中西方文化中动物象征意义的差异

ContrastinAnimal'sConnotationBetweenChineseandEnglish中英动物象征意义差异的比较主讲内容forewordContentElseIntroductionAbstractSignificanceConclusionsimilaritiesdifferencesasnakeinthegrasslikeacatonhotbricksLion–heartedGetsb’sgoatSeparatethesheepfromthegoatstopdogcatanddoglifeAcatmaylooklikeakingThevocabularyindifferentlanguagescanreflectthedevelopmentsofdifferentlanguages.TherearemanyexpressionsconnectedwithanimalsinbothEnglishandChinesebecauseofhistory,customs,valueandreligionbeliefs.ThisPPTanalyzesthedifferencesbetweentheEnglishandChineseexpressionsconnectedwithanimals,vividlyshowingtheculturalinfluenceonvocabularyandthedifferencesbetweentheChineseandEnglishculture.AnditwillbehelpfulforEnglishlearners’interculturalcommunication.Inthelongcourseofhumanhistory,animalskeepacloserelationshipwithourhumanbeingandhaveadeepeffectonhumanlivingandgrowth.Thisrelationshipbringspeopleallkindsofcomplicatedemotionsuchaslove,sympathy,disgustandfear.Moreover,peoplealsooftenreposetheirmoodonanimalstoexpresstheirfeeling.Owingtothedifferencesofgeographicalenvironmentsandcustoms,thesewordsandphrases,whosedenotationsaresimilarinthetwolanguages,havedifferentculturalbackgroundsinEnglishandChineselanguages,consequentlytheirculturalconnotationswillbedifferentfromeachother.ThisPPTwillmainlycontrastthedivergencesofculturalconnotationsforanimalwordstoexplaintheculturaldifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglish.SignificanceofcontrastofanimalwordsbetweenEnglishandChinese1.LearningabouttheculturaldifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseappearinginanimalwordscanhelppeopleunderstandtheemotionalmeaningoflanguageandthetwoculturesfurtherandremovethebarriersininterculturalcommunications;thereforeitisofgreatvalueinpractice.2.Knowingabouttheconnotationsorassociationsofananimalwordinonelanguagecankeepusawayfromheavylossesincommercialactivitiesowingtoculturaldifferencesbetweenthetwolanguagessuchasnamingaproduct.3.Tolearnabouttheculturalbackgroundofawordisgoodforselectingarightwordforexpression.ToanEnglishlearner,makingagoodunderstandingofboththenativelanguageandtheforeignlanguageisagoodwaytohaveagoodcommandofthelanguage.ThesimilaritiesAsamewordexpressesasamemeaningThesameconnotationofdifferentanimalThecorrespondenceofadoptedwordsInwhateverEnglishorChinese,lotsofwords,phrasesoridiomsareconnectedtoanimals.Theyaresolivelyandvividthatpeoplecanhaveadirectimpressioninmind,andthenconnecttheimagestotheinternalconnotations.Becauseoftheculturecommunicationsbetweeneastandwestandthesimilarityofthinkingmanners,ananimalwordwouldhavesameorsimilarconnotations.AsamewordintwolanguagesexpressesasamemeaningTobothChineseandwesternpeople,someanimalscontainsimilarconnotations,“parrot”(鹦鹉),theanimalwhichcansimulatehumanvoice,referstoamanwhorepeatsthewordsofotherswithouthisownopinionsinboththelanguages;“bee”(蜜蜂)inbothEnglishandChinesestandsforbusyandhardworkingpeople,forinstancethephrase“asbusyasabee”(像蜜蜂一样忙碌);and“jackal”(胡狼，豺)meansgreedy,contemptible.AnimalimagesofthesewordsinEnglishandChineseculturesareidenticalonthewhole.Wolves(狼)areallbloodthirstyandcruel,sointhetwolanguagestherearesimilarexpressionssuchas“ascruelasawolf”(像狼一样凶残),“awolfinsheep’sclothing”(披着羊皮的狼)“ashungryasawolf”(饿得像狼).InEnglish“wolf”hasaslangmeaning,sayingthatitreferstomanwhoseduceswomen,andlikewiseinChinesepeoplehavetheword“色狼”;bothofthemdevelopedfrom“greedy”(贪婪)whichisanattendantmeaningof“wolf”.Englishpeopleusuallydescribethatapersonis“wolfingdownhisfood”,andinChinesepeopleusewolf(狼)too.InChineseitissaid“狼吞虎咽”.Anothersimilarexampleisthe“crywolf”andthestoryof“狼来了”,bothofthetwomeanstellinglies.Ifaforeignercommentsapoliticianlikethis:“thatpoliticiancrieswolfineveryspeechhemakes”,heissurelysayingthat“那个政治家在他的每篇演说中都说了假话”.ThesameculturalconnotationofdifferentanimalwordsThatistosay,differentanimalwordscanexpressasameorsimilarmeaning.Althoughtheanimalwordpeopleuseinonelanguageisdifferentfromthatusedintheotherone,theyaresimilarinfigureofspeechJustbecauseofthecommoncharactersofhumanculture,people,whateverChineseorEnglish,havesomesamenessinmindtothisobjectivereality.Therefore,peoplespeakingdifferentlanguagesindifferentcountriescanexchangetheirmindfreelytoforeignersincross-culturecommunication.Todescribethatapersonistimid,Chinesepeoplesay“胆小如鼠”,whileinEnglishpeoplewoulduse“rabbit”,“chicken”,or“pigeon”forinstance“astimidasarabbit”,“chicken-hearted”and“pigeon-hearted”.Whatisinterestingisthat,mouse(鼠)inChinesecultureisconsideredasatimidanimal,butinEnglishpeoplethinkthatmicearequiet,sotheysay“asquietasamouse”.Todescribesomeoneisanxiousaboutsomething,Chineseusetheidiom“热锅上的蚂蚁”,whileEnglishuse“likeacatonhotbricks”;Chinesesay“吹牛”whileEnglishsay“talkhorse”;todescribesomeoneisstrong,peopleinEnglishsay“heisasstrongasahorse”whileChinesesay“健壮如牛”;Englishsay“worklikeahorse(马)”whileChinesesay“温驯肯干似老黄牛”.Theseadoptedwords,whichareliberaltranslations,keeptheiroriginalanimalimages.Thesekindofadoptedwordsaregraduallyusedbypeople,andsometimesit’shardtorecognize,suchas“uglyduck”(丑小鸭),“papertiger”(纸老虎),“darkhorse”(黑马),“fleamarket”(跳蚤市场),“nightowl”(夜猫子),“ostrich