English Name and Its CultureWord文档格式.docx

1、s historical events, and so on. It is like an encyclopedia, which records social history and the life style of the western nation faithfully. This paper starts with the basic structure and origins of the English name. It expounds that English name, the product of human historical development, origin

2、ates from specific social background and carries certain cultural connotation. In modern language, some English names are no longer merely used as names. They are used idiomatically to refer to certain types of people or events. If we have a good understanding about English names and their cultural

3、connotations, it will be great helpful for us to understand such usages. All in all, as an English learner, we should comprehend English name culture, which is helpful for us to understand the western cultural context thoroughly Key words English name; culture; idioms英语姓名与文化摘 要 人的姓名是人类社会中最普遍的语言现象，是人

4、类社会发展的历史产物。它同复杂的社会现象有着广泛而深刻的联系，从不同角度反映了人类社会发展的文明状况和社会习俗等情况。作为人类文化的一部分，姓名反映了一个国家的历史与文化，也反映了人们的信仰和追求。不同的人名蕴涵着不同的文化。姓名文化是各民族文化沉淀的一个缩影，同样的，英语姓名的特征和发展也有其特定的社会背景和文化内涵，它同人们的宗教信仰和西方的历史等紧密联系在一起，它就像一本百科全书，忠实地记录了西方国家的社会历史和人文风貌。本文从英语姓名的基本结构特征和来源入手，通过宗教信仰，文学以及英国历史三个方面阐述英语姓名作为人类历史发展的产物有其特定的社会背景和文化内涵。在现代语言中，有许多我们熟

5、悉的习语都和英语姓名相关，了解英语姓名及其文化有助于我们理解并正确使用姓名习语。总之，作为一个英语学习者，了解英语姓名有助于我们在学习英语的同时，跟深入地了解西方的文化背景，从而更好地领会其文化精髓。关键词 英语姓名；文化; 习语1. Introduction Peoples name is one of the most universal language phenomenons in each human society. It is the specific symbol, which people use to distinguish themselves from other pe

6、ople. 1 It is also the historical product of human social development. In several millenniums years of human history of civilization, along with historical vicissitude, people learned how to use names to identify different person when they communicated with other people. As a phenomenon of human soc

7、iety, “peoples name is a miniature of the national culture.” 2 Culture is a concept that can be defined in different ways. Culture is investigated by scholars from several fields. To them the scope of culture is different. Generally, culture has been interpreted in two senses, a broad sense and a na

8、rrow one. In its broad sense culture is the attributes of man. Culture in this sense may include at least the following components: materials, social institutions and organizations, knowledge, language, customs, and so on. And culture in its narrow sense can be defined as lifeway of a population. 3

9、Peoples name is a language phenomenon, and language is an important part of human culture. Therefore, peoples name has close relation with human culture. To be exact, different personal names reflect different culture because “peoples name is the carrier of its respective culture”. 4 In short, on on

10、e hand, human culture influences peoples name; on the other hand, peoples name reflects human culture. This paper starts with the basic structure and origins of the English name. It expounds that English name, the product of human historical development, originates from specific social background an

11、d carries certain cultural connotation.2. The characteristics and origins of English nameAn English full name consists of a persons first name and last name. First name is also called Christian name, given name or baptismal name. Last name is also called family name or surname. Sometimes, there is a

12、 middle name between the first name and the last name, middle name is also called second name.2.1 The characteristics and origins of first nameThe first name is a personal name given by his or her parents at some point after the birth of the child. It is also called a persons forename or personal na

13、me. The first name is informal, which is usually used among family members or close friends and colleagues. If we say, “we are all on first-name terms with John”, it means we call him by his first name, which is a sign of a friendly informal relationship. Some common English given names are John, Ro

14、bert, Thomas, William, Alice, and so on.English first name has many origins. But one of the most influential sources should be Christianity, because most English-speaking countries are Christian countries. In Christian countries, the Christian name is often used for the first name. Soon after a chil

15、d is born, it is christened. That is, the child is given a Christian name at a Christian religious ceremony like baptism. In this Christian religious ceremony, someone is touched or covered with water to welcome them into the Christian faith and sometimes to officially name them. Traditionally, a ch

16、ild is given a Christian name by its godfather and godmother at baptism. So in Britain, a persons first name is also called a baptismal name. We may say the child was baptized or christened by the name of John or Mary. Parents often give their children names after the people in the Bible. Such bibli

17、cal names as Adam, Abraham, Daniel, David Paul and Peter are most commonly used first name.Mythology and literature have also contributed many first names. Mythology is the fantastic story that is originated from certa in famous people, historical events, historical sites and social custom. It comes

18、 down by oral form. And mythology is a way used to explain the nature. 5 It is also a miniature of national culture. In several thousands years, the whole western world was under the influence of Greek-Roman mythology. Classical Greek mythology provided names like Daphne, Phoebe, Cynthia, Hector, an

19、d Jason. Literature also did great contribution to English name. Take Shakespeare as an example, Shakespeare was a great master of the English language, and he was one of the greatest writers in the world. There are 37 of his plays have come down to us. Because of the great influence of Shakespeare

20、in west, many people like to choose names from his works. He provided Miranda, Jessica and Cordelia, etc.In several millenniums years of human civilization, peoples lives have close relation with the natural environment. So, there are also many first names originated from animals and plants. Such as

21、 Bird, Fox, Wolf, Bee, Fish, Goose, Bull, Eagle, and, Bush, Rice, Wood, Cotton, Kole, Stock, Lotus, Reed, Rose, and so on.Some first names originated from personal characteristics, such as Happy （originated the happy man）, Smart （originated from the smart man）, Fat （originated from the person who is

22、 fat）, Coward （originated from the timid man）, Beard （originated from people who has big beard）, Bunch （rickety man）, Smallbones, and Armstrong, etc.There are also some first names which have foreign origins. For example such first names as Ivan originated from Russian; Carlos from Spanish names; Al

23、bert, Adolph, Carl, and Karl from German names.2.2 The characteristics and origins of last nameThe last name is a persons family name or surname, which is common to all members of the family. It is formal and often used on official occasions or with people you do not know well. The first name can be

24、 used as an informal form of address. But the family name is often used with a form of address before it. Such as Mr. Brown, Mrs. Green, etc. Usually it cannot be used as a form of address alone.Many English surnames fall into the following categories:Some surnames originated from places where peopl

25、e were born or lived. This kind of surnames also called “local surnames”. Such as Atwater, Brook, Byroade, Bywood, Dale （meaning “valley”）, Dunlop （meaning “muddy hill”）, Fields, Goosey （meaning “goose island”）, Hill, Lake, London, Marsh, Moor, Sotheby （meaning “south in the village”）, Westby / West

26、erby （meaning “western farm）.There are also many surnames of occupation in English such as: Baker, Barber, Bridger, Butcher, Carpenter, Clark / Clerk, Cook, Cooper, Fisher, Goldsmith, Hunter, Miller, Plummer, Priest, Smith, and Tailor /Taylor.Many English surnames originated from patronyms names. Mo

27、st of these names end with “son”. The structure is “fathers name or its variant +son”, such as Addison （son of Adam）, Anderson （son of Andrew）, Donaldson, Gibson, Jackson, Jameson, Johnson, Josephson, Richardson, Robinson, Samuelson, Thomason, Williamson, and Wilson. What worth mentioning is that su

28、ch patronymic surnames as Richardson, Robinson, Robertson, Samuelson, Thomason and Williamson were gradually shortened into Richards, Robins, Roberts, Samuels, Thomas and Williams respectively. So we know Richard, Robin, Robert, Samuel and William are all first name, while Richards, Robins, Roberts,

29、 Samuels and Williams are all family names. And it happens that Thomas can be either a personal name or a family name.There are also some surnames which are original nicknames. Most of which are personal descriptions or physical features: Armstrong, Bald, Ballard, Biggs, Grant, Little, Long, Longfel

30、low, Short, Small.2.3 The characteristics of English middle nameSome English-speaking people have a middle name between their first name and last name. The middle name can be considered as the second of a persons given name or forename. With a middle name, a person can distinguish himself or herself from another person in the family who happens to have the same first name. Take George Bernard S