恭维语在中西方文化交际中的差异.docx

恭维语在中西方文化交际中的差异.docx

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恭维语在中西方文化交际中的差异

毕业论文

题目：

FromComplimentstoDiscussCulturalDistinctioninDailyCommunicationBetweentheEastandtheWest

系别：

外语系

专业：

英语语言文学

*****

学号：

**********

指导教师：

***

河南城建学院

2009年6月1日

FROMCOMPLIMENTSTODISCUSSCULTURALDISTINCTIONINDAILYCOMMUNICATIONBETWEENTHEEASTANDTHEWEST

By

JiaoGang

AThesis

SubmittedinPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirementsfortheDegreeofBachelorofArts

InEnglish

UndertheSupervisionofProfessorLiBing

HenanUniversityofUrbanConstruction

June2009

摘要

恭维语是一种普遍的社会现象,恰到好处的使用它能拉近交际双方的距离，避免语用失误。

在跨文化交际中,它们起着问候、鼓励、致谢、开启话题及缓解矛盾等作用，同时由于中西方在社会结构，以及文化背景方面的不同，导致了恭维语在实施过程中的文化差异，了解其中的文化差异不仅有助于人们在跨文化交际中恰当的使用恭维语，而且还可以避免文化冲突，同时比较中西方恭维语在语言形式、应答、恭维目标几个方面的差异,指出跨文化交流中恭维和接受恭维造成误解的原因,对于跨文化交际具有重要意义。

在跨文化交流中,中国人一向内敛,奉行“慎言”“寡言”原则,在言语上自制而谨慎,对他人的语言又有高度的敏感性,相形之下,美国人则比较外向,惯于表达自己,也愿用语言表达内心世界。

他们更相信语言的创造力,强调个人的外向延伸,要解决恭维语交流中出现误解这一问题,只有相互了解彼此之间的文化和文化背景。

语言与文化是不可分的,只有努掌握彼此之间的语言以及文化背景才能使我们在跨文化交流中尽量少出错误,这不仅对恭维语,对其它言语行为也是同样重要的。

关键词:

恭维语；差异；应答；误解；跨文化交际。

Abstract

Complimentsareauniversalsocialphenomenon.Ifweuseitexactly,wecanshortenthedistanceofourcommunicatorandavoidpragmaticfailure.Intheprocessofcross-culturalcommunication,theyplayaroleofgreeting,expressingone'sthankscongratulatingandencouragingothers,openingaconversationandloosingconflictsetc.Atthesametime,owingtothedifferentsocialsystemsandculturalbackgroundsbetweentheeastandthewest,suchcomplicationsresultinaculturaldifferenceinthecourseofusingcompliments.Tounderstandthedifferencecannotonlyhelponeusecomplimentscorrectly,butalsocanavoidculturalconflictsintheinterculturalcommunication.ProbingthedifferencesbetweenChineseandWesterncomplimentsinacross-culturalperspectiveandanalyzingthecourseofmisunderstandingarethekeytoasuccessfulcross-culturalcommunication.Incross-culturalcommunication,theChinesehavealwaysbeenreserved,stickingtotheprincipleofprudenceandreticence,obeyingtheprincipleofself-controlandcarefulnesswhencommunicating,havingahighdegreeofsensitivitytowardother’slanguages.Bycontrast,theAmericansareoutgoing.Theyarepronetoexpressthemselvesandwillingtouselanguagetoexpresstheirinnerworld.Theyalsobelievethecreativityoflanguage,emphasizingtheoutwardextensionoftheindividual.Soonlyifweunderstandeachnation’sculturalbackgroundscanwehaveagoodcross-culturalcommunication.Languageandcultureareinseparable,onlydowestrivetomasterthelanguageaswellastheirculturalbackgroundscanminimizethecross-culturalcommunicationerrors.Thisdoesnotonlyaimatthecomplimentlanguage,butalsoisequallyimportanttospeechact.

Keywords:

compliment;difference;response;misunderstanding;cross-culturalcommunication.

Contents

1.Introduction

Languageisthecarrierofsocialculture,itrecordingandtransferringtheculture.Withnoexception,complimentasalanguagephenomenonandthemostcommonspeechareverycommonindailylife.Whenpeopleusethelanguageofcompliment,therewouldbeundercertainsocialenvironment,theyshouldpayattentiontothosedifferences,suchasdifferentnationalities,cultures,historicalperiods,economicbase,people’svalues,livinghabitsanddifferentaestheticmanners.Intheprocessofimplementation,complimentscanreflecteachother’ssocialstatus.Generallyspeaking,suchdifferencesareareflectionofculturaldiversities.Intheprocessofcross-culturalcommunicationbetweeneasternandwesterncountries,complimentisoneofthemostcommonusedlanguages.Itoftenplaysaroleofgreeting,gratitude,openingthetopic,aswellastheroleofloosingthecontradictions.Buteachnationhasitsownlanguageandculturewhicharedifferentfromtheothernations.Theselanguagesandcultureshavetheirownuniqueformandcontentwhichhaveadistinctivenationalcharacteristic.Asdifferentnations,therearehugedifferencesintheuseofcomplimentandresponse,forexample:

Whenonewasinvitedtodinneratafriend’shouse,theAmericansalwaysboast,“yourwifeisverybeautiful”,whileinChinapeoplealwayssaid,“Yourchildisclever”.Withregardtocomplimentanditsresponse,theChineseandwesternersaredifferent.Westernerstendtobravelysay“Thankyou”,whereastheChinesearenotasstraightforwardastheyare,theyoftensay“不行,不行”,“哪里，哪里”or“差远了”andsoontoexpresshishumbleattitude.Therefore,intheprocessofverbalcommunication,theChineseandwesternersoftenmakesomejokeswhentheyusethelanguageofcompliment,whichsometimesevencauseunpleasantresults.Thepaperaimsatpointingoutthatitisnotenoughtoonlymasterthelanguageitself.Thekeyincross-culturalcommunicationistostudytheculturewhichhidesbehindlanguagesuchasvalues,customsandtaboosbymakinguseofthedifferencesamongtheformoflanguage,responseandcompliment.

2.TheMainExistingReasonsforCulturalDifferencesinChineseandWesternCompliments

ChineseandWesternculturesaretotallytwodifferenttypesofculture.Becauseofdifferentsocialstructuresandculturalbackgrounds,eachnationformeditsownvalues,waysofthinkingandculturalstatute.Asweknow,Chinaisacountrywithfive-thousand-year’shistoryandculture.MeanwhileChinaisalsoatraditionalagriculturalcountry,whosecultureisbasedonmoralsoffarmingcivilization.TheChineseoftenregardthenatureasawholeharmonyandclaimtheintegrationbetweenhumanbeingsandthewholeuniverse,whichformstheideologyof“NatureandHumanity"andthevaluesbasedongroups.WhileduetotheimpactoftraditionaleducationofancientChina,Chinaisahierarchysocietyandattachgreatimportancetothedoctrineof“nobleiftheupper,humbleifthedown”and“loweroneselftoshowrespecttoothers”.Ontheotherhandwesterncountriesdidn’thavesuchalonghistory,especiallytheUnitedStateswhichisrelativelyashorthistorycountrywithmulti-ethnicandmulti-culturalcapitalistrule.TheearlyimmigrantscametotheNorthAmericancontinenttofindanewlifeinordertokeepawayfromtheshacklesoffeudaltraditionandtheiroppression.Therefore,suchsentences“thatallmenareequal,thattheyareendowedbytheirCreatorwithcertainunalienablerights,thatamongthesearelife,libertyandthepursuitofHappiness”werewritteninDeclarationofIndependence.Theprinciplethat“Allmenareborntoequal”hasbecomeeveryAmerican’spursuit,andtheyaredeeplyrootedintheirhearts.Sofromthispointofview,thisprincipleisbasedonobjectsandextravagantlocalbusinessaswellasisonetypicalwesternculture.Thewesterncultureemphasizesontheuniversephilosophycalled“SeparationoftheUniversefromMan”andtheirvalueismainlybasedontheindividual.Sothewesternerstakelittleabouttheconceptofhierarchyandthethoughtofrespectingthenoble.Whencommunicatingwithpeople,theyoftenadoptthe“strategyofseekingthesame”inordertomaintainequalitywitheachother.

3.DifferenceinUsingLanguage

OneevidentialfeatureforourChineseusingthecomplimentistoexpressrespecttothepeoplewhoisworthy.Whenaskedaboutthenamesofothers,theChinesealwayssay,“你贵姓?

”or“你尊姓大名?

”.Whensomeonebuiltanewhouse,peoplealwayssay,“恭喜你大厦落成”.Whenafamilyhadababy,peoplealwayssay,“恭喜你喜得贵子”.Theaboveutterancescanbeheardatanytimeinourdailylife.Whilethewesternershaveadifferentstate.Theythinkthatsuchlanguageisentirelysuperfluous.Whenaskedaboutone’sname,theysimplyusethisquestion,“CanIhaveyourname?

”or“What’syourname?

”Aftertheothersidegivingashortanswer,thequestionersalwaysreply“Youhavealovelyname”andtheyseldomuserespectlanguageatthebeginning.InmanyoccasionstheChinesealwaysusecomplimenttoheightentheoppositepeopleanddetracthimself,howeverwesternersusecomplimenttoadvocateequality.Theythinkthatitisinappropriatetouseimmoderatecourtesyandcompliment,thustheyoftenadoptarathersimpleadjectivestopraisepeople,suchas“good,great,nice”.Inordertoachievetheeffectofhumorandexaggeration,sometimestheyevenaddanadjectivebeforederogatoryterm,suchas“terrific,awfully”,“Youareawfullynice.”Whenusingcompliment,asignificantdifferencehereisthedifferentpositionofpersonalpronouns.TheChinesepeoplealwaysliketoputthesecondperson“you”onthefirstplaceofthesentencewhentheycomplimentonsomebody,suchas“Yourdressissosaucy”,“Yourdesignissofashionable”.Whilethewesternersusethefirstperson,putting“I”onthefirstplaceofsentence.Pleaselookatthefollowingexamples:

⑴.Ithinkyourcoatsuitsyou.

你的外套蛮合身。

⑵.Ilikeyourhairstyle.

你的发型不错。

⑶.Iamsoproudofyou.

你是我的骄傲。

Westernerstendtoexpresspersonalfeelings.Theyhavetheirownopinionstowardthingsandalltheseopinionsarenotachievedovernight.Theythinkthatthebestcomplimentistofaithfullyrevealtheirownpointofviewandalsolike“selfassertiveness”,whichisdifferentfromweChinesewhotendtoholdthegroupconsciousness.TheChinesearerarelyconfrontwithpeople.Theyimpliedsomethingasmuchaspossibleandtheyaregoodatseeinghowcircumstancechangeswhencommunicating.Theyalsohaveahighdegreeofsensitivityandacceptancetowardtoone’slanguage,thusformingaself-madeandcautiouscharacter.

4.DifferenceinResponseFormulas

BecausetheChineseandtheWesternershavedifferentculturalbackgrounds,therearehugedifferencesinobservingtheworldaswellasthethinkingpatternsoftreatingthingsandcorrespondingmodeofbehaviorpatterns.Thesedifferencesa