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Literature Review

Four language skills are the main essentials of a language classroom and we also construct a healthy communication with them outside the classroom. Learners need to go beyond familiar elements like backgrounds and values of peers and need pragmatic skills to be in cultural interaction. Culture is regarded as the fifth skill of the language class reminding itself through interactions that can be troubling even for a proficient language speaker (Kramsch, 1993). Therefore, formal teaching of culture within the language classroom might be helpful for learners. Byram (1986) states that culture teaching introduces students to the lifestyles of the places that target language is spoken. Getting to know target language culture helps feeling comfortable in authentic situations when learners step out into the target language world. Learning a foreign language pushes the students out of their comfort zone and makes them gain new perspectives (Byram, 1988). Integrating cultural knowledge with language skills helps learners become better interactors. Cultural adaptation into the target language is crucial for second language learners, and the culture shock experienced by these learners should be regarded as a positive aspect in the way to raise cultural awareness (Irving, 1984). On the other hand, foreign language learners are less likely to find themselves in a culturally diverse environment as much of the practice happens in the classroom. Yet, materials and interactions can be designed to increase exposure to raise awareness.
Kramsch (1995) emphasizes the importance of culture by indicating “Teaching culture means, therefore, teaching not only how things are and have been, but how they could have been or how else they could be” (p.85). Interactions enriched in cultural contexts present invisible communication elements such as interlocutors’ behaviors, emotions, and speech acts. With the age of technology and globalization, the boundaries of different cultures have become even more blurred. Learners outreach various sorts of media to engage in cultural interaction. Kramsch (2014) highlights that the styles and conditions in which foreign languages are taught have shifted and the methods instructors used for teaching cultural norms are now about to be outdated. Local cultures of the learners are now undeniably influencing the flow of interaction. Moving from your own country to another for business, study or other reasons, and being multicultural make culture rather unfit to clarify manners and acts (Kramsch, 2011). Not focusing on one culture but putting the perspectives of many into communication has become the key point in culture teaching and cultural communication in ESL / EFL classrooms. Being considerate towards other cultures, knowing their lifestyles no matter how different they are from yours is also crucial in recognizing and enriching your own culture (Byram, Lloyd & Schneider, 1995). The importance of understanding other cultures puts forward the idea of intercultural (communicative) competence and cultural awareness (Byram, Holmes & Savvides, 2013). According to Irving (1984), people are likely to overlook how their cultures affect their own values; however, educators should realize the importance of their native culture before working with the learners to make them culturally attentive. Only then, speakers can understand and get into a compromise in case of any misunderstandings, leaving any kind of judgments behind.
Byram (1989) merges the concepts of language awareness and cultural awareness. He indicates that when language as a form involving competences is combined with its sociocultural character, it brings out the concept of language awareness. Then, language is connected to culture by adding elements of the students’ native languages or cultures and by confronting such sociocultural factors with the values of target language speakers. Therefore he forms a model of intercultural communicative competence by proposing the concepts of saviors: skills (savoir comprendre), knowledge (savoir être), education (savoir s'engager), attitudes (savoir être), and skills (savoir apprendre/faire). Byram (1997b) explains the model by stating that “... it demonstrates how closely the two phrases, 'cultural awareness' and 'language awareness', are related, and more importantly because it demonstrates that language and culture cannot be treated separately in the discussion of language teaching theory and practice.” (p.51). People might be expected to form a connection between their social identity and interacting speakers’ identity, and at the same time be a negotiator among cultures in diversity (Byram, 1997a). He emphasizes this issue as “It is this function of establishing relationships, managing dysfunctions and mediating which distinguishes an 'intercultural speaker', and makes them different from a native speaker.” (p.38). Language speakers with the idea of awareness can engage in well-formed conversations with proper meaning and negotiation.