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1、A Comparison of Cultural Connotations of Animal Words in English and ChineseAbstractLanguage is the carrier of culture. The animal words, widely used in both English and Chinese, reflect the similarities and differences of the two languages. Based on analysis of the animal words with cultural connot
2、ation, it explains and compares the general and specific characters of these words used in English and Chinese. Under the different background, the animal words have abundant cultural connotation. The same animal words in English and Chinese have the same connotation, the different cultural connotat
3、ion or no corresponding meaning; the different animal words have the same cultural connotation. The paper deals with the difference in the traditional culture, the aesthetic orientation, the way of thinking etc, helping people to understand the reason why the similarities and differences exist in an
4、imal words is useful to achieve the across-cultural communication and increase the understanding of different cultures.Key words: animal words cultural connotation similarities and differences association 摘 要语言是文化的载体，动物词在英汉语当中有很广泛的应用。英汉两种文化的异同同样也反映在所使用的文化动物词中，并分析动物词语的丰富的文化内涵，并对动物词在英汉语中的异同进行了阐述和对比。在不
5、同的文化背景下，动物词有不同的联想意义。英汉语中相同的动物词意义相同，内涵相同，相反或不对应等等；不同的动物词，内涵相似。本文就从传统文化，审美观念，思维方式等几个原因分别进行探讨，搞清这些异同有助人们顺利进行跨文化交际，增进对文化的了解.关键词：动物词 文化内涵 异同 联想 ContentsAbstracti摘要iiContentsiiiIntroduction1 1 The same animal words have same cultural connotations in English and Chinese2 1.1 The same animal has similar bas
6、ic attributes2 1.2 The human evolution causes English and Chinese animal words characteristics to have common characteristics32 The same animal words have different cultural connotations in English and Chinese4 2.1 The traditional culture makes same animal words have typically national cultural char
7、acteristics4 2.2 The aesthetic orientation is different62.3 The mode of thinking is different83 The same animal words have no corresponding cultural connotations in English and Chinese9 3.1 The geographical environment is different10 3.2 The same animal has the different influence and position in th
8、e English and Chinese minds104 The different animal words have the similar cultural connotation in English and Chinese11Conclusion.12Bibliography13Acknowledgement.1414-IntroductionLanguage is the principal means whereby we conduct our social lives. When it is used in contexts of communication, it is
9、 bound up with culture in multiple and complex ways.To begin with, the words people utter refer to common experience. They express facts, ideas or events that are communicable because they refer to a stock of knowledge about the world that other people share. Words also reflect their authors attitud
10、es and beliefs. Language expresses cultural reality. But members of a community or social group do not only express experience, but also create experience through language. They give meaning to it through the medium they choose to communicate with one another, through its verbal and non-verbal aspec
11、ts, language embodies cultural reality. Finally, language is a system of signs that is seemed as having itself a cultural value. Speakers identify themselves and others through their use of language; they view their language as a symbol of their social identity. The prohibition of its use is often p
12、erceived by its speakers as a rejection of their social group and their culture. Thus we can say that language symbolizes cultural reality. Language can mean in two fundamental ways, both of which are intimately linked to culture: through what it says or what it refers to as semantics, and through w
13、hat it does as an action in context (pragmatics). Sign establish between words and things various semantic relations of denotation, connotation, or iconicity that give general meaning to the world. In addition, signs establish semantic relations with other signs in the direct environment of verbal e
14、xchanges, or in the historical context of a discourse community. The creation of meaning through sign is not arbitrary, but is, rather, guided by the human desire for recognition, influence, power, and the general motivation for social and cultural survival.1 Language is the carrier of culture; Voca
15、bulary is the essential factor of language. There are so many aspects, which express on the semantic relationship of language in English and Chinese. the same animal words between English and Chinese have the different associations in the most case. On the one hand, the animal becomes the humans sou
16、rce of basic necessities. Such close relation makes people like to produce the intricate emotion, for example: sympathy, favorite, fear etc. On the other hand, many animals were endowed with the divinity by people. The human believe the divinity from the animals. So the different animal words have t
17、he different connotations, and the animal image form the specific animal culture in the different nations. Under the different languages and different cultural backgrounds, there exist similar and different connotations between English and Chinese animal words. When animal words choose the compared
18、image, the same image has similar cultural connotations, for example: fish in troubled water. Some same image has different cultural connotations, for example: like a fish out of water, many a cow hath a bad calf, cry stinking fish. The same image has no corresponding cultural connotations, for exam
19、ple: rain the cat and dog; bell the cat. Some different images have similar meanings, for example: like a rat in the hole, cherish a snake in ones bosom. Some different images have similar meanings, for example: hold a wolf by the ears, like a rat in the hole. This essay will deal with the reasons w
20、hy exist the similarities and differences in English and Chinese animal words.1 The same animal words have the same cultural connotations. In different nations, some same animal images have the same or similar cultural connotations. For example: he is a fox. Obviously, fox means the person who is fr
21、audulent and cunning in English and Chinese. Such as: as cunning as a fox. It is clear to see that fox in English and Chinese has the same cultural connotations. 1.1 The same animal words have the similar attributes.Every animal has its own special body, appearance and attribute etc. From the angle
22、of animal attribute, some animal words produce the same or similar association, because the ecological environment of human life is roughly similar, the people in China and English all know animal in terms of basic attribute, the some animal words have the same the association.There are a lot of sam
23、e animal words with the same cultural connotations. Sheep is considered as a kind of tame and docile animal in Chinese and western cultures. Sheep has the gentle, respectful and submissive personality. Parrot is an animal that can imitate the voice of people. It describes the person who has not inde
24、pendent opinion imitates others and says what others say. Wolf has greedy, fierce and cruel instinct. There is similar expression, as cruel as a wolf. Pig has lazy, foolish and ugly image, for example: eating like a pig, making a pig of oneself. (It means some body that eats and drinks extravagantly
25、). Honeybee is a busy and industrious symbol in English and Chinese. Such as: as busy as honeybee. Pigeon is a peaceful symbol. So Chinese call the pigeon the dove of peace. Donkey is used for describing the foolish people without head in Chinese and English, for example: make an ass of oneself. (Ma
26、ke oneself do the stupid thing). There are a lot of same animal words that have same cultural connotations. The animal lives in the same world, so they have the same ecological environment. The same animal words have the similar or same basic attribute in the same cultural connotations.1.2 The avera
27、ge evolution of human culture causes the common characteristics of animal words in English and Chinese.The human evolution expresses in the process of human civilized development, it refers to the different nations exist the life experiment and ideological recognition. Some experts called it the cul
28、tural overlaps. It refers to the mankind and external conditions that it depends on. And even, there are some commoners to a certain extent in the whole human social cultural background. The commoners form the common recognition of mankind and objective world, it makes the language that has the comm
29、on characteristics as communication of tool. some idioms in English and Chinese demonstrate the surprising similar or same cultural characteristics too. For example: deer is tame. (as timid and tame as a deer ). Snail is slowly (as slow as a snail). Fox is cunning and sly. Cock is proud (As proud as
30、 a cock). Sheep is lovely (as lovely as a sheep). Bee is busy (as busy as a bee). Monkey is naughty (as naughty as a monkey). Pig is dirty and greedy (as dirty and greedy as a pig). Parrot is the person who imitates what the others say (to parrot what the others say). 2 Except the human civilized co
31、mmon characteristics, we will consider the contribution to cultural development of the cultural exchanges factor. In the process of the communication, human languages of various nationalities constantly absorb a large number of foreign words. For example: “A paper tiger” in English comes from Chines
32、e. “A blank horse ”, “ a wolf in sheeps clothing” in Chinese comes from English. The exchange between Chinese and English has made borrow words from each other. Because of the exchange, human culture could develop and merge a bit. The advanced culture after developing and merging has promoted the ex
33、change among various nationalities. It must make outstanding cultural heritage and language quintessence drawn lessons and used by various nationalities.2 The same animal words have different cultural connotations. Under the different backgrounds, different cultural backgrounds produce different ass
34、ociation to the same animal words. It gives the same animal words with more abundant cultural connotations. For example: the “goat” brand alarm clock that China produced has great demand in the international market. In Britain, nobody shows any interest in. the reason lies in some words of trademark
35、. Goat in Chinese represents the learned person. The children in the kindergarten all know the grandfather of sheep has rich knowledge. But goat in English is expressed the lustful man who isnt decent. In the historical development of two English-Chinese nationalities, the animal words exit the diff
36、erent cultural connotations. Because of the difference of traditional culture, aesthetic orientation, the type of thinking, the same animal words have the different cultural connotations. 2.1 The traditional culture makes same animal words with bright national cultural characteristics. Every nation
37、has its own traditional culture. The traditional culture expresses on mythology, fable, religion, and superstition etc. The mythology of Greece and Rome is the part of cultural heritage in the western culture. The mythology of China is the part of cultural heritage. There are the description of the
38、dragon in Chinese and English. Oxford advanced learners English-Chinese dictionary explained: a imaginary animal with wings and claw, able to breath out fire fierce person, especially, a woman .for example: The woman in charge of the accounts department is an absolute dragon.4 Collins COBUILD Englis
39、h language dictionary said: If you call a woman is a dragon, you mean that she is fierce and unpleasant. For example: She is a bit of a dragon around this place. The Bible said the dragon is the symbol of evil. Satan who is the enemy of God is called the great dragon. Dragon is also the representati
40、ve in the paint of the Christianity. Beowulf is a heroic epic that hero killed the ferocious dragon and got victory. So, dragon usually associates with “fierce and ferocious.” However, dragon is the totemic image in the Chinese history. Dragon stands for lucky, honorable and authoritative. In the le
41、gend, dragon is the magical animal that can revitalize the cloud and rainfall. Totem image in china of clan have the process of evolution, such as: bear, tiger, bird and so on. At last, totem is constantly sacred, and form many kinds of animal comprehensive totem image of characteristics, just like
42、dragon, phoenix and so on. For instance: the dragon has shape of such many kinds of animals as snakes, the beast, the fish, etc, it is a animal of illusion relying mainly on snake. It has reflected the course of merging constantly in China clan. In the feudal society, the dragon is the symbol of the
43、 emperor. The past dynasties emperors all called themselves as the emperor of the real dragon. Today, China is the dragon in the east.3 phoenix also has the bright mythological animal. Oxford Advanced learners English-Chinese Dictionary said: phoenix is mythical bred of the Arabian Desert, said to l
44、ive for several hundred years before it ashes. 4 Phoenix means regeneration and revive. For example: 1) Religion, like a phoenix has been resurrected from the ashes of the war.2) Out of the ashes of the suffragette Movement, Phoenix-like, a new feminist militancy was being born. 3In Chinese traditio
45、nal culture, phoenix is a mysterious animal. It is a king of the birds. People regard phoenix as queen. So, the phoenix symbolized lucky, the phoenix is a mysterious animal, and the dragon、the tortoise、Chinese unicorn, calls four jinn. It has the neck of snake, the tail of fish, the line of dragon,
46、the body of tortoise. It was the totem of the snake tribe in east, and then merged and deified with other animal totem. People think the phoenix is the king of the birds. So there are one hundred statements from bird to phoenix. In the old ancient, people believe phoenix indicates the world is at pe
47、ace. In the ancient time, Emperor is a symbol of God, phoenix is a symbol of queen, and so the emperor gets married and called them “prosperity brought by the dragon and the phoenix.” And “the gold phoenix has appears in the nest of out-of the way mountain area” is that the person with the special a
48、bility has appeared in the remote village.3 So, the same animal words have the different connotations, every nation has their owns traditional culture which express on the many factor, mythology, fable, religion, and superstition and so on. All of this makes the same animal words have the different association. Traditional culture in different nations makes the same animal words have the different cultural connotations.2.2 The aesthetic orientation is different The different nations use the different sights to see the world. At different angle of