english language study on culturemes ppt.pptx

for phd studies

1. The Role of Translanguaging in Learning Culturemes Evgeniia Bisiada and Maria Dolors C. Pudols

2. KEY TERMS 1. Translanguaging - the process of using multiple languages together in a fluid, flexible way to communicate, think, and learn - without strictly separating them. 2. Cultureme - cultural information-bearing unit which leads to a rather broad interpretation of what this concept represents. It can be an object, a practice or ritual, a phrase or expression, and a symbol.

3. Introduction Culture learning is considered to be an integrated element of a language policy. Numerous curriculum plans and guidelines developed in the EU emphasize the importance of culture promotion in language learning and teaching. However, learning culture is not assumed at all to be an easily accomplished task since it can be affected by the previous cultural background of learners. Here arises the question of what modern teaching methods can be effective in this respect. Translanguaging as one such method immediately comes to mind, as it is the most widely-discussed methods in the theory and practice of teaching languages in recent times.

4. Empirical Gap While the benefits of translanguaging for language learning and teaching have been widely discussed in literature, little research has focused on its connection to learning culture. * it still remains not entirely clear how effective translanguaging is in relation to the culture of the language being studied.

5. Objective of the Study This study explores how spontaneous tranglanguaging supports learning Russian culturemes in Catalan-Spanish bilingual adult students taking the B1 Russian Language course.

6. Theoretical Framework 1. Culture as a Set of Culturemes : The perspective of Foreign Language Learning 2. Translanguaging and Culture

7. 1. Culture as a Set of Culturemes : The perspective of Foreign Language Learning The cultural dimension is as important as the linguistic dimension in foreign language learning. This is nowadays considered a major aspect of learning languages to make learners become “speakers of culture” (Ochs, 2002). However, this task is never easy since the process of learning culture is associated with the constant filling of those niches that arise in the cultural knowledge constructing and “reconstructing” the previously learned linguistic and cultural picture

8. The concept of cultureme was introduced by Moles (1967), who regarded culture as made up of a mosaic of culturemes (Lungu- Badea , 2009). Gak (1998, p. 142) considers culturemes to stand for cultural realia “ everything related to culture: objects, functions, customs, facts of behavior, etc.” This description seems similar to Saussure’s theory of the sign, in that realia are the signified and culturemes the signifier

9. Culturemes in different languages, as Gak (1998) points out, can be asymmetrical in three terms: First, in the semiotic respect, “due to the absence of one of the components of the sign relation: the signified or the signifier” Second, in the paradigmatic respect, when “in two cultures, both signified and signifier are present, but there is a discrepancy at one of the levels of sign relations: at the level of realia, meanings, or the signs themselves” Third, in the syntagmatic respect when, “two related phenomena that makeup parts of one process can be denoted by one term in one society and differ by different names in another”

10. Learning culturemes might be a challenge for language learners and result in misunderstandings due to incomplete or distorted pre-information provided about culturemes . Thus, little research focuses on culturemes in foreign language learning and teaching.

11. 2. Translanguaging and Culture The term “ translanguaging ” was first coined by Williams (1994), who welcomed a flexible use of the language of input and output in a classroom. -a pedagogical practice that “places the learners at the center, values their linguistic and cultural practices, and offers them some choice over their language use” (Kirsch & Seele , 2020). -Such a learner-oriented approach allows classroom participants to link “the social, cultural, community, and linguistic domains of their lives” (Creese & Blackledge, 2010).

12. To express culturemes that do not exist in the target language, translation is not sufficient, and we need to resort to translanguaging (Baker & Wright, 2021). Khote and Tian’s (2019) study of an English language classroom. As is documented in some transcripts presented in the paper, 10th graders applied spontaneous translanguaging in classroom discussions when working on an essay Aden & Eschenauer (2020). The students in this study deployed translanguaging to reflect the cultural significance of a black cat based on beliefs circulating in their family cultures, after reading an extract from Tom Sawyer Daryai -Hansen et al. (2023) focus on translanguaging practices in the contexts of higher education in Denmark and Japan.

13. Although these studies postulate that translanguaging is a means to express cultures, no studies have been done on the implications of translanguaging in the process of culture learning of a language being studied. It is unclear whether translanguaging promotes or hinders this process. Thus, further research is needed to explore how translanguaging practices facilitate, if at all, learning culture. This study addresses this gap by examining translanguaging practices deployed in a Russian language classroom in relation to learning the cultural component of the language.

14. Ethnographic Study - non-participant observation Methodology P articipants and Settings Instruments Procedure 4 males 2 females -all Catalan-Spanish bilinguals ranging from 18-49 years old -1 language school in Catalonia, Spain -7 months -B1 level Russian course - non participant observation -audio-recorded sessions -transcriptions -questionnaire Analyze extracts Identify translanguaging instances Code the instances Select relevant codes Analyze the data

15. Results Knowledge Day Students’ Day Maslenitsa

16. K nowledge Day A classroom scenario where students are learning about Knowledge Day ( День знаний ), a festival in Russia and other ex-Soviet countries. The students encounter various culturemes , such as торжественная линейка (solemn event), первый звонок (First Bell), and Дети вместо цветов (Children instead of flowers), which are unfamiliar to them. The teacher uses different strategies to help students understand these culturemes , including: 1. Visualization : The teacher shows a photograph of the First Bell ceremony to help students understand the cultureme . 2. Discussion : Students discuss the culturemes in pairs and as a group, using Russian and occasionally switching to Catalan or Spanish to clarify doubts. 3. Translation : The teacher avoids translating culturemes directly, instead opting for explanations in Russian or using visual aids. The text highlights the challenges of translating culturemes and the importance of translanguaging in learning about cultural differences. Students use translanguaging to: 1. Express doubt : Rosa switches to Catalan to clarify her doubts about the cultureme Дети вместо цветов . 2. Indicate problems : Translanguaging serves as an indicator of problems or misunderstandings, allowing the teacher to address them. Overall, the text demonstrates the value of translanguaging in facilitating cultural understanding and language learning.

17. Students use translanguaging to: 1. Express doubt : Rosa switches to Catalan to clarify her doubts about the cultureme Дети вместо цветов . 2. Indicate problems : Translanguaging serves as an indicator of problems or misunderstandings, allowing the teacher to address them. Overall, the text demonstrates the value of translanguaging in facilitating cultural understanding and language learning.

18. Students use translanguaging to: 1. Express doubt : Rosa switches to Catalan to clarify her doubts about the cultureme . 2. Indicate problems : Translanguaging serves as an indicator of problems or misunderstandings, allowing the teacher to address them. Overall, the text demonstrates the value of translanguaging in facilitating cultural understanding and language learning.

19. STUDENTS’ DAY A classroom scenario where students learn about Students' Day, a Russian festival. They encounter two culturemes : извозчики (cabmen) and медовуха (mead). While извозчики is easily translatable, медовуха poses a challenge due to its absence in Catalan and Spanish cultures. Students use translanguaging to learn more about медовуха , asking questions and clarifying its meaning.

20. It highlights the importance of: 1. Translanguaging in learning: Students use translanguaging to navigate linguistic and cultural differences, expressing curiosity and interest in unfamiliar culturemes . 2. Semiotic asymmetry: The absence of a cultureme in the students' native culture can spark interest and encourage further exploration.

21. Maslenitsa A classroom scenario where students learn about Maslenitsa, a Russian festival that celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The students watch a video and discuss the festival's traditions, attributes, and similarities with the local Catalan celebration of Carnival. During the discussion, the students encounter the cultureme чучело (effigy), which is a figure made of straw or other materials that symbolizes winter and is burned at the end of the festival. However, one student, Omar, struggles to understand the meaning of чучело , confusing it with other meanings of the word, such as a dissected animal or an insult. The teacher attempts to explain the concept, but Omar's confusion persists, highlighting the challenges of understanding cultural nuances.

22. Maslenitsa Key points 1. Translanguaging can be a valuable tool in language learning, allowing students to negotiate meaning and point to problems in comprehension. 2. Cultural asymmetry and misunderstanding: The difference between the Russian cultureme чучело and the Catalan cultureme " el rei Carnestoltes " (a figure of a man made of papier-mâché or straw that is burned at the end of the Carnival celebration) highlights the challenges of understanding cultural nuances. The students' confusion about the meaning of чучело demonstrates that cultural asymmetry can lead to misunderstandings, but translanguaging can help reveal and address these gaps.

23. Maslenitsa 3. Contextual understanding: The cultureme чучело requires contextual understanding, and the students' struggles to understand its meaning demonstrate the importance of providing sufficient context and explanation. The teacher's attempts to explain the concept, although not entirely successful, highlight the need for teachers to be aware of the cultural nuances and complexities of the language they are teaching.  

24. Discussion • The study to show that students use translanguaging in various ways to learn about Russian festivals. • They use translation to learn new words, but it's not always effective. • Visualization can be a better way to understand some cultural concepts.

25. • Sometimes, translation can lead to misunderstandings, and students need to clarify their doubts using translanguaging . • The study highlights the importance of understanding the differences between cultures, as direct comparisons may not always be helpful. • Teachers should provide additional explanations to help students understand cultural concepts.

26. • Students showed interest in learning about cultural concepts through translanguaging . • One student, Omar, used translanguaging to show his awareness of multiple meanings of a word, which is a valuable skill. • This suggests that translanguaging can help students develop their linguistic and metalinguistic awareness.

27. • The study found that students mainly used Catalan when discussing cultural concepts, with some use of Spanish. • English was used only once, despite being a common language among the students. • This suggests that adult learners may not always use all the languages they know when learning a new language and culture.

28. • The study has limitations, as it only looked at one group of students in one language school. • However, the results can be useful for developing teaching practices and theoretical foundations for translanguaging in language learning. • Future research could explore translanguaging in different languages and cultures, especially with typologically close languages.

29. References

30. Thank You!