词汇学论文.docx

词汇学论文.docx

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词汇学论文

10级《英语词汇学》课程论文

题目TheEnglishVocabulariesfromtheMythologyofGreeceandTheirAllusions

专业班级2010级英语三班

学号2010500223

学生姓名卫磊

学院外语学院

指导教师涂超莲

得分

完成日期：

2012年12月08日

TableofContents

AbstractinEnglish……………………………………………….………………

AbstractinChinese……………………………………………………………….

1.Introduction…………………………………………………………………….……….

2.WhatisthemythologyoftheGreeceandallusion?

………………………….……….

2.1whatisthemythologyoftheGreece?

………………………….……….………..

2.2whatisanallusion?

………………………….……….………..….………..…....

3.TherelationshipbetweentheGreekmythologyandEnglishvocabularies..…....

4.thewordsandphraseswhichcomefromthemythologyofGreece..…............

4.1.wordsandphrasesfromthewars……….……….………..….………..…....

4.2.Wordsandphrasesfromthelovestoried…….………..….………..…....

4.3.Wordsandphrasesfromthenamesofgodsandmonsters……..…....

5.conclusion………………………………………………………..………….....

6.bibliography…………………………………………..…………....….....

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Abstract

Duringthelongprocessofdevelopmentandevolution,Englishhasalreadyabsorbedagreatquantityofforeignvocabulariesfromothercultures.Fromtheseforeignvocabularies,thevocabularieswhichareformthemythologyofGreecestillhaveasignificantinfluenceonEnglishuntilnowadays.[1]Asoneofthesourcesofthewesternculture,themythologyofGreecebredthewholewesternculture.TherearesomanyfamouswriterswhoquotetheallusionsfromthemythologyofGreecetoembellishtheirwordswhichareusedintheirbooksandtoperfecttheirarticles.[2]TounderstandtheculturalbackgroundsofthesevocabularieswhichcomefromthemythologyofGreecewillbringusagreatbenefitonthestudyingandresearchingonEnglish,especiallyontheEnglishlexicology.

Keywords:

ThemythologyofGreece;TheEnglishvocabularies;Allusion

摘要

英语在长期的发展演变过程中，吸收了大量的外来词汇。

其中源于希腊神话的词汇至今仍对英语有着深刻的影响。

希腊神话作为西方文化的源流之一，孕育了整个西方文化。

有无数的文学大家引用其中的神话典故来美化其著作中的措词，锤炼其篇章。

了解这些词汇的文化背景，对我们的英语的学习与研究，尤其是对英语词汇学的学习与研究将大有裨益。

关键词：

希腊神话；英语词汇；典故

1.Introduction

Vocabulariesandcultureareinterdependent.Vocabulariescarriescultureandisinfluencedbyculture.TheancientGreekisoneofthemostshiningbrightpearlinthetreasure-houseofthewesternculture.[3]AndEnglishcanbedescribedastheuniversallanguageinthewesternculture.Thereisanoldsayingthatwecanseehowthingswilldevelopfromthefirstsmallbeginnings.Whilewordisthemosttinyunitwhichcanbeusedindependentlyinalanguage.[4]So,fromsomewordsinEnglishandtheirsourceswecanseethattherearemangvocabulariesinEnglishareinfluencebythemythologyofGreece.Therefore,thisthesiswilltellyouthattherearecountlesswordsandphrasesinEnglisharecomingfromtheancientGreekmythologyfromthefollowingaspects:

Firstly,IwillexplainthedefinitionofthemythologyofGreeceandallusion.SothatyoucanknowwhatisthemythologyofGreeceandwhatisallusion.

Secondly,IwilltellyoutherelationshipbetweenthemythologyofGreeceandEnglishvocabulariestomakeyouunderstandthatthereisacloselinkbetweenthem.

Thirdly,IwillpicksomewordsfromEnglishvocabulariesasexamplestoprovethepointthatthemythologyofGreecereallyhasaneternaleffectonEnglish.Atthispart,IwillchoosewordsfromseveralpartsoftheancientGreekmythology,suchasthefamouswarswhichhappenedinthetimeofancientGreek,thelovestoriesbetweenthegodsorbetweentheancientGreekswhichcanmakeyoumovedinthemythology,thestrangenameofthegodsandsoon.

2.WhatistheMythologyofGreeceandAllusion?

BeforewetalkabouttheEnglishforeignvocabulariesfromthemythologyofGreeceandtheirallusions,weshouldknowwhatisthemythologyandwhatistheallusionsofthesemythologies.

2.1WhatisthemythologyofGreece?

FromthenamewecansaybrieflythatthemythologyofGreeceisjustacollectionofmythologiesaboutthetheGreeks’heroes,gods,historiesandsoon.ItisthespiritproductoftheprimitiveclansocietyanditalsoistheearliestliteraryformsinEurope.ItseemsthattheGreekmythologycameintobeingbeforetheeighthcenturyB.C.andformeditsbasicscaleonthefoundationofthelong-termoraltransmissionoftheGreekprimitivesandthenwaswrittendownonthebookssuchasHomericHymnsandTheogony.

2.2Whatisanallusion?

Wealwaysexplaintheword"allusion"as"anindirectreferencetosomeoneorsomething".AndontheANewPracticalChinese-Englishdictionary,writtenbyLiangShiqiu,thewordisexplainedas"anindirectreference（fromhistory,oldclassics,etc）;[5]ontheContemporaryChineseDictionary,editedbyLinYutang,itisexplainedas"aliteraryreference";[6]ontheChinese-EnglishDictionary,editedbyWuJingrong,itisexplainedas"aliteraryquotation";[7]andontheWebster’sNewCollegiateDictionary,thewordisexplainedas"animpliedorindirectreference,esp.whenusedinliterature."[8]Fromallthedictionarymentionedabove,wecanconcludethat"allusion"is"akindofliterarymothedthatusesimpliedandindirectreference."

3.TheRelationshipbetweentheGreekMythologyandEnglishVocabularies

ThereisacloselinkbetweentheEnglishvocabulariesandthemythologyofGreece.ThemythologyofGreeceisapreciousworldculturalheritage,isthesourceofthewesterncultureatthesametime.Ithasmadeagreatinfluenceoneveryfieldsofthesocietyandliveofeverywesterncountries.TherearetoomanywordsandphrasesinEnglishwhicharebasedonthewordsandallusionsoftheancientGreekmythology.Thesewordsandallusionsareakeyforustoopenthedoorofatreasure-housewhichisfullofknowledgeandalsoapivotalfactorforustostudyandresearchtheEnglishvocabularies.Nowadays,thesewordsandphraseshavealreadypermeatedintoeveryaspectsoftheEnglishvocabularies.Forexamples,therearemanyderivativesinEnglishusethenounsinthemythologyofGreeceastheirrootsandtherearemanyvocabulariesinEnglisharetransformedfromthenamesofthegodsinthemythologydirectly.Inageneration,themythologyofGreecehasanindelibleinfluenceonEnglishvocabularies.YoucanseetheshadowoftheGreekmythologyfromcountlessEnglishvocabularies.

4.ThewordsandphraseswhichcomefromthemythologyofGreece

4.1Wordsandphrasesfromthewars

TherearemanywordsthatweusedinEnglisharecomingfromthewarsofthemythologyofGreece.Suchas"Greekgifts","TrojanHorse"and"Achilles’heel".

Thephrases"Greekgifts"and"TrojanHorse"arebothcomeformthefamousTrojanWar.DuringtheTrojanWar,GreekssiegedtheTroyfornineyearswithoutavictory.Thentheythoughtoutacleverideathattheymadeatremendouswoodenhorsetohidetheirelitesoldiersinsideandthenpretendedtoretreatbyleavingthishugewoodenhorse.ThecitizensintheTroycitymisdeemedthattheGreekarmywithdrewwithfailureandcarriedthewoodenhorseintothecity.Atlast,theGreeksoldierswhohidedinsidethewoodenhorsejumpedoutandbeatthecitizensofTroyandwonthevictoryofthiswar.Soweoftenusethephrase"Greekgifts"todescribesomethingiswithaninsidiouspurposeorcantankerous,nottomeanthatagiftisgivenbyaGreek.Andweusethephrase"TrojanHorse"todescribetheperdueenemiesordangerous,nottomeanthemeaningofakindofhorse.

Theotherone,"Achilles’heel"comesfromtheTroyWarstoo.AchillesisthemostheroicgeneralinthemythologyofGreece.Tomakehiminvulnerable,hismotherputhimonthefirethenimmersedhimintotheStyxbyholdinghisheelwhenhewasborn.AshisheelwasholdbyhismotherandnotimmersingintotheStyx.Hisheelbecamehisonlyweaknesslate.DuringtheTrojanWar,hewassostrongandinvulnerablethatnobodycanhurthim.Atlast,underthedirectionofApollo,thegodofsun,ParistheprinceofTroy,shotAchillesathisheelwithanarrow.Withhisweaknesswashurt,Achillesdied.Nowadays,wecalltheonlyweaknessofsomeoneashis"Achilles’heel",.DonotthinkthatwearetalkingtheheelofapersonwhosenameisAchilleswhenyouhearthephrase.

4.2Wordsandphrasesfromthelovestories

TherealsomanywordsthatwereadfromanEnglisharticlecomefromthelovestorieswhicharefromthemythologyofGreece,suchas"halcyon","daphne"andsoon.

Theword"halcyon"isamythicalbirdsaidtobreedatthetimeofthewintersolsticeinanestfloatingontheseaandtohavethepowerofcalmingthewindsandwaves.Thereisasadanddeplorablelovestorybehindtheword.ItissaidthattherewasakingnamedCeyxandhisqueennamedAlcyonewholovedeachotherdevotedlyintheancientGreek.Bothofthemenjoyedahappyandharmoniouslifewitheachother.Untiloneday,theyriledZeus,thekingofgodsandhisqueen---Hera,thequeenofgodsbecausethatthelovingcouplecomparedthemselvestoZeusandHeraunintentionally.Then,Zeusdecidedtopunishthelovingcouple.Afterashortwhile,Ceyxdiedinashipwreckunfortunately.Hisqueen,Alcyonewassosadthatshethrewherselfintotheseaandherbodybecameabirdatlast.Theplaintivechirmofthisbirdcanbeheardwithoutanend.SopeoplenamedthiskindofbirdwiththenameofAlcyoneandcalledit"halcyon".

Thereisaword"daphne",akindofornamentalshrubswithshinymostlyevergreenleavesandclustersofsmallbell-shapedflowers,whichalsohasasadandspoonylovestorybehindit.Apollo,thegodofsun,oncekilledagiantsnakenamedPythonandsawEros,thegodofloveplayingabowonhiswayhome,sohelaughedatEros.TheinsultedEroswassoangrythatheshotApollow