Teaching Literature to Foreign Language Learners: A Medium to Bridge the Gap between Cultures

Abstract

As the increase in the pace of globalised communications enables s eco n d - language (L2) students to become more proficient and enthusiastic about their learning, teaching literature i n the target language has taken new relevance and importance. A g rowing body of evidence indicates that teaching literature to L2 learners can provide a number of valuable outcomes, including helping students to understand and appreciate other cultures different fro m their own. Literature provides useful examp les of syntax and language usage in different genres, introducing a level of enjoy ment to the learning experience and encouraging L2 learners to pursue additional readings in the target language. The opportunity for immersion in the target culture takes the students to another level of appreciation of the cu lture and civilisation of the target language. To determine how these desirable outcomes can be imp lemented in s eco nd -language classrooms, this paper provides a review of the relevant scholarly literature concerning teaching literature to L2learners in general and as a mediu m to bridge the gap between cultures in particular. Examp les of the use of literature in the author's Arabic language classes are provided throughout. A summary of the research and important findings are presented in the conclusion. This paper will e xamine the role L2 literature courses can play in bridging the cultural gap between L2students and the target language community. It will also discuss how teaching literature can help students become more effective communicators in the target language. As the author is a long-standing lecturer of Arabic as a second language to Anglo-Saxon students, this paper will demonstrate the role A r a b literature classes can play in improving students' cultural-linguistic competence in and empathy towards that lan g u ag e an d culture. Like Hy mes at(1), Kitao at(2) and Alptekin at(3), this s t u d y argues that effective communicat ion requires language proficiency and cultural competence in equal manners. Cultural co mpetence refers to an empathetic understanding of the values, beliefs and perceptions of the target culture combined with the ability to act in accordance with culturally defined norms and expectations. This research will als o show that language proficiency and cultural co mpetence both constitute and are constituted by each other and that it is impossible to achieve functional fluency in one without also achieving functional fluency in the other. The paper will argue that, if done well,