英語專業(yè)畢業(yè)論文-中西文化差異對稱贊語的影響(英文版)

1、湖南省婁底職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院學(xué)生畢業(yè)設(shè)計（論文）中文題目： 中西文化差異對稱贊語的影響英文題目：The Influences of Cultural Differences in Compliments between English and Chinese姓 名: 李玉萍 學(xué) 號： 200949135151 系 部： 外語系 專 業(yè)： 應(yīng)用英語 指導(dǎo)老師： 黃珍 開題時間： 2011.10 完成時間： 2011.12 湖南省婁底職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院教務(wù)處制The Influences of Cultural DifferencesIn Compliments between English and Chi

2、nese中西文化差異對稱贊語的影響Li Yuping李玉萍Supervisor: Vice Prof. Huang ZhenClass: 09 Class OneMajor: Applied EnglishStudent Number: 200949135151Foreign Language DepartmentLoudi Vocational & Technical CollegeDecember,2011 - -婁底職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院畢業(yè)論文 AbstractAbstractAbstract: Compliment is a polite speech act that is freq

3、uently used in people's daily verbal interaction. It is a speech act which explicitly or implicitly attributes credit to someone other than the speaker, usually the person addressed or the things related to the person addressed, for some "good" possession, achievement, skill, appearanc

4、e, etc. which is positively valued by the speaker and the hearer. A compliment event has the social function of establishing and maintaining harmonious. Theoretically, in this paper interpretations are placed within compliment topics, targets of compliments, and compliment response strategies. It ca

5、n be concluded that the differences between English compliments (ECs) and Chinese compliments (CCs) arise from the different cultural backgrounds and cultural values in both languages.Key Words: cultural differences, compliments, compliment response- IV - -婁底職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院畢業(yè)論文 摘要摘 要在人類的語言交際中,稱贊語是一種使用頻率較高的禮貌

6、言語行為。它是說話者明白地或曲折地贊譽說話者以外的對象(通常指受話者或與受話者有關(guān)的事物)，贊譽的內(nèi)容往往是指對方一些“好”的方面(如在財產(chǎn)、成就、才能，外表等方面)，這些方面在說話者和聽話者的價值觀念里一般都是值得肯定的。在人際交往中，稱贊語主要起著創(chuàng)造或保持和諧的人際關(guān)系這一社會功能，它可用來打招呼、致謝、表示鼓勵和祝賀、開啟話題、緩解矛盾等。稱贊語雖然是世界各國人民共有的一種言語交際行為，但它又受著特定的社會文化背景、價值觀念和交際規(guī)則等因素的影響和制約。因此，不同的語言，其稱贊語也必定存在著較大的差異。本文以中西方的稱贊話題、稱贊對象、應(yīng)答策略方面對英漢稱贊語進行比較研究，指出英漢稱贊

7、語的差異源于兩種不同的文化背景和文化價值。關(guān)鍵詞: 文化差異; 稱贊語; 稱贊語應(yīng)答婁底職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院畢業(yè)論文 ContentsContentsAbstractI摘 要 IIContentsIIIIntroduction11. Definitions of Compliment and Its Responses31.1 The Definition of Compliment31.2 The Definition of Compliment Responses42 .Culture Differences of Compliment in English and Chinese52.1 Cul

8、tural Differences in Expressing Compliment52.2 Cultural Differences in Compliment Topics62.2.1 Chinese Compliment Topic62.2.2 English Compliment Topic.72.3Summary.83 .Cultural Differences of Compliment Response Formulas in English and Chinese 103.1 Chinese Compliment Response Formulas103.2 English C

9、ompliment Response Formulas113.3 Summary.11Conclusion13Bibliography15Acknowledgements16婁底職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院畢業(yè)論文 IntroductionIntroductionThanks to the modern technology of communication, and the globalization of world marketplaces, people start talking about the global village. One of the most significant featur

10、es of this global village is intercultural communication. Countries, as well as individuals, are getting contacts with each other more conveniently and frequently. The flourishing exchanges between China and other countries call for those who are not only proficient in English, but also inter-cultur

11、ally sensitive and competent. Thus the development of intercultural awareness and the cultivation of communicative competence have been an urgent task for language teaching and learning ( Jia Yuxin, 2000). In short, in a world of international interdependence, the ability to understand and communica

12、te effectively with people from other countries takes on extreme urgency.As is known to all, compliments are frequently applied in social communication. How to give compliments and respond to them constitutes a significant part of the communicative competence of every member of a speech community. O

13、wing to different cultural backgrounds, there are differences existing in the compliments used in English and Chinese. Chinese speakers of English are often embarrassed by English compliments. They don't know how to pay compliments and respond appropriately. Consequently, communication is very l

14、ikely to be led to breakdown.Holmes (1987) pointed out, paying appropriate compliments and identifying them accurately is an aspect of communicative competence which may differ in a variety of ways from one culture to another. Any speech act reflects a variety of cultural norms and values, and so do

15、 complimenting behaviors. Since compliments are abundant in both English and Chinese and they act as a mirror through which particular cultural values are reflected, the selection of this subject is particularly suitable when cultural comparisons are made, which is also the main reason why the speec

16、h act of compliments is chosen as the current research focus.This paper tries to make a systematic comparison between Chinese compliments (CCs) and English compliments (E Cs) in aspects of formulas, topics, targets and responses to find the differences as well as similarities in this linguistic rout

17、ine of compliments, thus revealing the underlying norms of the two cultures. In this attempt, it is hoped to draw a conclusion that Chinese and English compliments are, to a large extent, influenced and determined by their respective cultures and thoughts, thus providing some practical pedagogical s

18、uggestions. Studying compliments and compliment responses in English and Chinese can compare the types of cultures the language users have, hence make it clearer about what really influences the complimenting behaviors in both languages and thereby improve people's intercultural communicative co

19、mpetence.- 17 -婁底職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院畢業(yè)論文 1.Definitions of Compliment and Its Responses1. Definitions of Compliment and Its ResponsesThe compliment speech event has the structure of an adjacency pair operation (Schegloff & Sacks, 1973:296), or action chain event (Pomerantz, 1978:109-110), whose two components

20、, compliment and compliment response, are limited by both temporal relevance conditions (Herbert, 1990). That is, the compliment is a two-unit turn in which Utterance 1 and Utterance 2 are linked by both temporal and relevancy conditions. The research here will give a brief introduction to the defin

21、itions of compliments and compliment responses.1.1 The Definition of ComplimentAlthough compliments are a common feature of everyday discourse, what counts as a compliment may differ very much from one society to another. Irvine pointed out that analyses of speech functions such as compliments did n

22、ot provide information which would enable one to identify a compliment unless one already intuitively knew what utterances counted as compliments. However, a thorough discussion of the pragmatic criteria which speakers use to identify compliments is much needed. It may be helpful to begin with a bro

23、ad definition of a compliment.In Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English with Chinese Translation (Third edition, 1987), the word "compliment" is interpreted in two aspects when it is used as a noun. First, "compliment" means "an expression of admiration,

24、 approval, etc, either in words or by action, eg. by asking somebody for his advice or opinions, or by imitating him". Second, in its plural form, "compliments" means "greetings". Of course, compliments in this paper falls into the first one.Some researchers of compliments a

25、dopt the definition "a verbal expression of courteous praise" by New Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus of the English Language (1993).From the point of view of the applied linguistics, many linguistic scholars have given definitions to compliments. Daikuhara(1986) investigated the spe

26、ech act of compliments from the perspective of actual speech communication. In describing the meaning of compliments in speech communication, he wrote as follows:Complement is used to express positive feeling of approval of the hearer for something. Compliment does not necessarily relate to somethin

27、g done by the hearer, since we may compliment someone on his intelligence, ability, for which he is not responsible, as well as for his act of courage for which he is responsible.Holmes (1986) offered a broad definition of compliment as follows:A compliment is a speech act which explicitly or implic

28、itly attributes credit to someone other than the speaker, usually the person addressed, for some "good" (possession, characteristic, skill, etc.) which is positively valued by the speaker and the hearer.Then Hebert (1989) noted that compliments are either explicit or implicit, correspondin

29、g in part to the distinction between direct and indirect speech act. An explicit compliment is one that could be acknowledged without the language environment. It usually has a certain pattern with certain commendatory terms, such as "I like your hair short like that." An implicit complime

30、nt requires certain inference work. For example, "I wish I could manage my work like you." The positive assessment of the other party is given in an indirect way and is thus an implicit compliment.No matter what definitions the scholars give the compliment, no one will deny that the compli

31、ment is a polite speech act that frequently occurs in people's daily verbal interaction.1.2 The Definition of Compliment ResponsesUnlike the case of compliments, there are few linguists who have given an adequate definition of compliment responses. We will cite Nelson's definition as follows

32、: "A compliment response is a verbal acknowledgement that the respondent of the compliment heard and reacted to the compliment"(Nelson, et. al. 1996: 413). Compliment responses can be said to act as the first reaction of the complimented to the compliment.婁底職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院畢業(yè)論文 2.Culture Differences

33、 of Compliment in English and Chinese2 .Culture Differences of Compliment in English and ChineseThe previous chapters demonstrate that Chinese compliments are as formulaic as English compliments semantically and syntactically. The differences lie in details. Ritualized phrases and figures of speech

34、related to Chinese culture are frequently used in Chinese compliments. Chinese people seldom use verbs to give compliments, whereas American people use verbs frequently, especially the two verbs, "love" and "like" to show appreciation. They also have a high tendency to use first

35、person "I", not second person "you", which is frequently used by Chinese people. The topics in Chinese compliments focus on the same three types of topics, traits/ability, appearance, and possessions as in English compliments. However, there is a different tendency within the fou

36、r types of topics, Chinese people give priority to traits/talents and ability, while American people are more favor of appearances and possessions. In addition, Chinese people indeed respond to a compliment more indirectly and a little less frequently than American people. This can be observed from

37、the high frequency of using the strategies of "No acknowledgement" and "Praise downgrade" in Chinese compliments and high frequency of using "Appreciation token" and "Return" in English compliments.2.1 Cultural Differences in Expressing ComplimentChinese compl

38、iments are realized through more ritualized phrases or proverbs, a large number of proverbs and idioms come down to us from thousands of years ago, which are closely related to traditional Chinese culture. Those commendatory phrases are frequently quoted in complimenting behaviors for purpose of viv

39、idness and emphasis.English compliments use more verbs and adjectives because individualism is highly valued in society and as a result, equal or horizontal relationship is highly valued. It is also related to the fact that more compliments are given and received by females in daily communication.Th

40、e second person is the most preferential choice in Chinese compliments. In China, people believe that good interpersonal relationships depend on good communication skills, which include directly expressing oneself, showing back respects, etc. Preserving one's own face is important; but more impo

41、rtant is to save others' face, therefore they adopt many strategies to perfectly preserve other's face. Giving and accepting compliments in Chinese society are greatly influenced by the Confucian tradition. Within the tradition, Chinese people live through cooperation; by working for the com

42、mon good, by supporting each other, and by saving others' face and not elevating themselves above others. In this way, they maintain warm human feelings, promote the good of the group above their own interest, and thus follow the principles of humanism, faithfulness, and propriety. The Confucian

43、 tradition places a high value on education, and particularly on educating the members of society in the ways humans should relate and interact with each other.In contrast, the first person is used frequently in English compliments. English society is oriented by the principle of individualism and a

44、s a result equality between people is highly valued. Individualism refers to the broad value tendencies of a culture in emphasizing the importance of individual identity over group identity, individual rights over group rights, and individual needs over group needs. In individualistic culture, peopl

45、e are self-oriented and take much care of themselves .Under the guidance of individualism, people behave according to their own needs without considering .the hearer's social status. It is reflected in the most frequently use of the first person "I" in giving compliments.2.2 Cultural D

46、ifferences in Compliment Topics2.2.1 Chinese Compliment TopicIn contrast to English speaking people, Chinese，seem to value natural appearance. "Inherent beauty" has been the highest appearance. In this study, more than half of Chinese compliments on evaluation on female appearance praised

47、natural attributes, English compliments use word "look", but in Chinese expression they use word,“長相”。Chinese compliments focus mainly on traits/talents and ability, Confucianism stresses the benefits of fixed hierarchical relationships in which respect is shown for age, seniority, rank, a

48、nd family background. This is why people concentrate on the topics of talents and ability. It is observed that people of high status seem to enjoy being flattered extensively. In addition to specifying the proper nature of relationships, Confucianism set forth four principles as guides to proper hum

49、an behaviors: humanism (Ren), faithfulness (Yi), propriety (Li) and wisdom (Zhi). These principles are completely reflected in the ways Chinese people give and respond compliments. Traits/talents and ability is something related to one's success and future and can only be commented by certain qu

50、alified persons. They are prudential and cautious about this type of topics, especially between strangers so as to show politeness to others. Indeed, encoding and decoding politeness is achieved in culturally specific ways.2.2.2 English Compliment TopicIn the English society what is complimented gen

51、erally are aspects of personal appearance which are the result of deliberate effort, not simply natural attractiveness. Indeed, they tend to avoid complimenting on the latter. Compliments on hairstyle are common; compliments on having beautiful hair are not. Compliments on attractive dress or blouse

52、 or on noticeable weight loss occur in almost any situation in which a compliment is at all appropriate; others like "You are beautiful" seldom happens, but "You look nice today." are more common. Because they perceive the "artificial beauty" can represent their individ

53、ualism much better. Females give and receive more compliments related to this kind of topics. Apart from that, their compliments seem to be labeled' with "time limit", for instance, "today" in example: You look nice today. Within the category of appearance, there come totally

54、 different culture-specific topics. First of all, weight loss is considered by Chinese to be a cause for concern, whereas in English society it is a cause for congratulation. Looking thin or losing weight is regarded as a positive attribute in English society, which they think is a sign of good heal

55、th. (Wolfson , 1989a)Thus they frequently make compliment as "You look good. You've lost weight." In China, losing weight may mean that someone has become sick without noticing the sickness. Far from being a compliment, "You've lost weight" in Chinese is often a warning f

56、rom a friend, which implies that the person should go and see the doctor. To someone who used to be thin, "You've put on weight" can be a compliment in Chinese, as example：你去深圳工作，可是發(fā)富了. This is why when a Chinese learner says to an American "You have gained weight," he offend

57、s the American without knowing it: On the other hand, when an American says to his Chinese friend, "You've lost weight," it will only make him worry about his health.Age and salary, which Americans are very conscious of, are a common compliment topic in the Chinese society, reflecting the fact that both of them are the symbol of experience, moral virtue and social status in our society. An utterance such as example：別看他一把年紀了，可身體還好著呢，一點都不顯老would be heard as a compliment in our culture, while it would ce