Exploring Cultural Literacyby Jake Jewett

Studying abroad in Australia taught me, among many other things, the numerous differences existing between American and Australian cultures. Specifically, disparities in vocabulary, spelling, and slang used often made regular conversation difficult for me even though the English language was being spoken. In Australia, I had the wonderful opportunity to teach in an Australian school and frequently experience these disparities unfold. These experiences helped me appreciate cultural literacy and its incredible importance in the classroom.

Intro.

Definition

“Cultural literacy is the ability to converse fluently in the idioms, allusions, and informal content which creates and constitutes a dominant culture. From being familiar with street signs to knowing historical reference to understanding the most recent slang, literacy demands interaction with the culture and reflection of it.”

- from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cultural Literacy: Vocabulary“Apprehending and understanding are strongly influenced by the learner's cultural background. Students from different cultures bring with them different levels of qualifications, on an individual basis as well as on a cultural basis. Misunderstandings derive partly from their acquired vocabulary in the target language. Also hindering or complicating the active verbal communication process is a lack of vocabulary related to the learner's cultural background. Most words emphasized when teaching vocabulary are related to the target language. Students, however, often find it difficult to connect such new vocabulary to their own cultural mindset, and vice versa.”

- Myung-Soon Hong and Hyang-Ki Min

While I taught lessons in Australia, I would often call an object or place by a different name than what the students in my class would call it. Although we all spoke English, these differences in vocabulary either caused confusion or the students to laugh at me. Such examples are on the following page…

Aussie American1. Heaps A lot, many

2. To skull a drink To chug a drink

3. Popper Juice box

4. Thongs Flip-flops

5. Boot Trunk

6. Rubbish Garbage

7. Full stop Period (at the end of a sentence)

8. Oldies Parents

9. Mate Friend

10. G’day Hello (greeting)

11. Lagger A policeman

12. Joey A baby kangaroo

13. Bum-bag Phanny-pack

14. Bloke Australian male

Cultural Literacy: SpellingWhile teaching in Australia, I did not have as much difficulty with the spelling differences, for the ways of spelling are adopted from Great Britain, and I was familiar with these differences prior to my trip. Nevertheless, these differences were important because they affected how I graded papers when I was looking for grammar, spelling, etc. A few examples are…

colourful = colorful

organisation = organization

centre = center

Bald as a bandicoot.Very bald.

Drop your bundle.Lose control.

Down the gurgler.Unsuccessful, wasted effort.

No flies on you.You’re clever.

On his hammer.In close pursuit of someone.

Shift your carcass.Get moving.Take a sickie.

Take a day off work, perhaps without being sick.

Born in a tent.Describes someone who repeatedly fails to close the door. Were you born in a tent?

Flash as a rat with a gold tooth.Someone who is ostentatious, overdressed, and tasteless.

Cultural Literacy: Slang

Definition

Slang: “very informal usage in vocabulary and idiom that is characteristically more metaphorical, playful, elliptical, vivid, and ephemeral than ordinary language.” – from dictionary.com

In conversations with students and teachers, slang used confused me and gave me problems with understanding the most. I often did not understand why a certain slang phrase was used to describe what it did. When I said some American slang, they were extremely confused as well and thought the phrases were very odd.

Cultural Literacy in the Classroom

• Realize and take into account that EVERYONE has a culture.• Take time to collect relevant cultural information.• Resist judgments, and be careful about interpreting a culturally different student’s behavior, especially if unfamiliar with the culture.• Notice and negotiate differences in understanding of teaching and learning.• Involve cultural resources as appropriate.• Collaborate to develop objectives and educational strategies.

Works Cited "Cultural Literacy." Wikipedia. 23 Mar. 2008

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_literacy>. Dictionary.Com. 23 Mar. 2008

<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/slang>. Hong, Myung-Soon, and Hyang-Ki Min. "Culture-Specific Vocabulary

Teaching for Active Communication." 23 Mar. 2008 <http://e-flt.nus.edu.sg/v2n22005/mh_eng.htm>.

Howard, Peter. OZ Slang. Coroneos Publications, 1997. Hunter, Jenny, ed. The True Blue Guide to Australian Slang. Sydney,

Australia: New Holland, 2004. "Teaching Tips Index." 24 Mar. 2008

<http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/teachtip.htm>.