英汉动物词汇的文化内涵对比论文终稿

A COMPARISON OF THE CONNOTATION BETWEENENGLISH AND CHINESE ANIMAL WORDSbyMay, 2014Hubei Engineering UniversityAbstractBoth English culture and Chinese culture have a large number of words related with animals. The same animal words may have the same or different connotations in English and Chinese, and different animal words may have similar connotations in English and Chinese. In addition, animal words have semantic gaps in English and Chinese. This paper is intended to contrast and analyze the connotation between English and Chinese animal words from these aspects and discuss the causes of discrepancy in the connotation between English and Chinese animal words form the angles of religion, history, geographical environment and aesthetic orientation. Moreover, this paper analyzes the influences of the connotation of animal words on intercultural communication. Then this paper gives some suggestions for intercultural communication. At last, it draws a conclusion that language is the carrier of culture. Languages of different nations present rich cultural properties. We should pay more attention to the discrepancy in the connotation between English and Chinese animal words during the process of intercultural communication and enrich our knowledge of different cultures as much as possible. In the age of globalization, communication between the Chinese culture and the English culture is on the increase day by day. With the help of this paper, people can understand the cultural difference of English and Chinese animal words further and achieve perfect intercultural communication. Key words:Animal words; English and Chinese; Connotations; Comparison英汉动物词汇的文化内涵对比摘要在英汉两种文化中有许许多多与动物相关的词汇。

同一动物词汇在英汉语言中可能具有相同或者不同的文化内涵，不同的动物词汇在英汉语言中可能会有相似的文化内涵。

另外，动物词汇在英汉语言中存在语义空缺现象。

本文旨在从这几个方面对比和分析英汉动物的文化内涵，并从宗教、历史、地理环境、审美取向的角度探讨英汉动物词汇的文化内涵存在差异的原因。

此外，本文分析了动物词汇的文化内涵对跨文化交流的影响。

然后，本文为跨文化交流提出了一些建议。

最后，得出结论：语言是文化的载体，不同民族的语言呈现出丰富多彩的文化特性。

在跨文化交流过程中，我们应该更加重视英汉动物词汇的文化内涵差异，尽可能丰富我们在不同文化领域的知识。

在全球化的时代，中西文化交流日益频繁。

通过本文，人们能够进一步了解英汉动物词汇的文化差异，顺利进行跨文化交流。

关键字：动物词汇；英语和汉语；文化内涵；对比Contents1. Introduction (1)2. Connotations of English and Chinese Animal Words (1)2.1 Connotation of animal words in Chinese and English (1)2.1.1 Animal words with the same connotations (2)2.1.2 Animal words with different connotations (3)2.1.3 Animal words with similar connotations (6)2.2 Semantic gaps (7)2.2.1 Animal words with rich connotations in Chinese (7)2.2.2 Animal words with rich connotations in English (8)3. The Causes of Discrepancy in the Connotation between English and Chinese Animal Words (9)3.1 Religion (10)3.2 History (10)3.3 Geographical environment (11)3.4 Aesthetic orientation (11)4. Influences of the Connotation of Animal Words on Intercultural Communication (12)5. Suggestions for Intercultural Communication (13)6. Conclusion (14)Bibliography (16)A Comparison of the Connotation between English and ChineseAnimal Words1. IntroductionThe intimate relationship with animals makes human beings have complex emotions, such as fondness, sympathy, disgust and horror, etc. Humans often place their feelings on animals and use animals to express feelings as well. Many animal words and phrases are endowed with connotations in English and Chinese. Therefore, learning about the different connotations of English and Chinese animal words can help English learners to correctly understand this language. Animal words have the same, different or similar connotations in English and Chinese. In most cases, although both English and Chinese have the same referential meanings of animal words, the connotations of these animal words are different (Shang Qi, 2006). This is caused by religion, history, geographical environment and aesthetic orientation. This paper starts with the comparison of English and Chinese animal words. Afterwards, this paper discusses the causes of discrepancy in connotations between English and Chinese animal words. In the end, this paper discusses the influences of cultural connotations of animal words on intercultural communication.2. Connotations of English and Chinese Animal Words2.1 Connotation of animal words in Chinese and EnglishThe same animal words may have the same or different cultural connotations in English and Chinese. In addition, different animal words may have similar culturalconnotations in English and Chinese.2.1.1 Animal words with the same connotationsLiving in a similar ecological environment, people may have a same imagination about animals. Therefore, animal words will be endowed with the same cultural connotation. In Chinese and in English, the fox is cunning; the ass is stupid; the lamb is docile; the wolf is always hungry; the rabbit can run rapidly; the bee is busy; the snake is crafty; the hen is associated with woman. For example, when we say “he is a fox”, Chinese people and Native English speakers will realize that he is cunning. To the native English speakers and Chinese people, “pig” stands for dirtiness, laziness and stupidity. Therefore, there are some sayings like “as fat as a pig”, “eat like a pig”, “make a pig of oneself”, etc. In Chinese culture and English culture, “bee” always gives us the impression of an extremely hard wor ker. We can use “as busy as a bee” to describe someone who is diligent. A “parrot” (a type of tropical bird with hooked beak and brightly colored feathers) can be trained to imitate human voice. In Chinese culture and English culture, it is used to describe someone who repeats the words or actions of others without understanding the meaning. In Chinese culture and English culture, “ass” is always used to describe a stupid person. The saying “make an ass of ass of oneself” means that one behaves stupidly and ridiculously. In Chinese culture and English culture, “dove” is a symbol of peace. To the native English speaker and Chinese people, “sheep” is one kind of docile animal. When it comes to the sheep, people will have a gentle and meek image in mind. Theref ore, “sheep” is always used to describe a gentle and meek character.2.1.2 Animal words with different connotationsIn Chinese culture and English culture, different cultural backgrounds can result in different connotations.In Chinese culture, “dragon” is a kind of mythic animal which has scales, claws and legs and which can fly in the sky, swim in the sea and create cloud and rain. “Dragon” is something sacred and is used to represent the ancestor of Chinese nation. This is why the Chinese people call themselves descendants of dragon. In ancient China, “dragon” was a symbol of imperial power. Ancient emperors called themselves as “真龙天子” (the son of dragon). Their clothes were embroidered with dragon and were called as “龙袍” (dragon robe); their chairs were called as “龙椅” (dragon throne); their posterities were called as “龙种” (dragon children). In China, we may often hear that Chines e parents expect their son become a “dragon” (expect one’s child can have a bright future) (Luo Aifeng, 2006). However, the liberal translation sounds ridiculous to native English speakers, because they think dragon is an evil monster which can spit fire a nd has three to nine heads. In English culture, “dragon” is always used to describe fierceness especially for women. For example, “she is a dragon, you’d better keep away from her” (she is a bad-tempered person).Chinese nation and English nation share a same habit of raising dogs. In Chinese culture, “dog” is a derogatory animal word and is endowed with ugly things. For example, “act like a snob” (狗眼看人低), “mistake a good man for a bad one” (狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心), “a filthy mouth can not utter decent language” (狗嘴里吐不出象牙). However, “dog” symbolizes friendship, sincerity and loyalty in English culture. For example, “love me, love my dog”, “every dog has his day” (every person will some day succeed of become fortunate), “to let sleeping dog lie” (to make no troubleor n ot to disturb people), “a lucky dog” (a lucky man), “a jolly dog” (a happy person), “a clever dog” (a clever man), “a top dog” (a person has advantages in doing some things), “not have a dog’s chance” (have no chance), “a good dog deserves a good bone” (a man who makes a contribution should be rewarded) and “like a dog with two tails” (very happy).In Chinese culture, owl, the animal which always shouts and cries at night, is considered to be an animal which will bring unluckiness and misfortune. In English culture, “owl” is regarded as the symbol of wisdom. If one says you are owlish, it means that you are clever and strict. “As wise as an owl” indicates that the native English speakers associate wisdom with owl. Another example can be provided, “he peered owlishly at us through his glasses”.In Chinese traditional culture, “bat” is a symbol of happiness, because “蝠” and “福” are homonyms. And red bat is a sign of luckiness, because “红蝠” and “洪福” are also homonyms. In some cases, Chinese people combine “bat” and “deer” together in order to get “蝠鹿”, which has the same pronunciation with “福禄”. And it means happiness and good fortune (蒋磊, 2000). However, the Westerners are afraid of bat. They dislike bat, because it is often related with ugly and evil image. Therefore, English idioms about bat are always derogatory, for example, “as blind as a bat” (have eyes but see nothing); “crazy as a bat” (abnormal).“Peacock” is a male bird with long blue and green tail feathers, which are like a fan when the tail feathers are spread out. However, as the aesthetic orientations of Chinese culture and English culture are different, “peacock” represents different images and has a totally different cultural connotation. Native English speakers hold that the peacock is proud and vain when it is walking with tail feathers spread out. Therefore, it gives them the impression of vanity and arrogance. Such as “as proud asa peacock”, “play the peacock”, “as vain as a peacock”, etc. However, in Chinese traditional culture, the peacock is the symbol of beauty.In Chinese cu lture, “magpie” is a welcome bird. “Magpie” is a bird which can bring good luck to you. “Magpie” is always connected with good luck, happiness, etc. and is used to show that something good is going to happen. However, native English speakers hold that magpie is a kind of disgusting bird and pay more attention to noises made by this black and white bird. Therefore, in English culture, “magpie” is used to describe someone who always chatters interminably. For example, she is a magpie of a woman; she kept muttering like a magpie. In addition, the Westerners usually use “magpie” to compare to the condition of chaos or a great mass, such as “a magpie collection”, “to magpie together”, etc. (Chen Wenbo, 1982)“Whale” is a kind of large animal. The Westerners pay t heir attention to its merits and profits. In English culture, “whale” implies great benefit. “A whale of chance” means a very good chance, and “a whale on skating” means a person who is good at skating. However, what whale impresses Chinese is its strong appetite. In Chinese culture, “whale” has a derogatory sense, such as “蚕食鲸吞” (nibble away like a silkworm or swallow like a whale).In Chinese traditional culture, phoenix is a supernatural bird. It symbolizes a queen and stands for luckiness. People like it and believe that it can bring them luckiness. However, in English culture, phoenix stands for immaculacy or renascence (李青, 2001). It is considered as an immoral bird. Phoenix symbolizes a new start or a long life. For instance, “religion, like a phoenix, has been resurrected from the ashes of the war”.2.1.3 Animal words with similar connotationsDifferent animal words may have similar cultural connotations in English and Chinese, namely, people use different animal words to express similar meanings. Even though the animal words are different, they may have similar connotations.“Tiger” is always replaced by “lion” in English. For example, “a lion in the way”(a road-blocking tiger), “beard the lion in his den” (go deep into tiger cave), “put one’s head in the lion’s mouth” and “come in like a lion and go out like a lamb”. “Horse” appears more frequently in English idioms, and “ox” is always replaced by “horse” in English. For example, “talk horse” (talk big), “as strong as a horse” (as strong as an ox), “horse laugh” (laugh loudly); “horse play” (rough and noisy play); “horse sense” (common sense) and “you can pull a horse to a river, but you can not make him drink”. When it comes to cowardice, Chinese people would like to say “as timid as a mouse”. However, native English speakers would employ “rabbit, chicken and pigeon” to express the similar meaning, that is, “as timid as a rabbit, chicken-hearted or pigeon-hearted”. In Chinese culture, people often use “cat cries for mouse” to describe someone hypocritical. In English culture, “shed crocodile tears” has the similar meaning. In Chinese, “as stubborn as an ox” is used to describe someone stubborn. In English, “as stubborn as a mule” is employed to express the similar meaning. To describe anxiety, Chinese people would say “ants on a hot pan” while native English speakers would like to say “a cat on hot bricks”. To describe slipperiness, Chinese people use the word “loach” while native English speakers use the word “eel”, such as “as slippery as an eel”. To describe someone foolish, Chinese people usually use the word “pig” while native English speakers use the word “ass”, such as “make an ass of oneself”. To describe someone drenched, Chinese peoplewould say “drenched chicken” while native English speakers would like to say “drowned rat”.2.2 Semantic gapsWords in every language do not only represent animals’ images, but also are deeply branded with culture. Therefore, similarity and dissimilarity in connotation of animal words in the two languages exist. We should take semantic gaps of the same animal words between English and Chinese into consideration in cross-cultural communication. It is necessary to find in English and Chinese cultural equivalents rather than translate the animal words directly, as what we are to convey to the target language is the symbolic images in the source language rather reference of particular animals.2.2.1 Animal words with rich connotations in ChineseSome animal words have rich connotations in Chinese, while the same animal words in English have no concerned connotations.Silk worm is a kind of Chinese animal. In ancient China, the Silk Road is well-known all over the world. The silk goods attracting a large number of foreigners are made of silk produced by silk worm. Silk worm is highly praised by Chinese people for its dedication spirit, which can be reflected in poem “春蚕到死丝方尽” (the silk worm till its death spins silk from its love-sick heart)”. This sentence is used to praise a man who is devotional and self-giving. The culture about silk worm has a deep and long history in China. The special connotation is deeply rooted in the heart of Chinese people. In English culture, however, the silk worm which is an exotic animal is no more than a little worm. It is difficult for the Westerners to understand itsnoble quality and dedication spirit.In Chinese culture, “crane” has various connotations. Firstly, it symbolizes longevity. Therefore, parents like to give their children names with “crane”, such as “鹤年”, “鹤龄”, etc. They wish their children good health and a long life. Secondly, it symbolize s excellence. Chinese idiom “like a crane standing among chickens” implies someone who stands out in the crowd. Thirdly, it symbolizes hermit. “The solitary cloud and the wild crane” means that someone who withdraws himself from society and lives freely. However, in English culture, it does not have these connotations.In Chinese culture, “mandarin duck” is considered as the love bird. The mandarin duck is a kind of bird living in water. One male mandarin duck and one female mandarin duck always live together and play on water. They live a happy and free life. Therefore, “mandarin duck” in Chinese culture is the symbol of affectionate couples living a happy life. People believe that affectionate couples will turn into mandarin ducks after death and will accompany with each other forever. In ancient China, a girl may give her lover a cloth bag with a pair of mandarin ducks embroidered on it. Nowadays, groom and bride like to use mandarin duck quilts for their wedding. However, in English culture, “mandarin duck” has no such symbolic meaning and it is only a kind of bird.2.2.2 Animal words with rich connotations in EnglishSome animal words may have rich connotations in English, while the same animal words in Chinese have no concerned connotations.In English, the best oyster always keeps its shells closed tightly. Therefore, oyster is a symbol of a man of few words in English culture. Such as “as close as an oyster”, “as dumb as an oyster” and “he seldom says anything, he is a regular oyster”.However, Chinese people seldom see oyster and they do not have such connotation.In English culture, “cat” has plentiful meanings. In the English mythology, cat can even affect the change of the weather, as the saying goes, “to rain cats and dogs” and “the cat has a gale of wind in her tail”. There are many phrases and sayings, such as “old cat” (an old woman with bad temper), “cat’s paw” (a person who is duped or deceived), “a cat in the pan” (a traitor), “bell the cat” (take risks for the public benefits), “cat burglar” (an extremely agile thief), and “let the cat out of the bag” (to disclose the secret). It may be difficult for Chinese people to understand the above connotations. Chinese people have no such rich meanings of cat, they just consider cat as a docile and lovely animal.Beaver, a North American animal which is not widely known in China, has a unique technique and ability for creativity. Its constant activity, its habit of building complex houses, its skill and ingenuity have earned himself the name “eager beaver”. Therefore, “beaver” stands for an active and studious man. In metaphor, an eager beaver is a person who is anxious to get something done, hard-working and somewhat impatient. This word sometimes has a slightly derogatory connotation. In Chinese culture, beaver is just an animal and it can not stand for any connotation.3. The Causes of Discrepancy in the Connotation between English and Chinese Animal WordsIn Chinese and English, the phenomena that the referential meanings of the same animal are totally identical while their connotations are different usually occur. As Chinese people and English people live in different cultural backgrounds for a long time, naturally, animal words are endowed with different connotations.3.1 ReligionReligion is a cultur al phenomenon and has a great influence on people’s life. In Western countries, Christianity is the dominant religion influencing people’s life and thinking for hundreds of years. The Bible is deeply rooted in people’s mind. For example, “A lion in the road” and “beard the lion in his den”. Lions are mentioned in the Bible for their strength, boldness and ferocity. English people believe in Christianity and often go to church to pray. In English church, there is no food for mice to eat and mice are always h ungry. Therefore, “as poor as a church mouse” can be used to show poverty. In China, Buddha is the dominant religion influencing people’s life for over a thousand of years. Chinese people hold that Buddha can control everything in the world. In Buddhism, “dragon” is the symbol of power and success. There are many Chinese connotations of animal directly related with Buddhism. For example, “佛口蛇心” (a Buddha’s mouth but a viper’s heart).3.2 HistoryIn Chinese history, “dragon” is a totem image. In Chinese mythology, “dragon” is a kind of mythic animal which has scales, claws and legs and which can fly in the sky, swim in the sea and create cloud and rain. In thousands of years of history, “dragon” was considered as a symbol of imperial power.In Western mytholo gy, “dragon” is a huge lizard with wings, scales and a long tail; it can spit fire and it is a symbol of evil. In Bible, Satan who is against God is called as “the great dragon”. “Dragon” used in modern English always has derogatory senses. In English cult ure, “dragon” is always used to describe fierceness especially for women. When one woman is called as “dragon”, it means that she is fierce anddisgusting.3.3 Geographical environmentVarious cultures come from all kinds of environment. As we all know, England is an island nation which is surrounded by sea. England was the dominant power in fishery, ship manufacturing industry and marine transportation. Fish was an inseparable part of British people’s life. There are many culturally-loaded words related wi th fish, such as: “drink like a fish” (牛饮), “a big fish” (大人物), “a dull fish” (迟钝汉), “a cool fish” (无耻之徒), “a cold fish” (冷酷无情的人), “a loose fish” (放荡不羁的人), “an odd fish” (怪人), “a poor fish” (可怜虫或倒霉的家伙) and so on.China, on the contrary, is a big agricultural country. Thousands of years of agricultural life result in present culturally-loaded words. Take cattle for example, “他壮得像头牛” (he is as strong as a bull); in English, this should be translated as “he is as strong as a horse”. This is because horse, inst ead of bull, is the most important animal in English culture. In addition, horse is a hard-working symbol in English culture. These can be used to explain the translations of “work like a horse” (辛苦地工作) and “eat like a horse” (狼吞虎咽).3.4 Aesthetic orientationAesthetics is an important part of human’s mental world. According to our moral needs, we are able to perceive and judge object. Without aesthetics, we are likely to become slaves of object and environment. The same animal word may have commendatory senses in one culture and have derogatory senses in another culture because of different aesthetic orientation. For example, in Chinese culture, “cat” is adocile and lovely animal. However, in English culture, “cat” symbolizes freedom, vitality, vicious lad y and windstorm. For example, “Don’t listen to her gossip, she is a cat (vicious lady)”. In Chinese culture, “dog” is a derogatory animal word and is endowed with ugly things. For example, “act like a snob” (狗眼看人低), “mistake a good man for a bad one” (狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心), and “a filthy mouth can not utter decent language” (狗嘴里吐不出象牙). However, “dog” symbolizes friendship, sincerity and loyalty in English culture. For example, “love me, love my dog”, “every dog has his day” (every person will some day succeed of become fortunate), “to let sleeping dog lie” (to make no trouble or not to disturb people), “a lucky dog” (a lucky man), “a jolly dog” (a happy person), “a clever dog” (a clever man), “a top dog” (a person has advantages for doing some things), “not have a dog’s chance” (have no chance), “a good dog deserves a good bone” (a man who make a contribution should be rewarded) and “like a dog with two tails” (very happy).4. Influences of the Connotation of Animal Words on Intercultural CommunicationIntercultural communication means communication among people from different cultural backgrounds. With the rapid development of science and technology, the world is becoming increasingly smaller. Communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds is inevitable. In intercultural communication, a plenty of animal words are widely used to enrich the language and culture. As the above comparisons show, animal words may have the same, different or similar connotations. If we do not know the connotations of English animal words and only analyze the information according to our national connotations, we would misunderstand the information,leading to failure of communication.With the development of economic globalization, an increasing number of products appear in the international market, and some animal words are used as products’ names (Zhang Lifeng, 2006). However, the misunderstood connotations of animal words may have a bad influence on the products’ markets for cultural difference. For example, a battery factory uses “white elephant” as its products’ names. However, in English culture, the word “elephant” implies something costly and useless. Therefore, even though the batteries enjoy high quality and large markets in China, the market for them in English-speaking countries is small. For another example, a trade mark of a clock is named as “five goats” in China. However, in English culture, the word “goat” symbolizes a sinner, lecher or foolish person. Therefore, the connotations of the word “goat” may affect the markets in English-speaking countries. The foregoing examples indicate that it is significant for people to know about the connotations of animal words. People should pay attention to cultural differences in intercultural communication to avoid failure of communication.5. Suggestions for Intercultural CommunicationAnimal words have the same, different or similar connotations in English and Chinese. In most cases, although both English and Chinese have the same referential meanings of animal words, the connotations of these animal words are different. Therefore, we should pay more attention to the discrepancy in the connotation between English and Chinese animal words during the process of intercultural communication and enrich our knowledge of different cultures as much as possible. Ifwe do not know the connotations of English animal words and only analyze the information according to our national connotations, we would misunderstand the information, leading to failure of communication. It is suggested that we should adopt a comparison method to deepen the understanding and memory of animal words. It is common that the different connotations may result in failure of intercultural communication. The comparison method is a good way of helping people to accurately memorize and understand animal words. Moreover, we should cultivate our historical awareness and cultural awareness during the process of intercultural communication. It is suggested that we should attach importance to the history and culture of the English-speaking countries. There is no doubt that understanding of a language is accompanied by the understanding of history and culture of this language and the connotations can be affected by the history and culture of a language. Therefore, we should enrich our knowledge of different histories and cultures as much as possible and make clear the cultural differences between English and Chinese. All these methods will be beneficial to intercultural communication.6. ConclusionThrough the comparison of the connotation between English and Chinese animal words, it can be concluded that animal words are not only signs of animals but also have connotations in different cultures. Animal words acting as a part of language is an important conveyor of culture. Animal words have the same, different or similar connotations in English and Chinese. In most cases, although both English and Chinese have the same referential meanings of animal words, the connotations of these animal words are different. This is caused by religion, history, geographicalenvironment and aesthetic orientation. Semantic gaps exist in the two languages. Some animal words have rich connotations in Chinese, while the same animal words in English have no concerned connotations. In addition, some animal words have rich connotations in Chinese, while the same animal words in English have no concerned connotations. Some animal words may have rich connotations in English, while the same animal words in Chinese have no concerned connotations. We should take semantic gaps of the same animal words between English and Chinese into consideration in cross-cultural communication. With the rapid development of science and technology, the world is becoming increasingly smaller. Communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds is inevitable. If we do not know the connotations of English animal words and only analyze the information according to our national connotations, we would misunderstand the information, leading to failure of communication. People wanting to have a good grasp of animal words should make every effort to understand the connotations of the animal words. It is necessary that we should enrich our knowledge of different histories and cultures as much as possible and make clear the cultural differences between English and Chinese in order to achieve perfect communication.。