2. Building Turkish Cultural
Competence through Movies
Cem BALÇIKANLI
University of Florida
Center for European Studies
E-mail: balcikanli@ufl.edu
12th Annual NCOLCTL Conference, 2009
Madison, USA

3. MAP
* Cultural Competence
* Use of Movies
* Scenes from movies
* Students’ comments
* My comments
* Conclusion

4. people involved in language teaching
have again begun to understand the
intertwined relation between culture and
language (Pulverness 2003)
culture influences language teaching in
two ways: linguistic and pedagogical
(McKay 2003)

5. What do movies provide?
Movies present language in a way that is
often more natural (authentic) than that
found in course-books, the fantastic
visual context aids understanding and
boosts listening, and students just simply
love them.

6. How about
cultural frames?

7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.O.R.A.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf
ApseHHY4s&feature=related
(3.05)

8. Students’comments
It was interesting to note that Turkish people pour some
water down after someone goes away for a long time.
Even though I dont understand why they do (pouring water
down), it is an aspect of Turkish culture.
I found out that they do it because they do believe that their
beloved relatives will go back very fast.
http://www.turkishculture.org/
http://www.geocities.com/resats/culture.html#social

9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wi
ki/My_Father,_My_Son
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=ltz6-
jrhmUY&feature=related
(7.50)

10. Students’ comments
From the movie “ Babam ve Oglum”, I learned that you guys in
Turkey kiss your elders’ hands as you respect them.
In the film 'Babam ve Oğlum' I can see lifestyle contrasts between
Istanbul and Anatolia, where differences in accents, dress, and
familial relations were clearly visible.
It was a decent movie.
I think this is something cultural, to kiss your elders’ hands when
you see them. I wish it would be here , in the US, too.

11. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G
%C3%BCle_G%C3%BCle
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=u4sgzEOrFxg&feature=r
elated
(5.12)
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=NkUuu7vusZE&feature=
related
(2.15)

12. Students’ comments
Friends greet each other with a kiss on each cheek. Then they stop
and
they meet another man and they kiss each other in the face.
There is great respect for elders, and the elders often take care of
the
younger.
He (Metin Akpinar) didnt let her (Nilufer Acikalin) pay for the drink.
There was the part where they put the handkerchief on the side
view of mirror of the car as they were going to the airport to show
that
Galip was going to be with his beloved.

13. CONCLUSION
Movies are influential in building cultural
competence.
Learners are involved in cultural components of a
language through movies due to the fact that they
are exposed to lifestyles, people attitudes, and
beliefs.
Movies increased students’ interests in learning
Turkish.

15. Thank you very much