As the number of Americans studying and working in China increases, it becomes important for language educators to reconsider the role of culture in teaching Chinese as a foreign language. Many American learners of Chinese fail to achieve their communicative goals in China because they are unable to establish and convey their intentions, or to interpret their interlocutors’ intentions. Only knowing the linguistic code is not sufficient; therefore, it is essential to develop learners’ abilities to be socialized to Chinese culture. A working definition of culture theme as a series of situated acts associated with cultural values is proposed.
In order to explore how children acquire culture themes with competent social guides, a quantitative comparative study of maternal speech and a micro-ethnographic discourse analysis of adult-child interactions are presented. Parental discourse patterns are shown to be culturally specific activities that not only foster language development, but also maintain normative dimensions of social life. The culture themes are developed at a young age through children’s interactions with Chinese speakers under the guidance of their parents or caregivers. In order to communicate successfully people have to do things within the shared time and space provided by the culture.
In foreign language study, the goal is to inculcate default linguistic and social behaviors that sustain participation in a culture. Therefore, it is not enough to understand the cultural values; it is also important to know what actions are associated with conveying these values. A culture theme acquisition model is proposed. In this model, culture themes—the specific behaviors associated with specific values—are seen as the core of cultural instruction.