Intercultural approach to foreign language learning as a factor of studentsʼ personal development in the process of foreign culture studying

Abstract

Positive intercultural interaction and positive changes aggravate cross-cultural communication problems in modern society, caused by contradictions between the values and lifestyles of different peoples. In this regard, the search for ways to transform cultural diversity as a factor hindering intercultural dialogue into a means of mutual understanding and enrichment, into a tool for the development of a socially active and independent personality, capable of being a full-fledged participant in the dialogue of cultures, is becoming more relevant in education. The purpose of the article is to compare the functions of speech activity and culture and show their close relationship; to demonstrate that the methodological meaning of this unity is that speech acts cannot be learned in isolation from culture, and intercultural learning is not just interaction with another culture, but the cultural development of the learner; to consider the intercultural approach peculiarity in learning a foreign language through cognition, evaluation, and comparison of the native culture with the culture of the nation whose language is studied. The research methodology consists of theoretical analysis and generalization of scientific and methodological literature, which considers the basic principles, concepts, approaches to culture, and universal and cultural features in teaching foreign languages; synthesis of modern theoristsʼ views, to demonstrate the importance of the intercultural approach in language learning and personality development.  The authors consider the process of joint learning of language and culture, which involves not only the formation of intercultural competence as one of the results of language learning but also the acquisition of a linguistic and cultural picture of the world as the content of this process, as well as the formation of other competencies, abilities, and qualities of a multilingual, multicultural personality. The process of learning a foreign language can be seen as a unique potential for personal development. It is not only about the development of intellectual qualities that allow one to penetrate the mental space of people of a foreign culture and overcome their cultural isolation, but also about the rooting of value and semantic orientations that contribute to the successful self-realization of modern youth as cultural subjects in a multicultural space.