LA LENGUA Y EL COMPONENTE CULTURAL: MARIDAJE INDISOLUBLE EN LA CLASE DE ELE
Teresa Paola Valle Larrea / Universidad de Chipre
ABSTRACT
Spanish, the official language of twenty-one countries, ranges over different geographical, ethnic, historical, and idiosyncratic fields. Its richness as a cultural melting pot is enormous. However, how aware are we –Spanish language teachers– of this factor? And, to what extent and how do we transmit this awareness to our own students? The cultural component should not be just seen as a mere background or supplement of the linguistic aspects of a language learning process, but as an element absolutely present in a language, and permanently and directly linked to it. Therefore, the effective use of activities that combine both linguistic and cultural elements will permit students to have a better performance within the linguistic community of a target language (TL), to develop cross-cultural skills, and to overcome cultural stereotypes.
KEY WORDS
Cultural component, ceceo, seseo, distinction, lexical variation, T-V distinction.