Unit 5: Cultural indentity

Getting Started

1. Listen and read. 

Click tại đây để nghe:

Mr Brown: Hello everybody. Hope you're all working on your essay on cultural identity. Do you have any questions?

Van: Yes. I'm not quite sure about how people express their cultural identity.

Mr Brown: That's an interesting question. Can anyone give some examples?

Lam: I think people can do that through the language they speak, the food they eat and ... certain styles of clothing. For example, some people still wear their traditional costumes so they can preserve their national identity.

Mr Brown: That's right. It can also be expressed by beliefs and cultural practices.

Yumi: Do you mean people's religious beliefs, music activities and festivals?

Mr Brown: Correct. Any other questions?

Lam: I wonder... why people need to protect their cultural identity.

Yumi: You live here, in your motherland, so you can't see why this is important. But for me, a Japanese living in Viet Nam, it's essential to understand my family history and traditions.

Van: Interesting. Are your parents both Japanese, Yumi?

Yumi: Yes, but they've been living here for twenty years, and they're afraid that my sister and I are becoming less and less familiar with our traditions.

Lam: So how do you maintain your culture?

Yumi: Well, we wear kimonos on special occasions and celebrate Japanese festivals such as the cherry blossom festival. We also eat sushi, sashimi and udon noodles. At home we speak Japanese only.

Van: Do you often go back home?

Yumi: I've been to Kyoto four or five times to visit my grandparents. But to tell you the truth, I don't know whether Viet Nam or Japan is really my home. My parents are from Japan, but I was born and grew up here.

Mr Brown: I'd be interested to read about your experiences in Viet Nam in your essay, Yumi. OK, just to remind you that the essays are due next Wednesday and late submissions won't be accepted.

2. Complete the diagram. 

(Hoàn thành sơ đồ.)

 

Hướng dẫn:

1. language        2. food        3. clothing       4. beliefs     5. cultural practices       

3. Answer the questions. 

(Trả lời các câu hỏi)

1. According to Yumi, why do people need to protect their cultural identity?
2. How do Yumi's family maintain their culture?
3. Where is home for Yumi?
4. Give examples of expressions of cultural identity in your community.

Hướng dẫn:

1. Because it's essential to understand their family history and traditions.
2. They wear kimonos on special occasions and celebrate Japanese festivals. They eat sushi, sashimi and udon noodles. They also speak Japanese at home.
3. She doesn't know whether her home is Japan, where her parents come from, or Viet Nam, where she was born and grew up.
4. (Suggested answer) Language: Vietnamese; food: square and. round sticky rice cakes, pho; clothing: ao dai, ao ba ba; beliefs: ancestor worship (= thờ cúng tổ tiên); cultural practices: Hung Kings' Festival, Quan ho singing

4. Find the verb or adjective that goes with each of the following nouns or noun phrases. If necessary, use a dictionary to check the meaning. 

(Tìm các động từ hoặc tính từ mà đi với các danh từ hoặc cụm từ sau danh từ. Nếu cần thiết, sử dụng từ điển để kiểm tra ý nghĩa.)

1. ________ their cultural identity
2. ________ costumes
3. ________ practices
4. ________ my family history
5. ________ your culture

Hướng dẫn:

1. express / protect
2. traditional
3. cultural 
4. understand
5. maintain

5. Read the conversation again and write the correct tenses of the verbs in brackets. 

(Đọc cuộc trò chuyện một lần nữa và viết các thì đúng của động từ trong ngoặc đơn.)