Cultural Appropriation Torn between Conscious and Unconscious English Language Classroom Practices

Abstract

It is axiomatic that language and culture are inextricably linked. English as a foreign language has its communication strategies and cultural norms that are distinct from those of Arabic. Differently put, to be an intercultural competent user of English implies the cognizance of the cultural context of the language. At this juncture, intercultural communicative competence is a prerequisite. Yet, EFL learners are likely to appropriate the target culture as they tend to use the language without accrediting homage to its culture. In this prospect, cultural appropriation seems to have great influence on students’ performance in English. To this end, the present research aims at highlighting the extent to which EFL learners appropriate the target culture, and what influence can cultural appropriation have on their performance in English. To accomplish this study, a questionnaire and an interview were the two instruments used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The obtained results indicated that EFL learners unconsciously appropriate the target culture to a great extent and such appropriation pervades their language use. The study tried to put forward a set of recommendations, as how to find appropriate remedies that would help learners mitigate cultural appropriation.