ABSTRACT
The deeply rooted relationship between language and culture cannot be disputed, and central to the acquisition of a foreign language is understanding that relationship. This understanding can begin by gaining a familiarity with key words that reflect a culture’s core values and guide how people communicate and relate to each other. This chapter presents the structure of a course that takes a sociolinguistic approach in introducing representative core cultural concepts and sociocultural aspects in the Japanese language that provide an insight into the social hierarchy, interpersonal relationships, Japanese behavior, and way of communicating. These include kenkyo (modesty), aimai (vagueness), awase (compromise), and chinmoku (silence), and others for which less accurate English equivalents exist (e.g., honne, tatemae, uchi, soto, enryo). The objective is to increase student understanding of these concepts and values that interrelate with the language, thereby influencing how students create and interpret meaning, ultimately leading to unlocking the door to communication. The goal is to enhance students’ intercultural communication and adjustment skills prior to a short-term study abroad program and in doing so, assist in achieving the program’s aim of increased intercultural, pragmatic competence.
