Changing concepts of culture in language learning

While it is becoming less commonplace for national flags to feature on language-learning materials, it would be premature to announce their demise, particularly in the case of languages other than English. They are even to be seen in the supposedly modern context of computer-based materials, gently ~aving in the virtual breeze. On the positive side, they convey an acceptance that language learning is Inextricably linked with culture, but they also imply more worryingly that the culture in question is a concept which can easily be captured, even that it can continue to be represented by the state where the historical _ and often colonial - past of the language is located. More particularly, even within those states, the definition of culture in the context of language-learning materials is problematic, as factors such as cultural diversity within the state, the postcolonial legacy, and the history of economic and political immigration have created and continue to create societies where the traditional mono-cultural concept is being increasingly called into question. This brief chapter cannot aim to solve such a vast problem, but merely to reflect on the concepts of culture which underpin language learning and teaching, and to underline the importance of raising awareness among language teachers of the changing cultural and theoretical contexts within which they are making deciSions regarding the teaching of language and culture.