3. Methodology 8

3.1 Research questions 8

3.2 Participants 8

3.3 Research Methods and Data Collection Procedure 8

3.3.1 Questionnaire Survey 8

3.3.2 Interview 9

4. Results and Findings 10

4.1 Stereotype Content 10

4.2 Stereotype Sources 11

4.3 Implication of Stereotype for Foreign Language Learning and Teaching 13

5. Suggestion of English Language Teaching in Terms of Cultural Education 15

6. Conclusion 16

References 17

1. Introduction

With the development of economy and technology, the 21st century becomes an era of intercultural communication. Under those circumstances, it’s clear that language learning, to some extent, is a culture learning process. However, the world is too big and complex for us to know in all its detail. So, in order to cultivate the learners’ intercultural communicative competence, it’s essential to generalize the different between our own culture and the target language culture. Thus, it is unavoidable to establish some stereotypes.

Devine (1989) once stated that, as soon as people born, they have been affected by various cultural stereotype. “People’s perceptions and treatment of others are affected by their inherent stereotype.”

Baldwin and Hughes (2002) thought that stereotypes are generally considered to be overgeneralizations of group characteristics or behaviors, which are applied to inpidual of those groups. That means, cultural stereotype is a very important factor to effects, peoples’ understanding, value judgment, learning strategy and intercultural communicative. People usually use their existing knowledge to reduce their uncertainty and anxiety when they come across new information or some social events, and try to make inferences about the features of them.

The present thesis aims to explore what kind of cultural stereotype that Chinese English majors have about the Americans; to identify and evaluate the sources of these cultural stereotypes; and to survey the relationship between stereotype and English language learning. Though careful investigation and analysis, the author hopes that this thesis can help people have a clear picture of the cultural stereotype and establish an accurate attitude towards it. What’s more, the thesis lays emphasis on putting forward some suggestions on how to help learners develop positive stereotypes to the target culture in foreign language culture teaching.

2. Theoretical Basis

2.1 The Definition of Stereotype

What is stereotype? A stereotype is a simplified generalization about specific types of inpiduals, cultures or certain ways of doing things, but the generalization may or may not reflect reality. The people who hold stereotypes tend to label people or something formulaically.

The expiation of stereotype given by Webster’s Third International Dictionary (1976) is that: Something repeated or reproduced without variation; something conforming to fixed or general pattern and lacking inpidual distinguishing marks or qualities: especially a standardized mental picture held in common by members of a group and representing an oversimplified opinion, affective attitude, or uncritical judgment (as of a person, a race, an issue or an event)

Walter Lippmann (1922) was the first man who coined “stereotype” in his influential book, Public Opinion, by distinguishing between “the world outside and the pictures in our head”. That means, he thought that stereotype is an oversimplified picture of the world, one that can satisfies a need to see the world as more understandable and manageable than it really is. In fact his exact words were “stereotypes are those pictures preformed in human being’s brains and they will assist people to evaluate certain behaviors in nature. Moreover, stereotype is to assist people to recognize external world.” (Lippmann, 1992: 81)