The universality and individuality in English and Chinese proverbs 英汉谚语文化取向研究.docx

The universality and individuality in English and Chinese proverbs 英汉谚语文化取向研究.docx

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TheuniversalityandindividualityinEnglishandChineseproverbs英汉谚语文化取向研究

TheuniversalityandindividualityinEnglishandChineseproverbs

Introduction

ChineseandEnglishculturesaretwobigcultureswhicharecomplicatedanddifferentdistinctivelyfromeachother.Thelanguagesofthesetwocountriesalsobelongtotwodifferentlanguagefamilies.Proverbwhichderivefromlifeisoneofthemosttypicallyrepresentationofitslanguage.Asthemajorformofthesetwodifferentlanguages,ChineseandEnglishproverbscontainveryspecialandimportantculturalinformation,too.Becauseofthehugediversityofthesetwolanguages,thedifferentculturalorientationsseemtobeakeypoint.Therefore,excellentlyandpreciselylearningaboutproverbsontheirculturalorientationisveryimportantinachievingsuccessfulcross-culturalcommunication.Learningaforeignlanguagewellmeansmorethanmerelymasteringthewords,grammar,idiomsandallkindsofspecialphenomenon,orseparatelylearningthelanguageandculture.Italsomeanslearningthewaysinwhichtheirlanguagereflectstheirownculture,customsandbehavioroftheirsociety,learningtounderstandculturebyeverydetail.Inaword,learningalanguageisinseparablefromlearningitsculture.Proverbsarethediamondofalanguage.Languageispartofculture.Soasapartoflanguage,proverbscloselyintegratedwiththesocietyandculture.Proverbsreflectmanyaspectsofthenationsuchashumanknowledgeandexperience.Learningproverbisoneimportantaspectandwaystolearnalanguageandtounderstandonenation’sculture.ThisessayIaimtoanalyzeandcompareculturalorientationinChineseandEnglishproverbs.

ⅠLanguageandculture

Languageandculturearecloselyrelatedtoeachotherandinfluenceeachother.Languageandcultureofteninteractwitheachother,influentandshapeeachother.TheLanguageisthepartofculture,theisotopiccarrierofculture,themostimportantrepresentationofcultureandthecontaineroftheculture.Itplaysasignificantroleinculture.Language,tosomedegree,isthesymbolicrepresentationofonenation’sculture.Butlanguageisalsoinfluencedandshapedbyculture.Culturedeterminespeople’swayofexpressingbylanguageindifferentsituations.H.D.Brownstatedprecisely:

“Cultureisreallyanintegralpartoftheinteractionsbetweenlanguageandthought，Culturepatterns,customs,andwaysoflifeareexpressedinlanguage;Cultural-specificworldviewsarereflectedinlanguage.”[1]P11Nolanguagewilllivewithouthavingthefoundationofculture.“Languageisasystemofarbitraryvocalsymbols,asystemofsigns,createdbyhumanbeingsandusedforhumancommunication.”［2］P55

ⅡProverbandthemajorfeatures

2.1Definitionofproverb

OxfordAdvancedLearner’sEnglish-ChineseDictionarydefinesproverbas“proverb,ashortpopularsayingofunknownauthorship,expressingsomegeneraltruthorsuperstition.”[3]P1305WuZhankunholdsthatproverbsarethecrystalofnationalwisdomandexperience.Theyarefrequentlyusedorallyandhandeddownfromgenerationtogenerationandusuallygivepeopleinformationandspeakthetruth.［4］Fromallthesedefinitions,wecanseesomecommontypicalcharacteristicsofproverbs.Proverbsarecreatedbycommonpeoplebydailylifeandhandeddownfromgenerationtogeneration.EnglishandChineseproverbsareclear,colloquialandvivid.Thisisdecidedbyitsownproducers’societyclasses.Proverbsaretheproductionofthenationalintelligenceandexperience.Proverbsareverycolloquial,oftencomposedwithsimplewords,commonstyle,concisestructure,andvividlanguage.Sotheyareveryeasytoberememberedandunderstand.Proverbscanbeeasilyfoundinmostlanguageandareoftenveryancient,andtheyusuallygivepeopleadviceandwarning.

2.2Majorfeaturesofproverb

Proverbastheexperiencesoftheworkandlife,isthesummaryofthedailypractice,representtheuniversaltruthofeveryaspect.

2.2.1Origins

Aboutoriginofproverbs,theyusuallyareinfluencedbythereligion.Proverbsisusedastoolforthereligionstospreadtheirownthoughts.InChinese,fortheBuddhistandthefeudalismleaders,theproverbmayhandledowntheirdoctrineandcreedeasierandextensive.UndertheeffectoftheJesus,Englishproverbreflectstheethicsmorality.Second,manyproverbcomefromliteraryworks.Anation’sliteraryworksareitslanguage’sginger.Theypromotethedevelopmentoflanguagesomefamousstory,plot,eventhehero’snamebecomesproverbs.Therearemanygreatwritersineastandwest.TheyhadmadedistinctivecontributionstothedevelopmentofEnglishliterature.Third,accordingtothedevelopmentofthecommunicationwithothercountries,moreandmorelanguagecontactswitheachother.OtherlanguageimpactEnglishandChineseduringtheprocessofformingproverb.ManyEnglishproverbsarefromLatin,Greek,FrenchandChinese.ChineseproverbsareabsorbedformRussian,Japanandotherminoritynationality.

Forexample:

1.放下屠刀,立地成佛。

2.三个臭皮匠顶个诸葛亮。

《三国演义》（TheThreeKingdoms）

3.Godhelpsthosewhohelpthemselves.

4.“Thebiterissometimesbit.”isfromShakespeare’sHamlet.［5］

Example1isareligionrelatedproverbsfromBuddhistwhichgivingpeopleadvicetostopkilling.Example2comesfromaChineseliterarywork,meansthreecommonpeoplecanthinkoutmoreideasthanoneintelligencepeople.Example3comesfromthewesternreligionthatrepresentsthecreed.Example4comesfromtheShakespeare’sliterarywork.

2.2.2Contents

Inthistermofcontents,proverbsmainlyinvolvehistorycustoms,religiouscreedandgeographyaboutagriculturalproductionandsoon.

Almostalltheproverbsarepassedbytheancientpeople.Wedoesnotcreatenewproverbveryoften.Eachnationhasitsuniquehistory.Sinceproverbsarehistoricalproducts,theymayreflectsometypicalthingsofthenationalhistoryandthecountry.Chinahasalonghistoryabout2000yearsoffeudalsociety.People’mindandthoughtsarerestrainedbythegovernment.

EnglishproverbsarerelatedtothehistoryofEngland.

Example:

1.周瑜打黄盖，一个愿打，一个愿挨。

2.“Itisashardtopleaseaknaveasaknight.”［6］p49

Example1comesfromaChinesetraditionalstoryaboutatactic.Example2aknightsreferstoamangiventherankofknighthoodbytheBritishmonarch.TherearemanylegendsabouttheEnglishknights.

NomatteronEastandWest,religionisveryimportantforthedailylife.Religion,asthespiritcreed,hasahugeinfluenceofthesociety.Differentreligionsareformedbydifferentculturalbackgroundsanddifferentculturaltraditions.Butthebasiccreedshavemuchincommon:

pursuingcharityandgivingadmonish.Proverbsarecloselyrelatedtotheculture,soproverbscanreflectthedifferentreligiousfaith.

Forexample:

1.救人一命胜造七级浮屠。

2.ThewaytoheavenisbyWeepingCross.

Example1isanoldChineseproverb,showsthatsavingpeoples’lifeisthebestthing.Example2showsthatonlywaytoheavenisrepentance.

Languagereflectspeople’slifeenvironment.Livingcustomsgreatlyinfluenceandrestrictthesystemoflanguageexpressions.Everylanguageischaracterizedbyitsdifferentanduniquelivingcustoms.InChina,somefestivalmeansspecialmeaningforthepeople.ModernChinaisstillacountrythatcannotacceptkissingasanormalsocialcourtesy.Evensomeparentsdonotdothistotheirchildren.Thisisadistinctivefeatureshowingthedifferencesbetweenlivingcustom,becauseinwesterncountrykissingisthenormalcourtesyforthestrangerorthefamilymembers.Example:

1.“吃了重阳酒，夜作不离手。

”

2.Unkissed,unkind.

Example1showsthatwhenpeoplemeetChongyangfestival,drinkingisthewayofcelebration.Example2reflectsthatkissingisanormalcourtesyinwesterncountry.

Intheancienttime,theagricultureisthemostimportantissueofonecountry.Anation’sgeographicalenvironmentisbasesoftheagricultureanditdecidesthedevelopingofthelifelevelandtheprocessofthewholesociety.Thegeographicalfeaturesareinevitablyreflectedintheproverbsofthelanguage.Englandisanislandcountry,andnogoodenoughsunshineandsuitableearthforcultivation.Ithasabigadvantageofsailingandfishing.Somanyproverbsrespectthesecharacters.Chinaisatraditionalagriculturecountry.Almostallthepeoplearefarmers.Proverbs,asthecrystalofthefarmer,accumulatemanywisdomandintelligence.

Example:

1.春雨贵如油。

2.Beingonthesea,sail;beingontheland,settle.

Example1showsthatinChina,whenspringcomes,therainisveryrareandprecious.Example2showsthatEnglishpeoplemakelingforsailingandfishing.AgricultureisnotfitatetheenvironmentonEngland.

2.2.3Figuresofspeech

Proverbsuserhetoricaldevicestoattractthereadersdeeply.ManyChineseandEnglishproverbsusethesamerhetoricaldevicessuchassimile,metaphor,repetition,hyperboleexaggerate,Antithesis,Synecdoche,personificationandsoon.Wecanfinditsinfluenceineverycornerinliterature.Rhetoricisabetterwayforpeopletoexpresstheirthinking,feelings,andtheiremotionsandtoletotherpeopletounderstand.ThoughChineseandEnglisharetwototallydifferentlanguagesaroundtheworld,wecanexcitedfindthat,comparisonwiththerhetoricofChinese,itisnotsohardtofindthattherearelotsoffigureofspeechwhichcanbothuseinEnglishandChinese.

Example:

1.割麦如救火。

2.Timeisfatheroftruth.

ⅢCulturalOrientationsinChineseandEnglishProverbs

3.1DifferentculturalorientationsinChineseandEnglishproverbs

BothintheEnglishandChineselanguageproverbsarewidelyused.Theyarepassedfromgenerationtogenerationwithfewchanges.Theamountofthe