A Contrastive Study of Cultural Connotation between English and Chinese Numerical Idioms文档格式.docx

1、本文着眼于英汉民族对数字的不同喜好，探析数字习语的文化内涵及意义的差异。首先，本文从文化、数字和语言三者的比较出发，分析其内在联系，其次，英汉数字习语的文化内涵都与民族心理、神话宗教有着十分密切的关系，因此本文从这些方面详细分析阐述英汉数字习语不同的文化内涵及意义。关键词: 数字习语;文化内涵;数字;文化Abstract As we all know, idioms，considered as the elite of that language，are the most culture-accumulated part of a language, conveying the history

2、 and culture of the language and the its users. （Zhang Zhenhua, 2007:1）. Idioms，tinged with unique national colors， are crystallizations of human culture as well as the essence of language. Numbers play a vital role in the development of human society. Therefore，numerous idioms related to numbers ha

3、ve emerged. Due to the similarities between English and Chinese as well as universal modes of thinking, the same numbers may evoke the same or similar feelings or associations among people from both cultures. Because of different historical and cultural settings, the connotations of numbers in one l

4、anguage do not always coincide with those in another. However, on other occasions they may give different connotations to the same number. Based upon the two nations different likes and dislikes towards numerals，this thesis explores and analyzes the different cultural connotation and meaning of Engl

5、ish and Chinese numerical idioms and makes a contrastive study of the similarities and differences between English and Chinese numerical idioms.Key words: numerical idioms; cultural connotation; numeral; cultureTable of Contents1. Introduction As an important part of the English and Chinese idioms,

6、numerical idioms reflect the psychological bases, the traditions and characteristics of both cultures. A good understanding of the cultural connotations of the numerical words is the basis for the proper use of English and Chinese numerical idioms. It will help us with language teaching and learning

7、 as well cross-culture communication if we have a proper understanding of the difference between the English and Chinese numerical idioms. （Chang Runfang, 2008.）So far, many scholars have made systematic comparison between English and Chinese idioms. Numerical culture has attracted scholars attentio

8、n at home and abroad in recent decades, especially in China. As the globalization of the world is speeding up day after day, and Chinese numerals carry such rich cultural messages, it is necessary to introduce the rich Chinese numerical culture to foreign countries and vice versa.This thesis discuss

9、es the different cultural connotations of basic numerals in both English and Chinese from the perspective of psychology, mythology and religion. It contains five chapters.2. Numbers, language and culture2.1 The relationship between culture and languageIn a broad sense, culture refers to the totality

10、 of material and spiritual products created by human beings in their practice. Specifically speaking, it can be divided into material culture, institutional culture and psychological culture. In a narrow sense, culture refers merely to spiritual products including language, literature, art, social i

11、deology, etc. Definition ofculture has varied a great deal since the emergence of anthropology in the 19th century and no unanimity has been reached yet. （Wangzhikui,2001:23 ）Language and culture are inseparable from each other. Language, on one hand, is the carrier of culture, on the other hand, a

12、necessary part of it. Any culture must be expressed in a certain language.2.2 The roles played by numbers in both languagesWhen human thought developed to a certain degree, numbers came on the sense to meet the need of the social activities with the help of signs. Numbers are used for counting ,comp

13、aring amounts，performing calculations, determining order, making measurements, representing value, setting limits, abstracting quantities, coding information, and transmitting data. Every nation has necessity to use numbers in their counting systems. Numbers is an organic part of language.Numerical

14、words with their unique connotations and functions play a very important role in humans cultural communication and development. Because of the similarities between English and Chinese cultures and modes of thinking, the same number may evoke the same or similar feelings or associations among people.

15、 However, due to different historical and cultural settings, the connotations of numbers in one language do not always coincide with those in another. In some cases people may use different numbers to express the same feelings or figurative meanings, while on other occasions they may give different

16、feelings or figurative meanings to the same number.3. A brief analysis of English and Chinese numerical idioms3.1 The definition of idiom in both languagesIts by no means easy to give a clear-cut definition of idioms. The definitions can differ from person to person （experts and scholars） and from d

17、ictionary to dictionary.According to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, （2004:971） an idiom is a group of words with a meaning of its own that is different from the meanings of each separate word put together. For example “under the weather” is an idiom meaning “ill”.Dictionaries offer very

18、 different opinions, so do experts and scholars. To quote only two of them as example: Ammer （1997） defines an idiom as a set phrase of two or more words that means something different from the literal meaning of the individual words; and according to the Chinese scholar Luo Shiping, an idiom is a s

19、et phrase particular to a language or people, whose meaning is often different from the meaning of the words that it is made up of and must be learnt as a whole. （2005:4） In spite of the differences in definition of an idiom, the common characters are summed up by Luo Shiping （2005:13），“when determi

20、ne whether an expression is an idiom, three points may be taken into consideration: first, there have to be two or more than two words in an idiom; second, the structure is relatively fixed and its parts cannot be replaced arbitrarily; third, the meaning cannot be derived by adding up the meaning of

21、 every constituent of the expressions.” For instance, “to spill the beans” has nothing to do with “bean”; in fact, it means “to tell something that is secret”.3.2 The pattern of idiom in both languagesEnglish idioms contain set phrases （set phrases are those idioms whose form is set and many of them

22、 are rather rigid and cannot appear in its variants.）; proverbs （proverb is an embodiment and miniature of a nations language and culture, hails from ordinary people and roots in common life, mirroring wisdom, thought and sensation of the masses.）; allusions （allusion is a direct or indirect referen

23、ce with the character or event in history, legends, literature, ect.）; slang （slang is a kind of language occurring chiefly in casual and playful speech, made up typically of short-lived coinages and figures of speech that are deliberately used in place of standard terms for added raciness, humor, i

24、rreverence, or other effect.） etc.Chinese idioms are composed of set phrases （成语）, proverbs （谚语）, slang expressions （俚语）, allusions （典故） and two-part allegorical sayings （歇后语） and Antithetical couplets （对联）. Set phrase are usually composed of four characters and they are forceful, terse and vivid in

25、 imagery.In both Chinese and English, there are many numerical idioms related to such forms. 1）“Fifth column” means “a group of secret sympathizers or supporters of an enemy that engage in espionage, sabotage and other subversive activities within the defense lines or borders of a nation.”（English s

26、et phrase）2）“乱七八糟”means “At sixes and sevens”（Chinese set phrase）3）“A stitch in time saves nine” means “小洞不补大洞吃苦” （English proverb）4） “说归说，做归做”means “To say is one thing; to do is another.”（Chinese proverb）5） “Catch 22” means “A situation in which a desired outcome or solution is impossible to attai

27、n because of a set of inherently illogical rules or conditions”（ English allusion）6） “朝三慕四”means “someone who changes his mind frequently or contradict ones own words” （Chinese allusion）7） “two-bit whores ” means “臭婊子” （ English slang）8） “二百五” means “A stupid person”（Chinese slang） 9） “一条绳上栓着的两只蚂蚱-谁

28、也跑不了” means “Two grasshoppers tied to one cord, neither can get away”（two-part allegorical sayings）10） “三千里外一条水，十二时中两度潮” means “ there is a channel beyond four thousand li, and the channel is on the flow twice in a single day （Antithetical couplets）4. Contrastive study of cultural connotation betwee

29、n English and Chinese numerical idioms England and China have gone through thousands of years history, each country have formed its own culture. Cultural connotation is an indispensable factor in the study of English and Chinese numerical idioms4.1 The cultural connotation of numeral idioms related

30、to psychologyIn both English and Chinese cultures, from ancient times till now, “word fetishism” has affected peoples sub-consciousness. It is believed that certain numbers contain magical or spiritual power which can bring people bad or good fortune. Therefore, numbers cultural connotation is insep

31、arable from peoples psychology. Each culture over the ages has evolved and given to its members a unique “psychological set” or orientation toward reality and this set actually determines how its member see and process information from the environment. Culture, in effect affects the ways in which the mind works.4.1.1The cultural connotation of Chinese numerical idioms in psychology China is one of the four anci