Hofstede's Individualism-Collectivism Cultural Dimension: Its Relevance to Foreign Language Teaching

Abstract

This paper looks at the relevance of Hofstede's individualism-collectivism cultural dimension to foreign language teaching. Examples are used to illustrate how the values of individualism-collectivism have a huge impact on the style of communication adopted by a culture; typically, individualistic cultures adopt a more direct and informal style whereas collectivistic cultures use a style that is indirect and formal. The importance of creating awareness of such differences in the foreign language teaching context is then discussed; if foreign language learners are unaware of these differences, they may transfer inappropriate strategies from their first language to the target language which may lead to confusion or ever communicative breakdown. Some practical ways of creating awareness in a classroom setting are suggested. It is believed that the individualism-collectivism dimension provides a useful framework that can aid foreign language teachers in enhancing their students' communicative competency.