Language Journal 74 (3): 328–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrington, Kieran. 2018. The Role of Corpus Linguistics in the Ethnography of a Closed Community: Survival Communication. London: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hinkel, Eli. 2007. Culture in Second Language Teaching and Learning. Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, Geert. 2001. Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holec, Henri. 1981. Autonomy and Foreign Language Learning. Oxford: Pergamon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holliday, Adrian. 1999. Intercultural Communication and Ideology. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hua, Zhu. 2014. Exploring Intercultural Communication. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hymes, Dell. 1972. On Communicative Competence. In Sociolinguistics, ed. John Pride and Janet Holmes, 269–293. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johns, Tim. 1994. From Printout to Handout: Grammar and Vocabulary Teaching in the Context of Data-Driven Learning. In Perspectives on Pedagogical Grammar, ed. T. Odlin. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 1997. Contexts: The Background, Development and Trialling of a Concordance-Based CALL Program. In Teaching and Language Corpora, ed. Anne Wichmann, Steven Fligelstone, Tony McEnery, and Gerry Knowles, 100–115. London and New York: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kroeber, Alfred, Clyde Kluckjohn, Wayne Untereiner, and Alfred Meyer. 1952. Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions. New York: Vintage Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lakoff, Robin. 1973. The Logic of Politeness: Or, Minding Your p’s and q’s. In Papers from the Ninth Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society. Chicago: Chicago Linguistic Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leech, Geoffrey. 1983. Principles of Pragmatics. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Limberg, Holger. 2016. Teaching How to Apologize: EFL Textbooks and Pragmatic Input. Language Teaching Research 20 (6): 700–718.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Little, David. 1997. Learner Autonomy 1: Definitions, Issues and Problems. Dublin: Authentik Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Little, David, Leni Damm, and Lienhard Legenhausen. 2017. Language Learner Autonomy: Theory, Practice and Research. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lortie, Dan. 1975. Schoolteacher: A Sociological Study. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministerium für Schule und Weiterbildung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen. 2008. Lehrplan Englisch. Richtlinien und Lehrpläne für die Grundschule in Nordrhein-Westfalen, 69–84. Ritterbach Verlag GmbH.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishan, Freda. 2011. Whose Learning Is It Anyway? Problem-Based Learning in Language Teacher Development. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching 5 (3): 253–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nold, Günter. 2009. Assessing Components of the Intercultural Competence Reflections on DESI and Consequences. In Interkulturelle Kompetenz und fremdsprachliches Lernen: Modelle, Empirie, Evaluation: Models, Empiricism, Assessment, ed. Hu Adelheid and Michael Byram, 173–178. Narr Francke Attempto Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nold, Günter, and Henning Rossa. 2008. Sprachbewusstheit Englisch. In Unterricht und Kompetenzerwerb in Deutsch und Englisch. Ergebnisse der DESI-Studie, ed. DESIKonsortium (Hrsg.), 157–169. Weinheim: Beltz.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Keeffe, Anne, and Fiona Farr. 2003. Using Language Corpora in Initial Teacher Education: Pedagogic Issues and Practical Applications. TESOL Quarterly 37: 3.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Keeffe, Anne, Michael J. McCarthy, and Ronald Carter. 2007. From Corpus to Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ogiermann, Eva. 2009. On Apologising in Negative and Positive Politeness Cultures. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Olshtain, Elite and Andrew D. Cohen. 1991. Teaching Speech Act Behavior to Nonnative Speakers. In Teaching English as a Second Or Foreign Language, ed. Mariam Celce-Murcia, 154–165. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oxford English Dictionary Online. https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/184948. Accessed January 2022.

  • Padilla Cruz, Manuel. 2013. An Integrative Proposal to Teach the Pragmatics of Phatic Communion in ESL Classes. Intercultural Pragmatics 10: 131–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose, Kenneth R. 2007. Teachers and Students Learning About Requests in Hong Kong. In Culture in Second Language Teaching and Learning, ed. Eli Hinkel, 167–180. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutherford, William E. 1987. Second Language Grammar: Learning and Teaching. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandu, Oana Nestian, and Nadine Lyamouri-Bajja. 2018. T-Kit 4. Intercultural Learning. Council of Europe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sapir, Edward. 1929. The Status of Linguistics as a Science. Language 5: 207–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schegloff, Emanuel. 1982. Discourse as an Interactional Achievement: Some Uses of ‘uh huh’ and Other Things That Come Between Sentences. In Analyzing Discourse: Text and Talk, ed. Deborah Tannen, 71–93. Washington, DC: Georgetown University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, Edgar. 2018. The Interface Between Cultures and Corpora: Tracing Reflections and Manifestations. ICAME Journal 42: 97–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Storey, John. 2017. The Politics of Culture. Middle East – Topics & Arguments. meta-journal.net. https://archiv.ub.uni-marburg.de/ep/0003/issue/view/179. University of Marburg.

  • Street, Brian. 1993. Culture is a Verb: Anthropological Aspects of Language and Cultural Process. In Language and Culture, ed. David Graddol, Linda Thomson, and Michael Byram, 23–43. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stubbe, Maria. 1998. Are You Listening? Cultural Influences on the Use of Supportive Verbal Feedback in Conversation. Journal of Pragmatics. 29 (3): 257–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taguchi, Naoko. 2011. Teaching Pragmatics: Trends and Issues. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 31: 289–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, Jenny. 1983. Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Failure. Applied Linguistics 4: 91–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornbury, Scott. 2004. How to Teach Grammar. Harlow, Essex: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wardhaugh, Ronald. 2003. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. London: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Widdowson, Henry G. 1998. Context, Community, and Authentic Language. TESOL Quarterly 32: 705–716.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Raymond. 1981. Culture. London: Fontana.

    Google Scholar 

  • Willis, David. 1990. The Lexical Syllabus: A New Approach to Language Teaching. London: Collins Cobuild.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zareva, Alla. 2017. Incorporating Corpus Literacy Skills into TESOL Teacher Training. ELT Journal 71 (1): 69–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Cultural Studies, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany

    Kieran Harrington

Authors
  1. Kieran Harrington
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kieran Harrington .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Cultural Studies, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany

    Kieran Harrington

  2. Faculty of Cultural Studies, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany

    Patricia Ronan

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Harrington, K. (2023). Culture in English Language Teaching: Let the Language Do the Talking. In: Harrington, K., Ronan, P. (eds) Demystifying Corpus Linguistics for English Language Teaching. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11220-1_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11220-1_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-11219-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-11220-1

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation