Tag: Vairamuthu Suntharesan

Using the student’s mother tongue in the ESL classes has been felt to be very productive as it is found to develop language accuracy and fluency. The objective of this paper is to discuss how mother tongue can be effectively used in teaching certain linguistic areas in order to motivate students and promote their language proficiency faster. Translation in ESL classes which enables the process of comparing student’s first language with the second language would undoubtedly enable students to attain the ability of using the language in real life situations for communicative purposes.

Since English has been branded as an international language, teaching for linguistic competence can not be isolated from teaching for intercultural competence. Yet intercultural communication has not been paid due attention to in ESL teaching in Sri Lanka. It prompts us to realize the fact that Sri Lankan students of English may master English in terms of its grammar and linguistic aspects but encounter several problems in intercultural communication. This article aims to pay more attention to intercultural communication in English language teaching to develop students’ intercultural communicative competence. Further, the article emphasizes increasingly important role of intercultural communication in English language teaching and the necessity to develop students’ intercultural communicative competence. Sample learning and teaching activities are presented to be integrated in ESL teaching and learning. As per data elicited by the author, an enlightenment of the cultural norms and values of native speakers of English to students of English as a Second language would cushion against the ‘culture shock’ learners may experience during the learning process. Further, the comparison learners’ own culture with the foreign culture in the classroom would facilitate learning.