人體器官相關(guān)英語(yǔ)習(xí)語(yǔ)研究

1、(北京)CHINA UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM畢 業(yè) 論 文Study on English Idioms on Human Organs院系名稱： 外語(yǔ)系 專業(yè)名稱： 英 語(yǔ) 學(xué)生姓名： 學(xué) 號(hào)： 指導(dǎo)教師： 完成日期 2005年6月10日人體器官相關(guān)英語(yǔ)習(xí)語(yǔ)研究摘 要習(xí)語(yǔ)是人類語(yǔ)言文化的結(jié)晶,正確地使用會(huì)給我們的話語(yǔ)及寫作增添光彩。許多學(xué)者對(duì)此進(jìn)行了深入研究。但是對(duì)于人體部位的習(xí)語(yǔ)研究卻很少。文章對(duì)英語(yǔ)習(xí)語(yǔ)的定義，特點(diǎn)與分類進(jìn)行總結(jié)，找出一般規(guī)律；討論了英語(yǔ)中與人體器官相關(guān)的習(xí)語(yǔ)，詳細(xì)分析了習(xí)語(yǔ)的來源，涉及宗教，神話，傳奇，寓言等方面；分析人體器官習(xí)語(yǔ)的特點(diǎn)，從修辭，變

2、異，省略，等角度論述，找出共性與不同；不同的人體器官可以表達(dá)人類的不同感情，以高興，害怕，傷心等感情為例，說明人體器官習(xí)語(yǔ)的多樣化特點(diǎn)，指導(dǎo)人們的言行，；器官習(xí)語(yǔ)應(yīng)用廣泛，最后介紹了器官習(xí)語(yǔ)在文化交際中的應(yīng)用，并提出對(duì)此學(xué)習(xí)的方法；強(qiáng)調(diào)了研究英語(yǔ)中與人體器官有關(guān)習(xí)語(yǔ)的重要意義，并指出了該文的不足。關(guān)鍵詞：英語(yǔ); 習(xí)語(yǔ); 人體; 器官 Study on English Idioms on Human OrgansAbstractIdioms or set phrases are important products of the language and culture of a society

3、. Proper use of them would add color to ones speech and writing. Yet, few people have studied English idioms with respect to parts of human body. Briefly, it introduces definitions of English idioms, their characteristics as well as their classification; it probes into the origins, how they are rela

4、ted to religions, myths, legends or fables; the history, the colloquial speech of common people, the literatures, and classical works.It explains the characteristics- the figurative meaning and variants; therefore, we find out the same and their differences in human-organ idioms.Also it deals with t

5、he applications to cross-culture communication, and gives some suggestions to learners in learning course.We summarize the whole by reinforcing the significance of the thesis, pointing out lacks of theoretical foundations in the thesis, and hoping further study on English human-organ idioms can make

6、 the study more complete.We draw a conclusion that different human-organ idioms express different emotions of human beings, i.e. happiness, unhappiness, fear, worry, anger, etc; we can see that human-organ idioms convey a diversification of emotions of human beings, it instructs behaviors of human b

7、eings in their daily life. Therefore, we should not expect to act exactly like a foreigner, but to guide ourselves to avoid cultural misunderstanding and conflicts. We should know the implicative and characteristics of idioms on human organs with the communicative behaviors, and to find where the mi

8、sunderstanding and conflicts may lie as well as the ways to avoid them.Key Words: English; Idiom; Human; OrganContents摘 要IAbstractIIChapter One Idioms and Language1.1 Definitions of idioms1.2Characteristics of idioms1.2.1 Semantic unity.1.2.2 Structural stability1.3Classification of idioms1.3.1 Idio

9、ms nominal in nature1.3.2 Idioms adjectival in nature1.3.3 Idioms verbal in nature1.3.4 Idioms adverbial in nature1.3.5 Sentence idiomsChapter Two Origins of Idioms on Human Organs82.1 Idioms on human organs from religion92.2 Idioms on human organs from Myths, Legends or Fables122.3 Idioms on human

10、organs from great works14Chapter Three Characteristics of Idioms on Human Organs193.1 Figurative meaning of idioms on human organs193.2 Variants of idioms on human organs213.2.1 Regular variants223.2.2 Irregular variants223.2.3 Elliptical or shortened forms233.2.4 Synonyms and antonyms24Chapter Four

11、 Emotions in Idioms on Human Organs344.1 Human Organ Idioms Related to Happiness354.2Human Organ Idioms Related to Unhappiness374.3Idioms Showing Fear, Worry, Bitterness or Something Alike39Chapter Five Applications of Idioms on Human Organs44Chapter Six Conclusion47Acknowledgements49Bibliography50C

12、hapter One Idioms and LanguageIdioms consist of set phrases and short sentences, which are peculiar to the language and loaded with native culture and ideas. Therefore idioms are colorful, forcible and thought-provoking. Strictly speaking, idioms are expressions that are not readily understandable f

13、rom their literal meanings of individual elements; for example, fly off the handle (became excessively angry) and put up with (tolerate). In a broad sense, idioms may include colloquialisms, catchphrases, slang expressions, proverbs, etc. they form an important part of English vocabulary. This chapt

14、er will deal with idioms in terms of their definition, characteristics, and classification. 1.1 Definitions of idiomsThis section presents definitions of English idioms according to three authorized English dictionaries with a brief analysis about them.Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current

15、English (1979:428) defines an idiom as (1) language of a people or country; specific character of this, (2) (gram.) succession of words whose meaning is not obvious through knowledge of the individual meaning of the constituent words but must be learnt as a whole.Longman Dictionary of American Engli

16、sh with Chinese Translation (1992:613) defines an idiom as: (1) a phrase which means something different from the meanings of the separate words. (2) the way of expression typical of a person or a people in their use of language.And Websters New World College Dictionary (1996:670) defines an idiom a

17、s: (1) the language or dialect of a people, region, class, etc. (2) the usual way in which the words of a particular language are joined together to express thought, (3) a phrase, construction, or expression that is recognized as a unit in the usage of a given language and either differs from the us

18、ual syntactic patterns or has a meaning that differs from the literal meaning of its parts taken together, (4) the style of expression characteristic of an individual,(5) a characteristic style, as in art or music.An idiom means a kind of a set phrase or the common people often quote sentence, like

19、a stock expression. Next come to the characteristics of idioms.1.2 Characteristics of idiomsIn the part, the characteristics of semantic unity and structural stability will be particularly explained.1.2.1 Semantic unityBeing phrases or sentences, idioms each consist of more than one word, but each i

20、s a semantic unity. Though the various words, which make up the idiom, have their respective literal meanings, in the idiom they have lost their individual identity. However, their meanings are not often recognizable in the meaning of the whole idiom. Likewise, the part of speech of each element is

21、no longer important. Quite often the idiom functions as one word, for instance, till the cows come home, which comprises a conjunction till, an article the, a noun cow, a verb come, and an adverb home, means “forever” and functions as an adverb, thus replaceable by the word forever. The same can be

22、said of keep in mind (rememble), take off (imitate), like a breeze (easily), and so on.1.2.2 Structural stabilityUnlike free phrases, the structure of an idiom is to a large extent unchangeable. First, the constituents of idioms cannot be replaced. However lip service (support only in words, not in

23、fact) is not to be changed into mouth service, kick the bucket (die) into kick the pail or strike the bucket; bury the hatchet (come to friendly or peaceful terms) into bury the ax, and so on.Second, the word order cannot be inverted or changed. For example, by twos or threes and tit for tat are not

24、 to be turned into by threes or twos or tat for tit. Similarly, the lions share is not to be replaced by the share of the lion.Third, the constituent of an idiom cannot be deleted or added, not even an article. For instance, out of the question means impossible. If the article the is deleted, the id

25、iomatic will be lost and it will signify no question instead.1.3 Classification of idiomsStudies on English idioms have provided a variety of criteria for classifying idioms. Here, I prefer criterion of grammatical functions. Knowledge of the grammatical functions of idioms will undoubtedly benefici

26、al to learners. By this criterion, idioms may be classified into five groups.1.3.1 Idioms nominal in natureIdioms of this class have a noun as the key word in each and function as a noun in sentences,White elephant a+n (something useless and unwanted but big and costly)Flesh and blood n+conj+n (rela

27、tives or family)1.3.2 Idioms adjectival in natureThe idioms listed below function as adjectives but the constituents are not necessarily adjectives, e.g.Up in the air adv+prep+n (uncertain)Beyond the pale prep+n (beyond the limit of proper behavior)Cut and dried a+a (already settled and unlikely to

28、be changed)1.3.3 Idioms verbal in natureThe structures of such idioms can be divided into phrasal verbs and verb phrases.Phrasal verbs are idioms which are composed of a verb plus a prep and/or a particle, as look into, go on, put off, turn on, get away with, and so on. Other verb phrases are such l

29、ike:Call it a day v+pron+n (decide or agree to stop either temporarily or for good)Come back to earth v+adv+prep phrase(stop imagining or dreaming)Make ends meet v+n+v (earn what it costs to live)1.3.4 Idioms adverbial in natureTooth and nail n+n (with great violence and determination)In nothing fla

30、t prep+pron+n (in a very little time; soon)Through thick and thin prep+a+a (through all difficulties and troubles)1.3.5 Sentence idiomsAll is not gold that glitters.Kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.Sentence idioms are mainly proverbs and sayings, including colloquialisms and catchphrases. Th

31、is chapter can come to a conclusion that, an idiom must be well established and accepted through common practice. In general, no element in an idiom can be changed without destroying the sense as a whole. As we cannot say:” wash ones hands of something instead of “wash something of ones hands”. An i

32、diom usually has an implied meaning. It cannot be interpreted only according to its literal meaning. As to play with somebodys nose may sound ridiculous but can be understood in a figurative sense“to mock or insult somebody”However, the definitions and criteria mentioned above may not be as perfect

33、as they should be. There are many scholars who still work on idioms. But this thesis will focus on idioms related to human organs.Chapter Two Origins of Idioms on Human OrgansIn this chapter, the definitions and origins of idioms of part of human body idioms will be analyzed. It is believed that an

34、analysis of definition and origin of body idiom can not only make idiom learners recognize systematically why and how a body idiom comes into use, but also help them use appropriately it in daily life.By human-organ idioms in English, we mean the English idioms that are related to a part of human bo

35、dy, (e.g. eye, ear, hand, arm, etc.) or the part of human body, which is implied in the contexts. Head: The head is thought to be the most important part of the human body，so a leader is often compared to a head. The head is where the brain is located. It is naturally associated with ideas and intel

36、ligence.Eye: The eyes are extremely precious to us. That is why we say Mind your eye! when reminding someone to be careful. Not only human beings and animals have eyes, many things also have eyes- the eyes of a ship, the eye of a needle, the eye of a typhoon, and so on.More examples, the cats got yo

37、ur tongue means you are very quiet; you dont speak; pulling ones leg means joking, teasing; to be all thumbs means to be clumsy, to be bad at doing something; to have a chip on ones shoulder means to have an angry attitude; to put ones foot in ones mouth means to say something embarrassing; to keep

38、ones nose to the grindstone means to continue working hard; by the skin of your teeth means to just make it.There are still many such vivid examples remained. However, the sources of idioms on human organs are various, and particular explanations will be given below.2.1 Idioms on human organs from r

39、eligionReligion is an important source of human-organ idioms. Owning to different religions, English and Chinese people use different figures in their own part of body idioms with religion allusions. Here are some examples: apple of the eye which means favorite people, Adams apple which means the pr

40、ojection at the front of the neck formed by the thyroid cartilage of the larynx, throat.Since the sixteenth century, no other English works had so much influence on written and oral English as the Bible did. Legends, myths, figures, fables and maxims in the Bible are known to all in European countri

41、es. When talking with each other or when writing something, people quote from the Bible so often that many allusions enter daily life through long usage. For example, an eye for an eye, meaning a punishment, which hurts the criminal in the same way as he hurts someone else, is from the New Testament

42、: Ye have heard that it hath ever said an eye for an eye. AndA tooth for a tooth:But I say unto thee, that ye resist for evil: but whoeverShall smite thee on thy right cheek; turn to him the other also.Wash ones hand of (something) means to refuse to have anything more to do with or to accept respon

43、sibility for. The original sentence is from the New Testament: “When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it”.Bow down ones ear means to

44、 listen respectfully. It is from the Old Testament:In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed:Deliver me in thy righteousness.Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thouMy strong rock, for a house of defense to save me.For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore forTh

45、y names sake lead me, and guide me. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak: mans good intention is liable to be subdued by his frail (sensual) nature. It is from the Old Testament:And he (Jesus) cometh onto the disciples, and findeth themAsleep, and saith unto peter, what, could ye not watch wi

46、th me one hour?Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, But the flesh is weak.There are also some other human body idioms from the Bible, such as Eat ones own flesh Lead by the nose Shake the dust from ones feet End of all things is at hand Lift up somebodys h

47、ead Pour out somebodys heart Shoot out the lip Smite somebody under the fifth rib Have itching ears 2.2 Idioms on human organs from Myths, Legends or FablesMyths are stories by which ancient people interpreted the origin of the world, natural phenomena and public activities. There are lots of myths

48、in ancient Greek literary works. Myths are not scientific, because in old days, productive forces were so limited that peoples ability to recognize the world was too poor. They wondered at the origins of the world, natural phenomena and some contradictions existing in their daily lives. So myths wer

49、e gradually created.No matter what myths, or legends, or fables are, they are all the generalization and summary of principles, basic laws and cognition, which are generalized into one or two idioms. That is the reason why so many idioms with respect to parts of human body come from myths, legends a

50、nd fables.Greek mythology not only is the treasure house of ancient Greek and Roman literatures but also plays an important part in the development of the world civilization. Moreover, ancient Greek mythology makes English idioms richer. Some names, places and allusions from myths have entered our d

51、aily life and become everyday expressions. Here are some of parts of human body idioms from Greek mythology:Achilles heel means ones vulnerable or susceptible spot.Websters New World Dictionary of American Language explains this idiom as follows: Achilles was a Greek warrior and leader in the Trojan

52、 War, who killed Hector and was killed by Paris with an arrow that struck his only vulnerable spot, his heel.Sow dragons teeth means to create something or somebody that is a cause of disturbing, quarrelling, etc.The Greek myth goes like this: Cadmus, prince of Phoenicia, swore to save his sister Er

53、opa carried away by Zeus, yet it is proved to be a failure. Enlightend by Athena, he sowed a dragons teeth in the forest. But when the teeth changed into soldiers, they swung their swords to kill Cadmus.In the arms of Morpheus means to sleep like a log. The Greek myth goes as follows: Morpheus, a go

54、d of dreamland, always transforms himself into the person a dreamer is dreaming at night, and tells the dreamer everything when he is asleep.2.3 Idioms on human organs from great worksNext to the bible, Shakespeares works are the richest literary sources of English idioms. Expressions from classical

55、 works are one of the main sources from which human body idioms are derived. The following human body idioms from Shakespeares works are familiar to us:Green-eyed monster means to be jealous. It is from Othello, “Be war, my lord of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock. The meat it

56、feeds on”.A pound of flesh means to blackmail somebody or to racketeer somebody. It is from The Merchant of Venice: SHYLOCK This kindness will I show: - Go with me to a notary, seal me there Your single bond; and, in a merry sport If you repay me not on such a day In such a place, such sum or sums a

57、s are Exprest in the condition let the forfeit Be nominated for an equal pound Or your fair flesh to be cut off and taken In what part of your body pleaseth me.Wear ones heart on ones sleeve means to express ones feelings overtly; to be very frankly. It is from Othello as in “but I will wear my heart upon my sleeve/ for daws to peck at: I am not what I am”.2.4 Idioms on human organs from Daily LifePeople have created a great number of human body idioms in practice. The ear is the organ of hearing.