Abstract

Language cannot be used without carrying meaning and referring beyond itself. The meanings of a particular language point to the culture of a particular social group, and the analysis of those meanings-their comprehension by learners and other speakers-involves the analysis and comprehension of that culture. It disregards the nature of language to treat language independently of the culture which it constantly refers to. Thus, language teaching should always contain some explicit reference to the culture, the whole from which the particular language is taken.