The Contrastive Studies on Language Taboo in English and Chinese.docx

The Contrastive Studies on Language Taboo in English and Chinese.docx

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TheContrastiveStudiesonLanguageTabooinEnglishandChinese

中西语言禁忌语对比研究

TheContrastiveStudiesonLanguageTabooinEnglishandChinese

Contents

Abstract…………………………………………………………………...1

Keywords…………………………………………………………………...1

Ⅰ.Introduction…………………………………………………………1

1.1LiteratureReview…………………………………………………..1

1.11TwoDifferentMeaningsoftheTaboo………………………………....1

1.12TheDangerofTouchingtheTaboo………………………………...…2

1.13ThePositiveSidesandtheNegativeSidesofTaboo………….………....3

Ⅱ.TheOriginoftheTaboo…………………………………………….4

Ⅲ.TheSimilaritiesandDifferencesinTaboobetweenEnglish

andChinese………………………………………………………..5

3.1TheSimilaritiesinTaboobetweenEnglishandChinese…………………...5

3.1.1TheReligion,SuperstitionandWorship-relatedTaboo………………..5

3.1.2TheIllnessandDeath-relatedTaboo………………………………....6

3.1.3ThePostureandFeatures-relatedTaboo…………………………..…7

3.1.4TheNumbers-relatedTaboo…………………………………………7

3.2TheDifferencesinTaboobetweenEnglishandChinese………….………..8

3.2.1TheNames-relatedTaboo………………………………………...…8

3.2.2TheHomophonic-relatedTaboo……………………………………..9

3.2.3TheTaboo-relatedTopics………………………….……………….9

3.2.4TheAnimals-relatedTaboo……………………………….………..10

3.2.5TheAge,Salary,MarriageandMeals-relatedTaboo………………...10

Ⅳ.TheDisadvantagesandDevelopmentofLanguageTaboo……….....11

4.1TheDisadvantagesofLanguageTaboo…………………………….11

4.2TheDevelopmentofLanguageTaboo………………………..…….12

Ⅴ.Conclusions………………………………………………………….12

References………………………………………………………………..13

摘　要：

　　在英汉两种语言中，都存在着大量的语言禁忌现象。

禁忌语的出现与社会习俗，宗教信仰，历史传统等密切关。

为加深对中西文化与语言之间的认识，本文从文化角度对中西禁忌语的起源，范畴及异同作了初步的探讨与比较。

关键词：

文化;语言禁忌;异同

Abstract:

　Languagetabooisacommonsocial-linguisticphenomenon,whichexistsineverynation.Itisareawhichacertainreligionorcustomregardsitassomethingforbidden,nottobetouched,spokenof,etc.ThispaperinacomparativewaystudiesthetaboophenomenonbothinChineselanguageandEnglishlanguage.Alsothispaperstudiesakindofrhetoricdevice,whichisusedtoavoidtaboo.

Keywords:

culture;Languagetaboo;similaritiesanddifferences

ⅠIntroduction

Withthedevelopmentoftheeconomyandsociety,communicationbetweencountriesisbecomingmoreandmorefrequent.English,asaworldlanguage,playsamoreandmoreimportantroleinit.SoweneedtolearnEnglishwellandstudytheculturebehindit.Forexample,languagetabooisaverykindofculturalphenomenon.Itexistsineverylanguage.WecanfinditinEnglishandChinese.Ifwedon’tknowaboutit,wewillnotbepopularwiththeforeignersandtoagreatdegree,ourcommunicationeffectwillbeaffected.Thetabooischangeableandrelatedtotheculture,soindifferenttimesanddifferentculture,thereexistdifferenttaboos.WeChinesealsohaveourownlanguagetaboo.Thisthesisresearchestheoriginoftaboo,thesimilaritiesanddifferencesoftaboobetweenEnglishandChinese,andthereasonfortheexistenceoflanguagetaboo.

1.1LiteratureReview

1.1.1Twodifferentmeaningsofthetaboo

SigmundFreudthinks,“Taboohastwodifferentmeanings.Onemeaningissublimeandsacred;theothermeaningismysterious,dangerous,banned,andunclean.（Freud1986）Hisopinionhasbeenalreadyacceptedbyalltheresearchers,itisalsothebaseoftranslationworksontaboo.Maybehedividestaboointotowparts:

Somethingwhichreligionorcustomregardsasforbidden,nottobetouched,spokenof;generalagreementnottodiscusssomething,dosomething.Weknowthattabooexistsineveryperiodandeverywhere,itisacomplexphenomenonofpeople’ssocietyanditalsohasalonghistory.Tabooexistsindifferentperiods,andpeoplemustobeyit,onceyouoffendit,thenatureorpeoplewillpunishyou.Noonecanexplainanddemonstrateit.Allpeoplerespectitandbelieveinit,theyconsideritasgods,soitis“sublime”,“sacred”.Therearemanykindsoftaboosintheworld,indifferenttime,indifferentcountries,indifferentareas,amongdifferentraceshavedifferenttaboo.Itisimpossibleforpeopletoknowthemclearlyandtotally,theyjustknowthetaboointhecertaintimeandinacertainarea,ifsomeoneoffendedtaboo;hewouldbepunishedandevenbesentencedtodeath.Ifsomeoneoffendedsometabooinacertaintimeandinacertainarea,hewillbelookeddownuponorbepunishedbypeople.

1.1.2Thedangeroftouchingthetaboo

ErnstCassirerthinks,“Thedangerofchangingsomethingintotabooisaphysicaldanger,nomatterouractionisintentionalornotintentional,theeffectissameanditisnotrelatedtopeople.Generallyspeaking,taboomeanssomethingcannotbetouched,andcannotbetouchedhasty.Butthepurposeandthewayyouaccessitcannotbeconsidered.”（Gan1985）Idon’tthinknomatterouractionisintentionalornot,theeffectoftabooisthesameanditisnotrelatedtopeople.Inancienttime,thenatureortheirleadersmightpunishpeoplewhooffendedthetaboo.Inprimitivetime,ourancestorshadlowintelligenceandknewlittleaboutthenature,theytriedtheirbesttoadaptthemselvestolivingenvironment.Inmyopinion,tabooatthattimemeanspeoplecan’ttouchsomethingoreatsomethingandanythingelse,ortheywillbeinjured,sowecansaythetabooatthattimeistheexperiencewhichpeoplesummarizedinacertainmeaning.Ithelpsthemtoimprovetheirlivingability,thetabooonlyaffectstheirlivingcondition,theyobeyitinordertoleadasafelife,itisclosedtopeople.Inclasssociety,therulersdecidedwhatthetaboowas.InChinesehistory,differentdynastieshaddifferenttaboo,peoplehadnorighttodecidewhatthetaboowas,theyjustfollowtheirruler’s,therulersmadetabooinordertobegoodtothemselvesinsuperstitionfield,forexample,theydidn’tallowpeopletosayorwritetheirnameandeventhewordhassamepronunciationwithacharacterintheirnames,whodiditwouldbesentencedtodeath.InQinDynasty,manywritersweresentencedtodeathbecauseofusingwordswhichrulerbanned,thoughwethinkitisridiculous,itisafact.Butinsomedynasties,rulersdidn’tmindpeoplesayingorusingtheirnames,sopeopleatthattimecandoitfreelyandsafely.Sothetabooisdecidedbytherulers,thereisnoregulartabooinclasssocieties,sotaboo’seffectisdifferent,notthesame,itisalsorelatedtopeople.Inmodernsociety,tabooispassedbyourancestors,becausetheworldhasvarietiesofhumancultures,tabooisdifferent,andthedifferencemainlyreflectedinlanguage,ifyouvisitedaforeigncountryorarace,youmustknowwhatisnottobesaid,oryouwouldnotbepopularwithlocalpeopleandevencan’tstaythereanymore.Generallyspeaking,apersonwhooffendstabooinmodernsocietycan’tbesentencedtodeath.Aboveall,wecanseethattabooisrelatedcloselytopeopleanditseffectischangeableindifferenttimeandindifferent

Areas.　

1.1.3Thepositivesidesandthenegativesidesoftaboo

JamesGeorgeFrazer，inhisfamousmasterpieceTheGoldenBough，says:

“Ifsomecertainactions’resultsareunpleasantanddangeroustohim,hewillnaturallybecarefulanddon’tdothingslikethatinordernottoacceptsuchresults.Inanotherword,hedoesn’tdothingsthatwillbringthemdisastersaccordingtotheirmisunderstandingsontherelationshipbetweenreasonandresult.Inshort,hemakeshimselfobeythetaboo,positivewitchcraftsays“whatyoudowillbringtoyouwhatresult”,whilenegativewitchcraftsays”don’tdoit,avoidtosomethinghappening”.（James1987）.Hisopinionbothhasadvantagesanddisadvantages.Firstly,hepointsoutthatpositivewitchcraftsays“whatyoudowillbringtoyouwhatresult”.Iagreewithhim,tabooisverymysterioustous,everyonewantstoknowifheoffendedtaboo,whatwouldbegiven,itisthecuriosityeffect,ifthewitchcrafttellsusexactlyandcorrectly,itisusefulandvaluabletous.Hisopinionbothhasadvantagesanddisadvantages.Firstly,hepointsoutthatpositivewitchcraftsays“whatyoudowillbringtoyouwhatresult”.Iagreewithhim,tabooisverymysterioustous,everyonewantstoknowifheoffendedtaboo,whatwouldbegiven,itisthecuriosityeffect,ifthewitchcrafttellsusexactlyandcorrectly,itisusefulandvaluabletous.Theneveryonecanavoiddisastersthatbroughtfromoffendingthetaboo,butitisimpossibletobecometrue,witchcraftexistslongtime.Inclasssociety,thewitchcrafthasalreadycomeout,butstillmanypeoplegotdisastersevenlosttheirlives.Ibelievethatthewitchcrafttellspeoplewhatyoudowillbringtoyouwhatresult,whystillmanypeoplebeinjured?

Ialsobelievethatpeoplemustbeindeeplybeliefonwitchcraft.Then,whatisthereasoncausessuchresult?

Furthermore,hesaysthat“whilenegativewitchcraftsaysdoesn’tdoit,avoidtosomethinghappening”.Idon’tthinkthissentenceisnegative.Asweknow,theworldischangeableandcomplex,theworldchanges,thetaboochanges.Therearemanydifferentculturesintheworld,soitsurelyhasmanydifferentkindsoftaboos,itimpossibletoknowallofthetaboo,weresearcherscanonlyknowtheespecialexamples,whataboutwitchcraftinpastperiod?

Ithinkscientificresultismuchmorecorrectandexactthanwitchcraft’s.

ⅡTheoriginofthetaboo

Tabooisaculturalphenomenon,whichexistsineverycountry’scommunication.Tabooplaysaveryimportantroleintheworldculture;itisalsoacomplexphenomenonoffolkcultureandhaslonghistory.Intheinternationalacademiccircles,theterm“taboo”（tabooortabu）isusedtorefertothiscommonandcomplexphenomenonofworldculture;itwasthelocaldialectofTangoislandersofPolynesiainsouthPacific.Itmeans“sacred”and“untouched”.ItwasbroughtinEnglishbyEng