Page 9 - BRIDGES - ISSUE 7

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The power of English as a bridge

forcreatingcultural understanding

in EFL classes

1
ψ- presented by Asst ProfI Dr.Mustafa ZulkufAlton
Inonu University Faculty of Education Mi : ssiaii *^
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Department of Foreign Languages,Malatya,Turkey 11
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Abstract what we can do now. We simply must
keep shiningthelight of knowledge and
Todaywearelivinginagloballydesigned wisdom on the darkness of ignorance,
locally shaped villages. As the internet prejudice, ethnocentricism, streotypes,
explosivelygrowsmoreand more people and racism until we find ourbest. If we
arebecomingaware of thisglobalization continue on such a path, at some point
processona personallevel.Asaresult of in the future, humanity will bridge the
rapid advancesand changesintechnol- gapbetween realityand utopia.
ogy, economy, social life, etc. The past This paper focuses on the opportunity
fewdecades have witnessed a growth in theEnglish language bringstoELTpro-
the role of English around the world as fessionals and presents kinds of issues,
the Lingua-Franca. Therefore,English ideals and skills to create cultural un-
playsa centralroleinthisglobalization derstandingleadingto world citizenship
process and in fact it has become the along with the practical resources for
onlymeansof international communi- teachingcultural understanding.
cation between various peoples of the
earth.Ultimately,arecognitionthat Eng- Introduction
lish isa language forinternational com-
munication highlights the fact that as The industrial societies of the past are
more and more individuals learn Eng- givingway toa new postindustrial eco-
lish,thelanguage belongs tonoone cul- nomic order termed as
turebut,ratherprovidesthebasis forpro- informationalism which emerged dur-
moting cross cultural understanding in ing70sfollowingadvances in thecom-
an increasingly global village. And of puting technology and telecommuni-
coursethis fact proposesnew challenges cation.And todaywe are living in glo-
to ELTprofessionalstousethe powerof bally designed and locallyshaped vil-
English language to establish and im- lages. As the internet rapidly grows,
prove culturalunderstandingof ourstu- more and more people are becoming
dentsin ordertocreate a peaceful world. aware of this globalization phenom-
We areallawarethat the present stateof enon on a personal level.
the world is not the best humanity can As a result of these advances the past
do, and neither was the past. We must few decades have witnessed a growth
press forward to find ourbest.There are in the role of English around the world
nolimitsto future abilities, just limits to as theLingua Franca.Therefore,Eng-

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