Culture and Langauge Teaching through Electronic Tecnology

1 Ahmad Atawneh, English Department – Hebron University P.O. Box 40, Hebron, Palestine. , E-mail [email protected], Acknowledgment: Thanks To my student Maria Al-Aqra’ for administering the test of modality which was later developed to become part of her M.A. dissertation. Abstract____ With the advancement in programming and technology, materials became closer to communicative including the cultural aspect of language. There is support for using technology in teaching although it takes the learner away from the natural communication in a discourse community. Electronic technology is becoming a powerful means for flexible learning. Computer programs are more of transactional nature, while, human conversation is interactional where the focus is on the establishment of social relationships. Electronic programs allow for a mixture of both types. This paper reviews using technology in teaching and the appropriateness of using language. An experiment was made to test Arab students’ choices of appropriateness using modals to convey degrees of politeness compared to native speakers. Findings show that Arabic culture and the mismatch between the two modal systems made Arabs express politeness different from native speakers. This gap may become smaller if natives and nonnatives engage in electronic communication.