The Language-Culture Connection: Intercultural Influences in Social Networking

Abstract

Differences across language learners’ native and target speech communities, their expectations and cultural backgrounds are expected to cause them difficulties in communication. They may, for instance, produce grammatically and lexically correct sentences but vague in terms of meaning. They may also produce linguistically correct utterances but inappropriate or misleading. The present paper highlights the language-culture relationship in general and the language-culture-religion relationship for Arab-Muslims in particular. Furthermore, it investigates Algerian EFL students’ strategies and problems while communicating through social media (particularly Facebook) with native speakers of English. It attempts to see if Master students at the University of Mentouri Brothers, Constantine are able, at this rather advanced level, to develop some awareness of the target language rhetorical tendencies and conventional norms and seeks to gauge the extent to which the rhetorical and cultural differences between first and target languages result in communication breakdowns.