Browsing by Author "Upananda Thero, Theripaha"

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The Cultural Influence of Personal Pronouns in Chinese and Sinhala Languages
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2023) Upananda Thero, Theripaha
Many of the present linguistic researchers have focused on the context of Languages. Personal deixis, a set of special words, has been selected for this study. The aim is to study personal pronouns linguistically in relation to Chinese and Sinhala Languages. The study is expected to focus on the historical background of semantics, its distribution, pragmatics, and its fields of study. Then, the cultural influence reflected in the study and the analysis of a language is observed through personal deixis. The study was conducted using the qualitative research method. Data are collected from primary and secondary sources in the fields of Linguistics, Chinese Language, and Sinhala Language. Written sources and the internet have been used to collect secondary data. Primary data are collected through discussion and direct observation. A translator must carefully explore the situational variations of deixis in interpreting utterances. The importance of the research is to observe how the cultural influence of personal deixis affects the meanings of utterances. The research problem is how the cultural influence of personal deixis is manifested in Chinese and Sinhala languages. In the previous research review, although the explored Chinese and Sinhala sources included separate facts about the cultural influence of personal pronouns, there were no instances where they were comparatively researched. The study is carried out as a new research by balancing the cultural influence of pronouns in Linguistics. At the end of the research, it is expected to determine whether the influence of culture varies from language to language in changing personal pronouns numerically, qualitatively, and grammatically, and how much influence cultural influence is in the distribution of pronouns consciously and unconsciously. It is emphasized that paying attention to the cultural inspiration of personal pronouns when studying and analyzing a language is essential.
An Investigation of the Importance of Cultural Competency in Foreign Language Teaching Referring to Chinese Language and Hindi Language
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, 2023) Upananda Thero, Theripaha; Withanage, Dhananjaya
The teaching and learning process of foreign languages is a complex process. After the twentieth century, the second or foreign language teaching-learning process took a scientific approach as new approaches and strategies were introduced. Some methods were popular, and some methods were mixed with the popular ones and remained up to date. The variables measuring proficiency in all strategies were the four skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In addition to the four skills, linguists realised that cultural competency also plays a key role in language learning. Scholars have focused on cultural competence as an additional unit of measurement for language proficiency under applied linguistics. Across the world, cultural competency is paid special attention at governmental and institutional levels. Cultural competency is a popular topic in the foreign language teaching-learning process. This research discusses how it is important to measure cultural competency in addition to the four skills in the language teachinglearning process referring to Chinese and Hindi languages. The study was conducted using the qualitative research method. Data are collected from primary and secondary sources in Linguistics, Chinese and Hindi languages. Written sources and the internet have been used to collect secondary data. Primary data are collected through discussion and direct observation. This research aims to investigate the importance of cultural competency in foreign language teaching and practice. The research problem is how cultural competency is unique in addition to the four skills measuring language proficiency in the foreign language teaching-learning process. In the previous research review, although the explored Chinese and Hindi sources included separate facts about the importance of cultural competency, there were no instances where they were comparatively researched. The study is carried out as a new research in Linguistics. In concluding the research, three facts are taken into attention to reveal that language and culture are two closely related units: cultural knowledge is essential in language teaching, and cultural competency is essential in learning a language. It is concluded that cultural competency is as important as the four skills -listening, speaking, reading, and writing in learning a foreign language.