Tasks for Integrating Language

and Culture Teaching What is the role of cul-ture in language teach-ing? Many educators and professionals argue that it is not feasible to teach language without teaching culture as well; the role of the language teacher has been described as that of a “professional mediator between foreign languages and cul-ture ” (Byram and Risager 1999, 58). Vernier et al. (2008, 268) consider the teaching of culture as a fifth skill for language learners that “enhances students ’ overall learning experience.” Kramsch (1993, 1) argues that the role of culture in language teaching is even more central, calling it not just a fifth skill, but rather something that is “always in the background, right from day one.” Why is such an emphasis placed on culture? One important argument is that it is not enough just to have lin-guistic competence when communicat-ing with someone in a foreign language. Specific cultural references from geog-raphy, occupations, pastimes, and his-torical events and personalities always appear in language, and each culture follows special rules regarding formal and informal address and conversa-tional routines. In addition to memo-rizing vocabulary and grammar, anyone becoming proficient in a foreign lan-guage must know the sociocultural rules native speakers use when they commu-nicate with one another. Not knowing the cultural component of language is problematic. For example, a common error of language learners is to translate each word or expression literally. Con-sidering how culture-bound language is, this tendency can cause confusion. As Sun (2007) notes, when a Chinese speaker asks, “Have you eaten supper?” it is a conversation starter rather than an inquiry into someone’s eating habits. This is similar to the trouble English as a foreign language (EFL) students have responding to “What’s up? ” Students often struggle with the fact that there is actually no fixed answer to such a ques-tion and that it serves merely as a way to begin a conversation