Materials | Student journals, computer with Internet access and projector (optional), copies of the handoutOverview | What does culture mean in an increasingly globalized, connected world? What is the relationship between language and culture? In this lesson, students consider the connection between French and other cultures and languages by discussing key quotations from relevant Times articles and sharing their insights on the questions they raise.
Note to Teacher | This lesson can be used in and adapted for a range of humanities courses, including English and comparative literature, foreign and world languages, English as Second/Foreign Language and social studies. It might make for a good course introduction and/or wrap-up, or it might be paired with related content, such as the teaching of works by Vladimir Nabokov or Joseph Conrad.
Warm-up | Ask students to make a list in their journals of words they associate with a particular culture. As an example, tell them to think about words used at school that “outsiders” wouldn’t understand. They might also consider jargon used by people in a particular profession, contemporary slang used among friends and/or online, and even words that are part of a corporate culture, like Starbucks.
Once students have had time to make their lists, ask them to share examples and then draw on these examples to discuss some or all of the following questions:
- Why do some groups create and use their own “languages”?
- What are the effects of having shared a vocabulary and language?
- How does language reflect culture? How does language shape culture?
- What exactly is culture? Is it static or fixed?
- How do new technologies and the Internet affect culture?
At this point, you might also wish to show the video “City of Endangered Languages,” about “endangered languages” that are still spoken in New York City:
After the video, have students discuss what it means for languages to “die” and even how they might feel to learn years from now that their native tongue (or even their slang system) were facing extinction. How integral is language to their sense of individual and group identity and culture?
Related | In the article “Pardon My French,” Michael Kimmelman explores the relationship between language and culture in a rapidly changing, increasingly global world:
