Nowadays, learning a foreign language has gained the most important place. The main goals of foreign language teaching include developing the ability to speak the relevant foreign language fluently, to express oneself in that language, and to be able to translate at a student-level.

According to some linguists, “people of different cultures do not perceive events in their native languages in the same way, because these events are expressed through different linguistic means in their languages.” Therefore, when teaching a foreign language, great attention should be paid to the methods of comparing cultures.

Modern society needs not only teachers and translators, but also professionals who can maintain international and intercultural communication. Indeed, even though people speak the same language, they do not always understand each other properly, and this is often due to differences in cultures.

According to L. Wei, language has two characteristics: as a means of communication and as a “native owner” of culture. Language and culture are interrelated. Every language is a reflection of the culture of the people who speak it. H.D. Brown describes the relationship between language and culture as follows: “Language is part of culture, and culture is part of language. They are so interconnected that it is impossible to separate them from each other without losing the meaning and importance of language or culture” [1, p. 54]. In short, culture and language are inextricably linked.

According to B. Tomalin, there are main reasons for teaching culture as the fifth language skill after listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. “A fifth language skill is learning and understanding the cultural values, business practices, and unique characteristics of other cultures. It involves understanding the ways in which languages are used to distinguish them, and being flexible and tolerant of customs and traditions. This is a change of attitude expressed in the use of language” [5, p. 22].

In addition, B. Tomalin’s English lessons include cultural concepts, cultural values (people’s spiritual values; attitudes that people consider important), cultural behaviours (daily actions), cultural skills (developing cultural sensitivity and awareness; English for communication use) [5, 10].

Several questions arise when it comes to the role of culture in foreign language classes. For example: “What is culture? In what ways should culture be taught? Why should learners study the culture of foreign languages?”

There are many definitions of culture and all of them are true to some extent. D. Peck described culture as “the traditional ways of behaviour adopted by the people”, “participant that affects the general social space, history, as well as common ideas” [3, p. 77]. P.W. Sysoev defines culture as “a system of symbols, meanings and norms passed down from generation to generation that distinguish groups of people united by certain characteristics such as origin, gender, ethnicity, religion, political views” [4, p. 43].

G. Hammerly, in turn, gives a simple definition of culture, that is, “the common life of the people” [2, p. 87]. It is this last definition that will be used for the purposes of this article.

Although the definitions vary, to see the full picture of culture, it is necessary to understand that it is made up of different components. These elements include traditions, myths, values, customs, legends, history, religion, civilization, and geographic location. Culture is an enigma and its components are parts. Each part, that is, the composition, must be considered and understood, otherwise it will not be possible to clearly understand and imagine the culture. Culture is of great importance in language learning and is a topic that cannot be ignored.

Thus, the objectives of teaching culture are: to increase learners’ general understanding; develop learners’ interests in culture, foreign language and their own language; to facilitate cross-cultural comparisons.

The next question will be about ways to incorporate culture into the foreign language curriculum. First we need to find some differences between local and foreign cultures. There are many differences between Turkmen and Western cultures. They mainly consist of the following aspects:

First, cultural differences in living conditions, differences in daily life and social communication; (they are the result of differences in habits and habits.) The rules of using words to address them, greet them, thank them, apologize, talk on the phone, etc. Second, there are cultural differences in psychology that stem from national consciousness and societal consciousness. They include expressions of values, ethics, and subtle and abstract ways of expressing emotions. Third, there are cultural differences resulting from differences in cultural development and accumulation of cultural heritage in history. Fourth, there are cultural differences in people’s attitudes, meaning that culture can be expressed through language. There are also other cultural traits that can represent culture without using language. (gestures, fingers, facial expressions and clothing).

Language learners must first familiarize themselves with their own culture. By studying their own culture, that is, their values, attitudes, and traditions, they are prepared to think objectively about the values, attitudes, and traditions of other nations.

In English culture, people can talk about different topics. When they start talking, they usually talk about general topics like the weather, sports, and the weekend. Although the short general conversations discussed are not important, they may prove important for the following reasons:

1. Short general conversations are helpful for those who want to get to know each other better.

2. According to some people, if a person can’t hold a social conversation, then he is considered unfriendly.

3. Short conversations help people feel comfortable, especially at the beginning of the conversation.

4. Short conversations can lead to more interesting, serious, and important conversations.

To discuss cultural differences, the following topics are more personal: money, age, religion, appearance (weight), some information about marriage. Commonly discussed topics include: weather, work, school, routine, weekend, vacation, family, home, food, education, travel, sports, and more.

In conclusion, we would like to emphasize that teaching culture, which is the main meaning of this article, should become an integral part of foreign language teaching. “Culture should be our message to learners, and language should be our environment” [3, p. 11]. Today, people from different cultures face misunderstandings. In order to avoid misunderstandings and develop empathy and understanding skills, teachers should provide learners with the right information about the culture and the foreign language. And it is achieved only when the culture is “installed” in the classroom. The main goals of cultural education include empathy for the cultural norms of any society, appreciation and knowledge of one’s own culture.

1. Brown H.D. Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. Fourth edition.  –  London: Longman, 2000.
2. Hammerly, H. Synthesis In Second Language Teaching: An Introduction to Languistics. – Washington: Second Language Publications, 1982.
3. Peck, D. Teaching Culture: Beyond Language, 1998. Retrieved July 23, 2003 http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1984/3/84.03.06.x.html
4. Savignon, S. and Sysoyev, P. V. Sociocultural strategies for a dialogue of cultures. The Modern Language Journal. 86/4, 2002. Retrieved January 17, 2006. Wilson Omnifile database.
5. Tomalin B. Cross-Cultural Communication: Theory and Practice. – Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.

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