Culture

Culture is a totality of life of a particular group of people living in the same geographical environment performing the same or similar activities in their economic production, political organization and social affairs like religion and education. The Longman dictionary of contemporary English, Procter (1979), defines culture as advanced development of the human powers, the development of the body, mind and spirit by training and experience. For Taylor (1871), culture is a complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, laws, customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

In other words,culture is dynamic. According to Obiola (2002), the transformation of culture is gradual and not sudden. Obiola (ibid) contends that culture is a continuous process of change; culture continues to give a community a sense of dignity, continuity, security and bind society together. Another attribute of culture is that it is learned, acquired, transmitted or diffused through contact or other means of communication flow from one generation to another.

This has an implication for Tanzanian society as a whole. Success or failure of English in schools may be decisive for educational and career prospects in Tanzania. It means that English has a social stratification function within Tanzania. Text books which are used in all universities and secondary schools’ programmes are all written in English meaning that English is a pre-condition for secondary and higher education qualifications. It is the language used in conferences, in academic journals, in the national assembly; some of the papers are presented in

English and our members of parliament have the option of using English and Kiswahili simultaneously because they are both official languages. But the majority of Tanzanians do not understand all what is spoken in the national assembly because they do not understand English.

Hence English is seen as an important language for getting material gains and being associated with people of the core English speaking people. Our youth are internalizing each and everything of the English language from internet, television (TV), print media; newspapers, books and journals.

                                                     

Culture as an ideological entity encompassing values, norms, customs and traditions. The other perspective views culture as a combination of ideological and material elements such as what and how people eat, what they wear and what they use. Culture has been compared to social interactions, rules about behavior, perception, language and non- verbal communication.

Young people in Tanzania are the largest consumers of global culture. Entertainment is signaling absolute dominance of the music of Western Europe and American culture. The way of dressing, behavior, even walking style has changed among the youth- they practice Western and American styles. Even hair styles follow the same suit