the difference of color in chinese and english and the cause of the difference英语专业.docx

the difference of color in chinese and english and the cause of the difference英语专业.docx

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thedifferenceofcolorinchineseandenglishandthecauseofthedifference英语专业

TheDifferenceofColorinChineseandEnglishandtheCauseoftheDifference

Background

Thoughcolorisfewinnumber,tothelargeextent,itdemonstratesthedifferenceoftheconnotationofdifferentlanguageandculture.Thus,topeoplebelongtodifferentculture,colorcausesdifferentassociativemeanings,andtheconnotationmeaningsofcolorsarenotdefinitelythesame,whichcausesthedifferenceindifferentcultureandlanguageinusingcolorwords.

Tothepracticalapplicationofcolorwords,accordingtoPalmer（1984［1976］:

75）,anylanguage,evenifithasthesimilarcolorcodewithotherlanguage,butowningtotheinfluenceofculture,thecontentsitindicatingaredifferentfromeachother.ThisresearchpaperisgoingtodiscussthematterofthedifferenceoftheassociativemeaningofcolorbothinChineseandinEnglishthroughmethodofcomparisonandcontrastofthefrequentlyusedcolorwordsofred,yellow,blue,green,white,andblack,andthereasonsofthethesedifference.

LiteratureReview

ManyresearcharticlesandbookscontrastandcomparethedifferenceofthecolorwordsinChineseandinEnglish,andsomeofthemgivethereasonofwhythesedifferencesareformed［XieandZhang,2004;Mu,2010;Liang,2004;Qing,2003;Zhou,2002;ZhouandZhang,2002;Zhang,1999;Heider,1971;KayandChad,1978;Maclaury,1991;］however,nearlyallthesebooksjustsaidthereasonswhichcausesthedifferencesofcolorwordsareculturebelongingtodifferentsocialcommunitiesingeneral.Whatthesebooksfailedtodoistofocusonthespecificreasonsonwhatpartofcultureofasocialcommunityandthespecificreasonsofpeopleorwhatnotthatinfluencetheformationofthesedifference.

Tofindoutthereasonsoftheformationofthedifference,Mu（2010）comparedandcontrastedthecolorwords,especiallythefrequentlyusedcolorwordsrespectively,andanalyzedgenerallyontherespectofculture.WhileLi（2003）justtrappedinthestudyoffrequentlyusedcolorsandthestudyofpeople’spreferenceofusingcolorwords.Andstudiesofcolorwordsaremostlyviaillustrationandlackofsystematicalexploitationandanalysisofthecolorwords.Besides,Zhou（2002）collectedlargeamountoflanguagematerialsaboutcoloranddiscussedthedifferentfunctionsoftheusageofcolorwordsinbothChineseandEnglishthroughanalysis,induction,andcomparison.Andhealsobroughtuphisownideaabouthowthesedifferencesformed.

ResearchDesignandMethodology

Toconductthisstudy,thefollowingquestionwasposed

WhatcausedthedifferentassociativemeaningofcolortermsinChineseandEnglish?

Toinvestigatethisquestion,thefirstthingneedtodoistocompareandcontrastthecolorwordsbothinChineseandinEnglishrespectively.

RED

InChinesetraditionalculture,HongorZhu（red）isoftenusedtoexpressthemeaningofappreciation.Itstandsforimprovementandpleasure.InChinesepeople’sopinion,redsymbolizesjubilation,luck,success,andprosperity.（XieandZhang,2004）InancientChina,ZhuMen（thefrontdoorwhichwaspaintedred）wasusuallyusedtorepresentthehousesofaristocratsandthegovernmentofficials.AndZhuYi（redcloth）wasthecloththenoblepeoplewearing.HongRenistheonewhoistrustedbyhissuperiorandisoftenputinanimportantposition.IntraditionalChineseweddingceremony,peopleusedredpaper-cutandredcandlestodecoratethehouseandboththebrideandbridegroommustinredcloth,whichmeanstheirmarriedlifeisgoingtobeverygoodandhappy.DuringtheSpringFestival,peopleglueonthewalltheSpringFestivalscrolls,whichisredincolorandhangredlanterns,inordertogetsomesortofgoodluck.

WhileinEnglish,redisthecolorofbloodandfire,whichleadtotheassociativemeaningof“dangerous”“bleedingblood”or“terror”.Thus,inEnglishculture,redisawordwithstronglypejorativemeaning.Itrepresentscruelty,disaster,mania,andwhatnot.Forexample,“redbattle”“redactivity”“theredrulesoftoothandclaw”“seered””red-handed”“red-tape”“redtape”or“red-blooded”.（Bai,1993）

However,redalsopresentsthemeaningofjubilation,suchasthered-letter-day,androllingouttheredcarpetforsomebody.

BothinChineseandinEnglish,redhaspornographicassociativemeaning.Butthereisalittledifferencebetweenthem,ChinesepeoplepreferpinkwhileEnglishspeakingpeopleismorelikelytochoosescarlet.

YELLOW

InChineseculture,Huang（yellow）hasagreatabundanceofconnotations.Therearealotofwordsrelatedtoyellow,whicharerichinculturalconnotation.InChinese,yellowisalwaysthecolorenjoyingitspopularityamongChinesepeopleinancienttimes.Itoftenrelatedtoreligion,royalpower,andsoon,andalsosymbolizedsacredness,respect,andsolemnity.（Song,2009）Besides,Chinesepeopleoftenassociateyellowwithdeath,forexampleHuangQuan,whichmeanstheplacewherepeoplebeenaftertheirdeath.

However,withthedevelopmentofgenerationandthedeclineofroyalfamily,yellowproducesthepornographicassociativemeaning,especiallyafter1980’s,yellowisequaltopornography.Andyellowistherepresentativeofdegeneration,obscenity.

WhileinEnglish,yellowisoftenrelatedtocowardiceandfear,suchas“turnyellow”“yellowbelly”“yellowstreak”“yellow-livered”.AndinEnglish,yellowalsorelatestobetrayal,evil,forinstance,“yellowdog”“yellowunion”“yellow-dogcontract”andsoon.Besides,“yellowjournalism”and“yellowpress”（Chen,2010a）inEnglisharenotthesameasHuangSeShuKan（pornography）inChinese.AllthementionedwordsaboutyellowarepejorativeinEnglish.

BLUE

InChinese,thereisnotmuchassociativemeaningaboutblue.ButinEnglish,blueisrichinassociativemeaning.Bluestandsforroyalfamily,nobility,loyalty,justice,melancholyandalsopornography.Forinstance,peopleusebluebloodtodescribearistocraticandblue-ribbonandbluestocking（Chen,2010b）andsoon.InChinese,peopleuseyellowtorepresentpornography,butinEnglish,theyuseblue.Forexample,abluejoke,abluemovie.

GREEN

BothinChineseandinEnglish,greenhastheassociativemeaningofspring,life,youth,healthy,andenvironmentalprotection.Greenalsopresentsconcord,friendship,peace,andhope.ButtherearealsosomedifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglishoftheassociativemeaning.

InChinese,Lv（green）isrelatedtofemaleandlasciviousness.Greenisoftenusedtodescribefemale,suchas“LvYun”whichmeanstheblackhairofafemale.Greensymbolizeshumbleandheterodox（XieandZhang,2004）inancienttimes.Anditisalsoassociatedwithsex,suchas“dailvmaozi”whichmeansbecuckoldedand“Qing（green）Lou”meansbrothel.（Chen,2010b）

InEnglish,theassociativemeaningsofgreenaremoney,lackofexperience,jealous,deceit.Americanpeoplecalldollarsas“longgreen”.“Greenpower”meansthepowerofmoney.（Mu,2010）“Green-eyed”meansjealousy.And“greenhand”meanssomeoneislackexperienceabouthisorherwork.Someonewhoislackofexperiencecanbecalledas“greenhorn”.Besides,Englishspeakingpeopleusegreentodescribepeoplewhoarelookingpaleandunhealthy.

WHITE

WhitehassameassociativemeaningsinbothChineseandEnglish,suchaspurity,nobility,fear,orillness.ButmanydifferencesalsoexistinbothChineseandEnglish.

Bai（white）isavoidedasataboowordintraditionalChinese,whichshowtheabandonmentanddetestationofit.InChinese,whiteisalwaysassociatedwithdeathandfuneralrepresentingunfortunateandsorrow.WhiteisthemaincolorintraditionalChinesefuneral,andduringthefuneral,peopleareallinwhite---whitehat,whiteshoes,andwhitecloth---toshowtheirgrief.（Chen,2003）Alsowhitehastheassociativemeaningoftreacheryandevil,suchas“BaiLianJianXiong”（whitefacebadguy）whoachieveshighpositionbyunscrupulousscheming.Besides,whiteinChineseisusedtodescribepeoplewhoiswithlittleknowledgeorpeoplewithnoscholarlyhonororofficialank.Peoplecallmanoflettersas“BaiMianShuSheng”（whitefacestudent）fortheyarelakeofexperience.

WhiteinEnglishisthesymbolofGod,Angel,happiness,joy,andmorals.InEnglishspeakingcountries,whitesymbolizespurityandkindness.Therefore,thecolorofweddinginthesecountriesiswhiteandthebrideisinwhite,whichisthesymbolofpureloveandhappymarriedlife.AndanotherexampleisawhiteChristmas,awhiteday.（Yue,2010）

What’smore,whitealsocontainsthemeaningofjusticeandhonest,whichcanbeillustrateinsuchexamplesaswhitelie,whitemarketortreatsomebodywhite.Butwhitealsohaspejorativeassociativemeaningsuchasinapplyingtowhitefeather,whiteelephant.

BLACK

AncientChinesepeopleoftenutilizeblacktosymbolizeupright,firmandpersistent,solemnandjust,selfless.InBeijingopera,“blackface”isthetypicalsymbolofintegrity,suchasBaoinSongDynasty.

WhileinEnglish,blackisthesymbolofdarkness,evilanddemon.“Blackday”isanunluckyday.“Inblackmood”meanssomeoneisinlowmood.“Somebody’sfuturelookedblack”indicatesthathisorherfutureisgloomy.ButinbusinessEnglish,“intheblack”meansgainingprofit.（Ray,1953）AndblacksuitandblackdressarethetraditionalcloththatismostadvocatedbyEnglishspeakingpeople.“Blackgown”isusedtorefertothescholars.

Thereasonsoftheformationofthedifference

Throughthecomparisonandcontrastofthefrequentlyusedcolorwordsindifferentaspect,thereasonsoftheformationofthedifferenceofcolorwordsbetweenChineseandEnglishcanbefound.Thefollowin