从问候语看中西方文化差异

From English-Chinese Greetings See the Differences between Chinese and Western

Culture

Class:two Number:200814025226 Name:Zhong Xinghua

As a conventional greeting terms, it is widely used in the human daily language communication. In Chinese and western cross-cultural communication, the started contact between people is greeted each other. Some with profound "China brand" greeting in western eye is puzzled; Some with a "western characteristic" greeting for Chinese people also don't understand. This mutual view about "don't understand" serious impact on the smooth communication, even caused serious cultural conflict, so I think it is necessary to find out the deep reason, and take some measures to avoid the cultural conflict.

1. the conflict on language

The greeting is the most common people's life of oral communication, it is the beginning to cut the topic, so the usage of greeting is directly related to communicate

smoothly. Erving Goffman thought the greeting is communicative signal of the beginning to recognize. China and the western countries have different cultural background, different historical origin.In greeting, the language of them also have a big difference. For example, the Chinese meeting and greeting people often used to say "you eat?" (Have you had the meal?) , "where to go?" (Where are you going?) and so on, as people life changes in the concept of, new greetings appears, such as "a raise?" (Have you got your salary raised?) , "You went out to play in holidays?" (Have you been traveling during the holidays?)and so on.As for the Chinese speaking, these are very common greeting and it's literally words, they care to each other, and the fine words about their asking can reflect the concern to others, but westerners may anger, they thought it was inquiring about other people's privacy, not polite behavior, is not appropriate topic, was disgusted. Westerners meet an acquaintance in the most commonly say “hello” that is "Good morning" ,"Good afternoon"or "Good night" (Good evening), and so on. Western greetings content is simple, is not mixed with

specific information, just on the meaning of expressing politeness. But ,for Chinese people, this is not enough enthusiasm greeting. The language content to difference of the Chinese and western is not successful communication, which is the language of the conflict. Greeting from language style aspect, there are also differences between Chinese and western. In China, for example, people mention their partners are more implicative tactful, some women to greet him when says "you damn fool", this make westerners puzzled, don't understand what's so called their husband. In the west, between a husband and wife say "hello" common "dear", this kind of word call our lover to show the feeling of happiness, but this style of greetings in China does not exist more.

We all know, the language is the tool to exchange of information.As one of the language, it will lead to different language of the conflict, the language differences in essence reflect the cultural conflict. The language is a part of the culture, at the same time, it is the carrier of culture. Words can't exist separating from culture, because language can see a variety of ethnic