文化背景知识与大学生英语学习.docx
- 文档编号:8222367
- 上传时间:2023-01-29
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:10
- 大小:28.62KB
文化背景知识与大学生英语学习.docx
《文化背景知识与大学生英语学习.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《文化背景知识与大学生英语学习.docx(10页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
文化背景知识与大学生英语学习
论文分类号:
H319
2013届学士学位毕业论文
题目:
文化背景知识与大学生英语学习
系别专业:
外国语学院英语
研究方向:
英语学习
学生姓名:
学号:
2011010110
指导教师姓名:
指导教师职称:
2013年4月10日
CulturalBackgroundKnowledgeandCollegeStudents'EnglishStudy
AThesisSubmittedto
SchoolofForeignStudies
inPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirements
fortheDegreeofBachelorofArts
Writtenby:
Supervisedby:
April10,2013
Acknowledgements
Firstandforemost,Iappreciatemycountrywhogivesmeacomfortablelearningatmosphere.Second,Iwouldliketoshowmydeepestgratitudetomysupervisor,MissLiu,whohashelpedmethroughallthestagesofthewritingofthisthesis.Withoutherinspiringinstructionandpatience,thisthesiscouldnothavereacheditspresentform.Iamalsogreatlyindebtedtoallmyteacherswhohavehelpedmetodevelopthefundamentalandessentialacademiccompetence.Mysincereappreciationalsogoestoallmyclassmates,whoofferedmereferencesandinformationontime.Lastbutnotleast,Iwanttothankallmyfriends,especiallymyfivelovelyroommates,fortheirencouragementandsupport.
Abstract
IdiomsareanimportantpartofEnglishlanguage,alsooneoftherequiredcontentsforcollegestudentsinEnglishstudy.Andthegenerationanddevelopmentofidiomsareinfluenceddeeplybythespecificculturalbackground.Foridiomscontainrichculturalinformation,ifcollegestudentscanstrengthentheirculturalbackgroundknowledgeduringtheprocessoflearningEnglishidioms,itwouldbetwicetheresultwithhalftheeffort.Culturalbackgroundknowledgeincludeshistory,traditionandotheraspects.Thispaperdiscussesitsinfluenceontheidiomsintermsofhistory,religion,geography,custom,literatureandarttomakethereaderawareoftheimportanceofculturalbackgroundknowledgetoidiomslearning
Keywords:
Englishlearning;idiom;culturalbackground;influence
摘要
习语是英语语言的重要组成部分,亦是大学生英语学习的必要内容之一。
而习语的产生和发展深受特定的文化背景的影响,且习语本身亦能体现丰富的文化信息。
所以,大学生在学习习语的过程中若能注重加强对其文化背景知识的学习将事半功倍。
文化背景知识涉及历史、传统等诸多方面。
本文将从历史背景、宗教信仰、地理环境、风俗习惯和文学艺术五个方面来讨论不同文化背景知识对英语习语的影响,从而使读者认识到文化背景知识在习语学习中的重要性。
关键词:
英语学习;习语;文化背景;影响
Contents
CulturalBackgroundKnowledgeandCollegeStudents'EnglishStudy
I.Introduction
ImputingalargenumberofnewwordsandgrammaristhechiefmethodforprimaryandmiddleschoolstudentstolearnEnglish.However,asforthecollegestudentswhomajorsinEnglish,suchkindofsuperficialwayisfarfromenoughandhardtosatisfiedtheirdemandonknowledge.SoIthinkifthestudentsfirstlylearntheEnglishnation’sculturalandhistoricalknowledge,thebottleneckwillbemucheasiertobreak,anditwillbemucheasiertoreachanewheightforthem.Therefore,thestudentsshouldputmoreemphasisontheculturalbackgroundknowledgelearning.Andidiomcanberegardasoneimportantpartoflanguage,whichcanreflectthenationallanguageculturebest.Besides,itcoversmanyfieldsincludinghistory,geography,religion,humanityandsoon.SoIwillsetidiomsasanexampletoanalyzetheinfluencewhichculturalbackgroundknowledgelearningexertontheEnglishidiomsunderstandingintheaspectsofhistory,religionandsoon.Therearecertaindifferencesbetweeneasternandwesterncultures,ifwecanbreakthroughculturalbarriers,trytoexperienceandunderstandtheuniquecharmofEnglishculture,anddeepenourunderstandingoftheirwayofthinkingandspeaking,wecollegestudentswillbefullofpassioninlearningEnglishandwillbeabletouseitmorenaturally.
II.TheRelationshipbetweenLanguageandCulture
2.1LanguageistheCarrierofCulture
Ashasbeennoted,languageisthecarrierandspreadingmediaofculture.Alongandoutstandingculturesurelyhasthekindoflanguagewhichishardtounderstand,andculturewillkeepondevelopinglanguage.Humanknowledgeandexperienceisrecordedbylanguage;customsandhabitsarealsodescribedbylanguage.Thatis,languagemirrorsculture.Themostimportantfunctionoflanguageistoreflectthelifeofhumanbeingsandsocialdevelopment.
2.2LanguageistheReflectionofCulture
IntheprocessofEnglishlearning,theEnglishcountry’shistory,customs,religion,geography,literature,artandvaluescanberegardasculture.[1]ContactandunderstandingofthecultureoftheEnglish-speakingcountriesisofbenefitforstudentsintheunderstandinganduseofEnglishtoreducethedeviationofunderstandingcausedbyculturaldifferences.Asweallknow,languageiscloselyrelatedtocultureandmostofusthinkitisanimportantpartofculture.Culturealwaysexertssomeinfluencesonlanguage.Inalanguage,thedevelopmentofculturebooststhecreationofnewwordsandexpressions.Someculturalfactorssuchashistoricalstories,geography,customs,religionandliteraturearealwaysposedsomeeffectsontheformationofEnglishidioms.Wecanknowmoreabouttheculturalbackgroundknowledgebylearningidioms,onthecontrary,learningtheculturalbackgroundbehindidiomscanhelpustounderstandidiomswell.Inanotherword,language,especiallyidioms,arethereflectionofculture.
III.TheDefinitionandCharacteristicsofEnglishIdioms
3.1TheDefinitionofEnglishIdioms
Broadlyspeaking,Englishidiomsincludemetaphoricalphrases,colloquialism,proverbsandsoon.[2]Itisnoteasyforustoprovideacleardefinitionfortheword“idiom”,becauseindifferentlanguageenvironmentithasdifferentmeanings.AsfarasJenniferSeidlisconcerned,anidiomisanumberofwordswhich,takentogether,meansomethingdifferentfromtheindividualwordsoftheidiomwhentheystandalone.Butthispaperhasthemostlyfinedefinition,idiomisanexpressionestablishedintheusageofalanguagethatispeculiartoitselfeitheringrammaticalconstructionorinhavingameaningthatcannotbederivedasawholefromtheconjoinedmeaningsofitselements.
3.2TheCharacteristicsofEnglishIdioms
3.2.1TheIntegrityofEnglishIdioms
Theintegrityoftheidiomsreferstoidiomsareusedasacompletesemanticunits.Itsvariouscomponentsarecloselylinkedandindivisible.Inanotherword,themeaningofanEnglishidiomisnotthesuperpositionofeachsingleword;itshouldbeusedasawholeinsteadofbeingsplitintosmallerelements.Forexample,“pullone’ssocksup”,itdoesnotmean“tobringone’ssocks”,butmeans“tocheerup”.TheintegrityofEnglishidiomsmeansthatmanyidiomsreflectthenationalhistoryandcultureandtheformationofliteraryallusions,andhaveestablishedoverallsignificance.Forexample:
“inthearmsofMorpheus”meansthatheorsheissleeping.Itisbecause“Morpheus”isthegodofsleepinGreekmythology.Ifsomeonelayinhisarms;heiscertainlyinhissleep.
3.2.2TheWidespreadUseofEnglishIdioms
EnglishidiomsarewidelyusedinEnglishspeakingcountries,althoughsomeofthemhavebecomeclichés,andsomeofthemevenhavelosttheirspecificculture.Becausetheyhavebecomeaspecialmeaninginpeople’slives,eventoday,peoplestilloftenuseEnglishidioms.Forexample:
breaktherecord,coldwar,loveme,lovemydog,wherethereisawill,thereisaway,etc.Somefamousscholarshastranslatedmanyofthemintootherlanguages,andevenbecomefamousinternationalidioms.
3.2.3TheInstitutionalizationofEnglishIdioms
TheinstitutionalizationofEnglishidiomsreferstothefactthatitsform,vocabularyandstructureisfixed,cannotbechanged.Evensynonymscannotbereplaced,orwillbeafarcryfromtheoriginalmeaning.Forinstance,“bythreesandtwos”cannotsubstitutefor“bytwosandthrees”;“burnaholeinone’spocket”,cannotbechangedto“burnaholeinoneswallet”;“neitherfishnorflesh”cannotsubstitutefor“neitherfleshnorfish”,norchangedto“neitherdonkeynorhorse”.JustasinChina,youcannotsay“乱七八糟”to“乱八七糟”.
IV.TheInfluenceofCulturalBackgroundKnowledgeonEnglishIdioms
4.1TheInfluenceofHistoricalEvents
Asweallknow,thedevelopmentofsocialhistoryhasagreatinfluenceonlanguage.Withthetimeschanging,theoldlanguagewilldeclineandthenewlanguagecontinuetoproduce.Inthedevelopmentprocessofthelanguage,wecanfindthetracesofhistoryandcultureintheidioms.Thinkingthedevelopmentofhumanhistory,nationalmigration,ethnicwar,ethnicconquestandassimilationaffectthenationalculturemost.
4.1.1TheInfluencesofRomanConquest
In55BC,thegreatRomangeneralJuliusCaesarsailedacrosstheEnglishChannelwith10,000men.[3]HewantedtofindoutwhetherEnglandcanmakeafinecolony.JuliusCaesarreturnednextyearwithalargearmyanddefeatedsomeoftheCelts.TherealRomanConquestinGreatBritainhistorywasstartedin43A.D.TheRomanemperorClaudiusinvadedBritainagain.Thistime,theRomanswontheCeltictribeseasily,andcompletelywonthesouthernpartoftheislandofGreatBritain,includingpresent-dayEnglandandWales.
Withthemilitaryoccupation,theRomancultureandcustomsgraduallyinfiltratedBritain.Romansclothing,decorations,potteryandglasswaresooninBritishbecamepopular,sociallifebegantoappear'Romanization'phenomenon.Withthechangeofculturaltrends,thelanguagechanged.LatinlanguagespreadrapidlyintheBritainIsland,especiallytheupperclassesofsociety,theofficiallanguage,legallanguage,thelanguageofbusiness,allusingtheLatinlanguage.TherearemanyidiomsrelatedtoRoman.Forexample:
“DoinRomeastheRomansdo.”
“Romewasnotbuiltinaday.”
“AllroadsleadtoRome.”
“Bearthepalm”meanssuccess.InancientRome,fighterswhoemergedfromthearenavictoriouswillgainpalmsticksorpalmleavesasavictorysymb
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- 文化背景 知识 大学生 英语 学习