THE ASPECT OF SOCIOCULTURAL AWARENESS IN THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Abstract

The article is dedicated to sociocultural studies in the context of teaching foreign language as an integral part of communicative competence acquisition. The issues of a language as sociocultural phenomenon as well as the ways of applying of sociocultural knowledge to the learning process have been examined. As the methodological basis the researches of outstanding Ukrainian and foreign teachers, the representatives of communicative approach, have been taken. The author has studied in detail interconnection of a language, the ways of communication and sociocultural context, emphasazing that language learning implies much wider knowledge than lexical-grammar acquisition. The article claims that foreign language learning reaches its aim when students have acquired sociolinguistic and discourse competences, i.e. have understood relevance the language used to a particular sociocultural context. Gaining these competences implies understanding cultural and sociolinguistic differences of a language, the ability to overcome language barrier by impartial attitude to the differences, and moreover, to apply relevant sociocultural codes to communication with other people. The author emphasizes that these skills tend to be formed through continuous process of the language learning, immersing into sociocultural aspects that differ from the first language. This, in turns, will have formed students’ language consciousness as well as their another sociocultural indentity. The necessity of suitable interactive environment in the class by the teacher has been pointed out as well as the creation of communication which will be close to the natural foreing language environment. The latter also involves symbolic cultural habits and rituals. That’s why along with language teaching teachers should explain to students the features of native social system and culture, the contexts of language patterns use as well. The author has also analyzed means of students immersing into appropriate sociocultural context, the variety of learning materials which can be used to reach this aim.