An Analysis on the Relationship between Culture and Language浅析语言与文化的关系Word文档格式.docx
《An Analysis on the Relationship between Culture and Language浅析语言与文化的关系Word文档格式.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《An Analysis on the Relationship between Culture and Language浅析语言与文化的关系Word文档格式.docx(7页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
89)
PioneeringanthropologistEdwardTylorin1920putforwardaclassicdefinitionofculturewhichdefinesthatcultureisacompoundwhich
includesknowledge,belief,geography,art,law,morals,customsandanyothercapabilitiesandhabitsacquiredbymanasamemberofsociety.(ChangZhonglin,2003:
21)
Kramschoffersthreedefinitionsinherbooklanguageandcultureinthefollowing:
1.Membershipinadiscoursecommunitythatsharesacommonsocialspaceandhistory,andacommonsystemofstandardsforperceiving,believing,evaluatingandacting.2.Thediscoursecommunityitself.3.Thesystemofstandardsitself.(Kramsch,1998:
127)
Cultureismoreorlesssynonymouswithcivilization.Itrests
ultimatelyupontheclassicalconceptionofwhatconstitutesexcellencein
art,literature,mannersandsocialinstitutions.Culturereferstothetotal
patternofbeliefs,customs,andtechniquesthatcharacterizethelifeofaparticularsociety.Inaworditisthetotalwayoflifeofasociety.(张莱湘,2005:
221)
Theword“culture”inChineseconsistsoftwocharacterswen(文)andhua(化)•Theformermeant:
“texture”inoldChinese.Lateritsmeaningwasenlargedtomeanextensivelythecodesandsymbols,culturalrelicsandbooks,aswellasnotionsofcourtesyandmorality.Thelattermeant“turntochanges”.Whentheywerefirstcollocatedtogethertomeanknowledge,theirmeaningswerenotasinclusiveasatthepresenttimeincontemporaryChinese.Inthe19thcentury,thecollocatedChineseword“wenhua”adoptedmoreconnotativemeaningsfromthewesterncountries.Itextendsfromitsnarrowerdefinition,whichincludesallthethingsachievedbyhumancivilizations.(ChangZhonglin,2003:
22)
2.2Importanceofculture
Fromtheabovedefinitionsofculture,itiseasytoconcludetheimportanceofculture.
Culturedistinguishesusfromanimal.Everynationhasitsowndistinctiveculture.Humanbeings,carryingculturalfeatures,passoverfromgenerationtogeneration.Ononehand,culturemayhavepeopleidentified.Peoplefromthesamecultureusuallysharesomeculturalfeaturesincommon.Thatistosaytheycancooperateandbeunitedeasily,especiallywhentheyareattackedbypeoplefromothercultures.Ontheotherhand,peoplefromdifferentculturesusuallycanalsoenjoyapeacefullivingthroughculturalcommunicationwhichalwaysmakesthehumancivilizationmoreprosperousandourglobemoreprogressive.
3.Language
3.1Definitionoflanguage
Justlikeculture,languagealsohasseveraldefinitionsdependingonthedifferentapproachestothestudyoflanguage.
ForSaussure,languageisasystemorastructureofsignscombinedtogethertoproducemeaningandthemeaningisdeterminedbytheirrelationships.(胡壮麟,2001:
24)
In1935,influencedbyBehavioristPsychology,Bloomfieldpresentedlanguageintermsofstimulusandreaction,meaningthatlanguageenablesonepersontomakeareactionwhenanotherpersonhasthe
stimulus.
Chomskyconsideredlanguageasetofsentences,eachfiniteinlengthandconstructedoutofafinitesetofelements,focusingonthepurelystructuralpropertiesoflanguage.
Languageisapurelyhumanandnon-instinctivemethodofcommunicatingideas,emotions,anddesiresbymeansofasystemofvoluntarilyproducedsymbols.Thesesymbolsareauditoryandareproducedbytheorgansofspeech.(杨达复,2002:
6)
Sociologistsarguethatlanguageissocialbehaviorandlanguagehasasocialfunction,bothasameansofcommunicationandalsoawayofidentifyingsocialgroups.
Thoughthedefinitionsforlanguagearenotunique,itistheconsensusofmostlinguiststhatlanguageisdefinedasasystemofarbitraryvocalsymbolsdesignedforthepurposeofhumancommunication.
3.2Importanceoflanguage
Languageistheproductofthedevelopmentofsocietyandtakesanimportantroleinsociety.Peoplecan’tcommunicatewithoutlanguage.Itisnotonlytheprimevehicleofhumancommunicationbutalsoacrucialunifyingandregulatingforcethatformspeopleidentity,bindsthemtotheircultureandenableseveryhumansocietytofunction.Languagecanhelppeopleexpresstheirunderstandingoftheworld.
4.Relationshipbetweencultureandlanguage
Languageandculturearecloselyrelated,theycan’tbeseparated.Theyaffecteachother.Languageisanimportantpartofculture.Somesocialscientistsconsideritasthekeystoneofculture.Theyclaimthatculturewouldbeimpossiblewithoutlanguage.Meanwhile,languageisinfluencedandshapedbyculture.Anditreflectsculture.
4.1Cultureaffectslanguage
Fromthedefinitionofculture,weknowthatcultureincludesgeography,religion,tradition,custom,valueandsoon.Infact,cultureoftenaffectslanguagethroughthem.
4.1.1Geography
Everynationlivesandworksinacertainnaturalenvironment,whichisreflectedbyitslanguage.Peoplefromdifferentregionsmayhavedifferentlanguages.Theyusedifferentwords,metaphorstoexpresstheirviewstowardstheirenvironment.Inthefollowing,I’llgiveexamplestoexplainmyviewindetails.
ChristmasisthemostimportantfestivalinWesterncountries.TheAmericanandsomeEuropeanpeoplewholiveintheNorthernHemisphere,associateChristmaswithcoldwinter,graysky,thicksnow
andbeautifuldecorations.However,theAustralianswholiveinSouthern
HemisphereassociateChristmaswithenchantingsunshine,azuresky,
vastbeach.
“ShallIcomparetheetoasummer’sday”insonnet18waswrittenbyShakespeare.It’sdifficultforChinesetounderstand.InChinasummerisaveryhotandunpleasantseason.ButtoBritish,summeristhebestseason.Itmeanswarmandpleasantweather.
BritainIslandissurroundedbysea.That’sthereasonthatwordsortermsaboutseaandboatarerich,suchassmoothsailing,allatsea;
ship,ferry,canoe,barge,yawl.Onthecontrary,ChinesepeoplehavebeenlivingintheAsiaIslandforthousandsofyearsandagriculturehasalonghistory.Theyhavemysteriousandawesomefeelingtowardsea.Wecanknow
fromtheterms海水不可斗量,海底捞针,茫茫大海,烟波浩淼,怒'
涛?
闪涌。
Andtherearemanytermsderivingfromfarming.Forinstance枯木逢春,顺藤摸瓜,斩草除根,解屮归田。
(金惠康,2002:
280)
Thewords“bamboo”and“lotus”havespecialculturalconnotativemeaningsinChineseculture,whicharenotfoundinwesternculture.ManyChinesepoetsusedthemintheirpoemstospeakhighlyoftheexemplaryconductandnobilityofcharacter.Idiomsaboutthesewordsarealsocommon.Forexample,月匈有成竹(Haveawellgrownbambooinone’smind),雨后春笋(Bambooshootsafteraspringrain);
莲,出淤泥而不染(Thoughcomingfromthemud,lotusisnotpolluted).SinceEnglandisnotthenativelandofthem,Englishpeoplearenotfamiliarwiththem.ThesewordsseldomarouseassociationsinEnglishculture.InEnglish,suchwordsasshepherd,sea,lark,rose,nightingalecanexpressgoodandwonderfulorromanticassociativemeaning.Wecanknowfromthepoems“OdetoTheNightingale”byJohnKeats,“Toaskylark”byPercyByssheShelley,and“ARed,RedRose”byRobert
Burns.
ItisknownthatEskimosusedifferenttermsfordifferentkindsofsnow.
Englishpeoplehaveonly“snow”intheirlanguage.Itmakesnodifferentamongfallingsnow,snowontheground,andblowingsnow.ButEskimosdonothaveawordinclusivelyforallkindsofsnow.ItissaidthatAztecsgeneralizeevenmorethanEnglishpeople.Theyhaveonlyonetermforcold,iceandsnowintheirlanguage.(ChangZhonglin,
2003:
28)
4.1.2Religion
Nearlyeverynationhasitsreligion.Religionisanimportantpartinculture.Manydailyusedwordsarefromreligion.
MostwesternpeoplebelieveinChristianity.TherearemanywordsandidiomscomingfromBible.SoifyouwanttolearnEnglishwell,you’dbetterlearnBible.Otherwise,youdon’tunderstandwhatsomeidiomsimply.Forinstance:
Adam’sapple(喉结);
myrib(我妻);
bearone’scross(背负十字架);
ItiseasierforacameltogothroughtheeyeofaneedlethanforarichmantoenterintothekingdomofGod.(zg人进天堂比骆驼穿过针眼还难);
Judas’skiss(背叛)。
ChinesewereonceinfluencedbyBuddhism,andthat’sthereasonthatwehaveidiomssuch
as佛法无边;
苦海无边,冋头是岸;
看破红尘;
救人一命,胜造七级浮屠。
Whenmentionaboutholyland,differentculturesassociatedifferentplaces.ForChristians,theynaturallyassociateJerusalem.ForBuddhist,theythinkofIndia.ForIslam,Meccaisregardedastheirholyland.
4.1.3Habitsandcustoms
Everyculturehasitsspecificfeatures,whichisreflectedthroughlanguage.
Chinesepeoplefromsomeregionsareaccustomedtosleepona“炕”(aheatablebed)•Theyeat“冰糖葫芦”(cand