語言學(xué)導(dǎo)論課程論文

1、 外國語學(xué)院語言學(xué)導(dǎo)論課 程 論 文 課題名稱：英文題目Cultural Differences in English and Chinese Idioms中文題目英漢習(xí)語中的語言文化差異學(xué)生姓名：褚宏川學(xué) 號：10131140134專 業(yè)：英語班 級：2010級1班授課教師：韓澤亭2012年12月Cultural Differences in English and Chinese IdiomsAbstract: Language is the main carrier of culture. Idioms are the essence of a language, and also th

2、e quintessence of a nations culture and wisdom. English and Chinese idioms carry the different national cultural characteristics and cultural information. Among these idioms, a large number of them are connected with geography，customs, historical allusion, and religion.In order to understand these i

3、dioms clearly, this paper will analyze cultural differences from four aspects of geography, customs, historical allusion, and religion. 摘要：語言是文化的主要載體。習(xí)語是語言的本質(zhì),也是一個國家文化和智慧的精髓。英漢習(xí)語攜帶不同的民族文化特色和文化信息。在這些習(xí)語中有很大一部分都與地理、風(fēng)俗、歷史典故、和宗教有關(guān)。為了更加清晰的理解這些習(xí)語,本文將從地理、風(fēng)俗、歷史典故、和宗教四個方面分析文化差異。Key words：English and Chinese i

4、dioms，cultural comparison,cultural differences;關(guān)鍵詞：英漢習(xí)語;文化比較；文化差異I. Introduction Idiom is a fixed group of words or a single word, or even a sentence with a special meaning that cannot be guessed from the literal meaning of its components. “Language is the carrier container of culture, and is strong

5、ly influenced and shaped by culture.” So in order to learn English idioms, one cannot ignore the importance of the cultural meanings they contain. As the essence of languages,idioms have two features: semantic unity and structural stability. On its broad sense, idioms including set phrases, proverbs

6、, sayings, colloquialisms, allusions and so on are an important part of the language and culture.Humans life is closely related to geography, customs, historical allusion, and religion, and there are an increasing number of English and Chinese idioms about them which are concise, readable and vivid.

7、 And with the development of economy and science, globalization is a more and more obvious phenomenon. The relationship between countries is becoming closer and closer. In order to understand these idioms more clearly and make the international communication more effectively, it is useful and necess

8、ary to compare such idioms. . Reasons causing cultural differencesCulture is an extremely complex concept and an enormous subject. Culture consists of all the shared products of human society. This means not only material things such as cities, organizations and schools, but also non-material things

9、 such as ideas, customs, family patterns, languages.In short, culture refers to the entire way of a society, or the way of people. 2.1 Different geographyGeographic environment is the foundation of humans existence and development, so different geographic environments have different influences on th

10、e formation and development of the nations culture . China is located in Eastern Asia, the west coast of Pacific Ocean. China is always a country which agriculture plays an important role since ancient time, so a large number of idioms related to agriculture have been in use.e.g. (1)槁木死灰withered woo

11、d or cold ashes (2)骨瘦如柴be lean as a rake (3)腳踩兩只船 sit on the fenceThe UK is located in the Western Hemisphere. Living on an island, the English are keen on sailing and traveling, the English language abounds in idioms connected with navigation .e.g. (1) all at sea不知所措 (2)in the same boat同舟共濟 (3)Neve

12、r offer to teach fish to swim不要班門弄斧 (4)as strong as a horse 力大如牛 (5)drink like a horse牛飲 2.2 Different customsCustom is a social phenomenon, which involves various aspects of social life. Social custom is an important part of culture and it is also a critical difference between English and Chinese c

13、ulture. The differences are indicated from the idioms related to animals and colors .In China, idioms related to dragon are usually positive while idioms related to dog are often negative. For example: “狐朋狗友”, “狗急跳墻”, “狗頭”.Although in English, “dog” contains derogatory connotation, such as: “go to t

14、he dogs”, “die like a dog”, “l(fā)ead a dogs life”, “a sly dog”, “blush like a black dog”, “put on the dog”. However, English idioms are opposite. “Dragon” is a divine totem in the Chinese culture, and is greatly admired by the Chinese people and they consider themselves as the descendants of the dragon

15、. Dragon is the symbol of all auspicious animals. For example: “望子成龍”, “龍騰虎躍”, “臥虎藏龍”, “龍盤虎踞”. In English the word “dragon” symbolizes evil. Such as: “the old dragon”, “dragons teeth”. Additionally, Chinese people take “owl” as a symbol of bad luck. But in the UK, there is “as wise as an owl”. “owl”

16、 in English stands for wisdom. Red is usually considered as a symbol of happiness and thriving, but it is usually related to violence and blood in English.In China, “magpie” is a bird that tells people good news. In the UK, magpie is a noisy bird.e.g. (6) 狗急跳墻a concerned beast will do something desp

17、erate (7) 乘龍快婿an ideal son-in-law (8) Love me, love my dog愛屋及烏 (9)a lucky dog幸運兒 (10) the day in the sun紅極一時 (11) a red rag to a bull激起暴怒的緣由 2.3 Influence of historical allusion Historical allusion is rich in historical and cultural information, which has a strong ethnic color and distinctive cultur

18、al identity. It is the best to reflect the characteristics of different historical cultures.Many Chinese idioms come from fables, historical events and folk legends.e.g. (1) 亡羊補牢Its never too late to mend. (2) 三顧茅廬make three calls at the thatched cottage (3) 愚公移山how Yugong moved the mountainsCompare

19、d with that, many English idioms are from ancient Greek and Roman myths and the works written by great masters such as Shakespeare .e.g. (1)at one fell swoop剎那之間 (2) arrow of Cupid丘比特之箭 (3)the Trojan horse特洛伊木馬2.4 Influence of religionEvery nationality has its own religious belief and culture and it

20、 has influence on humans values, behaviors and linguistic expression. As a result, many idioms related to religion appeared in both English and Chinese . Buddhism and Taoism are the two major religions in Chinas history. On the other hand, Christianity has the biggest impact in Europe, and many English idioms are from the Bible and Christianity.e.g. (1) 借花獻佛offer