2.2. Social and cultural background

In view of M. Bakhtin’s insight into multi-layered nature of language speech is dialogic, and speakers exist within their cultural contexts, ideologies and social intentions. A text always has a human and cultural reference. It refers to ideas, feelings, relationships, and social conditions that make sense precisely because they are part of our shared social experience. Textual information is not eternal or timeless, but is situated historically, socially, intellectually, with particular intents and social, gender, class, ethnic, racial perspectives. Hence, to study texts entails looking into the context (social, cultural and intertextual) within which texts are embedded. This study provides ongoing processes, such as the relationship between social change and communicative or linguistic change, the construction of social identities, or the (re)construction of knowledge and ideology.

Comprehension in this direction is aimed at raising the reader’s awareness of socio-cultural factors. Whatever the text, the content is expected to increase one’s awareness of the culturally-induced values of English-speaking nations and awareness of one’s own priorities to make sure certain cultural standpoints can be explained. Readers are motivated to develop the ability to evaluate and refine generalizations about the culture in terms of supporting evidence deduced from the text. In this way we automatically become exposed to the range of socio-cultural items such as:

• symbols;

• realia;

• conventions;

• customs and traditions;

• stereotypes and expectations;

• Values, beliefs and attitudes.

The major goal of our Guide is to increase the reader’s consciousness of cultural similarities and differences and enhance understanding of the diversity of ideas and practices found across cultures in general.

Make sure you know:

• the general social and cultural climate;

• the rhetorical context of the text (TAT – the relationship between Text, Author, Time).

Questions: Comment on the range of social and cultural items in the text. What do you know about the author, his or her occupation, personal background and political/religious leanings? To whom do you think the author is writing? What do you know about the text publication? With what purpose was the text written? What prompted its creation? What is your historical and cultural distance from the text under consideration? When was the text written? What were the main events of the time? How did the contemporary thought influence the text? What social conditions (values, morals, economic pressures, power relationships, gender role, and so on) could conceivably create the drama of the text? What can you say about the difference between your culture's (and sub-culture's) views of the world, your own experiences, on the one hand, and those of the text, on the other? What is it that you might have to understand better in order to experience the text of particular time, class, gender and race? Is it possible that your reading might be different because of your particular social (race, gender, class, etc.) and historical context? How does your world govern the way you see the world of the text? In which way does the text interact with other texts/media?

Language in use for analysis

The author holds unmistakable generalizations of social realities…

… focuses on the lifestyles…

… culturally-appropriate behaviour…

Familiarity with…

... symbols associated with one’s own culture…

By observing and describing the realia…

It reveals images related to another culture…

Focusing on the subject matter of … the reader can draw up visible aspects…

… to become aware of the lifestyles…

… is intended to reveal information about …

… to encourage comparison of how … may be similar to/different from those in our native culture

We arrive at deeper understanding of both English-speaking cultures and our own

… say and do in specific social situations

It presents facts about…

… subtleties of cultural behaviour

… to make implicit cultural assumptions

… to share values and attitudes

… adhere to systems of…

Values are taken for granted…