An Analysis on the Relationship between Culture and Language浅析语言与文化的关系.docx

An Analysis on the Relationship between Culture and Language浅析语言与文化的关系.docx

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AnAnalysisontheRelationshipbetweenCultureandLanguage浅析语言与文化的关系

AnAnalysisontheRelationshipbetweenCultureandLanguage

1.Introduction

Inrecentyears，withthedevelopmentoftransportationandcommunication,theworldisshrinkingtobea“globalvillage”.Opportunitieswhichpeoplefromdifferentculturesmaytaketocontactwitheachotherarequicklygrowing.Whentheycommunicate,languagebecomesessentialandtheneedforfurtherunderstandingofculturaldifferenceshasarisen.Therefore,therelationshipbetweencultureandlanguagehasbecomeahottopic.Thereareatpresentmanylinguisticsandculturalexpertsdoingtheirresearchingonit.Inordertomakeagooddiscussionaboutthecloserelationshipofthesetwo,Iwillfirstmakeitclearwhatiscultureandwhatislanguagerespectively,andfurthermakeasoundanalysisontheirrelationship.

2.Culture

2.1Definitionofculture

Manyphilosophers,sociologists,anthropologistsandlinguiststriedfromdifferentfieldstomakeadefinitionforcultureasperfectaspossible.

Geertzdefinescultureasahistoricallytransmittedsemioticnetworkconstructedbyhumanwhichallowsthemtodevelop,communicateandperpetuatetheirknowledge,beliefsandattitudesabouttheworld.（Geertz，1973:

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