Педагогические науки/2.Проблемы подготовки специалистов.

Candidate of pedagogical science Kistanova L.P.,

candidate of pedagogical science Tatosyan M.M.

Sochi State University, Russian

About the culture-oriented linguistics aspect in teaching the German language

Everyone who deals with the learning of a foreign language, knows, what a great practical value has the dictionary in learning the vocabulary of a certain foreign language. Primary acquaintance with the language units - words - their comprehension and accumulation occurs to the help of the dictionary, as a rule, bilingual and not so big on volume. In the process of deepening of the language employment and reading of the foreign press, special professional articles or fiction in a foreign language there is a necessity to resort to the help of more volume, frequently even the special dictionaries reflecting specific vocabulary of a certain profession.

But even special dictionaries at times are not capable to give an adequate understanding of a context read. As 20 years of teaching the German language shows, for an adequate understanding of the context it is not enough to know or find in the dictionary the translation of a word or a phrase. Very often the translation of the term, even found in a special dictionary without a detailed interpretation of its meaning, origin and usage, i.e. without regard to its culture-oriented linguistics aspect, prevents from the correct understanding. We are talking here not about the so-called idioms or idiomatic expressions, but about phraseological units with ethno-cultural characteristics, which meaning is due to extraиlinguistic factors. Without knowledge of these factors there is no way of their adequate perception, especially since some of the phraseology is the only way of expressing certain facts or phenomena.

It is possible to guess the meaning of some terms owing to adequacy of these concepts in the Russian and German languages, but for understanding of many specific terms the simple translation of words

that make up these concepts is not enough, since the meaning of these terms is not expressed by the meaning of its components. Here, in addition to the translation there is a need in interpretation, a more detailed explanation of a term, both in terms of its occurrence in the language, and practical use, i.e. the culture-oriented linguistics approach.

Here are some examples:

About value of such German concepts as kalte Miete / Warmmiete, meaning «rent without the cost of heating / fee for an apartment with central heating" students easily guess, getting the total concept from meaning of the words kalt - "cold" + Miete "rent" and, accordingly, warm - "warm" + Miete "rent". The same thing happens with the expression nackte Miete: adding the meaning of German words nackt - "naked" + Miete - "rent", students can easily guess the meaning of the expression - «a rent without cost of heating, lighting etc., i.e. only for a living space".

This is not the case with such German phraseological unit, as weißer Kreis. In a literal translation it means "white" district, "a white" area. Here again the students can’t do without culture-oriented linguistics interpretation of this term. To understand exactly what "white" district means and to what real fact or the phenomenon this phraseological unit refers, the explanation is required. So this term refers to those areas in Germany where the restrictions on rent growth (Mietpreisbindung) established after war have been cancelled and the so-called free housing market has been introduced. Munich has been transformed into "white" district, for example. Similar plans have been carried out concerning the Western Berlin. In 1960 the Bundestag accepted "the Law of Ljukke" (by the name of the head of the housing ministry of that time) according to which housing and communal services joined the sphere of social market economy, i.e. the state control over the rent rates existing there since 1918 was cancelled. After German reunification, this practice became widespread in the new areas of Germany. And only now it becomes clear for students that the word "white" in this phraseological unit has also a social nuance: this way German name areas where live wealthy people who can afford to buy a house or apartment or to pay high rents in this area (compare with the Russian "blue blood" or "white collar" in Japan).

The similar example also can be given with expressions Berliner Zimmer and Berliner Ecke. Simple translation of these phraseological units means "the Berlin room" and "the Berlin corner" accordingly. But it is also impossible here to give only a mere translation of the concepts in question, without giving the students culture-oriented linguistics explanation of these terms. As a result, students get not only the idea that this is an angular communicating room with one lateral window, but also learn that such rooms were typical for buildings in Berlin in the 2nd half of XIX century although they could have been built much later. They can also be found now in old houses in Berlin. And though "the Berlin rooms" were inconvenient, badly lit, an apartment with such room was rented not by workers, but by small shopkeepers, merchants, midlevel officials, etc. And so-called "the Berlin corner" represents an architectural element in the form of a blunt angle of the building standing at the crossroads of two streets. As a rule, such corner is decorated by loggias, balconies, bay windows. This architectural technique was frequently used in intensive building in Berlin in the second half of XIX century, hence the name of this architectural phraseological unit used today in different languages.

In certain cases absence of culture-oriented linguistics interpretation of terms can lead even to distortion of their semantic meaning. So if you use a common dictionary as Schwarzarbeit it is possible to translate this German word, as "manual labor", i.e. dirty, unskilled labor, based on the addition of the translated components of this word schwarz - black, dirty + Arbeit – labor, work. Meanwhile, this economic term means "illegal, paid, but officially not registered work". Use of such work allows owners not to pay taxes. And, frequently, it is a very skilled work. This phenomenon in German economy is described by V.P.Fedorov in the book "Germany: 80th years": "The groups of not registered masons together with the solid machinery move to areas of new buildings and, having erected boxes of buildings, disappear. They are replaced by illegal brigades of different kinds …"

Here is one of the examples of a distortion of meaning of the whole sentence, based on ignorance of this national-specific German reality from my practice: "Er hat sich ein Haus in Schwarzarbeit bauen lassen" students have translated as: "He has constructed to himself the house in a draught variant" / "He has constructed the house in the rough", meanwhile, as the phrase means: "He has constructed to himself the house, using illegal work/labor".

Similar linguistic phenomena we meet in the economy. Such economic term as Schattenwirtschaft, meaning "shadow economy", students will understand easily, having got the general sense of this term by adding the meanings of its components: Schatten - a shade + Wirtschaft – economy, even if they use for translation not a special economic dictionary, but an ordinary one. This term used to denote the illegal sector of economy which does not pay taxes to the state, became a common word owing to prevalence of the given phenomenon in our economy and does not require a detailed explanation and interpretation. But it is still worth taking into account the following fact: the latent economy is a serious problem in economically prospering Germany as well. Last decades the shadow economy grows up here faster, than officially counted national product. "The latent business pushes aside some aspects of modern state-monopoly capitalism. In particular, it gives an additional illustration of an inefficiency of state regulation. The capital, facing the administrative restrictions established from above, de facto bypasses them". (V.P.Fedorov. Germany: The 80th years)

It is not the case with other socio-economic term, namely neue Armen. In a literal translation from German this word combination means "new poor". But what meaning is hidden in this word combination is not clear to any Russian unless this term is explained, or a special interpretation given. Meanwhile, the meaning of this word combination which appeared in the German language in the70-80th is also well known to any German as, perhaps, in modern Russian nobody needs explanation what "new Russian" means. It reflects the phenomenon, characteristic for Germany and some other developed countries. This concept denotes a specific group of unemployed - the qualified and well paid in the past employees who have become unemployed due to some reasons (more often it is connected with the reduction of staff at the firm or at the state enterprise). Getting a high enough unemployment benefit or having other sources of income, they do not wish to perform the work paid under the smaller tariff rate. Growth of this group of the unemployed and the negative phenomena connected with it make the problem of "new poverty" more and more actual in the political aspect. As such social and economic phenomenon is not characteristic for our society yet, and the language form of this concept has appeared in the German language there is a need in the additional explanation of this term, in order to form its proper understanding among students.

Thus, summing up the above-stated, it is necessary to notice that for a number of specializations of the university there is a practical necessity for writing a special culture-oriented linguistics dictionary, where along with the translation of a term or a word one may find its detailed interpretation (origin, examples of usage in the language etc.), i.e. the dictionary that has a culture-oriented linguistics interpretation of a certain phraseological unit, helping students to understand some specific national realities and promoting not only a correct understanding of the given phraseological unit, but also interest to history culture and traditions of native speakers which is, in our opinion, very important in the general educational plan.

Literature:

1. Maltsev D.G. Germany: The country and language. Culture-oriented linguistics dictionary. - Мoscow: Russkie slovari, Astrel, AST, 2001.

2. Bobrov V.A. Germany. Traits to a portrait. - Мoscow: Mysl, 1978.

3. Feodor V.P. Germany: The 80th years. Sketches of public customs. – Мoscow: Mezhdunarodny otnoshenia, 1986