On the Social and Cultural Connotation of English and Chinese Vocabulary
From the perspective of linguistics and intercultural communication, it comes into being because every language has its own unique language system and construction, and every nation has its own living habits, ways of thinking, language psychology, code of conduct, values and cultural traditions. Semantic and cultural equivalence between the two languages is extremely rare. It is embodied in the following three aspects:
First of all, different cultural connotations of vocabulary lead to vocabulary vacancy.
Lexical vacancy refers to the fact that some words in one language may not have corresponding or compatible words in another language due to cultural and language differences. Some of these words come from different understandings of the objective world, and some come from different social life. For example, the American dream in English refers to the founding spirit advertised by the United States, in which everyone is free and has equal opportunities; Cheesecake refers to the photos of women's bodybuilding; Beefcake refers to male bodybuilding photos; Halfway house (halfway house) refers to rehabilitation hospital; Blue man refers to a person who has undergone sex-change surgery and changed from a male to a female; Pink girl refers to a cocktail name and so on. Other words come from religions, myths, legends and customs. The cultural connotations of some animal words in English are not found in Chinese. Swan is used in English to refer to a talented poet. According to Greek legend, the soul of Apollo, the god of music, entered a swan, which led to the Pythagorean fable: the souls of all outstanding poets entered the swan; Oysters refer to people who are silent. It is said that oysters produced in Kent, England are the best, and the best oysters are always closed; Beaver refers to a person who works hard to please his boss. Beavers are mainly produced in North America. They are very active and have high skills and originality in gnawing trees and nesting. Therefore, they are called eager beaver, which is usually used to mean "people who are eager to do something and work hard" but a little impatient, which is slightly derogatory. Some words in Chinese are also lexical gaps in English. For example, Zongzi, Guanyin, Jade Rabbit, Jade Bird, Earth Temple, Chinese tunic suit, Cheongsam, Red Eye, Red Apricot Out of the Wall, Green Life, etc. , has a unique cultural connotation in China, and it is difficult to find the corresponding words in English.
Second, the difference between word meaning association and cultural image leads to different meanings.
The difference between word meaning association and cultural image actually belongs to "cultural information difference". It is embodied in the non-correspondence between lexical metaphor and reflective meaning and social meaning. Metaphor is good at expressing emotions and can make language vivid. Its psychological basis is the association of some common characteristics of all things in the world. However, due to the different natural environment, social and cultural background and customs of different nationalities, metaphors and associations are also different. Among them, animal words, number words and color words are the most representative.
In English, the lion is the king of all animals and a symbol of "bravery, fierceness and majesty". King Rechard Ⅰ of England was called "Lionheart" for his bravery. The British think the lion is the symbol of their country. The English lion refers to Britain. There are many idioms related to lions in English, such as playing yourself in the lion's mouth, coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb (anticlimactic) and hiding the key like a lion. When translated into Chinese, lions are customarily replaced by "tigers" because China people think that "tigers" are the kings of all animals. Such as: eyeing the tiger, letting it go up the mountain, talking about it, adding wings to the tiger, and it will go down the mountain.
China people have supreme respect for "dragon", which is regarded as a symbol of the Chinese nation, while westerners have no affection for "dragon", which is regarded as a fierce and terrible monster and a symbol of disaster. In English, if a woman is called a dragon, it means that she is fierce and annoying.
In English, the owl is a symbol of wisdom, and the idiom as clever as an owl is an example. Owlish, owlishly are used to describe intelligence, alertness and seriousness. In children's books and cartoons, owls are usually serious and clever, and often act as referees. However, the image of owl is different in Chinese. Many people think that owls are related to precursor superstitions, and they are afraid to see or hear them, thinking that it will be unlucky to encounter them. "Night owls (owls) enter the house" means that bad luck is coming.
Westerners don't like bats and think they are evil animals. It is always associated with evil and dark forces, especially vampire bats, and it is frightening to mention it. There are some bad associations and metaphors in English, such as being as blind as a bat, as crazy as a bat, a little batty (a little abnormal) and bats in faith (crazy, whimsical). In Chinese, the image of bats is completely different from that of the west. Because "bat" and "fu" are homophonic, bats are considered as symbols of happiness and good luck. The red bat is a symbol of good luck, because "red bat" is homophonic with "Hongfu".
In China culture, the peacock is a symbol of good luck, and people think it is a good thing to be as proud as a peacock. Peacock basically means no in English, which means that a person shows himself proudly or arrogantly. It does not emphasize the beautiful side of the peacock, but emphasizes the proud side. In English, there are usages like young peacock and proud peacock.
In western mythology, the phoenix is related to "resurrection" and "rebirth". Legend has it that the Phoenix lived for five or six hundred years, built a fragrant nest, sang an elegy, fanned the fire with its wings, burned itself to ashes, and then a new Phoenix was born from the ashes. According to the legend in China, the phoenix is a magical animal and the king of all birds, so there is a saying that "a hundred birds fly towards the phoenix". The appearance of the phoenix indicates that the world is peaceful, and there is a saying that "dragons and phoenixes are auspicious".
Let's look at digital words again. People in English-speaking countries often think that the singular is auspicious. For example, when expressing a deeper degree, they often add "one" after the even number of the whole thousand: one is grateful, one is grateful, and there are 101 things to do. The trinity of _ _ culture determines the mysterious cultural connotation of "three", and people are used to dividing the quantity or development of things into three parts for good luck. But "thirteen" is regarded as an ominous number and should be avoided. The 13 floor of a building is often replaced with "12A". There are no 13 rows in planes, trains, theaters, etc. And it is not suitable to celebrate on 13 every month.
On the contrary, the traditional culture of China regards even numbers as auspicious numbers. People like the coupling meaning of even numbers, pursue "yes-men" and long for "double happiness" They describe a well-organized society as "stable", convenient transportation as "extending in all directions", all the best as "great harmony" and beauty as "perfection".
Color words in English are also very distinctive. When reading for the first time, the following passage may make you a little confused. Once you understand the usage and cultural connotation of these color words, you can understand their true meaning.
Mr. Brown is a very honest man. He looked very pale the other day. He has been feeling blue recently. He was deep in thought when I saw him. I hope he will recover soon. ) Mr. Brown is a faithful and reliable man. He looked pale that day. He has been depressed recently. He seemed preoccupied when I met him. I hope he will pull himself together soon. )
The difference between word meaning association and cultural image is not only reflected in the metaphorical and associative meaning of words, but also in the social and cultural meaning. Language is the carrier of social culture, and its rich cultural connotation and cultural load convey endless cultural information. All cultures are unique and different. McDonald's hamburgers and apple pies are "cheap fast food wrapped in the belly" in the west, which are mostly used by tourists and the lower classes, but in China they have become the first-class foods popular with children on holidays. Another example is the English sentence "A lady is walking in the aisle with a man and hunched with another man." This lady went to the altar with a man, but came back with another man. It contains the wedding custom in western culture, that is, the bride is taken to the altar by her father and then given to the groom. If you don't understand this western wedding custom, you can't understand it. Do you really think this bride changed her husband in an instant?
Third, the semantics and cultural connotations of words are not equal.
Semantic and cultural inequalities between English and Chinese words are mainly manifested in conceptual meaning, connotative meaning and collocation meaning.
1. Conceptual meaning is the basic meaning of a word, which is abstract and has no direct connection with objective things. Conceptual meaning is the core factor of communication. If you don't understand the conceptual meaning of words correctly, it will cause communication conflicts. For example, the Chinese word "lover" refers to one's spouse (husband or wife), while the English word "lover" refers to a lover (lover or mistress). In Chinese, "uncle" refers to his father's younger brother or elder younger than his father, while in English, the word "uncle" has a much broader meaning, which can refer to both his father's brother and younger brother and his mother's brother and younger brother. There are many similar appellations, such as grandpa, grandma, father-in-law, cousin and so on.
For another example, the English word "pharmacy" is different from the Chinese word "pharmacy". In the United States, pharmacies can sell food, drinks and so on in addition to medicines. The meaning of "landlord" in English is quite different from that in Chinese.
2. Connotative meaning is a meaning beyond conceptual meaning, which is often related to the nature and characteristics of objective things. For example, idealism has two meanings in English. First, as a philosophical term, it means "idealism" and does not contain any praise or criticism. But "idealism" has a derogatory meaning in Chinese. Another meaning is "idealism", which can express affirmation, negation or both; The "idealism" in Chinese often contains the meaning divorced from reality and derogatory meaning. In English, the word politican refers to those "politicians" who climb up by hook or by crook in pursuit of fame and fortune, which is derogatory. However, in Chinese, the word "politician" often contains praise, which refers to people engaged in political work. There are also similarities: individualism and individualism, politics and politics, community and society, publicity and propaganda, idealism and idealism, liberalism and liberalism, intellectuality and intellectuality, farmers and farmers, boyfriends and men.
For another example, the word "dog" in Chinese often has derogatory meanings such as "disgusting and despicable", such as "running dog", "dog slave" and "heartless", while westerners have a soft spot for "dog" and regard it as a pet and a man's best friend.
3. Collocation mainly refers to the horizontal combination relationship between words, which is often established and cannot be applied to English learning by using the collocation law of mother tongue. For example, Chinese black tea is in English, English black coffee is Chinese strong coffee, and Chinese strong tea is English strong tea. Emerge like mushrooms, as rich as blackberries, and spend money like water to be used in English.
For another example, in China, it is natural for adults and children to wear "new shroud" on their birthdays, and "birthday dress" is a euphemism for "nudity" in American English. Chinese "free love" refers to free love without interference from parents, while English "free love" refers to "universal love and indiscriminate love" and refers to free cohabitation without legal marriage. The "blue room" in English actually refers to the reception room where the president meets his close relatives and friends in the White House, not the "blue room". "National trust" refers to the organization responsible for the maintenance and maintenance of precious exhibits in the British Museum, not "national trust".
A complete collection of buzzwords about buying a house (2)
housing vacancy rate
Distribution system of welfare public housing
loans extended to the individual housing purchasers
Commercialization of public housing
Buyers raise funds to build houses.
housing construction
Per capita housing
An integral part of an existing house (or apartment)
Forward delivery house
Commercial housing in commercial housing
Vacancy of Commercial Housing —— Vacancy of Commercial Housing
Policy house, policy house.
Housing subsidies, rent allowances; housing allowance
The monetization process of housing distribution.