The universality and individuality in English and Chinese proverbs 英汉谚语文化取向研究.docx
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The universality and individuality in English and Chinese proverbs 英汉谚语文化取向研究.docx
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TheuniversalityandindividualityinEnglishandChineseproverbs英汉谚语文化取向研究
TheuniversalityandindividualityinEnglishandChineseproverbs
Introduction
ChineseandEnglishculturesaretwobigcultureswhicharecomplicatedanddifferentdistinctivelyfromeachother.Thelanguagesofthesetwocountriesalsobelongtotwodifferentlanguagefamilies.Proverbwhichderivefromlifeisoneofthemosttypicallyrepresentationofitslanguage.Asthemajorformofthesetwodifferentlanguages,ChineseandEnglishproverbscontainveryspecialandimportantculturalinformation,too.Becauseofthehugediversityofthesetwolanguages,thedifferentculturalorientationsseemtobeakeypoint.Therefore,excellentlyandpreciselylearningaboutproverbsontheirculturalorientationisveryimportantinachievingsuccessfulcross-culturalcommunication.Learningaforeignlanguagewellmeansmorethanmerelymasteringthewords,grammar,idiomsandallkindsofspecialphenomenon,orseparatelylearningthelanguageandculture.Italsomeanslearningthewaysinwhichtheirlanguagereflectstheirownculture,customsandbehavioroftheirsociety,learningtounderstandculturebyeverydetail.Inaword,learningalanguageisinseparablefromlearningitsculture.Proverbsarethediamondofalanguage.Languageispartofculture.Soasapartoflanguage,proverbscloselyintegratedwiththesocietyandculture.Proverbsreflectmanyaspectsofthenationsuchashumanknowledgeandexperience.Learningproverbisoneimportantaspectandwaystolearnalanguageandtounderstandonenation’sculture.ThisessayIaimtoanalyzeandcompareculturalorientationinChineseandEnglishproverbs.
ⅠLanguageandculture
Languageandculturearecloselyrelatedtoeachotherandinfluenceeachother.Languageandcultureofteninteractwitheachother,influentandshapeeachother.TheLanguageisthepartofculture,theisotopiccarrierofculture,themostimportantrepresentationofcultureandthecontaineroftheculture.Itplaysasignificantroleinculture.Language,tosomedegree,isthesymbolicrepresentationofonenation’sculture.Butlanguageisalsoinfluencedandshapedbyculture.Culturedeterminespeople’swayofexpressingbylanguageindifferentsituations.H.D.Brownstatedprecisely:
“Cultureisreallyanintegralpartoftheinteractionsbetweenlanguageandthought,Culturepatterns,customs,andwaysoflifeareexpressedinlanguage;Cultural-specificworldviewsarereflectedinlanguage.”[1]P11Nolanguagewilllivewithouthavingthefoundationofculture.“Languageisasystemofarbitraryvocalsymbols,asystemofsigns,createdbyhumanbeingsandusedforhumancommunication.”[2]P55
ⅡProverbandthemajorfeatures
2.1Definitionofproverb
OxfordAdvancedLearner’sEnglish-ChineseDictionarydefinesproverbas“proverb,ashortpopularsayingofunknownauthorship,expressingsomegeneraltruthorsuperstition.”[3]P1305WuZhankunholdsthatproverbsarethecrystalofnationalwisdomandexperience.Theyarefrequentlyusedorallyandhandeddownfromgenerationtogenerationandusuallygivepeopleinformationandspeakthetruth.[4]Fromallthesedefinitions,wecanseesomecommontypicalcharacteristicsofproverbs.Proverbsarecreatedbycommonpeoplebydailylifeandhandeddownfromgenerationtogeneration.EnglishandChineseproverbsareclear,colloquialandvivid.Thisisdecidedbyitsownproducers’societyclasses.Proverbsaretheproductionofthenationalintelligenceandexperience.Proverbsareverycolloquial,oftencomposedwithsimplewords,commonstyle,concisestructure,andvividlanguage.Sotheyareveryeasytoberememberedandunderstand.Proverbscanbeeasilyfoundinmostlanguageandareoftenveryancient,andtheyusuallygivepeopleadviceandwarning.
2.2Majorfeaturesofproverb
Proverbastheexperiencesoftheworkandlife,isthesummaryofthedailypractice,representtheuniversaltruthofeveryaspect.
2.2.1Origins
Aboutoriginofproverbs,theyusuallyareinfluencedbythereligion.Proverbsisusedastoolforthereligionstospreadtheirownthoughts.InChinese,fortheBuddhistandthefeudalismleaders,theproverbmayhandledowntheirdoctrineandcreedeasierandextensive.UndertheeffectoftheJesus,Englishproverbreflectstheethicsmorality.Second,manyproverbcomefromliteraryworks.Anation’sliteraryworksareitslanguage’sginger.Theypromotethedevelopmentoflanguagesomefamousstory,plot,eventhehero’snamebecomesproverbs.Therearemanygreatwritersineastandwest.TheyhadmadedistinctivecontributionstothedevelopmentofEnglishliterature.Third,accordingtothedevelopmentofthecommunicationwithothercountries,moreandmorelanguagecontactswitheachother.OtherlanguageimpactEnglishandChineseduringtheprocessofformingproverb.ManyEnglishproverbsarefromLatin,Greek,FrenchandChinese.ChineseproverbsareabsorbedformRussian,Japanandotherminoritynationality.
Forexample:
1.放下屠刀,立地成佛。
2.三个臭皮匠顶个诸葛亮。
《三国演义》(TheThreeKingdoms)
3.Godhelpsthosewhohelpthemselves.
4.“Thebiterissometimesbit.”isfromShakespeare’sHamlet.[5]
Example1isareligionrelatedproverbsfromBuddhistwhichgivingpeopleadvicetostopkilling.Example2comesfromaChineseliterarywork,meansthreecommonpeoplecanthinkoutmoreideasthanoneintelligencepeople.Example3comesfromthewesternreligionthatrepresentsthecreed.Example4comesfromtheShakespeare’sliterarywork.
2.2.2Contents
Inthistermofcontents,proverbsmainlyinvolvehistorycustoms,religiouscreedandgeographyaboutagriculturalproductionandsoon.
Almostalltheproverbsarepassedbytheancientpeople.Wedoesnotcreatenewproverbveryoften.Eachnationhasitsuniquehistory.Sinceproverbsarehistoricalproducts,theymayreflectsometypicalthingsofthenationalhistoryandthecountry.Chinahasalonghistoryabout2000yearsoffeudalsociety.People’mindandthoughtsarerestrainedbythegovernment.
EnglishproverbsarerelatedtothehistoryofEngland.
Example:
1.周瑜打黄盖,一个愿打,一个愿挨。
2.“Itisashardtopleaseaknaveasaknight.”[6]p49
Example1comesfromaChinesetraditionalstoryaboutatactic.Example2aknightsreferstoamangiventherankofknighthoodbytheBritishmonarch.TherearemanylegendsabouttheEnglishknights.
NomatteronEastandWest,religionisveryimportantforthedailylife.Religion,asthespiritcreed,hasahugeinfluenceofthesociety.Differentreligionsareformedbydifferentculturalbackgroundsanddifferentculturaltraditions.Butthebasiccreedshavemuchincommon:
pursuingcharityandgivingadmonish.Proverbsarecloselyrelatedtotheculture,soproverbscanreflectthedifferentreligiousfaith.
Forexample:
1.救人一命胜造七级浮屠。
2.ThewaytoheavenisbyWeepingCross.
Example1isanoldChineseproverb,showsthatsavingpeoples’lifeisthebestthing.Example2showsthatonlywaytoheavenisrepentance.
Languagereflectspeople’slifeenvironment.Livingcustomsgreatlyinfluenceandrestrictthesystemoflanguageexpressions.Everylanguageischaracterizedbyitsdifferentanduniquelivingcustoms.InChina,somefestivalmeansspecialmeaningforthepeople.ModernChinaisstillacountrythatcannotacceptkissingasanormalsocialcourtesy.Evensomeparentsdonotdothistotheirchildren.Thisisadistinctivefeatureshowingthedifferencesbetweenlivingcustom,becauseinwesterncountrykissingisthenormalcourtesyforthestrangerorthefamilymembers.Example:
1.“吃了重阳酒,夜作不离手。
”
2.Unkissed,unkind.
Example1showsthatwhenpeoplemeetChongyangfestival,drinkingisthewayofcelebration.Example2reflectsthatkissingisanormalcourtesyinwesterncountry.
Intheancienttime,theagricultureisthemostimportantissueofonecountry.Anation’sgeographicalenvironmentisbasesoftheagricultureanditdecidesthedevelopingofthelifelevelandtheprocessofthewholesociety.Thegeographicalfeaturesareinevitablyreflectedintheproverbsofthelanguage.Englandisanislandcountry,andnogoodenoughsunshineandsuitableearthforcultivation.Ithasabigadvantageofsailingandfishing.Somanyproverbsrespectthesecharacters.Chinaisatraditionalagriculturecountry.Almostallthepeoplearefarmers.Proverbs,asthecrystalofthefarmer,accumulatemanywisdomandintelligence.
Example:
1.春雨贵如油。
2.Beingonthesea,sail;beingontheland,settle.
Example1showsthatinChina,whenspringcomes,therainisveryrareandprecious.Example2showsthatEnglishpeoplemakelingforsailingandfishing.AgricultureisnotfitatetheenvironmentonEngland.
2.2.3Figuresofspeech
Proverbsuserhetoricaldevicestoattractthereadersdeeply.ManyChineseandEnglishproverbsusethesamerhetoricaldevicessuchassimile,metaphor,repetition,hyperboleexaggerate,Antithesis,Synecdoche,personificationandsoon.Wecanfinditsinfluenceineverycornerinliterature.Rhetoricisabetterwayforpeopletoexpresstheirthinking,feelings,andtheiremotionsandtoletotherpeopletounderstand.ThoughChineseandEnglisharetwototallydifferentlanguagesaroundtheworld,wecanexcitedfindthat,comparisonwiththerhetoricofChinese,itisnotsohardtofindthattherearelotsoffigureofspeechwhichcanbothuseinEnglishandChinese.
Example:
1.割麦如救火。
2.Timeisfatheroftruth.
ⅢCulturalOrientationsinChineseandEnglishProverbs
3.1DifferentculturalorientationsinChineseandEnglishproverbs
BothintheEnglishandChineselanguageproverbsarewidelyused.Theyarepassedfromgenerationtogenerationwithfewchanges.Theamountofthe
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