发布时间 : 星期一 文章The Cultural Differences between Chinese and English Reflected by Their Languages更新完毕开始阅读34e3618677a20029bd64783e0912a21614797fe7
The Cultural Differences between Chinese and English Reflected
by Their Languages
【Abstract】Social scientists tell us that cultures differ from one another，and each culture is unique.Learning a foreign language well means more than merely mastering the pronunciation，grammar，words and idioms.In fact，it is inseparable from learning its culture.This paper attempts to do a brief study of certain cultural differences between Chinese and English reflected by everyday conversations，proverbs，metaphor and association as well as taboos.
【Key words】differences； proverb； metaphor； taboo； culture
【摘要】社会学家告诉我们，一切文化都是独特的，互不相同的。学习一种外语不仅要掌握语音、语法、词汇和习语。实际上，学习语言与了解语言所反映的文化是分不开的。本文粗略探讨日常对话，谚语，比喻和禁忌语这些语言现象所折射出的两种语言之间存在的文化差异。 【关键词】差异 谚语 比喻 禁忌语 文化 Introduction
Although the language used in communication may be
faultless，misunderstandings may arise.The same words or expressions may not mean the same thing to different
peoples.Because of cultural differences，a serious question may cause amusement or laughter； a harmless statement may cause displeasure or anger.Because of cultural differences，jokes by a foreign speaker may be received with blank faces and strong silence.Thus it is necessary to study the cultural differences while learning a foreign language. 1.Cultural Differences in Everyday Conversations An American studying in china had an appointment at noon.As he was getting on his bicycle a Chinese friend passed by.吃了吗？ The young Chinese asked.This，of course，is a common Chinese greeting around meal time and the American merely nodded with a smile，waved goodbye and went off.He realized that his friend's remark was nothing more than a Chinese way of saying hello or hi.If the greeting had been put literally into English“have you eaten yet？”or“have you had your lunch？”It would have sounds rather unusual. To Americans，the greeting might mean this：“I haven't either，come on，let's go together and get something to eat”or“if you haven't，I was just going to invite you to my place.”In other words，it could indicate an invitation to a meal.
Actually，another foreign student who had not been long in China once complained in broken Chinese“你们为什么老问我吃饭了没有，我有钱。”To his way of thinking，people were concerned that he was not getting his meals properly because of lack of money.Clearly，he was offended. 2.Proverbs
Now we shall look at proverbs and sayings.Proverbs are short sayings of folk wisdom--of well-known facts or
truths--expressed succinctly and in a way that makes them easy to remember.Because the sayings are so pithy，they have universal appeal.Students love to pick up proverbs，and the use of one or two in the original language is often a minor triumph for beginning foreign language learners. Under the second category let us consider the owl and the bat.
“As wise as an owl”indicates that English-speaking people associate wisdom with this bird.In children's books and cartoons，the owl is usually solemn and wise.In disputes among birds and beasts，it is the owl that acts as judge.In moments of crisis，it is the owl that they go to for advice.Sometimes the bird is considered as impractical and foolish，but in the main，the owl stands for wisdom.Among many Chinese，however，there is a superstitious belief that this bird is a sign of bad luck.There is
a saying 夜猫子进宅（an owl visiting a home），portending misfortune in that household.The mere sight of an owl or the sound of the creature’s hooting is enough to cause people to draw back in fear.
The bat is usually associated with negative qualities in the west.As blind as a bat，crazy as a bat，he's a bit batty，have bats in the belfry are typical expressions of the negative
associations.They may be even worse.Mention of the bat often evokes the image of an ugly，sinister，blood-sucking creature.This may possibly be because of the vampire bat.The emotions aroused in English-speaking people are similar to those that the owl arouses among Chinese： fright and revulsion.
To Chinese，however，the bat is a symbol of good fortune，well-being，happiness--all positive qualities.The reason for such associations is probably because the name of the creature is pronounced the same as the word 福.Hence the popularity of the traditional design that shows the bat and the deer together蝠鹿，pronounced the same as 福禄--good fortune happiness，wealth and position. 4.Taboos
An American teacher in her fifties was invited to the home