恭維語在中西方文化交際中的差異

1、畢業(yè)論文題 目： From Compliments to Discuss Cultural Distinction in Daily Communication Between the East and the West 系 別：外語系專 業(yè)：英語語言文學(xué)姓 名：焦剛學(xué) 號： 1014050309指導(dǎo)教師：李冰河南城建學(xué)院2009 年 6 月 1 日FROM COMPLIMENTS TO DISCUSS CULTURALDISTINCTION IN DAILY COMMUNICATION BETWEENTHE EAST AND THE WESTByJiao GangA ThesisSubmit

2、ted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for theDegree of Bachelor of ArtsIn EnglishUnder the Supervision of Professor Li BingHenan University of Urban ConstructionJune 2009摘要恭維語是一種普遍的社會現(xiàn)象 , 恰到好處的使用它能拉近交際雙方的距離， 避免語用失誤。在跨文化交際中 , 它們起著問候、鼓勵、致謝、開啟話題及緩解 矛盾等作用， 同時由于中西方在社會結(jié)構(gòu)， 以及文化背景方面的不同， 導(dǎo)致了恭 維語在實施過

3、程中的文化差異， 了解其中的文化差異不僅有助于人們在跨文化交 際中恰當?shù)氖褂霉ЬS語， 而且還可以避免文化沖突， 同時比較中西方恭維語在語 言形式、應(yīng)答、恭維目標幾個方面的差異 , 指出跨文化交流中恭維和接受恭維造 成誤解的原因 , 對于跨文化交際具有重要意義。 在跨文化交流中 , 中國人一向內(nèi)斂 , 奉行“慎言”“寡言”原則 , 在言語上自制而謹慎 , 對他人的語言又有高度的敏感 性, 相形之下 , 美國人則比較外向 , 慣于表達自己 , 也愿用語言表達內(nèi)心世界。 他們 更相信語言的創(chuàng)造力 , 強調(diào)個人的外向延伸 , 要解決恭維語交流中出現(xiàn)誤解這一 問題, 只有相互了解彼此之間的文化和文化背景

4、。 語言與文化是不可分的 , 只有努 掌握彼此之間的語言以及文化背景才能使我們在跨文化交流中盡量少出錯誤 , 這 不僅對恭維語 , 對其它言語行為也是同樣重要的。關(guān)鍵詞 : 恭維語；差異；應(yīng)答；誤解；跨文化交際AbstractCompliments are a universal social phenomenon. If we use it exactly, we can shorten the distance of our communicator and avoid pragmatic failure. In the process of cross-cultural communic

5、ation, they play a role of greeting, expressing ones thanks congratulating and encouraging others, opening a conversation and loosing conflicts etc. At the same time, owing to the different social systems and cultural backgrounds between the east and the west, such complications result in a cultural

6、 difference in the course of using compliments .To understand the difference can not only help one use compliments correctly ,but also can avoid cultural conflicts in the intercultural communication. Probing the differences between Chinese and Western compliments in a cross-cultural perspective and

7、analyzing the course of misunderstanding are the key to a successful cross- cultural communication. In cross-cultural communication, the Chinese have always been reserved, sticking to the principle of prudence and reticence, obeying the principle of self-control and carefulness when communicating, h

8、aving a high degree of sensitivity toward other?s languages. By contrast, the Americans are outgoing. They are prone to express themselves and willing to use language to express their inner world. They also believe the creativity of language, emphasizing the outward extension of the individual. So o

9、nly if we understand each nation?s cultural backgrounds can we have a good cross-cultural communication. Language and culture are inseparable,only do we strive to master the language as well as their cultural backgrounds can minimize the cross-cultural communication errors. This does not only aim at

10、 the compliment language, but also is equally important to speech act.Key words: compliment; difference; response; misunderstanding; cross- cultural communication.Contents1.Introduction1.2. The Main Existing Reasonsfor Cultural Differences in Chinese and Western Compliments2.3. Difference in Using L

11、anguage3.4. Difference in Response Formulas:.45. Difference in Target of Complimen.t6.5.1 Appearance6.5.2 The Difference of Complimenting Others Ability and Achievement76. Dispel Misunderstanding inCross-cultural Communication87. Conclusion 1.1.Works Cited 1.2.1. IntroductionLanguage is the carrier

12、of social culture, it recording and transferring the culture. With no exception, compliment as a language phenomenon and the most common speech are very common in daily life. When people use the language of compliment, there would be under certain social environment, they should pay attention to tho

13、se differences, such as different nationalities, cultures, historical periods, economicbase, people?svalues, living habits and different aesthetic manners. In the process of implementation, compliments can reflect each other?s social statu.s Generally speaking, such differences are a reflection of c

14、ultural diversities. In the process of cross-cultural communication between eastern and western countries, compliment is one of the most common used languages. It often plays a role of greeting, gratitude, opening the topic, as well as the role of loosing the contradictions. But each nation has its

15、own language and culture which are different from the other nations. These languages and cultures have their own unique form and content which have a distinctive national characteristic. As different nations, there are huge differences in the use of compliment and response, for example: When one was

16、 invited to dinner at a friend?s house, the Americans always boast,“your wife is vebeautiful ”, while in China people always saiYd,our child is c“l(fā)ever Wit”h .regard to compliment and its response, the Chinese and westerners are different. Westerners tend to bravely say “ Thank you ”, whereas the Ch

17、inese are not as straightforward as they are, they often say 不行,不行”, 哪里，哪里 ” or 差遠了 ” and so on to express his humble attitude .Therefore, in the process of verbal communication, the Chinese and westerners often make some jokes when they use the language of compliment, which sometimes even cause unp

18、leasant results. The paper aims at pointing out that it is not enough to only master the language itself. The key in cross-cultural communication is to study the culture which hides behind language such as values, customs and taboos by making use of the differences among the form of language, respon

19、se and compliment.2. The Main Existing Reasonsfor Cultural Differences in Chinese and Western ComplimentsChinese and Western cultures are totally two different types of culture. Because of different social structures and cultural backgrounds, each nation formed its own values, ways of thinking and c

20、ultural statute. As we know, China is a country with five-thousand-year?s history and culture. Meanwhile China is also a traditional agricultural country, whose culture is based on morals of farming civilization. The Chinese often regard the nature as a whole harmony and claim the integration betwee

21、n human beings and the whole universe, which forms the ideology of “Nature and Humanity and the values based on groups. While due to the impact of traditional education of ancient China, China is a hierarchy society and attach great importance to the doctrine of “ nobleif the upper, humble if the do

22、wn”and “ lower oneself to show respect to others On ”the. other handwestern countries didn?t have sucha long history, especially the United States which is relatively a short history country with multi-ethnic and multi-cultural capitalist rule. The early immigrants came to the North American contine

23、nt to find a new life in order to keep away from the shackles of feudal tradition and their oppression. Therefore, such sentences “ thatall men are equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of Happines”swere writ

24、ten in Declaration of Independence. Theprinciple that “ Allmen are born to equal ” has become every American?s pursuit, and they are deeply rooted in their hearts. So from this point of view, this principle is based on objects and extravagant local business as well as is one typical western culture.

25、 The western culture emphasizes on the universe philosophy called “Separation of the Universe from Man”and their value is mainly based on the individual. So the westerners take little about the concept of hierarchy and the thought of respecting the noble. When communicating with people, they often a

26、dopt the “ strategy of seekintghe same i”n order to maintain equality with each other.3. Difference in Using LanguageOne evidential feature for our Chinese using the compliment is to express respect to the people who is worthy. When asked about the names of others, the Chinese always say, “你貴姓 ?”or

27、“你尊姓大名 ?”. When someone built a new house, people always say, “恭喜你大廈落成”. When a family had a baby, people always say, 恭“喜你喜得貴子”. The above utterances can be heard at any time in our daily life. While the westerners have a different state. They think that such language is entirely superfluous. When a

28、sked about one?s name, they simply use this question, “Can I have your name? ” or “ Whnatm?se?y”oAufrter the other side giving a short answer, the questioners always reply“ You have a lovely nameand t”hey seldom use respect language at the beginning. In many occasions the Chinese always use complime

29、nt to heighten the opposite people and detract himself, however westerners use compliment to advocate equality. They think that it is inappropriate to useimmoderate courtesy and compliment, thus they often adopt a rather simpleadjectives to praisepeople, such asa丄”, groeoadt, nice”. In order toachie

30、ve the effectof humor and exaggeration, sometimes they even add an adjective before derogatory term, such as “terrif,icawfully ”, “You are awfully nice. When”using compliment, asignificant difference here is the different position of personal pronouns. TheChinese people always like to put the second

31、 person“you” on ththeefirst place ofsentence when they compliment on somebody, such as “ Yourdress is so saucy ” , “ Yourdesign is so fashionable W”hi.le the westerners use the first person, putting“I o”n the first place of sentence. Please look at the following examples:. I think your coat suits yo

32、u.你的外套蠻合身. I like your hairstyle. 你的發(fā)型不錯。. I am so proud of you.你是我的驕傲。Westerners tend to express personal feelings. They have their own opinions toward things and all these opinions are not achieved overnight. They think that the best compliment is to faithfully reveal their own point of view and a

33、lso like “ self assertivenes”s ,which is different from we Chinese who tend to hold the group consciousness. The Chinese are rarely confront with people. They implied something as much as possible and they are good at seeing how circumstance changes when communicating. They also have a high degree o

34、f sensitivity and acceptance toward to one?s language, thus forming a self-made and cautious character.4. Difference in Response FormulasBecause the Chinese and the Westerners have different cultural backgrounds, there are huge differences in observing the world as well as the thinking patterns of t

35、reating things and corresponding mode of behavior patterns. These differences are the culture differences, which are vital barriers in the cross-cultural communication. To respond to other?scompliment, the westernersare always pleased to accept and say “ Thank you ” to exphriesshsumility.For example

36、. A: What a lovely room you have.B: Thank you! I?m really satisfied with it myself. 你的房子真不錯 .謝謝，我自己還確實滿意 .Here there are several American-style compliments dialogs:One is neither clearly echo, nor directly negative to the other side:(5) .A: You?re weari nga lovely skirt.B: Well I happened to see it

37、when I was shopping. 你穿的裙子真漂亮。我昨天去購物時正好碰上便買下來了 .Another is to accept the other sides?compliment partly(6) .A: Your French is very good.B: Well my listening is not bad, but I still have problem with speaking.你的法語不錯 . 我的聽力還可以，但表達還是個問題(7) .A: You?re very smart today!B: Thank you! So are you.你今天好漂亮 . 謝謝

38、，你也一樣 .The above examples fully explain that when the westerners response compliment they both express their true attitudes and maintain their own self-esteem to give the other a more specific answer.Generally speaking, when the Chinese respond the compliment, they apparently deny or not completely

39、accept it. The following are some compliments and compliment response we often hear. Here there are several Chinese-style compliments dialogs:M:幾年不見你還是那么年輕。I have not seen you for years, you still look so young.W: 什么呀，別拿我開玩笑。No，don?t joke on me.A:小明真聰明Xiao Ming is very clever.B: 您過獎了You are just pra

40、ising me.(人：你妻子今天真漂亮。Your wife looks pretty today.B: 她呀，就知道臭美。Oh，she just likes to show off.When the Chinese accept compliment they are very happy in heart, but they take a negative attitude in their words. The key question is the modesty, which Chinese always regarded as a virtue. So when one perso

41、n is complimented or boasted, they will mannerly say 不敢“當 ,我不行 ”. But this response patternis not consistent with the habits of westerners. Taking the Americans for example, the Americans regard excessively modesty as self-display and a behavior to show their incompetence when talking with people. T

42、heir cultural backgrounds are: Praisers always wish that the opposite could affirm their own praise of give a positive evaluation response,such saying “ Thankyou”to encourage praisers. It is just about the American?s natural attitude and the Chinese?sexcessively modesty that reflect the two nations

43、cultural differences, and these should be particularly important in the cultural communications.5. Difference in Target of ComplimentWe will analyze the existed diversities in targets between the Chinese and the westerners from the following two aspects.5.1 Appearance (fashion and sensitive topic)Ap

44、pearance is one of the most important compliment targets in East-Western compliments. Women?s appearance(color, shape, clothing, dress, demeanor, etc.) often be complimented, especially by men, for example:(ll.You look so pretty whe n you smile, you should do it more ofte n. 你笑起來真美，你該常常這樣Women also

45、can be complimented, in The United States a student can compliment hisher teacher like this(12) .You look very elega nt today.您今天真的美極了。When American women meet such a compliment, she will not feel shy. However, on the contrary, they think it is a kind of honor. While in China, the appearances of wom

46、en are often the targets of compliment. But there is a limit in complimenting the appearanceof women, especially between females. If a boy compliments a girl s appearance whomhe doesn?t know,his behavior may even be regarded as “v.Iuflgar an American boy pays tribute to his known Chinese girl and sa

47、ys, You“are a sexy girl.”It is very likely that this good-hearted boy will suffer a sharp curse. The Chinese culture this kind of brazen compliment will be regard as a frivolous behavior or even vulgar.5.2 The Difference of Complimenting Others Ability and AchievementThere are two major differences

48、in capabilities and achievements of the compliment. First of all, the Americans focuses on the results, such speeches can be seen everywhere.For example,(13) .You have done a good job.你工作得不錯。(14) . Well don e!干得好！(15) . I am satisfied with what you have done.你所做的我很滿意。Meanwhile the Chinese emphasize

49、on the personal qualities: such as: “smart, wisdom and so on ”e. oWfte n hear such a compliment:16 . what a smart baby寶寶真聰明17 .Your mother is so capable你媽媽好能干18 .This is my colleague; he will study in the United Stated. 這是我同事，他就要去美國留學(xué)呢According to the compliment on achievements and ability, the Amer

50、icans pay much attention to reality, emphasizing the results. While Chinese like to use abstract language and beat about the bush with cautions. In addition, Wolfson and Manes?s studies have shown that “in western society people coming from the higher social status are more likely to use compliments

51、. This study also prove that compliment involved in ability and achievement is a sternly judge, which must be made by a capable person. Under unequal social status, especially between the working relationships, the competence to make a judge is strongly linked with higher technology and abundant kno

52、wledge. Besides, it is an overt rule to express your judgme nt in directly to your superiors”(王德杏，1998: 36). Ano ther rule is that it is wise to wish the uppers to make a judgment to their subordinate?s working behaviors. While in China, it is generally the lower social status or the inferior give a

53、 complement to the superiors as a means of acquiring favor from the supervisors. We often hear such compliments19 . 劉經(jīng)理真行，既有管理能力，又有組織能力 .It is because of such compliments that the higher manager can not grip the real situation, and may also cause errors in the actual work of leadership.6. Dispel Mis

54、understanding in Cross-cultural Communication.Wolfson pointed out, “in particular, what counts as a compliment may differ very much from one society to another. (Wolfs”on N, 1981: No 2) in the eyes of the Americans, some of their compliments seem to phrase someone, while for the Chinese it may be re

55、garded as humiliation. On the contrary， to we Chinese some apparent compliments may be nonsense or meant to offend toward Americans. The following example is a compliment for the Chinese people; but is offendence for Americans.20 . A: Your necklace is pure gold, isn?t it?B: Yes, it is. My husband bo

56、ught it for me.A: You are lucky to have a husband who earns so much. His money makes you more attractive.A: 你的項鏈是純金的吧！B: 是的，我老公賣給我的。A: 你真幸運，有一個能掙這么多錢的老公，把你包裝得越來越迷人了。Most Americans can not accept the above views. They will think the charming of B is made up by money, and talking about people?s income

57、 habsecome a violation of privacy to others. So if you compliment an American woman like this, she is bound to angry. Similarly, the westerners regard some paroles as a compliment, while the Chinese treat it to be incredible, even create a feeling of hatred. For example, Sino-foreign joint ventures

58、of U.S. Experts commented that the Chinese workers are very competent, saying “You are clever as well as owls”. But the translator translated it literally “你們像貓頭鷹一樣聰明”. This translation made the Chinese workers unhappy. In fact, at this time it was better for the interpreter to translateit as 你“們非 常

59、聰明”. Because in China owl is regarded as ominous sign that one may run into bad luck, while the Americans take the owl as a symbol of wisdom. So there is a saying in English “as well as an owl”(the same as the owl is so smar”t) .(沙保華， 1990：64)When analyzing the reasons of cross-cultural communication misu