TRANSMISSSION OF CULTURE AS A GOAL OF MODERN LANGUAGE EDUCATION

Abstract

The article deals with one of the modern global trends – the transition from a monocultural to a multicultural perspective in social interaction. It focuses on the reflection of this trend in language education (both in native and foreign language). The problem is to reintegrate the cultural dimension into learning languages. The author of the article argues that the purpose of intercultural language education lies in the construction of an intercultural awareness as the ability of language users to act as representatives of certain cultures, be ready to accept the "otherness" of each other, respect the right to cultural difference, exhibit tolerant attitude to other’s values and behaviour patterns, counteract stereotypes and bias, and to rethink their own cultural luggage. The study of a language is considered as an intercultural language education. The result of the intercultural approach in language education is viewed as the multicomponent intercultural competence – the unity of knowledge of one’s own and other cultures; skills of discovery, interaction, and interpreting; curious and open attitude to one’s own and another culture and country; critical cultural awareness. Dialogue of cultures is positioned as one of the key principles of intercultural foreign language education. It means readiness to listen to and understand multiple perspectives, products, practices, and cultural norms in one’s own and other countries, even those with which you disagree, to have critical attitude towards stereotypes and prejudice, to be open for exchange of ideas based on mutual understanding and respect for cultural diversity. The modern language textbooks should be multicultural in their content, and contain information about not only the target language culture, but also offer materials on other cultures for visual and mental perception, discussion and comparison.