赖志金 中国人民大学
Lai, Zhijin, Renmin University of China
原文Original
论把握国外汉语教学中的文化因素
《论把握国外汉语教学中的文化因素》一文，是作者从理论上结合自己在德国莱比锡孔子学院教授汉语的实际工作完成的一篇论文。作者在文章中，着重论述了以下几个观点：
1、对外汉语教学，特别是在国外执教，许多字词句所蕴含的文化内容，外国学生不易理解。因此，就要把语言教学与文化知识的传授结合起来。从理论上说，语言与文化是同一体，相互依存。汉语教学承载着传播中国文化的内容，而中国文化则是汉语教学的根基和支撑。要把完成字词句的教学，建立在对与之相关的中国文化介绍的基础之上，使学生增强理解能力和学习兴趣，增强记忆能力，同时掌握一些有关的文化知识。
2、有关中国文化知识的介绍，要简明，详略得当，与所讲解的字词句要紧密联系，不能喧宾夺主，冲淡了语言教学。要抓住介绍中国文化知识的三个要点：一是要讲清字词句产生或转义的历史背景；二是与字词句相关的文化对丰富字词句内涵的意义；三是与字词句相关的文化在中国社会生活中的影响和作用。不要泛泛而谈。
介绍相关的中国文化知识，要适当地采取比较的教学方法。文化的比较，不仅有利于跨文化的交流，有利于不同民族的人对异文化的认知，而且有利于学生对反映异文化文字的认知和记忆。
3、在国外教汉语，不能放过每一个可以进行情景教学的机会。孔子学院在安排工作时，要与语言教学同步，配合教学，配合节庆以及各种各样的时事活动，举办与之相应的文化活动，这既可以吸引汉语学习者参加，又可以现场进行巧妙灵活的汉语辅助教学。在丰富多彩的文化活动中，言谈笑语中，教洋学生学习与之相关的汉语字词，生动活泼，趣味横生，可加深学习者的记忆，启迪他们独立思考和体会。与此同时，学生对活动所涉及的中国文化内容，领会就更深刻了。
德国莱比锡孔子学院在举办有关中国节庆活动、文化活动，或者是当地的节庆文化活动时，都把汉语字词句的教授结合进去，就收到了好的效果。
4、语言文化是一个不断衍变的历史过程。各个国家，各个民族的历史文化，都是处在永恒的发展变化之中，都有时代性。特别是语言文字，作为社会沟通链接的符号，变化是必然的，渐进的。语言在特定历史条件下，反映和促进了文化的发展和传承，形成语言特定的历史状态，而文化的发展和传承，又使语言具有了新的时代风采。教外国人学汉语，必须把握住这一点，使之融入到汉语的历史文化之中。要通过对变化着的经济政治社会文化等等历史条件的简要说明，讲清楚一些字词在不同历史时期的不同含义。当然，要强调的是字词的现代含义。
译文Translation
How to Deal with Cultural Factors in the Teaching of Chinese Abroad
This essay presents a theory-based synthesis of my practical experience in teaching Chinese to German students at the Leipzig Confucius Institute. In particular, I am presenting the following four arguments:
(1) It is not easy for foreign students to grasp the cultural content of many phrases. Since language and culture are closely interconnected, it is necessary to teach them concurrently. Spreading knowledge about Chinese culture is part of the language teacher’s mission, and culture serves as a basis and support for the teaching of Chinese language. Such a combined teaching approach will enhance students’ comprehension and motivation as well as their ability to retain the content presented in the classroom.
(2) The cultural knowledge introduced should be concise and immediately relevant to the phrases under consideration, and should not overwhelm the language instruction proper. Here three aspects are important and need to be addressed carefully: first, the historical background of the origins and semantic changes of phrases; second, the contributions of the cultural context to a phrase’s meaning and content; third, the influence and functions of a phrase’s cultural context in Chinese social life. In introducing such cultural knowledge a comparative approach needs to be employed. Cultural comparison does not only assist in intercultural communication, but very concretely helps students understand other cultures and improves their recognition and retention of language elements reflecting those cultures.
(3) In a foreign context, every opportunity for instruction needs to be employed. Confucius Institutes need to arrange their activities in such a way that they complement language teaching. By matching seasonal and other cultural activities with language instruction, we can attract more students and provide additional contextualized language lessons. The relaxed atmosphere of such cultural events offers opportunities to embed and reinforce content first transmitted in the more formal classroom setting. The Leipzig Confucius Institute has obtained good results from this approach.
(4) Culture, and thus language as a part of culture, is subject to a continuous historical process of evolution. This is especially true in the case of language and writing systems, which provide the symbolic code for a society’s communication. Language reflects and furthers a culture’s development and transmission under specific historical conditions, acquiring in the process unique historical features and characteristics. Foreigners studying Chinese need to master this aspect of the Chinese language. To help them enter into the historical culture of the Chinese language, the instructor needs to explain the different meanings of phrases in different historical periods, based on a concise overview of the factors involved in Chinese economic, political, social and cultural history. Of course, the current meanings of phrases still need to be emphasized.