英語專業(yè)畢業(yè)論文-中西文化的稱謂語差異

江 西 理 工 大 學(xué) 本 科 畢 業(yè) 論 文 The Differences of Address Forms in English and Chinese and their Culture Connotation 學(xué) 院 : The Faculty of Foreign Study 專 業(yè)： English 班 級(jí)： Class 071 學(xué)生姓名： 指導(dǎo)教師： 江西理工大學(xué) 2011 屆本科生畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì) (論文 ) 1 摘 要 稱謂語是發(fā)話人用來稱呼交際對(duì)方的用語 ，它是一 種語言現(xiàn)象，但其功能遠(yuǎn)不僅如此。稱謂語的使用，反應(yīng)出特定的社會(huì)現(xiàn)象和文化內(nèi)涵。中國(guó)擁有五千多年的悠久歷史，中國(guó)發(fā)展至今，保留著大量的稱謂語，這些稱謂語都反應(yīng)了一個(gè)時(shí)代的特征和文化內(nèi)涵。如今，隨著中國(guó)的對(duì)外開放以及加入 WTO，中國(guó)與外界的聯(lián)系也越來越密切、深入、廣泛。同時(shí)，中國(guó)的現(xiàn)代化發(fā)展也使中國(guó)在國(guó)際上的地位日漸提高，影響力逐漸擴(kuò)大，全世界開始關(guān)注中國(guó)，并開始研究和學(xué)習(xí)中國(guó)語言。然而英語仍然是世界通用語言，大多數(shù)的發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家都是英語系國(guó)家，因此我們很有必要學(xué)習(xí)其先進(jìn)的文化、知識(shí)和技術(shù)。本文通過收集、歸納中英稱 謂語，研究和學(xué)習(xí)中英稱謂語的差異，分析其反映的文化內(nèi)涵，從而達(dá)到學(xué)習(xí)雙方文化的目的，利于雙方文化交流溝通。 關(guān)鍵詞：稱謂語； 差異； 文化內(nèi)涵 江西理工大學(xué) 2011 屆本科生畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì) (論文 ) 2 Abstract Address forms are the languages used by the speakers to call the other people of a conversation. They are the phenomena of language, but they have much more functions. Address forms reflect the particular social phenomenon and culture connotation. China has a long history of more than 5000 years. Till now, there exist a great number of address forms. These address forms all reflect the characteristics of an age and the culture connotation. Nowadays, with the Chinese opening to the outside and joining into WTO, it relates with the outside world more closely, more deeply, more comprehensively, at the mean time, the development of Chinese modernization improves Chinese status gradually over the world, and Chinese influences become wider. All the countries over the world start to pay attention to China, and start to study and learn Chinese language. But English is still the common used language over the world, and the language of the most developed countries is English. So its quite necessary for us to learn their advanced cultures, knowledge, technologies. This thesis focus on collecting the address forms of English and Chinese, studying and learning the differences, and analyzing the culture connotation reflected in them. So as to reach the goal of learning the cultures of both sides, and make the exchanging and communications of different cultures more conveniently. Key words: Address forms; Differences; Culture connotation 江西理工大學(xué) 2011 屆本科生畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì) (論文 ) 3 Chapter I Introduction Language is a carrier of culture, and it also reflects one countrys cultural characteristics. Address form is an element of language and a very important base of communication. Its proper use is the foundation of maintaining peoples convenient communication. With the development of the world and the rising of China, the communications between the cultures of China and western countries become more and more. How to research and study the proper use of address forms will play an important role in the communications between the Chinese culture and western culture. At present, lots of experts and scholars have studied the topic and many books and papers have written the topic, these works are mainly emphasizing on the address forms in Chinese and English, and the differences between two languages. These works are comprehensive and they have achieved great successes. This topic in this thesis are based on predecessors works, and the purpose of writing this thesis is to raise my own views and ideas on address forms. Besides the predecessors works, this thesis will also raise the generalization and westernization of Chinese forms. The development of society brings people new idea and new mind, and lots of traditional address forms change their original meanings with the time going. Also, with the rapid procceding of Internet and information tech, a lot of new address forms have been created and used in our daily life. Meanwhile, after Chinas entry into WTO, cultures of western countries flow into China and affect even impact Chinese culture and peoples mind, people start to adjust their life including address forms to accord with the international standards. So it is quite necessary to analyse the phenomena of generalization and westernization of Chinese address forms, and find out the origin. It will help us to understand our own history and culture, then the world. 江西理工大學(xué) 2011 屆本科生畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì) (論文 ) 4 Chapter II The definition of address form and the functions 2.1. Definition According to the explanation in Modern Chinese Dictionary, address form refers to the names based on the kinship or other relations among the people and peoples statuses and professions. Address form reflects language, and it also reflects the social cultures. In any languages, address form plays an important role in social intercourses. The theory of sociolinguistics puts that the use of address form should be limited in the frame of ethnic culture. And the address form depends on the relations of similarity or dissimilarity, the relations of ascendance, coherence relations and other relations. It should properly recognize the relations among the roles in particular situations. It should also obey the behavioral norms of speech roles expected by the society. Address form can be parted in two branches: kinship address form and social address form. 2.2. Functions In interpersonal communications, address forms consist of three aspects: address forms for both sides of communication, address forms for speakers own, and address forms for others. Joshua Fishman raised the theory of register in the research of sociolinguistics. He put the use of address forms into five registers: family register, friend register, religion register, education register, work register. Fishman considers that people can choose the address forms in different situations based on the five registers. The author thinks that the functions of address forms are to maintain the coherence of speeches and clearance of meanings and to make the propagations of information between communicative sides more fluently and conveniently. The features are as following: (1) Address forms help to build new human relations, express the will to get close, or just be used as an address forms, or express the will to be away. For example, on the calling of names, two strangers meet with each other for the first time, and one gets to know the other ones name is ZhangXiaojun, when he calls XiaoJun, it will let the other one feels familiar. It reflects he wants to get close to the other one and use a proper strategy. (2) Address forms adjust the old human relation; it can make the original relations closer or remoter or keep them still. From the following conversation, we can see that different uses of address forms reflect both sides mental activities ingeniously, and imply their willings to adjust the original relation. E.g. A gentleman says to a lady: “Darling, forgive me this time, ok?” The lady answers: “No way! Chen Zhongqing, I wont be fool again!” In the conversation, the two people choose different address forms, and reflect their different aims to adjust the original relation. The husband use Darling a very familiar address form. His aim is quite clear, he tries to get close to his wife, and pray for the forgiveness, while the wife choose the full name to call the husband in order to 江西理工大學(xué) 2011 屆本科生畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì) (論文 ) 5 keep distance, even make the original relation remoter, and shows her mental activity of non-cooperation and refuse to accept her husbands apology. Chapter III The differences of kinship address forms in English and Chinese and their culture connotation 3.1. The definition of kinship address forms Kinship address forms refer to the names that define the kin members and principles relations centered on the principle. Kinship address forms are the names or callings among relatives based on consanguinity and affinity. Kinship address forms are the marks centered on the principle to define the relations among relatives and principle. According to the consanguinity and affinity relations, the author collects and classifies the kinship address forms usually used in our daily life. Consanguinity: Chinese English 丈夫 husband 妻子 wife 父親 father 母親 mother 兒子 son 女兒 daughter 哥哥、弟弟 brother 姐姐、妹妹 sister 祖父、外祖父 grandfather 祖母、外祖母 grandmother 孫子、外孫 grandson 孫女、外孫女 granddaughter 伯父、叔父、舅舅、姑父、姨父 uncle 侄子、外甥 nephew 伯母、嬸母、舅母、姑母、姨母 aunt 侄女、外甥女 niece 堂兄弟姐妹、表兄弟姐妹 cousin Affinity: Chinese English 公公、岳父 father-in-law 婆婆、岳母 mother-in-law 女婿 son-in-law 兒媳 daughter-in-law 大伯、小叔、內(nèi)兄、內(nèi)弟、姐夫、妹夫 brother-in-law 大姑、小姑、大姨、小姨、嫂子、弟媳婦 sister-in-law 江西理工大學(xué) 2011 屆本科生畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì) (論文 ) 6 3.2. Kinship address forms in Chinese are more complex than those in English Why Chinese kinship address forms are more complex. First, it is the etiquette tradition of Chinese culture. The Chinese nation was reputed as a civilized nation and a state of ceremonies in the world. The system of etiquette has formed and highly developed many thousand years ago, and it combined with the Confucian ideals later. Its affluences and bonding forces became more comprehensive and wider. So in such a etiquette society, the culture of etiquette become so mature. There must be complex address forms to comply with them. Second, it is because our nation had been in the feudal society for a long history, and the unit of social community is family or clan. So the power of clan is very strong. In the clan, the close and distant relations are classified by levels strictly, and the distinctions of internal and external relatives are very clear. So lots of interrelated address forms appeared and were classified in detail. Meanwhile, the address forms in English are quite simple. A few words can cover lots of them. British etiquette culture formed many thousand years later than Chinese, and after the Renaissance, some books of etiquette appeared in the western countries, but the they only focused on teaching people how to have a refined way of speaking and good manners and to be gentle. These etiquette principles are just some decorations and embellishes for the super class society. They are not like what the Chinese ancient ancestors recognized the etiquette as the foundation to run the country well and give the people peace and security. So the etiquette principles are not so comprehensive, systematic, detailed as Chinese ones. Even though the western countries also went through the feudal society, and there were serfdom and the feudal Patrilineal clan system, but after the Renaissance and the industry revolution, western legal system stepped into a new period. The idea of freedom, equality and fraternity spread everywhere, and under the affluences of legal system, the address forms of consanguinity and affinity in English are simpler than those quite common for us to see in Chinese. So address forms in Chinese are more complex. 3.3. Kinship address forms in Chinese emphasize the position while those in English do not Kinship address forms in Chinese emphasize the position and elders and juniors are each in their places. Kinship address forms should recognize the exact position of one among the brothers and sisters, this comply with the ideas of elders gain the respects in etiquette. The family should obey the Patrilineal clan system order of elders and juniors are each in their places and elders gain the respects from the juniors. Age and position are important and strict basis to distinguish, because in the feudal society where gain respects or not based on age, even one hour, one day earlier, the former one gets the position as elder, and has the rights to gain respects and obedience from the later ones, and the duties attach with the rights, such as recognizing the elder brother as the father and in the ancient time the emperor passed the position to the eldest son. So the kinship address forms in Chinese distinguish the elder and junior ones clearly. But the kinship address forms in English do not emphasize the difference of ages. The 江西理工大學(xué) 2011 屆本科生畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì) (論文 ) 7 males in the same generation call each other brother, and the females call sister, and the western people usually use the name or nickname as address forms in the same generation. Jesus advocated all the members in a family are equal and he called his mothers name directly, and he considered sons and daughters could debate with parents, even could be enemies. So theres no difference of whose positions high or low, and in the same generation, the members could call the names directly no matter who are elder or junior, to show familiar and friendly. So the people in Chinese can not call the elders names directly, but those in the western countries can. And in the western countries, the centre family has the dominant position, the relations among the family members are quite simple. All members do not pay much attention to the kinship of each other, for the members do not stay with each other in the same house or place. So its not necessary to distinguish each others position. 3.4. Kinship address forms in Chinese emphasize the internal and external relations while those in English do not In Chinese Culture and Translation of Chinese and English, professor LuHongmei puts that in the Chinese address forms culture, people firstly emphasize the differences of paternal line and maternal line, followed with the differences of branch growth and marriage relations. Such as 祖父、外祖父，伯叔、舅舅，姑母、姨母 , these are different address forms based on different branches of the family and clan, though the members are in the same generation and have the same gender. Moreover, there are eight address forms such as 表兄弟、表姐們、堂兄弟、堂姐妹 in the kinship address forms in Chinese, these address forms tied tightly with the traditional ideas of great differences among internal and external ones which passed from the ancient time. Chinese “表 ” means external in English, 表親 refers the external relatives, they are not the members in the same family, but 堂兄弟 refers to the internal relatives, they are the members of the family. And theres also a traditional idea that when the daughter grows up and marries with a man, she becomes a member of other family, not an internal member. So the assets of the family and other skills passed from the ancestors will be passed to the males and internal ones but not the females and external ones. Therefore the kinship address forms in Chinese emphasize the internal and external relations. In the kinship address forms in English, there are not so many differences of paternal lines and maternal lines, and people only use cousin instead of 表兄弟、表姐們、堂兄弟、堂姐妹 in Chinese, all these reflect that kinship address forms in English do not emphasize the differences of internal and external relations as those in Chinese. 江西理工大學(xué) 2011 屆本科生畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì) (論文 ) 8 Chapter IV The differences of social address forms in English and Chinese and their culture connotation 4.1. The definition of social address forms Social address forms refer to the address forms besides kinship address forms. They reflect the culture of social life and mutual relations, the social relations between the two sides of communication, and the social roles and the respected levels and so on. Social address forms can be apart into non-kinship address forms and situation address forms. Non-kinship address forms, refer to the address forms beside kinship ones, such as boy, girl, guy, they are common used in the society. They reflect that the communicative two people do not have the relationship of kin. Situation address forms refer to the particular address forms used in particular situation, they reflect the peoples classes, status, and also the relations between supply and demand. Here is a conversation between a black doctor and a white policeman: “Whats your name, boy?” the policeman asked “Dr. Poussaint, Im a physician.” “Whats your first name, boy?” “Alvin.” In this conversation, the white policeman should call the black man “Doctor”, but he uses “boy” to address the doctor, then the black man tells the policeman his title and position, but the white policeman still ignores that and uses “boy” to address the black man. It reflects that at that period, black people were in a low class and did not gain respects from the white people. 4.2. The differences of social address forms in English and Chinese and their culture connotation Being polite and modest is a traditional virtue of our Chinese nation. It is also existed in western culture, but there are great differences of each cultural backgrounds. The practical uses of address forms are quite different. This point is especially reflected on the title address forms. People in China use the position title to call the officers to show respect, such as Teacher Zhang, Professor Li, Principal Wang and so on. Though lots of people advocate using Comrade instead, the old habit can not be corrected easily. Even more, someone wants to show the respect as much as possible, so he or she ignore the word vice of the position title. But in the western countries, the use of title address forms are limited for the royals, super class of government, the members in the areas of religions, military, and legislation. Owen Trollope, American social linguist, summarized the rules of social address forms in American English as following: Cardinal Your excellency U.S President Mr. President 江西理工大學(xué) 2011 屆本科生畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì) (論文 ) 9 Prie