论文总字数：27875字

摘 要

动物与人类之间一直有着密切的联系。人类语言中有关动物的词汇非常多，人们常常借用动物词汇表达特别的感情，丰富语言内涵。英汉中的动物词汇受各自的语言文化和习俗等因素的影响，其内涵意义存在着很大的差异。了解这些差异对于促进中西方的文化交流有着重要的意义。本文通过对实例的分析，来探讨英汉动物词中的文化差异，帮助读者更好的理解和运用英汉动物词汇。

关键词：动物词汇；地理差异；审美价值；文化

Contents

1. Introduction １

2. Literature Review ２

3. Cultural Differences between Chinese and English ２

3.1 Historical Differences ２

3.2 Geographical Differences ３

3.3 Custom Differences ３

3.4 Aesthetic Value Differences ４

4. Same Animal Words ４

4.1 Historical Differences in “Dragon” and “龙” ４

4.2 Geographical Differences in “Beaver” and “海狸” ５

4.3 Custom Differences in “Dog” and “狗” ６

4.4 Aesthetic Value Differences in “Cat” and “猫” ７

5. Different Animal Words ８

5.1 Historical Differences in “Phenix” “Phoenix” and “凤凰” ８

5.2 Geographical Differences in “Bull” “Ox” and “牛” ９

5.3 Custom Differences in “Bat” “Vampire” and “蝙蝠” ９

5.4 Aesthetic Value Differences in “Lion” “Tiger” and “虎” １０

6. Conclusion １１

Works Cited １３

1. Introduction

In the long course of the development of human history, animals usually keep a close relation with human beings and influence human existence and development deeply. The close relation results in human complex feelings of fondness, sympathy or antipathy. Also, people often use animals to express their feelings. There are so many vocabularies with relation to animals in both English and Chinese culture.

Animal words are words that express animal and those words, phrases and other idioms (Willey, 1990: 143). Those words can not only embody a certain quality, character, also can describe certain events and convey certain emotions concisely. In daily life, animal words often used by people to express their emotions, to enrich their own language because of rich expressive force, and has been integrated into all national languages, accepted and widely used. Due to the differences of the culture of all ethnic groups, all kinds of animal were given with a strong cultural characteristics and far-reaching social and historical origins. Cultural connotation differences of animal words in English and Chinese reflect the community’s culture background.

Language and culture are closely related. China and English-speaking countries living in different cultural background have come very naturally to produce different association of the same animal words in the two languages. The different cultural background gives more rich cultural connotations to animal words. The vocabulary of a language reflects the differences of the cultural development. Because of the influence of history, customs, values, religious beliefs and other aspects of cultural factors, the differences of the two languages give animal words in their particular cultural connotation.

This article is about searching Chinese and English cultural differences in terms of animal words in English and Chinese. It will pay more attention to the animal words. The cultural differences will divide into four parts in this article: historical differences, geographical differences, custom differences, aesthetic value differences. Then some suggestion for English learning will be given.

2. Literature Review

Animal words in English and Chinese stem from the different historical context, social activities, customs, religions, tradition, environments and so on. They reflect the difference between these two kinds of cultures. So many researchers want to find their relations. There are some points which listing in the follow:

Liao Guangrong thinks that there are three points about the basis of the animal words has cultural significance. Firstly, animal’s appearance, physiology, psychology, personality, behavior, habits, role and other characteristics. Secondly, Nation’s cultural contents, cultural traditions and cultural psychology. Including myth, religion, legend, history, literature, art, language, geographical environment, customs, ethics, thinking, Aesthetic tastes and so on. Third is association. Association refers to relate the animal with another thing. And the tradition of national culture, especially cultural psychology has the important role to stimulate and guide the production of the association (Liao Guangrong, 2000: 23).

Ding Feifei thinks that animal’s cultural meaning is the meaning that produced from the variance of social culture. This culture is the extended meaning, metaphorical meaning, associative meaning, symbolic meaning, emotion color, and style color of words that society gives (Zhang Liping, 2007: 8).

3. Cultural Differences between Chinese and English

China and English-speaking countries, living in different natural environments, have different histories and form different culture. In this chapter, the author lists the cultural differences between Chinese and English from the aspect of history, geography, custom and aesthetic value, in order to better analyze the contents in the next chapter.

3.1 Historical Differences

Each nation has its own unique history, which affects the culture of theirs. Meanwhile the history is an important part and factor of each nation’s culture. Difference of the historical culture thought reflects the national characteristics inevitably. China is a country with ancient civilization of five thousand years. Chinese historical philosophy mainly takes the Confucianism as the basic skeleton and mixed with Taoism before 1840. While the Christianity and the western philosophy is the main body of the English culture. Because of the different religious beliefs, the Chinese and the English also have the difference in the aspect of the word connotations.

3.2 Geographical Differences

Chinese culture is different from English culture. The essential difference of two cultures is their geographical differences. Chinese belongs to farming culture, but the English belongs to Marine culture (Wang Li, 2009: 27). China was originated from the Yellow River basin, and most depended on agriculture for their living in ancient times. Then, agricultural thought was deeply rooted in Chinese people’s mind. People’s production and economic activity are mainly attached by land. The living habits of China also fit with the agrarian economy. Living by farming made the Chinese have a close relation with the land. They are seen to be favored by nature, less threatened by natural environment and are content to live with nature harmoniously. On the contrary, English culture belongs to Marine culture. The ancestors of English people lived in an awful and turbulent environment. There were the bad weather and unknown natural disasters. The English completely experienced the ferocious and changeable of nature. So leading to the character of the English is stubborn and long for conquering nature.

3.3 Custom Differences

We know that there is a big difference between the Chinese custom and the English custom. But in my mind, it is difficult for me to define the meaning of custom. What is the custom? What are the custom differences between the English and Chinese? A custom is an activity, a way of behaving, or an event which is usual or traditional in a particular society or in particular circumstances (Hornb, 1997: 423).

Let me say it as follow: The differences on privacy. The privacy sense of Chinese people is comparatively weak. Chinese people think individual should belong to the collective. They think people should be united and fraternal. They are willing to know the other people’s things and the others also want to tell them. But English people attach great importance to the personal privacy. They want to have personal space and they are not willing to tell others their own things.

3.4 Aesthetic Value Differences

Aesthetic value is the different attitude toward the same thing. Because of the different aesthetic value, the two nations have the different attitude to the same animal. If they enjoy or appreciate this kind of animal, relatively, this animal word will have a commendatory term. On the contrary, if they dislike or hate one animal, it will have a derogatory sense. The same animal words in two nations may have the completely reverse connotation reflect the cultural difference in two nations.

4. Same Animal Words

Under the different background, the animal words have abundant cultural connotation. The same animal words in English and Chinese have the same connotation, the different cultural connotation or no corresponding meaning; the different animal words have the same cultural connotation. In this chapter and next chapter, the paper deals with the differences in the history, geography, custom and aesthetic value to analysis the similarities and differences exist in animal words. In this chapter, I will take “dragon”, “beaver”, “dog” and “cat” as example to analysis the historical, geographical, custom and aesthetic value differences between Chinese and English.

4.1 Historical Differences in “Dragon” and “龙”

Totemism has been existed since the primitive society. Because of lacking of knowledge and backwardness of productive forces, the ancestors of all mysterious things, including lightning, wind, rain and animals. Each tribe then had its own totem, and gradually gave the animals new meaning—their good wishes or unexplained fears (Wang Tianying, 2005: 2). Dragon is a totem in Chinese history. The Chinese regarded the dragon as a mythical animal, with long body, scale, horn, legs, can fly, walk, swim and others, and as a symbol of emperor. The dragon symbolizes Chinese such values as independence and perseverance and it also embodies the people’s will to conquer the nature. For thousands of years, Chinese have been proud of that they are the “descendants of the dragon”(龙的传人). Thus, the spirit of the dragon is the spirit of the Chinese people. In the dynastic times in China, the traditional symbols of royalty were the dragon and phoenix. The dragon stood for the king or the emperor, and the phoenix for the queen or empress. There were few negative connotations and even today; these mythological creatures occasionally appear in traditional Chinese designs. Chinese feudal emperors were often referred to as “true sons of the dragon”(真龙天子), wearing “robes”(龙袍), living in palaces decorated with the dragon. As an auspicious creature that supposedly bring good luck, the dragon gave rise to the saying that parents longing to see one’s son become a dragon(望子成龙), that is, be successful (Wang Tianying, 2005: 2-3).

However, this would sound ridiculous to the English people, because in their mind the dragon is some evil monster which like a big lizard, can spit fire and sometimes possesses three to nine heads. The Englishman considered the dragon was an evil monster and should be eliminated. The Satan who was against God in the Bible was named as “the great dragon” (Zhu Yanhong, 2010: 58). If you take dragon to describe a woman in English, it contains derogatory meaning. The meaning is that she is a disgusting woman. There are few English idioms with the word “dragon” except “blind dragon” and “fight like a dragon”.

The different attitude toward “dragon” reflects the two nations’ different history.

4.2 Geographical Differences in “Beaver” and “海狸”

The Chinese and English live in the different geographical environment. Chinese belongs to farming culture, but the English belongs to Marine culture. So English is familiar with some animal words that Chinese isn’t familiar with; on the contrary, Chinese is familiar with some animal words that English isn’t familiar with. Take the “beaver” as example.

Beaver is a kind of animal living in North America; it is a fur-coated animal with strong teeth that lives both on land and in water. In order to suit for the geographical environment, the beaver bits the trunk to build the house by the remarkable technique and persistent strength of will (Hornb, 1997: 87). Its skill and ingenuity in doing this have earned for the animal the name eager beaver. The English is familiar with the beaver, but the Chinese know nothing about it. The Chinese think it only is a little animal. Beaver doesn’t bring them any association. Hence, if you translate beaver literally, sometimes you can not make the original understood by the Chinese people. Such as the sentence “They didn’t study hard at ordinary times. So when the examination came, they had to work like beavers.” That is simply because this animal does not live in many areas in China, therefore is not fully included in Chinese language culture.

The different perceptions of the beaver reflect the different geographical environment in two nations.

4.3 Custom Differences in “Dog” and “狗”

A custom is an activity, a way of behaving, or an event which is usual or traditional in a particular society or in particular circumstances. There are big differences between the Chinese custom and the English custom. Take the “dog” as example.

Both Westerners and Chinese have the habit of keeping dogs. Though the referential meaning (sometimes called denotative meaning) in both languages is the same, the two nations even have the different attitudes and feelings toward this kind of animal. In Western traditional custom, dog is a most valuable and respectable animal. So Westerners never eat the dog’s meat and it is very cruel for them to do it, which is very different from China. In Western countries, a lot of old people do not have young adults support them, so they usually place their spirit on the pets when they feel very lonely. They often take a walk with dogs and talk to them (Fang Yali, 2012: 191). Judging from this, we can come to know dog has a higher position in old people’s eyes. The attitude to the dog in English also reflected in the language. There are many idioms and sentences about dog have the commendatory sense. Such as “a lucky dog” means a lucky man, “Every dog has its day” means everyone has his successful day. On the contrary, in China dog has a low position in people’s eyes, Dog’s function is just to guard house or be eaten by people. The attitude towards to dog also reflected in some Chinese “dog: words which contain derogatory meanings, such as “走狗”(lackey; servile follower), “狗嘴里吐不出象牙” and so on. In Lu Xun’s view, the main character of dog is that it usually shakes its tail in front of rich people, while barks when it looks at the poor. So, he describes many abject images of dog in his works, such as “落水狗”(“dog in the water”—bad person who has lost favor and power). In Chinese traditional ideas, the only quality of dog praised by people is the loyalty. But it is this quality that reflects the dog’s servility.

The different attitude toward “dog” reflects the two nations’ different custom.

4.4 Aesthetic Value Differences in “Cat” and “猫”

Aesthetic value is the different attitude toward the same thing. The different nations use the different sights to see the world. At different angle of sight and recognition, it exist the difference in the same thing. The different associations of animals in two nations reflect the different culture between the Chinese and the English. To the same thing, someone will consider its wonderful, but in the other’s mind maybe not so good. Because of the different aesthetic value, the two nations have the different attitude to the same animal. If they enjoy and appreciate one animal, the comment is a commendatory term. On the contrary, if they dislike and hate one animal, the comment is a derogatory sense. The same animal words in two nations may have the completely reverse connotation reflect the cultural difference in two nations. Chinese and English have the different aesthetic value to something, let take the “cat” as example.

Because of the lovely shapes, the cat was popular in China. Chinese people love to take it as pet in daily life. Even, the cat can catch the mice was be willing to family. Some ancient poets wrote poems to prize cats. On the contrary, English people don’t think so. In their mind, cat is a troublemaker. There’re some phrases and sayings like “old cat” (an old woman with bad temper), “cat around” (a guy has been seen with many women), “cat’s paw” (a person who is duped or deceived), “a cat in the pan” (traitor), and “let the cat out of the bag” (to disclose the secret). If one expresses the idea of anxiety and uneasiness, he says “somebody is like a cat on hot bricks” (Kou Kuihua, 2006: 33). All those above reflect the cat is not popular in the English. Especially the black cat was deeply hated.

The different attitude toward “cat” reflects the two nations’ different aesthetic value.

5. Different Animal Words

As the two nationalities live in different cultural background, different social regional environments, and receive different history. Naturally, they give the same animal words more different abundant cultural connotations, so animal words often appear in different national styles. In Chinese, a word can generalize an animal but in English there are two or three words to describe this animal. So in this chapter, I will take some examples to analysis the historical, geographical, custom and aesthetic value differences between Chinese and English.

5.1 Historical Differences in “Phoenix” “Phoenix” and “凤凰”

In English, we can use two or three words to describe an animal, but in Chinese, we can use only a word. More and more, it has some difference between them.

In Chinese, they think phoenix is a bird, it had one colorful feathers, shape like pheasant, Chinese people regarded as signs of the emergence of the phoenix peace and harmony (Wang Li, 2009: 28). In ancient legend, phoenix is also a symbol of noble character.

However, in English, “phoenix (phoenix)” is the legend of a bird, reportedly living in the Arabian for five or six hundred years before his death for his build a nest inside covered with spices. They sing a dirge with wings fan the fire will burn to ashes themselves, and then from the ashes of the birth of a new “phoenix”. Thus, in English, phoenix of “regeneration”, “Resurrection” and other means, and phoenix is a resurrection like regeneration. In addition, it also produced idioms rise like a phoenix from its ashes.

It can reach a conclusion that in the historical development of two English-Chinese nationalities, the animal words have the different cultural connotations.

5.2 Geographical Differences in “Bull” “Ox” and “牛”

English and Chinese living in different natural environments, and belongs to the different civilization systems. Chinese belongs to the agricultural civilization. English belongs to Marine civilization. The two nations give the different culture connotation of animals. China has been a farming country since ancient times. In China, the ox(actually the Chinese word “牛”(niú) does not distinguish ox from cow or bull or buffalo) is an indispensable friend for people working in the farm and it plays an important role as a farming tool in agricultural history (Wang Tianying, 2005: 8). Which the English people used the house to do farm work. Therefore, the ox is a very popular image in Chinese culture. It’s mostly known for its devotion and hardworking. The emotion people on it also reflected in language. In Chinese, there are a lot of idioms about bull which has the commendatory sense. “老黄牛” refers to the person who is working hard without any complaint. Lu Xun’s famous saying of 俯首甘为孺子牛( Head bowed, I serve these children like an obedient ox) is almost known to everybody in China.

On the contrary, English people do not regard “bull” as treasure in farming, but as food in dish. In their eyes, there are many shortcomings in bull. They consider it crude, rash and impetuous. And this opinion reflected in the ordinary languages. For example, English people use “a bull in a china shop” or “like a bull at gate” to describe the man who is rashness. John Bull was a nickname of an Englishman. John Bull was first appeared in a book of John Arbuthnot (1667-1735) book refers to a man who was outspoken, reckless, restless and ridiculous (Wang Li, 2009: 28). The cultural connotations of calf, cow, and buffalo also reflect the derogatory sense. For instance, “calf” refers to a person who is clumsy; “cow” refers to an unpleasant person, thing or situation. “To buffalo sb” means to cajole a person into consent doing something.

The different perception of the “牛” in Chinese and English reflects the two nations’ different geographical environment.

5.3 Custom Differences in “Bat” “Vampire” and “蝙蝠”

A custom is an activity, a way of behaving, or an event which is usual or traditional in a particular society or in particular circumstances.

Bat is a mammal, eating mosquitoes, moths and other insects. In English, bats are an evil animal, always together contact with evil and darkness. Referred to bat, the English nation will think vampire (vampire bats). Vampire legends leave their graves at night to go to sleep by taking blood, people fear and disgust. English idioms some expressions also shows bat for bad association, such as blind as a bat (as blind as a bat); crazy as a bat (as crazy as a bat), etc (Hornb, 1997: 34).

On the contrary, in china, bat has a different meaning because it"s the same pronunciation and “Fu”, which is regarded as the best of luck, happiness and a symbol of health and longevity. Chinese traditional painting of the bat and deer design together, constitute a “bat deer” (pronounced “Fluke”), on behalf of riches and honor, bless the people “have a blessed Paul” means. And because “Red Bat” and “Hong-fu” are homonyms, so the red bat is a symbol of good luck.

The different perception of the “bat” “vampire” and “蝙蝠” in Chinese and English reflects the two nations’ different custom. Both Chinese and English, there are many different cultural connotations same animal vocabulary, which goes to show the huge differences between Chinese and reflects the existence of two cultures, reflecting the cultural identity of the nation.

5.4 Aesthetic Value Differences in “Lion” “Tiger” and “虎”

Aesthetic value is the different attitude toward the same thing. The same animal words in two nations may have the completely reverse connotation reflect the cultural difference in two nations. Chinese and English have the different aesthetic value to something, let take “lion” and “tiger” as example.

To the English, and to the most westerners, “the king of the beasts” is the lion. It stands for courage, ferocity and majesty. The lion enjoys high prestige, as can be seen from such expressions “regal as a lion”, “majestic as a lion”. Richard I, king of England in the latter part of the 12th century was known as lion-hearted for his courage and chivalry. Then, we can have something out of this that the lion plays an important role in English culture. It is no wonder that the English have chosen the lion as their symbol.

In Chinese culture this beast has fewer such associations. It is regarded commonly as being fierce and powerful, but not necessarily majestic or regal. To Chinese, it is the tiger that most likely evokes such associations. They regarded tiger as “the king of the beasts.” So it is usually taking “lion” to indicate “虎威”(hū wēi) instead of “tiger”. In Chinese we have “虎口拔牙”， while the English use “beard the lion in his den”. Another example is “老虎屁股摸不得”, but the English say “One should not twist the lion’s tail”.

The different perception of the “虎” in Chinese and English reflects the two nations’ different aesthetic value.

6. Conclusion

Due to the differences of the culture of all ethnic groups, all kinds of animals were given a strong cultural characteristics and far reaching social and historical origins. Animal words in English and Chinese cultural connotation differences reflect the community’s culture background. Language and culture are closely related. Chinese and English nation has long-term living in different cultural background come very naturally to produce different association of the same animal words in the two languages. And give more rich cultural connotations to animal words. The vocabulary of a language reflects the differences of the cultural development. Because of the influence of history, customs, values, religious beliefs and other aspects of cultural factors, the differences of the two languages gives animal words in their particular cultural connotation.

The culture to communication is what swimming skill to swimming, so more and more emphasis should be placed on culture during the intercultural communication. In this paper we have analysis on the culture differences between English and Chinese from the perspective of animal words. We know there are many culture differences between each nation, which lead to cultural mistakes in communication. In order to overcome the obstacles of communication, we should learn the knowledge before communication. Take the distinct history, geography, custom and aesthetic value of a nation into consideration. Only with a thorough understanding of a nation’s culture can we get a convenient communication and promote the mutual communication and integration between two cultures.

Works Cited

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