文化差异的影响

从英语学习者迷信的角度看中西文化差异摘要近几年来，英语的学习成了全民的学习，英语学习的重要性也被群众普遍接受。

英语的学习者也很早就开始认识到文化因素在英语学习过程中的影响与起到的重要意义。

语言和文化的关系密不可分。

要真正掌握英语这个交际工具，具备熟练的语言交际能力，你必须对中西方国家的文化差异有所了解。

文化的载体是语言，人们的交流与沟通是通过语言来实现的，语言是人们至关重要的交流工具，是把人们连接在一起的纽带，每个民族都有自己的文化，每种语言都有自己的表达方式，语言与文化共存。

那文化因素是什么，又如何对英语的学习产生作用，我们又应如何把握文化因素来更好的学习英语。

仅仅只是了解文化差异是不够的，我们更应该懂得其文化差异中的禁忌。

迷信禁忌是与一个国家的文化背景和宗教信仰密不可分的。

每个国家的迷信禁忌的产生也是有一定的文化根源的，了解一个国家的迷信禁忌对了解一个国家的历史、风俗很有好处，特别是对学习外语的人来说。

了解一个国家的迷信禁忌在与外国人接触时就能够更好地尊重对方，就不会引起对方的反感及不必要的误会。

关键词：英语学习者；迷信禁忌；中西方文化差异；差异的原因AbstractIn recent years, learning English has become the universal learning , the importance of learning English is also widely accepted masses . English learners are also beginning to recognize the importance of early influence and cultural factors play in the process of learning English . The relationship between language and culture are inseparable. To truly master the English language in this communication , with skilled language communication skills, you have to understand the cultural differences between Western countries. Language is the carrier of culture, People exchanges and communication is achieved through language . The language is an important communication tool, it is the link to bring people together . Each nation has its own culture, every kind of language has their own way of expression. Thus language and culture coexist. What is that cultural factors , and how to learn English have an effect, how do we come to better grasp the cultural factors of learning English . It is not enough to just understand the cultural differences , we should also understand the differences in their cultural taboos . Superstitious taboos and cultural background and religious beliefs of a country are inseparable. The superstition taboo of every nation is out of the culture roots . It‟s very good for English learners to understand a country's superstitious taboos and understand the history of a country .Thus ,when we communicate with foreigners we could show respect to each other and not to misunderstand.Key words:English learner; Superstition taboo; Chinese and western cultural difference；the reason for differences .ContentsChapter1 Introduction (1)Chapter2 Influence of Cultural DifferencesBetween China and The Western Countries on English Learning (2)2.1 English Learning about Folk Custom Difference (3)2.2 English Learning about the Way of Greeting (3)2.3 English Learning about Expression of Modest (3)2.4 English Learning about Receiving Gifts (3)2.5 English Learning about T hanks... . (3)2.6 English Learning about Privacy (3)Chapter3 .From the Superstitious Taboo to See the Cultural Difference between Western and Eastern Countries (4)3.1 The Number Superstition Taboo (4)3.2 The Wedding Related SuperstitionTaboo (5)3.3 The Superstitious Taboo of The Daily Activities (6)3.4 The Superstitious Taboo of Shower (7)Chapter 4 Analyzing its culture differences between west and China (8)4.1 Different Cultural Background (8)4.2 The Difference of Culture, Religion and Customs and Habits (9)Chapter 5 Conclusion (10)Notes (11)Bibliography (12)Acknowledgment (13)Chapter 1 IntroductionNowadays, it‟s very important for English learners to know very well the culture.Because of cultural differences , learners may misunderstand the meaning that exists in intercultural communication. The same words or expressions may not mean the same thing to the people with different cultures. Because of cultural differences, a serious question may cause laughter; a harmless statement may cause displeasure or anger. Because of cultural differences, jokes by a foreign speaker may be received with silence. Yet the same stories in the speaker‟s own country would leave audiences holding their sides with laughter. Therefore the teaching of culture in the English classroom has been becoming a heated topic and people pay more and more attention to the cultural studies and intercultural communication in recent years.Teaching culture in learning English help students raise the cultural awareness and develop the communicative ability .In order to communicate with foreigners correctly, language learners have to know the differences between Chinese and foreign cultures. So the process of learning foreign language is a process of learning its culture. However it is not enough to just know their culture differences . We should also know much about its superstition taboo . What‟s more, superstition phenomena are relevant to one country‟ culture background and religion belief which stands for one country citizens‟ culture features and religion characteristic1. It is good for a foreigner ,especially students ,who studies English to know about one country‟s history and custom by comprehending superstition taboos. One who acquaintances one country superstition taboos will better respect each other and will not cause one‟s disgust and misunderstanding.Without the sharing and understanding between speakers of the communication is possible . Then ,culture dictates every stage of the communication process . We communicate the way we do because we are raised in a particular culture and learn its language , rules and norms .Chapter2 Influence of cultural differences between China and the western countries on English learningRelationship between language and culture are inseparable. If you really want to master the communication tool—English and have skillful language communication ability, you must have a knowledge of the cultural differences between China and the western countries. Nowadays, it‟s very important for English learners to know very well the culture.Because of cultural differences , learners may misunderstand the meaning that exists in intercultural communication. The same words or expressions may not mean the same thing to the people with different cultures. Because of cultural differences, a serious question may cause laughter; a harmless statement may cause displeasure or anger. Because of cultural differences, jokes by a foreign speaker may be received with silence. Yet the same stories in the speaker‟s own country would leave audiences holding their sides with laughter. Therefore the teaching of culture in the English classroom has been becoming a heated topic and people pay more and more attention to the cultural studies and intercultural communication in recent years. And then I show some examples for you .2.1 English learning about folk custom differenceIn China, since thousands of years of traditional culture and thought, people attached great importance to family relationship. People can‟t call the old people‟s name directly. Each family has a name. However, in English, brothers, sisters, table cousins, table hall and sisters are as simple as brother, sister, cousin.2.2 English learning about the way of greetingIn China, we have many different kinds of way on greeting. The most common is “did you eat?” “Where you go?” In fact, we are not interested in these answers. They are merely a way of greeting. In western countries, people dislike these issues and feel strange. The way they greet each other often involves talking about the weather. For example, “Nice day, isn‟t it?” “Yes, marvelous.” They do not have to show their feelings or talk about their private affairs.2.3 English learning about expression of modestModest is a traditional Chinese virtue. They respect their elders and superiors. They don'twant to express themselves so much. However, westerners would accept it. For example, In China, some people praise you that “You speak English very well.” The reply is always “not well, just so-so”. However, foreigners‟ reply is “Thank You.”2.4 English learning about receiving giftsWhen Chinese people receive gifts, they will not open it at once. It seems not impolite. While foreigners receive gifts, they will open it at once and express their gratitude to guests. They often say “Oh, how nice, thank you.” “Oh, I like it, thank you.” and so on.2.5 English learning about thanksGenerally, Chinese rarely use “Thank you”. If use it, pe ople will feel strange and divide us. But foreigners use “Thank you” in almost all occasions between all people. This is the minimum level of courtesy. When someone asks, “would you like something to eat / drink?” Chinese often say,“Don't bother”. The foreigners will say “Yes,please.” or “No,thanks.”2.6 English learning about privacyChinese ask about the age, marriage and income to show their concern when they first meet. But English speaking countries have this more disgusted because these are personal privacy. As in JEFC Book 1Lesson 16, there is such a dialogue, “How old are you, Mrs Read?” “It‟s a secret!” Why Mrs Read refused to tell her age? Because English speaking countries people hope to seem to be full of go and youth in each other‟s eyes, so t hey keep their actual age secret. Further more, it is not welcome that Chinese say “where are you going?”, “what are you doing?” to show their concern. Because in English, it will be a prying judge.Chapter 3 cultural differences between Chinese and western from the superstitious taboos Superstition phenomenon and a country's cultural background, religious belief are closely connected, it represents the cultural characteristics of a country's people and religion characteristics. People in different countries, those who believe in superstition is not the same time, an item for a country who represents luck,but on another country who could represent the unlucky. The superstitious taboos of every nation is out of cultural roots, it‟s very good for English learners to understand a country's superstitious taboo and the history of a nation.Thus ,when we communicate with foreigners we could show respect to each other and not to misunderstand. This article will show some the analysis of typical superstition taboo .3.1 The number superstition tabooLanguage is the carrier of culture . Because number is the important part of language, it also has accumulated a rich cultural information . In the ancient tradition, number has not only holy meaning , but also religious superstition. However , different nations have their own preferences for the choice of digital , and most of these choices are according to the national culture . As everyone knows, the number 13 is definitely a bad luck, not lucky numbers in West . For example, in western countries, you could n‟t see the number 13 on their family address .In the national lottery, never printed number 13. Whether domestic or international flights, aircraft seats don‟t have 13th rows In the cinema, there is no 13 ranked No. 13. Many skyscrapers, residential buildings, apartment building floors are from the twelfth layer to jump to the fourteenth floor, no 13 layer. If you really want to sell out 13 position, only to change it to "12-B" or 12 and a half. However , the fear of 13 the number has affected their daily life, in the 13 day is absolutely not by car, not by plane, because they think the disaster on that day go out probably. If the 13 day just is Friday, that would be a terrible day, people fear the day when a catastrophic event. In many Western countries , there is often no 13th floor in the hotel and residential buildings . Thirteen has been considered an unlucky number for centuries . Additionally , the number 666 has a connection to the devil . Well ,the Chinese are superstitious about a few numbers as well .The number 4 is an unlucky number in Chinese. The word four is a homonym for the noun “death” or the verb “to die ” .2 Therefore ,some Chinese prefer not to live at places that have a number 4 in the address . One of my good local Shanghaiese friends , while house hunting , did n‟t even want to go inside to look at the beautiful garden of a house that had a number 4 in the street address . She explained to me that her husband would rather live in a house numbered 13 than one numbered 4 . By the same token , numbers like 14 and 44 are also inauspicious and avoided . Some hotels in China now don‟t even have a 44th floor because many Chinese guests would not want to stay on it .3 The number 8 , on the other hand, is a very lucky number . It sounds like the word …getting rich ‟in Chinese , especially in Cantonese . Therefore , business love to have the number 8 in any part of their address or phone number . They believe that the usage of the number 8 will actually bring them good luck and prosperity . In fact , people will spend more money to buy phone numbers and license plates that contain 8. So if you see a license plate that has the number 8 for all its numerals , you can be sure the person is a businessman who spent a fortune fo it! Similarly , a real estate property with an 8 in its address will be in greater demand .43.2 The wedding related superstition tabooMarriage is the most important stage apart from the birth and death in our life .Therefore, the wedding relates various customs and superstitions and taboos in the West ,it also has their own characteristics. For Chinese, red is the color of auspiciousness or good fortune . Thus Chinese people almost in all the festive occasion wear in red as possible as they can. In the wedding, the bride is dressed in a red qipao ,or long form - fitting grown . The groom wears a big red sash with a bow over his long black gown .5(Nowadays , many brides and grooms also wear white weeding gowns and tuxedos like in the West , but they will always have a traditional Chinese red costume to change into after ) Wherever possible, all in red, indicates that everything is booming. The wedding guests are also possible to wear red, gift to wrap with red. If in the wedding appeared white or black, it will be considered extremely unlucky, black and white will only appear in the Chinese funeral. While in the western wedding, wear white wedding is a symbol of purity and virginity, it has become the standard of the wedding ceremony clothing color.White is the most fashionable clothing color in the formal occasions In the west, redrepresents the bloodshed, revolutionary and terrorist . It is considered unlucky when someone dresses in red in the weeding . In Chinese wedding, everything is new, means to start a new life. In a western wedding, the bride who must have four things: one is new, old, borrowed and blue . New, refers to the bride wears a white gown, a symbol of the beginning of a new life; old, bride's veil must be mother used old yarn, to not forget the kindness of parents, but also a symbol of a happy life like their parents‟happy life ; borrow, refers to the bride must borrow a white handkerchief from her girlfriend , it means don‟t forget the friendship; blue, refer to the bride wear a blue ribbon, a symbol of her loyalty to love. According to this , the bride has good luck forever .In Chinese, relatives and friends send gifts to the couple should be cautious, because some things can not be sent, like an umbrella, a handkerchief, scissors. These cannot give the bride.Because the "umbrella" homophonic "san",its meaning is discrete or separation, it‟s no doubt a big taboo for Chinese who pursuit to be forever . The function of handkerchief is to wipe tears . So it‟s easy to make people associate cry . However ,cry is not a good sign for the bride , she has a bad luck in the following days . In the western weeding , the cake at first is used to throw at the bride , not for her eat , it means have many babies in the future . Of course, with the development of the times and Chinese the pace of reform and opening up, many people have gradually accepted the western culture . In the modern wedding China, more fashionable is the combination of Chinese and Western wedding, the bride wears a white wedding dress has become a fashion, and a vast number of Chinese accepted this kind of weeding.3.3the superstitious taboo of the daily suppliesEveryday we all contact daily supplies more or less . In western countries, daily necessities also have superstitious taboos. We selected several representative to analyze. Mirror : there is one superstition . It is to break the mirror will have 7 years of bad luck, this argument is not only for religious reasons, but also for economic reasons. Umbrella: opening an umbrella indoors. It‟s known to all westerners that open an umbrella in doors meaning unfortunately . The metal umbrella is very hard to open in 18th century . And if you open an umbrella in a small room suddenly , it would break things or cause quarrel or not .therefore , opening an umbrella indoors is considered to be unlucky . And also can be found in many related to daily necessities superstitious taboo in China. For example, in Chinese is similar to an umbrella and mirrorsuperstitions. I'm afraid this is for practical reasons. There are many superstitions and digital superstition, it comes from "homophonic". Apples symbolize safety and peace in China because the Chinese word for apple , pingguo , shares the same sound as the word for safety , pingan5 . Accordingly , apples are a welcome fruit in winter, especially during Chinese New Year celebrations . Most families will have a big plate of apples on prominent display . By having apples at home , the Chinese hope to have a New Year free of troubles . Pears are not used as gifts or displays during Chinese holiday . This is because pears are called li in Chinese and this is the same sound as the word for “separation” . Therefore , it is traditionally bad luck to have pears during family celebration and holidays .3.4 the superstitious taboo of showerIn west country , friends and families throw baby showers for expectant mothers before they give birth. The idea is to give the expectant family gifts ahead of time so that they have plenty of time to send up the nursery before the baby arrives . In china ,it is unlucky to give expectant mothers baby gifts . Chinese people believe that a gift to the unborn might jinx the birth and give up the baby‟s chance for survival in its early days . In Chinese tradition , which still persists today , no one expect for the immediate family is allowed to see the baby and the mother for the first time after birth . After the first month , only friends and family very close to the mother can pay a visit . Extended families and other friends will not see the baby until he or she reaches 100 days . Not only do the Chinese differ in the timing of baby showers , they also differ in the gifts that they give . In the West , baby gifts predominantly consist of clothing , blankets , and nursery items6 . In China, although people give these types of gifts as well , they are more likely to give traditional lucky charms to the newborn .Chapter 4 Analyzing the reason for its culture differences between West and China From what has discussed, we can easily draw the conclusion that whatever the connotation, performance, there is a certain disagreement between the West and China. The reasons are listed in the following:4.1. Different Cultural BackgroundOne of the cultural different reasons between China and western is cultural background. In Spring and Autumn and Warring s periods of China emerged Confucianism, Taoism and other ideologies .As different ideologies developed and combated each other, the basic framework of Chinese civilization was established. And then Confucianism became the foundation stone of Chinese philosophy system. Confucianism's central doctrine is that of the virtue of Ren. What is Ren? Ren is translated variously as goodness, benevolence, humanity and human-heartedness. In short, Ren means affection and love. For more than 2 thousand years it has molded and shaped the civilization of China and exerted a profound influence upon almost one fourth of human race. Just as DR. Sun-Yat-S en said:” Therefore the old morals of loyalty and piety, affection, and love, faithfulness and righteousness, are superior to those of the foreign countries Let alone that peace and harmony. These high standards of morals are our national spirit. " Different from China, Christianity plays an important role in western. The English speaking countries are generally considered as Christian countries where many people believe in Christianity. Christianity is the region based on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. He is the founder of Christianity. According to the doctrine of Christianity, the Trinity is the union of the three forms of God, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ the son of the God, and the holy book of Christianity is the Bible, which consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament. However, the power of the church cannot compare with the past time, it still influence many aspects of people 's daily life. For example, there are a few important festivals in the western is concern with Jesus Christ. Christmas day is a festival in celebration of the birth of the Jesus Christ on Dec.25.Virgin Birth refers to the birth of Christ, which Christians believe to have been caused by God rather than by ordinary sexualunion.4.2 The difference of culture , religious beliefs and customs and habitsIn the modern world, the most popular resource that effect the world culture is the western culture originating from Greece and Rome and the Chinese culture originating from the yellow and Yangtze rivers. The culture has the features of regional, nationality and excludability. So in the view of taboos, various forms are performed owing to different culture background. Similarly, some results about college student s‟ superstition are not same. What‟ more, the religion is also different. In west, the Christian is very popular which takes root in there and then it quickly dominates which has profound effect on the western culture. The Christian is holy that are not allowed to violate. In accordance with it, many taboos are relevant to it. While in china, advanced religion is not formed and feudal ethical code overweight religion. The last is customs and habits. As the old saying goes, winds are different within 100 miles. Different regions have various customs and habits. The prevailing western Christianity, took root very early in the Western civilization , and soon occupied a dominant position, has the profound influence of Western culture. Christianity is not sacrosanct, with words related to religion is also regarded as sacred. As previously mentioned, people may because one is No. 13 is Friday and stayed all day dare not go out at home. Compared with westerners, in Chinese and not developed religious culture, ethics and religion, and religious related taboo not so much.Chapter 5 ConclusionThe different local customs and habits are different in Chinese and Western culture, have formed many customs and habits closely related to superstition, sometimes the custom can be said is a superstition. For example, boatman bogey "rice", because in the local dialect "Sheng" and "Shen". This is a superstition, also a kind of taboo, also slowly become a custom. From the above analysis we can see that the difference has its deep roots, difference between different cultures are diverse, but this does not mean that the only difference between different cultures and have nothing in common, the culture of various nationalities have both individual and common characters. From the point of view of Western and Chinese superstition taboo, both also have something in common and similar trend. With the progress of the times, the superstitious has become obsolete ridiculous, people talk about, but also take them as a tradition or custom. Some superstitious people slowly dissolved into the life, people have forgotten its source, gradually become a custom, become people's yearning for a better life.Language learners shouldn‟t just learn language skills, but also learn the culture. It can overcome the cultural breakdowns and promote the intercultural communication ability. The significant influence language has on human behavior is frequently overlooked. The ability to speak and write is often taken for granted. Language is an inseparable part of culture and it is influenced and by culture. “Language without culture is unthinkable” (Kluckhohn 36). Language can never be separated from culture. It is impossible to study a language well, without learning culture. Meanwhile, it helps spread and pass down a culture. Every people have its own culture. Therefore, an English language learner does not only study English, but also learn its culture. We should do our best to cultivate cross-cultural awareness, so that we can know what to say or do and what not to say or do. However, it may take years to achieve this aim, just as the old saying Rome was not built in a day. If we keep on trying and never give up, we will succeed one day.In a word, there are many cultural differences between China and the western countries. We cannot ignore the influence of cultural differences on language. Only in this way can we use the language correctly in real life.Notes1.J.C. Catford once said, “Meaning is property of a language.”2.101 stories for foreigners to understand Chinese people China intercontinental press by Yi S.Ellis with Bryan D.Ellis p893..101 stories for foreigners to understand Chinese people China intercontinental pressby Yi S.Ellis with Bryan D.Ellis p904.同上5.101 stories for foreigners to understand Chinese people China intercontinental pressby Yi S.Ellis with Bryan D.Ellis colors and tradition p866.101 stories for foreigners to understand Chinese people China intercontinental pressby Yi S.Ellis with Bryan D.Ellis Fruity Symbolism p967.101 stories for foreigners to understand Chinese people China intercontinental pressby Yi S.Ellis with Bryan D.Ellis p96BibliographyJahoda, G. (1999). Superstition. W. Cao, Yang. ShanghaiPeltZer, K. (2003). Magieal thinking and Paranormal beliefs among seeondary and university students in South Africa. Personlity and Individual Differenees35. 1419- 1426101 stories for foreigners to understand Chinese people China intercontinental press by Yi S.Ellis with Bryan D.Ellis白景水．文化差异对英语学习的影响．广西经济管理干部学院学报，2001（3）．郝永辉．文化差异与英语教学．北京机械工业学院学报，1999（3）．跨文化交际导论哈尔滨工业大学出版社，2004 .施宏红．浅谈文化差异对英语学习的影响．中国职业技术教育，2002（15）．AcknowledgmentsI really appreciate many people who give me help and support when I write my paper . Firstly I want to thank my dear teacher adviser Wen Yuhua and my classmates . They generously helped me collect materials I needed and made lots of invaluable suggestions . I hereby extend my grateful thanks to them for their hearted help , without which I could n‟t have done this.Particularly , I am deeply indebted to our Foreign Language College , my supervisor , who guided me throughout my writing of this thesis . In the process of the work , she encouraged me a lot and created for my research all the time . She carefully read the whole draft and offered painstaking and precious criticism . I also wish to sincerely thank my classmates and friends , who brilliant ideas and perceptive observations have proved to be immensely constructive . I feel much grateful and heartily owe my achievement to them .。