Influence of Native Culture on Intercultural Communication of Libyan Students Studying in the UK

Abstract

Libyan students encounter major difficulties in their communication with native speakers of English during their study in the UK. These problems are not so much due to their linguistic incompetence in the target language (English) but rather due their cultural and social incompetence of the target culture. This paper explores the influence of the native culture of Libyans students’ on their verbal and non-verbal communication. In so doing, this study looked at real-lie examples representing the issues facing some Libyan students during their stay in the UK.  The subjects of the study were Libyan students pursuing their higher studies in the UK. The findings show that Libyan students are very much influenced by their native culture and as a result they are facing so many problems in their communications with native speakers. The study believes that cultural literacy in language teaching is need as it helps to overcome significant hardship in communicating meaning to native speakers. The study concludes with some recommendations for the Livyan Ministry of Education and the textbooks designers on how to improve the current situation and it also outlines some suggestions for further research.