Elspeth, South Africa
Sometimes learning to speak another language involves taking on some of the language's culture, not only learning about it.I discovered this when I was teaching Business English to a pre-intermediate level Mozambican student who needed to be able to communicate with English speakers on the telephone. We were working with the following lexical sets:

A: Hello, this is Amaral Chibeba speaking.
B: Sorry, who's that?
A: It's Amaral Chibeba.

I could see he wasn't happy with having to use these phrases and asked him to try and explain why he felt uncomfortable saying them.

He asked me why he had to say 'it' when talking about himself. "'It'
is for things, animals and small children," he said. "I am a man, not those things." He clearly felt he would be demeaning himself by calling himself an 'it', and I hadn't realised until that moment that in English-speaking culture we are quite comfortable calling ourselves an 'it'!

He was only going to be at our school for a month and I realised that my chances of getting him to be comfortable using 'it' in such a short period were low, so I taught him to repeat "This is Amaral Chibeba" instead.

It was one of those learning moments every teacher has.

Elena Kiseleva. Teacher of English at a University in Russia
I think that teaching culture is an essential part of teaching a language. This is because language is a way to reflect the world we live in and sometimes sticking to linguistics and not taking into account culture can lead to misunderstanding. Culture becomes much more important if we want to learn a foreign language for communicative purposes. For example, "please" is a part of British culture and teaching students to be polite will help them to "find their way" in a different world.

Nina Koptyug, Russia
My answer is, yes, if you are going to teach a second language, it is necessary to teach yourself and your students about the second culture. Basically, we are teaching that to be different does not mean to be bad. I had to conduct a lesson on March 20, 2003, with two groups, my own Russian students, aged 15, and a group of US students, aged 15-17, who came to Siberia for a three-week visit. Doing such a joint lesson on the day when the war in Iraq started was very hard, but we managed to do it. The students realized that not every citizen of the country necessarily supports the government actions. Though they differed greatly in looks, clothes and attitudes, they communicated well enough, and even did some joint writing for our Local History project . The fact they all the Americans were dressed differently from us, or that they said our roads were incredibly bad, did not mean that any students were bad, or dumb, or weird. Tolerance is hard to teach, but it is a must in today's world, when one has only to click a button to see WWW, the whole wide world.

Jamie Pearson
Since language is the prime expression of culture, the question is largely fatuous. British and US English not only have some different words and phrasing, these often mean different things e.g. in different parts of the USA. Moreover, the way the words, phrases etc are used and the tone and pace of speech, reflect relevant cultures/sub-cultures and heirarchies within them. Just think of how what is said at a sports, or a night club, differs from speech at home, with work colleagues or to the boss. Start with 'greetings'.

Ari Zanella, Brazil
With regard to second language, second culture. I am sure it is necessary. But how? I´m not sure. I do it all by myself. I only teach on intermediate courses. So, often I include the movies as a theme theme, folk-music, etc. However, I also would like to learn how to do that.

Shahram, Tehran, Iran
Dear friends,
Yes, and I believe the best way to teach culture isthrough different authentic media, specially for those who learn English professionally. Thanks, good luck,

Michelle Hunter, Germany
The two are inter-linked. How can a language be fully understood if there's no connection to the culture from which it originates. My students are always very interested to hear about the UK. I'm often asked why English people say something in particular. And the answer is often culturally-related. Look at most idioms for one! Besides, it is fun to compare the cultural backgrounds of the different parties involved in the language-learning process. (Provided there is mutual respect for each other's seeming idiosyncrasies...) With business English, it is imperative to explore cultural differences in communication. We'd all soon be out of teaching jobs if our business students used their English but still lost the deal they were negotiating because they didn't understand the importance of polite language and taking time to get to know their business partners. (Thinking of German students negotiating with UK, USA or China, for example)

Doron, Israel
I teach literature courses at a teachers' college, and I find that it's necessary to teach culture along with language. First, learners may not know what certain terms mean, like Halloween, Parliament, Mass, etc., and explaining them requires a certain degree of cultural background. But far more importantly, we cannot teach a language which is rooted in material history and habits of mind without relating to the cultural context - it's simply there, in almost every word. What's important is to make learners aware that any language is part of a culture, and learning it may be the way to understand, criticize and/or accept that culture.

Robert Nüssli, Switzerland
You can't teach English or any other foreign language to students without
giving them information about the culture.
One good way of doing so is to invite to your lessons from time to time a native of the country the language is spoken. He or she may present a slide show or a video, a film or a book, or he or she may start a discussion about a particular and popular sport or custom etc. Watch a film with your class about the country, compare it with your country.

Charlotte Lovie, Cameroon
I would argue that language is indivisible from culture and that it is sometimes impossible to explain the full meaning and connotation of certain words without reference to culture. However, this does not mean that I actively promote British culture in the classroom. If knowledge of British culture can enhance the learners' understanding of a certain language item, then, yes, I will raise the issue.

It also depends on the teaching situation. If you are teaching English as a second language (to someone resident in the UK) then I would argue that knowledge of culture is indispensable (for example, what is deemed 'polite' and 'impolite'). The same applies if your learners are likely to be travelling to the UK. If the learners are unlikely to ever visit the UK then I think you have to take into account the notion of 'World English' and accept that the huge number of people who now speak English as a second language are having an effect on its grammar and vocabulary. If done sensitively, bringing culture into the classroom can only enhance understanding between different cultures.

Sergiy Tyupa, , Ukraine
Learning a foreign culture is an indispensable part of learning a foreign language. Without teaching foreign culture it is impossible to develop students' communicative competence, which is, to my mind, even more important than linguistic competence. One of the simplest examples is with the meals - even if your students know perfectly well the words "breakfast", "lunch", "dinner", "supper", "tea" they won't be able to use them in context correctly unless you give them some cultural background and explain what stands behind each word. To illustrate this I can refer to my own country - in Ukraine we have a midday meal an hour or two later than the British. The same applies not only to lexical but also to grammatical aspects: the usage of personal pronouns (he/she/ him/her etc) in the light of political correctness and gender issues. These are just few of the numerous examples of interrelation between language and culture. The culture of a given nation, their way of life, influences greatly their language. That's why it is essentially important to teach the culture together with teaching the language. As for the ways of doing it, I can suggest a few ideas:
- whenever possible, use authentic language material (newspapers, films, TV programs);
- introduce new lexical units in the context where their hidden culture-dependent meaning becomes explicit;
- "celebrate" British, Australian etc. national holidays with your class
- invite native speakers to your lessons and let your students interview them;
- if it is technically possible, organize chat-forums between your students and students in Britain, USA etc. or find students in an English-speaking country who would be eager to exchange e-mails with your students;
- encourage your students to apply for student exchange programs

Gail Schafers, USA
This is a complex question. I believe a lot depends on the context you are in. If you are in an ESL context, such as in the U.S., England, etc., of course, culture must be taught along with the language: it is a part of the language environment the students are in. In an EFL context, the answer is more difficult. Whose culture will you teach? American, English, etc.. And do you, as the teacher, have enough knowledge of the culture to teach it? Another consideration is student need - will they be going to a country where they will interact with native speakers or will their experience be with other ESL speakers with English being the lingua franca? I think most students are interested in the cultural perspectives of other people, but how much time and attention you give to it should be determined by the context.

John, France
Dear Saima
Instead of asking if it is desirable or necessary to teach a culture along with a language, have you ever thought whether it is possible to teach (or more importantly to learn) a language without learning the culture?
One of the successful aspects of English is the diversity of cultures in which it is spoken - there is no authority to say that the English spoken in Jamaica or Pakistan is any worse or is culturally inferior to that which is spoken in New York or Newcastle.

Nahir, Venezuela
I think teaching a second language involves teaching the culture of the language, how people react in certain situations. If second language learners are already living in the country where the target language they are learning is spoken, it is extremely important for them to know the social aspects of the community if they want to become part of it and be accepted.

Sarah, Germany
I teach English conversation to fairly advanced adults and find that it is virtually impossible not to talk about culture at this level. In addition, when talking about idioms and expressions, many of these are derived from our history, for example, as a sea faring nation and so I need to explain these. Quite often they provide a great deal of amusement for the students!

Adam, UK
A difficult subject; I'll try to answer your first question. Take the following examples.

(1) Bilingual people often report they have a slightly different personality for each language. For example: Cantonese is quite a direct language and can sound rude if translated directly into English. However, this is the way it is spoken, and a learner needs to know this - they have to understand the culture it is spoken in.

(2)Interest in culture is linked to the intrinsic motivation of a learner. Therefore, if a teacher can get the learner interested in the culture of the L2, then they will hopefully end up with more successful students.

(3) If you are teaching English, which culture do you teach? American, British, Australian, Indian, Singaporean, world?

(4) If a student is just learning English to pass an exam, how interested will they be in the culture?

There are more reasons both in favour of and against teaching culture with language. I think the best advice is to ask your students what they want to learn. Involving them in the lesson design process will motivate them as well as begin to answer your questions about whether and how to teach culture!