The problem of intercultural communication in teaching a foreign language in a professional orientation

Доведено, що використання країнознавчої та культурної інформації у навчальному процесі забезпечує підвищення пізнавальної активності студентів, розширює їхні комунікативні можливості, сприяє створенню позитивної мотивації на занятті, надає стимул для самостійної роботи над мовою, допомагає у вирішенні практичних та виховних завдань з іноземної мови. intercultural communication language

Ключові слова: міжкультурна комунікація, іноземна мова за професійним спрямуванням, міжкультурна компетенція, взаємодія культур, комунікативний підхід, концепція навчання, міжкультурне середовище, методика викладання іноземної мови.

(статтю подано мовою оригіналу)

Ensuring the competitiveness of training of specialists according to the level of international standards capable of social contact with representatives of other linguistic cultures in the most typical situations of speech interaction is one of the most important strategic tasks at the present stage of modernization of higher education in Ukraine. That is why the modern paradigm of Ukrainian education considers a foreign language as an important means of intercultural communication. The concept of learning a foreign language is focused on the formation of a creative and active personality. Communicative approach to learning is central to this task. Intercultural communication as a special type of interaction involves communication between speakers of different languages and different cultures. The comparison of languages and cultures reveals not only the general and universe but specific, national and origin due to differences in the history of peoples. Intercultural communication deals understanding and comprehension which means understanding someone else's and at the same time being understandable when communicating in another language.

Language and culture are interrelated elements of social life and if knowledge of "objective culture" that is economic system, social customs, political structures and processes, literature and art can be obtained through other sources, then knowledge of "subculture" (psychological features of culture, mentality) are laid in the language. That is why when teaching language disciplines the main emphasis should be on learning communicative competence and when teaching a foreign language also intercultural competence. Because intercultural communication is a speech that takes place in conditions of such strongly cultural differences in the communicative competence of its participants, that these contrasts significantly affect the success or failure of a linguistic event.

The problem of intercultural communication in Ukraine is especially relevant as Ukraine is multinational state located on the border of European and Asian civilizations, and these regions have unique social, economic and ethnic features.

For almost more than half a century, the problems of intercultural communication have been covered many scientific studies. The concept of "intercultural communication", the "culture of interethnic communication", "interethnic cultural communication" in scientific literature began to use since the early 80's of XX century. So, analysis of common problems communication and human perception of man are found in the works of M. Bakhtin, A. Gurevich, I. Popova, V. Khmelko, V. Yadov and many other researchers who identified various factors influencing the communication process and its results. In recent years, in the process of learning foreign languages, approaches to the combined study of language and culture have become the most topical, which help to prepare students to participate in the process of intercultural communication. This fact is confirmed by studies of domestic and foreign scientists F. Batsevich, E. Vereshchagin, L. Vorotnyak, P Donets, G. Elizarova, V. Kostomarov, Y. Kuzmenkova, V. Manakin, A. Sadokhin, V. Typchenko, which emphasizes the importance of the intercultural components and determines the use of language and cultural knowledge and its impact on foreign language communicative competence of students.

The concept of intercultural communication as an academic discipline originated in 1954, when the book "Culture as Communication" by E. Hall and D. Trager was published. In this work the authors first proposed for the widespread use the term "intercultural communication", which reflected, in their opinion, a special area of human relations [8]. Later, the main features and ideas of intercultural communication were developed in more detail in the work "The silent language" by E. Hall, where the author showed close connection between culture and communication.

E. Hall is considered the founder of intercultural communication as a separate discipline. Developing his ideas about the relationship between culture and communication, the scientist concludes about the necessity to teach culture (if it is studied it means that it can be taught) and focuses the scientists' attention on the need for the research not so whole cultures as their individual behavioral subsystems [9].

The sociological approach in the study of the outlined issue allows to understand society as a system of communicative connections through the prism of needs and interests human beings taking into account specific national, ethnic characteristics and value orientations.

The concept of "intercultural competence" was widely developed in foreign science in the early 1970s, when intercultural communication was becoming an independent scientific field. In the course of this process in the period of the 1970s and 1980s, the issues of attitude to the second culture and its values, overcoming ethnic and cultural centrism became relevant. In the context of studying these problems intercultural competence began to be considered as a set of analytical and strategic capabilities that expands the interpretive spectrum of the individual in the process of language interaction with representatives of other cultures.

At the same time the problems of intercultural communication are beginning to attract the attention of scientists. Interest in the study of it term in their theoretical understanding arises primarily under the influence of globalization. The modern geological economic and cultural situation forces a person to be able to exist in a common life world, which means to be able to create a mutually beneficial dialogue with all individuals in this common living space, to develop humanitarian intercultural relations between different faiths, cultures and countries.

The purpose of the article is to analyze the specific and main stages of development of intercultural communication, to determine the current state of this issue in the process of teaching foreign language for professional purposes.

Analysis of the problem of formation of intercultural competence revealed that there is some dissimilarity in the definition of this term. Intercultural communication is often defined as a process of alternate connection and interaction between people of different cultures. It is a specific subject interaction, during which information, experience, skills and abilities of carriers of different types of culture are exchanged. According to N. Yaks, intercultural competence is awareness. Knowledge and skills necessary for effective interaction with other people [7, p. 97]. A. Sadokhin considers intercultural communication as a set of knowledge and skills with which a person in the process of speaking can adequately assess the communicative situation, effectively use verbal and nonverbal means, check the results of it through feedback [4, p. 263]. Professor V. Manakin emphasizes that the task of intercultural communication is to form cultural competence, provide the necessary knowledge about different peoples and cultures in order to avoid ethnic conflicts and establish comfortable conditions for communication in different spheres and life situations [2, p. 9].

Language and culture are two important means of intercultural communication and are represented by a set of cognitive structures and formations for the organization of linguistic and cultural knowledge and experience in the minds of language personality. Using language and culture "as a system of landmarks necessary for activities in the material world" [3, p. 272], communicant determines his own place in the world. Thus linguistic and cultural systems of the world can act as conductors as language and cultural information and create the context of communicative personality with the surrounding reality as the basis of personal self-identification. The concepts language and culture should be considered in their close relationship and independence in the processes of perception of the world by the subject of communication, as well as the translation of national and cultural experience and expression of the worldview in the processes of intercultural communication [3].

Intercultural competence is one of the most important skills of a modern specialist. In order to facilitate being in a intercultural environment, it is necessary to develop intercultural competence. It is a set of such professional traits as theoretical knowledge of national cultures and models of education; psychological personality traits (flexibility, willingness to work with representatives of other cultures); knowledge of a foreign language will help the individual to more easily adapt to a foreign cultural environment and understand the national identity of the speaker [6, p. 117]. In this process, the role of learning not only language and speech skills, but also social and cultural information about the country whose language is studied, norms and way of life, systems of concepts, generally accepted norms, rules, laws, principles and values of society in which language operates. This understanding of the role of culture in the teaching of foreign languages determines the need of immersion in the national and linguistic mentality of the people, the spiritual and cultural world of the man.

Austrian philosopher and logician L. Wittgenstein problems of speech communication reveals through the nature of the influence of social and cultural factors on the process of communication and social conditionality of verbal and nonverbal communication tools and highlights the following aspects:

- sociological (social, ethnic and other factors are studied);

- linguistic (verbal and nonverbal means of communication are studied, language styles, ways to increase the effectiveness of intercultural communication);

- communicative (communicative skills and abilities are analyzed, conflict management, development of intergroup relations);

- cultural (the achievements of civilization are defined, traditions, works of art, lifestyle are analyzed);

- ethical (emphasis on moral norms, interpersonal communication, norms of behavior, speech etiquette);

- psychological (is considered as a reaction of people in conditions of communication with representatives of other states and ethnic groups);

- professionally applied (outlines the scope of knowledge with intercultural communication) [1, p. 98].

The process of learning a foreign language for professional purpose should be transformed into intercultural learning, "learning to understand others", which aims to overcome xenophobia and existing stereotypes, to cultivate tolerance towards other cultures. Ukrainian researcher V. Tupchenko notes that intercultural dimension in foreign language teaching pursues not only a pragmatic goal (to provide students with the necessary tools for speech interaction with native speakers), but also and even more developmental and educational goals. Learning a foreign language means entering an unfamiliar world, becoming open to the new, feeling cultural community with native speakers and giving communication a special fullness and multidimensionality. Intercultural learning includes various components:

- language: vocabulary, grammar, speech patterns, etc.;

- historical: the difference in the assessment of the past of both countries;

- practical: rules are needed to navigate the country;

- aesthetic: differences in lifestyle, clothing, etc.;

- ethical: differences in norms of behavior;

- stereotypical: created stereotypes in relation to their own culture and the culture of another country;

- reflective: personal changes as a result of intercultural learning [5].

Formation of intercultural competence in foreign language classes requires professional acquaintance of students with culture of the people, the language being studied, constant updating of linguistic and cultural information in continuous communicative practice, because knowledge of another natural worldview and other culture is associated with enriching the general picture of the world, meeting with other hierarchies of values, as well as with enrichment of own culture and self-awareness as a representative of their national community.

An important role in the process of learning a foreign language as a means of intercultural communication is played by strategies, they are a set of speech acts of the initiator of speaking, which determines the lines of his language behavior, models the achievements of goals and plans, predicts possible reactions of recipient to them. In order to intensify communicative activities in foreign language classes and give students the opportunity to learn more about themselves, it is necessary to introduce such types of work as interviews, dialog exercises, business games, social and psychological training exercises. Equally important is the involvement of students in the cultural values of the native speaker. It is important to work with authentic material that enables contact with business English and opens a source of modern materials that are relevant to the professional needs of students. Working with authentic texts allows to show real pragmatic, social, cultural situations and comment them, increase students' internal motivation to learn a foreign language, create psychological comfort, increase communicative and cognitive motivation, form linguistic and intercultural competence, ensure the possibility of applying to language and culture.

Mastering a foreign language not only promotes the acquisition of certain language knowledge, skills and abilities, but also the formation of skills in practical use of language, development of communication skills at the inter- cultural level, because communication as a social and psychological process is not possible without establishing certain contacts between the participants of speech.

Therefore, the educational process should model intercultural communication as a dialogue of cultures and civilizations in the modern world, which requires appropriate technological support. This approach to learning a foreign language provides not only the effective solution of practical, general, developmental and educational tasks but also has further opportunities for the formation and development of motivational learning processes [3, p. 22].

Thus, successful intercultural communication provides person's constant readiness to perceive, understand and accept other people's ethnic stereotypes of behavior, customs, interests, cultural values, etc. That is why, when organizing the process of teaching a foreign language, special attention should be paid to the formation of intercultural competence of students, because it is impossible to master another language without basic cultural knowledge.

Conclusions

The processes of globalization in the world, social and economic progress, Ukraine's integration into the European space significantly increase the need for specialists who can carry out intercultural communication in their professional activities. Knowledge of one or more foreign languages becomes an integral part of the training of a modern specialist.

An important tool in the formation of intercultural competence of students is a foreign language, taking into accounts the whole set of its cultural and educational opportunities. In this aspect a special role is given to inter- cultural communication of students, which is the equal interaction of different cultures through the prism of the awareness of the identity and originality of each representative. An important result of the formation of linguistic, social and cultural competence of students is the development of their desire for continuing multicultural education.

With its help students can expand their knowledge of social life of the country whose language is being studied, which promotes intercultural adaptation, tolerance, respect for other peoples. The effectiveness of intercultural communication depends on the initial attitude, so that motivation, as well as ability of students to maintain the desire to continue communication despite language barriers.

Thus, effective intercultural communication of students is possible if they acquire the necessary linguistic and cultural knowledge, which together with the systematization of ideas about existing intercultural differences, will help to avoid stereotypical conclusions and accordingly, choose the right line of communicative behavior.

Among the promising areas of research it is advisable to include issues of the study and creative use of foreign experience, implementation and further integration of components of intercultural communication in the process of learning foreign languages, as well as developing a set of communicative tasks aimed at forming intercultural competence.

Bibliography

1. Грязнов А.Ф. Язык и деятельность: критический анализ. Москва: Либроком, 2009. 152 с.

2. Манакін В.М. Мова і міжкультурна комунікація: навчальний посібник. Київ: ВЦ "Академія", 2012. 288 с.

3. Пассов Е. Коммуникативный метод обучения иноязычной речи. Москва, 2001. 212с.

4. Садохин А.П. Межкультурная коммуникация: учебное пособие. Москва: Альфа - М, 2006. 288с.

5. Тупченко В.В. Викладання іноземної мови як засобу міжкультурної комунікації у вищій школі. Духовність особистості: методологія, теорія і практика. Луганськ: Вид-во СНУ ім. В. Даля, 2013. Вип. 5(58). С. 199-204.

6. Шавкун І.Г Міжкультурна комунікація як складова сучасної менеджмент-освіти. Культорологічний вісник Нижньої Наддніпрянщини. 2009. Вип. 23. С. 115-118.

7. Якса Н.В. Тезаурус з проблем міжкультурної взаємодії: словник. Житомир: Вид-во ЖДУ ім. І. Франка, 2006. 164 с.

8. Фаст Д., Холл Э. Язык тела. Как понять иностранца без слов. Москва: Вече, 1995. С. 140.

9. Hall Edward T. The Silent Language. New York: Doubleday, 1959. 340 p.

10. Rosamond M. The communicative approach to language teaching. New York: Routledge, 1994. pp. 33-42.

11. Savignon, Sandra J. Communicative language teaching. London: Routledge, 2000. pp. 125-129.

12. Widdowson G. Teaching Language as Communication. Oxford University Press, 2000. 168 p.

13. References:

14. Hriaznov A. F. Yazyk y deiatelnost: krytycheskyi analyz [language and activity: critical analysis]. Moskva: Lybrokom, 2009. 152 p. [in Russian]

15. Manakin V M. Mova i mizhkulturna komunikatsiia [Language and intercultural communication]. Kyiv : VTs "Akademia", 2012. 288 p. [in Ukrainian]

16. Passov E. Kommunykatyvnyi metod obuchenyia ynoiazychnoi rechy [Communicative method of teaching a foreign language]. Moskva, 2001. 212 p. [in Russian]

17. Sadokhyn A. P. Mezhkulturnaia kommunykatsyia: uchebnoe posobye [Intercultural communication: textbook]. Moskva: Alfa - M, 2006. 288p. [in Russian]

18. Tupchenko V V Vykladannia inozemnoii movy yak zasobu mizhkulturnoii komunikatsii u vyschiy shkoli [Teaching a foreign language as a method of intercultural communication at a higher school]. Dukhovnist osobystosti: metodologiia, teoriia i praktyka, vol. 5(58), 2013. pp. 199-204. [in Ukrainian]

19. Shavkun I. H. Mizhkulturna komunikatsiia yak skladova suchasnoi menendzhment osvity [Intercultural communication as a part of modern management education]. Kulturolohichnyi visnyk nyzhnoi Naddniprianshchyny. 2009, pp. 115-117. [in Ukrainian]

20. Yaksa N.V. Tezaurus z problem mizhkulturnoi vzaiemodii: slovnyk [Thesaurus on problems of intercultural interaction]. Zhyto- myr: Vyd-vo ZhDU im. I. Franka, 2006. 164p . [in Ukrainian]

21. Fast J., Hall E. (1995). Yazyk tela. Kak poniat inostrantsa bez slov [The Body language. How to understand a foreigner without words]. Moskva : Vetche, p. 140. [in Russian]

22. Hall Edward T. (1959). The Silent Language. New York : Doubleday, 340 p.

23. Rosamond M. The communicative approach to language teaching. New York: Routledge, 1994. pp. 33-42.

24. Savignon, Sandra J. Communicative language teaching. London: Routledge, 2000. pp. 125-129.

25. Widdowson G. Teaching Language as Communication. Oxford University Press, 2000. 168 p.

Размещено на Allbest.ru