人们对语言的研究已有悠久历史。但长期以来,语言学家关心的是语言的形式和结构,研究的是语言的内在系统;对语言的社会功能和其外在因素的探讨则是近二十年才开始的。语言是文化的一部分。离开特定文化背景的语言是不存在的。要想真正掌握这种语言,必须了解产生、使用这种语言的社会文化背景;否则,就不可能真正掌握这种语言。多数从事外语教学的人们,已经认识到了这点。 People have a long history of language research. But for a long time, linguists have focused on the form and structure of language, and studied the internal system of language. The discussion on the social function of language and its external factors started almost two decades ago. Language is part of culture. The language of leaving a specific cultural background does not exist. To truly grasp this language, one must understand the socio-cultural context in which it is produced and used; otherwise, it is impossible to truly grasp that language. Most people in foreign language teaching have realized this.