Sarah Kay Hurst. Cultural Module: Using proverbs to discover cultural themes.
Teaching culture is integral in foreign language education for a myriad of reasons
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Sarah Kay Hurst Cultural Module: Using proverbs to discover cultural themes Teaching culture is integral in foreign language education for a myriad of reasons. As Galloway (1992: 113) notes, teaching cultural is essential for the “development of cross-cultural sensitivity and critical, creative thought”, both of which have been accepted as crucial goals in U.S. education. Particularly in light of globalization and the ways in which the world is changing socially, politically and economically, there is an ever-growing need for cross-cultural communication that incorporates “perspective consciousness”, or the recognition of the legitimacy and importance of different viewpoints (Galloway, 1992: 113). Teaching culture also allows students to recognize their own culture in its intricacies and acknowledge the role of their native culture on their understanding of the world. For example, Kramsch (1993: 214) discusses a particular Coca Cola commercial that contains American “cultural codes” such as support of the underdog, camaraderie, the diner as the great equalizer, team spirit and so on. Galloway (1992: 96) argues that in increasing one’s level of cultural awareness (from a tourist-level detachment/ superficial stereotypes to a feeling of conflict/ significant and subtle contrasts to cultural believability to awareness as an insider), it is the “processes through which this conflict is resolved that provide the real challenge to intellectual growth”. Furthermore, many learners are motivated to learn another language for the chance to travel and experience other cultures, a reflective process that may certainly begin in the foreign language classroom. In this cultural module, I use proverbs to help bring various aspects of culture to light, while integrating ideas about how to teach culture from both Galloway (1992) and Kramsch (1993). I have chosen proverbs as the main medium for this module because I think these snippets of conventional wisdom exhibit the immense connection between language and culture and allow students to see how foreign language truly is a window into other perspectives. As Galloway (1992: 97) notes, language and culture are quite inseparable, as culture determines the options for language and language serves to communicate culture. My lesson is based heavily on comparisons and explorations of both French and American proverbs and the ways that proverbs are used in popular and literary culture because I agree with Kramsch (1993) that the best way to explore culture is in a process-oriented, discovery way. Thus we should teach culture using the “dialogic approach”, which will allow us to “better link language and culture in an exploration of the boundaries created by language itself in the cultural construction of reality” (Kramsch, 1993: 225). She argues that rather than teaching bridges, we should encourage a profound and multifaceted understanding of the boundaries between cultures: “we can teach the boundary, we cannot teach the bridge” (Kramsch, 1993: 228). We should talk about and try to understand the differences between cultures, rather than attempting to resolve the conflict. Above all, I want learners to think critically about the connections between language and culture, to reflect meaningfully on proverbs and expressions they have never thought twice about, and to explore new proverbs and the possible values they embody. I am very carefully avoiding giving any concrete answers about what a particular proverb might “mean” culturally: part of the lesson is that proverbs mean slightly different things to each of us, embodying cultural and moral values based on our personal experiences and interpretations of the world, but they are cultural threads nonetheless, elements of common backgrounds knowledge imbued with rich connotations. I hope learners will consider how knowing more about French proverbs may allow them to explore the boundaries of various cultural themes and values while also reflecting upon their own beliefs, values and experiences.
Since I am currently teaching F150, I have designed this cultural module for this level. For example, many of the more complicated questions are in English and many of the proverbs are translated since students wouldn’t have all the necessary vocabulary yet. If I were to have the opportunity to teach this module at the introductory level, I would conduct most of the module in English to make the discovery as rich and meaningful as possible. However, I believe this activity could be adapted for much higher levels by changing the language of discussion and the focus (perhaps less on isolated proverbs and more on designing a linguistic/cultural experiment to see what proverbs might say about French and American culture—please see last activity in my module). I also think these activities could be condensed or elaborated to fit anywhere between 1 and 3 days of culture. Since I have incorporated various authentic materials and each of these could be the subject of its own SBA or perhaps even miniature lesson, the module is quite packed. My goals for this lesson are for learners to consider how proverbs are both an element of and a reflection of culture—threads that tie members of a society together and provide glimpses of deeper cultural themes and values. The module is almost just as much about having students reflect on proverbs in English as in French for two reasons. First, Kramsch (1993: 229) proposes activity types that “add a contrastive cultural dimension” to the wellknown communicative activities, thus seeking to extend CLT to incorporate culture in a meaningful way. Secondly, having students reflect on proverbs in English as well as in French will help them to consider the many complexities associated with these snippets of conventional wisdom and avoid a factoid approach that could lead to a drastic oversimplification of culture. Thus, this module is based on the primacy of process approach: the lesson is much less about guiding learners to draw any particular cultural conclusions as it is about encouraging them to discover tools for considering the many intricacies and nuances of culture. As Galloway (1992: 97) so articulately reiterates: how students learn is of equal or greater importance than what students learn.
Pre-discovery questions: (Slide 2) Les proverbes
What is a proverb? What is the purpose of a proverb? When do you learn proverbs? Why are proverbs easy to remember? How are proverbs used in society? Where do proverbs come from? What might proverbs reveal about culture? List 5 popular proverbs that you know.
Rationale: I loved the quote in Galloway (1992: 98) that “the brain has more to offer the eye than the eye can offer the brain”. This ties into why we put so much emphasis on the pre-reading/pre-viewing phase, the activation of prior knowledge and the process of making predictions before approaching a text (written or aural). Of course, one of the difficulties with using authentic materials is that they were not written for second language learners, but rather (by definition) “by member of a language and culture group for members of that language and culture group” (Galloway, 1992: 99, emphasis mine).
As readers wish desperately to make sense of a new texts or concept, they may “force-fit the author’s message to their own background and experience”, since even with a linguistically uncomplicated text, the cultural connotations may lead native speakers to the intended message where the second language learner will misinterpret the text (Galloway, 1992: 99). All of these complications make evident the necessity for guidance by the instructor as students attempt to grapple with authentic texts and new cultural concepts. Anyway, these are the overarching questions that will guide the discovery process throughout this module. I want students to be able to bring their background knowledge forth about what they already know and then be able to elaborate upon and refine this knowledge during various discovery activities. For the moment, I would particularly focus on a couple of questions. First of all, “What is a proverb?” I would have students put forward their ideas and definitions so we could come to a class consensus/ definition. I would help students piece together their ideas to make sure we ended up somewhere close to the idea that a proverb is a simple and often metaphorical saying that is popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth or a piece of advice, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. Then I would talk have students talk about the proverbs they had thought of, as this is a brainstorming/ listing activity (cf. Galloway, 1992: 116).
Transition: focus on question #4: Why are proverbs easy to remember?
Speculating and hypothesizing: (Slide 4) Équivalents ! Can you think of an English equivalent for each of these sayings? « On n’apprend pas à un vieux singe à faire la grimace » « Il ne faut pas réveiller le chat qui dort » « Occupe-toi de tes oignons » (You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.) (Let sleeping dogs lie.) (Mind your own beeswax.) Rationale: This is just a quick, fun activity to help students recognize that proverbs often have a metaphorical image associated with them, which makes them easier to remember, but these images are not necessarily the same between languages. This is a quick « discovery » activity, rather than me telling students this. This is a speculating and hypothesizing activity, based on Galloway (1992: 119).
Transition: focus on question #5: How are proverbs used in society?
Mini-discovery:
(Slide 6) Les proverbes et le publicités Complete these expressions. Part 1 : Fill in the missing elements. If at first you don’t succeed, _______________ (try try again) __________ makes the heart grow fonder. (absence) Good things come to those who _____________ (wait) Part 2: Look at these expressions. If at first you don’t succeed, you’re using the wrong equipment. Not only absence makes the heart grow fonder. Good things come to those who don’t wait for lunch. Rationale: This is to help students discover one of the many ways that proverbs are used in society: they are used in advertising! They appeal to background knowledge that is specific to the target culture and they rely on the fact that most of the advertising slogan (the proverbial part) is already engrained in the audience/ potential consumer. First I would have students fill in the missing parts of the proverbs, something I think most American students could do without missing a beat: these are all very familiar expressions. Then I would show them the pictures of how each proverb has been modified to make a catchy slogan to sell a particular product. Pre-viewing task: associating/ matching: (Slide 7) Après la pluie, _______________ Le temps, c’est ______________ Impossible n’est pas _______________
de l’argent français le beau temps
What does each expression mean? Is there an English equivalent? What values might be conveyed by each of these sayings? Rationale: This is a pre-viewing task, where students use vocabulary they know to logically match and complete each French proverb. (For example, since they know weather terms, they could logically match “Après la pluie,” with “le beau temps”). We would talk about these expressions using the follow-up questions above. These expressions are background knowledge that students will need in order to understand the commercials we are about to watch. This is an associating/ matching task (cf. Galloway, 1992: 115). Viewing task 1: (Slide 9)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYIdf_MQwGQ&feature=player_embedded Après la pluie… Check off the proverbs you hear during this commercial.
Il ne faut pas réveiller le chat qui dort. Qui vivra, verra. Il y a une différence entre connaitre le chemin et l’arpenter Il n’est nulle montagne sans vallée Jamais honteux n'eut belle amie. C’est la vie. Mieux vaut savoir que richesse. Pierre qui roule n’amasse pas mousse Langue muette n'est jamais battue.
Rationale: I would have students watch this commercial twice, the first time just to get a sense of what is going on and the second time with the above task. Alternate viewing task 1: (Slide 10) Fill in the missing words of each proverb as you listen.
Qui vivra, _______ Il y a une ____________ entre connaitre le chemin et l’arpenter Il n’est nulle ___________ sans vallée C’est la __________ Pierre ______ roule n’amasse pas mousse Et après la __________
Rationale: Again, this is a focused listening task, though one that is more difficult than just checking off the proverbs they hear (see above activity). Post-viewing task: (Slide 11)
Qui vivra, verra. Il y a une différence entre connaitre le chemin et l’arpenter Il n’est nulle montagne sans vallée C’est la vie Pierre qui roule n’amasse pas mousse Et après la pluie, [le beau temps]
What does each expression mean? Is there an English equivalent? What values might be conveyed by each of these sayings?
Rationale: This a moment of follow-up to talk about what each of these French proverbs might mean and what it might convey. The way that “Après la sortie, le beau temps” is changed to “la pluie” is to discuss the original, actual proverb. Deeper post-viewing task: (Slide 12) Et après la pluie, [le beau temps] la sortie ! Why is this funny? Why is it a catchy line for advertising? Rationale: This is a moment for learners to reflect upon the role of proverbs in advertising, the contrast between expectation and reality to create humor, and the fact that background knowledge is integral for understanding a culturally authentic text (cf. Galloway, 1992: 99). This also allows learners to reflect on the fact that the new “fauxproverb” rhymes and so is catchy. What other proverbs can they think of that rhyme? (Haste makes waste. A stich in time saves nine. Red at night, sailors' delight. Red in the morning, sailors take warning. Lefty loosy, righty tighty.) Viewing task 2: (Slide 13) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip0R_Bk_aHE 1. What English proverb do you hear in this commercial? (Time is money.) 2. What translation of this proverb do you hear? (Le temps, c’est de la monnaie.) 3. Is this a fully accurate translation? Why or why not? (It should be «Le temps, c’est de l’argent. » The current translation really means « Time is (pocket) change. ») 4. What does the translation/ humor of the advertisement tell you about French culture and their perception of American culture? Do you find this to be an accurate perception? (Is money valued different in each culture ? Which country is portrayed as being more interested in money ? What are the other implications ?) Rationale: I would have students watch this commercial, the first time just to get a sense of what is going on and the second/ third time with the above task. This is a task to get students to listen attentively and reflect on what they hear. Why is the commercial funny? What does the mistranslation imply? Is this supposed to imply something about American culture? Is it fair to sum up American culture with one proverb? Again, this is a discovery activity and is more about the process of reflection that anything else. I have included this activity in part to try and address the problem of cultural simplification as noted by
Kramsch (1998): that it is generally assumed that “the foreign culture is basically the same as the native culture with a few variations” (quoted in Galloway 1992: 89). From this faulty assumption follow the ideas that vocabulary need only be glossed into the L1 and that C2 facts can be integrated as mere exceptions (Galloway, 1992: 89). This drastically oversimplifies the target culture. Thus, this activity is to help students recognize the limitations of making cultural assumptions based on limited information. Extension: (Slide 14) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NESS3p54klY What aspects of this commercial reflect stereotypes about Americans? About the French? What stereotypes are prevalent in American culture about the French? Are these reflected in our commercials? Can you think of any examples? Rationale: This commercial is by the same company and pushes the envelope one step further. The banker pulls out a cowboy hat and boots, because clearly that’s how we all dress in the U.S. Do all French people wear berets? (One of the parts that makes me laugh hysterically is the fact that “Thank you” is subtitled. Would this be the same the other way around? Would an American commercial subtitle “Merci”?) Anyway, this is a slight move away from proverbs, but to me a logical extension of the previous activity. Viewing task 3: (Slide 15) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WYwzEN5KGQ Impossible n’est pas… belge ! What values does the original proverb convey? What values does the modified proverb convey? Do we have any similar proverbs or expressions? Rationale: This is a moment for students to reflect on the cultural pride inherent in the saying “Impossible just isn’t French”. How are language and culture related? How has the proverb taken off in the francophone world? Do we have any similar proverbs or expressions? Global follow-up: (Slide 16) What do these uses of proverbs in advertising tell us about the role of proverbs in society?
Proverbs are cultural ties/ background knowledge which in this case help us understand the humor of the commercials Proverbs encode underlying values in memorable snippets Rationale: This is a moment to tie all the commercials together and reflect on the global discovery through guided questions and discussion.
Transition: focus on question #6: Where do proverbs come from?
Pre-viewing: (Slide 18-20) Slide 18 Where do these proverbs come from? “Not all those who wander are lost.” (J.R.R. Tolkien) “On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.” (Auntoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le Petit Prince) Slide 19 Where do these proverbs come from? “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” “Honesty is the best policy.” “Look before you leap.” (Aesop’s fables!) Slide 20 Et ces proverbes ? « Ni l’or ni la grandeur ne nous rendent heureux. » « Rien ne sert de courir ; il faut partir à point. » « Apprenez que tout flatteur vit au dépens de celui qui l’écoute. » (Les fables de Jean de la Fontaine) Rationale: These last three English proverbs (Slide 19) all come from Aesop’s fables. While any author’s quote may be taken up as a popular proverb, fables are one especially productive source of proverbs. The idea of Aesop’s fables will serve to activate background knowledge before introducing Jean de la Fontaine and his fables (Slide 20).
Task: (Slide 21) (text of « La Cour du Lion » by Jean de la Fontaine with supporting images) Rationale: I would structure this task to match the level I was teaching. If learners had significantly advanced language skills, I would have them read the fable in French and talk about the main plot events and fables. If learners were not sufficiently advanced, I might give them a glossed version or even summarize the story for them (as the main focus is not necessarily reading comprehension, though this could be a fun reading SBA). Either way, I would then give learners the date that the poem was written (1678) and have them talk about history in France during that time period. (If they didn’t remember, I would prompt them with the picture of Louis XIV). The idea is to lead them to the idea that the poem is actually about Louis XIV, not just a lion. Why might the lion have been chosen to represent Louis XIV? Why might Jean de la Fontaine have chosen this metaphor instead of just writing what he felt about Louis XIV? I remember thinking this was so amazingly brilliant when I first learned about it in a literature and politics class in France: they are not just children’s stories with adorable animals, but rather strong political statements, cleverly disguised so that they would be successfully disseminated. Anyway, the point is to get students to reflect on why we don’t have this same proverb/ fable in our culture. I hope to get them to come to the conclusion that language and culture are also strongly tied with the history of that society/ group. Extension: (Slide 22) Choose an English proverb that is salient for you and write a back story based on the style of the fables of Jean de la Fontaine. Think about modern day society and how the proverb could resonate. Example: What could « The grass is always greener on the other side » really mean? Is it about possums in Indiana who are constantly in search of better grass, only to find that by the time they have relocated in the humidity, it seems that where they left had better grass after all? Is this a metahpor for students who can’t wait to be done with homework and get out of school and then once they are out in the real world, can’t wait to be back in school, given the current economic climate? Rationale: This activity is based on Kramsch’s (1993: 230) activity called « Once upon a time » in which students experiment with different outlooks. The example in Kramsch is that students give fairy tales new endings to have a psychological, social, moral, religious or political meaning, such as « What became of Snow White and her Prince after they emigrated to America because of unemployment in Germany? »
Transition: focus on question #7: What might proverbs reveal about culture?
Pre-viewing: (Slide 24) Les associations Associate words with each of the proverbs below
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You reap what you sow. Time is money.
Compare with your partner. Did you come up with similar words? What value might tie all of these sayings together? Success? What is success and how is success achieved? Is this true for all Americans? Rationale: Before looking at several French proverbs and trying to draw about/ consider/ debate possible cultural themes and values, I want learners to consider whether they are all in agreement about what each of the American proverbs means and whether a recipe for success can be drawn from these conclusions. I think they will find, in discussing, that while some threads emerge, there is not total consensus about such fundamental ideas as “What is success?” This should help them remember to be cautious about jumping to quick conclusions when looking a foreign culture (cf. Galloway, 1992: 89).
Task: (Slide 25) Les assocations Associate words with each of the proverbs below L’abondance engendre la nausée. Plenty endgers nausea. Mieux vaut savoir que richesse. Better to have knowledge than riches. La fortune sourit aux audacieux. Fortune smiles on the audacious. Il y a péril en la demeure. There is danger in waiting. Jamais paresseux n’eut grande écuelle. Never did a lazy person have a big bowl.
What value(s) might tie all of these sayings together? Rationale: These are some French proverbs about success which should allow students to do some comparison, but carefully (see above). Exension: (Slide 26) http://cultura.mit.edu/answerArchived/view/question_id/4241 1. Write down at least 3 words you associate with « success ». 2. Compare with a partner. 3. Look at the data collected from another university class (one American class and one French class). What cultural themes seem to emerge? 4. Are these cultural themes similar to those you drew from reading the proverbs in English and French? Why or why not? Rationale: I love this discovery activity and think it could fit in well with proverbs because it encourages learners to think about proverbs as data points. Do they have enough to make full-picture conclusions yet? How does this new information complement or help them refine their conclusions? Again, this activity highlights process, not just pedagogically speaking, but also encourages learners to think about their cultural knowledge as constantly evolving. Culture is not static, and neither are our understandings of culture. Optional extension of the extension: Depending on time, I might go back to the archives and print up responses from several different exchange sessions and distribute to pairs of students: I would have them examine the two columns for themes and count occurrences of certain words. For example how many occurrences of “argent” were there versus “money”. I would do a class discussion follow-up about the findings and what this might mean. Application: (Slide 27) Proverbes Il faut tourner sa langue sept fois dans sa bouche avant de parler. You should turn your tongue 7 times in your mouth before you speak. Il faut être matelot avant d’être capitaine. You must be a sailor before you are a captain. Il faut réfléchir avant d’agir. You should reflect before acting. La seconde pensée est la meilleure. The second thought is the best. Les plaisanteries les plus courtes sont les meilleures.
The shortest jokes are the best. La parole a été donnée à l’homme pour déguiser sa pensée. Words were given to man to disguise his thoughts. Do we have equivalent sayings? What themes recur in these sayings? Rationale: This is just another extension/ application activity to examine proverbs and use the knowledge/ processes we have worked with so far to reflect on culture as portrayed by language. We have some similar sayings (Think before you speak), but it seems to me that some of the values that are highlighted here (patience, reflection, brevity) are not necessarily as heavily emphasized in American proverbs and culture. Task: (Slide 28-29 + worksheet) La table est l’entremetteuse de l’amitié. The table is the mediator of friendship. Un dessert sans fromage est une belle à qui il manque un œil. A desert without cheese is a beautiful woman who is missing an eye. Je n’ai pas le temps d’aller au cinéma ce soir. J’ai du pain sur la planche. Elle tombe amoureuse tous les jours ! Elle a le cœur d’artichaut. Mon grand-père, il est d’un certain âge et il a les cheveux poivre et sel. Il y avait beaucoup de personnes dans le bus. Nous étions serrés comme des sardines ! 5. Je te jure : un jour sans vin est comme un jour sans soleil. 6. Est-ce que je peux mettre mes jupes dans ta valise ? Ma valise est pleine comme un œuf. 7. Dans la vie : de mauvais grain jamais bon pain. 8. Il ne vaut pas la peine de discuter avec Jean : il raisonne comme une casserole. 9. Tu te mêles trop dans mes affaires ! Occupe-toi de tes oignons. 10. Il a contribué ce qu’il voulait dire à propos du restaurant : il a mis son grain de sel. 11. Oh là là. C’est juste une tache sur ta robe. Ce n’est pas la fin des haricots! 12. La ville, elle avait trop chaud, je crois. Elle est tombée dans les pommes et ils l’ont emporté à l’hôpital. 13. Lui, il a toujours des commentaires et des problèmes, n’importe ce qu’on dit. Il va en faire tout un flan! 14. J’ai réussi à mes examens et il y a du soleil ! J’ai la pêche aujourd’hui! 15. Combien de pages de notes est-ce que tu as ? Tu as écrit des tartines! 16. Nous avons marché sur des œufs parce que nous étions très nerveux. 1. 2. 3. 4.
Rationale: Using the attached worksheet, I would have students figure out from context what each sentence meant and see if there was an equivalent in English. Did these
equivalent English expressions use food? Is there a recurrent element/ theme in our expressions that you think might reflect a strong cultural value of ours? I hope that students will discover how prevalent food is in French idiomatic expressions and realize that this may show how much they value good food. Not all of these are proverbs: several are actually idiomatic expressions. A proverb is a is a simple and often metaphorical saying that is popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth or a piece of advice, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. An idiom is a rendition of a combination of words that have a figurative meaning (that is, it’s an expression that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words). However, the prevalence of food in both proverbs and idioms shows the cultural value of food and ties in nicely with this part of my module. Global extension: (Slide 30 + article) Proverbs Show Differing Cultural Views of U.S, China Released: 10/31/1998 12:00 AM EST Source Newsroom: Ohio State University A new study uses an unusual source -- proverbs -- to reveal cultural differences in how Chinese and American citizens view risks and risk-taking. When Chinese and American students compared proverbs from their countries they agreed: Chinese proverbs generally advocated ___?____ risk-taking than did American proverbs. […] What cultural themes might come to light from studying French and American proverbs in this way? How would you set about designing a similar experiment? Rationale: I would show learners the title and first two paragraphs of the attached article on the PowerPoint slide and have them guess the missing word (more/ less). (I know I was surprised.) I would give learners copies of the attached article and have them consider what the study discovered about U.S. and Chinese culture through proverbs. I would then have them consider, based on everything they have learned in our multi-day cultural module on proverbs questions such as the ones on the slide. What cultural themes might come to light from studying French and American proverbs in this way? How would you set about designing a similar experiment? I think this activity could be adapted for all kinds of levels : from a broad discussion of overarching themes throughout the lesson (introductory language courses) to a much more specific proposal about methodologies for studying proverbs/ using language to quantitatively access culture (an introduction to linguistics course or even a graduate course).
References: Galloway, Vicki. 1992. Toward a cultural reading of authentic texts. In H. Byrnes (Ed.) Languages for a multicultural world in transition, 87-121. Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. NTC Publishing Group. Kramsch, Claire. 1993. Teaching language along the cultural faultline. In C. Kramsch (Ed.) Context and culture in language teaching, 205-232. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Many of my proverbs and expressions came from: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/French_proverbs http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/cat_french_idioms.php
