中英文中顏色詞的聯(lián)想意義的對比以及顏色詞的譯法【畢業(yè)論文】

1、<p><b>　?。?0_ _屆）</b></p><p><b>　　本科畢業(yè)設(shè)計</b></p><p><b>　　英語</b></p><p>　　中英文中顏色詞的聯(lián)想意義的對比以及顏色詞的譯法</p><p><b>　　摘要</b>

2、</p><p>　　人類多姿多彩的生活從來都離不開顏色的點綴。持各種語言的人們對于顏色的基本物理屬性有著相同的認識。然而，不同語言文化背景的人們，由于地理環(huán)境、宗教信仰、社會習(xí)俗、以及歷史的原因，對于顏色詞賦予了不同的聯(lián)想與內(nèi)涵。面對時代的發(fā)展、社會的進步、科技的不斷提高，來自不同文化背景人們之間的交往與融合也隨之不斷加強。文化的不同在翻譯實踐中越來越受到關(guān)注。本文以紅色為例探討其在中英文中的使用，旨在發(fā)現(xiàn)顏色

3、詞在中英文中的“顏”外之意，并尋求在中英文翻譯中的翻譯原則與策略，以便更好地促進跨文化交流。本文以語言與文化的關(guān)系為基礎(chǔ)，探討了漢英文化中紅色的象征意義。并從顏色詞聯(lián)想意義不同的角度提出了顏色詞翻譯過程中常采用的具體翻譯方法。</p><p>　　關(guān)鍵詞：顏色詞；漢英文化；象征意義；翻譯方法</p><p><b>　　Abstract</b></p>

4、<p>　　The world is colored by all kinds of colors, so are the languages. People of different languages share the same recognition of the physical features of colors. However, people of different cultural backgrounds

5、 usually associate color words with different things and connotations due to the differences of geographic environment, religious beliefs, social practices, and history. With the advance of times and the rapid developmen

6、t of technologies and the world economy, cross-cultural communications </p><p>　　Key words: color words; Chinese and English cultures; associative meanings; translation methods.</p><p><b>

7、　　Contents</b></p><p>　　AbstractIII</p><p>　　1 Introduction1</p><p>　　1.1 Relationship between Language and Culture1</p><p>　　1.2 Color and Color Terms3</p

8、><p>　　2. Literature Review3</p><p>　　2.1 Previous Studies on Color Terms from Home and Abroad3</p><p>　　2.2 Critical Comments on the Previous Studies6</p><p>　　3. Sema

9、ntic Analysis of the Color Term——Red in Chinese and English6</p><p>　　3.1 Culture Connotations of Red in Chinese7</p><p>　　3.2 Culture Connotations of Red in English9</p><p>　　3.

10、3 Similarities and Differences10</p><p>　　4. Translation Principles and Methods for Color Terms11</p><p>　　4.1 Literal Translation12</p><p>　　4.2 Transliteration13</p>&l

11、t;p>　　4.3 Contextual Amplification13</p><p>　　4.4 Substitution14</p><p>　　4.5 Free Translation14</p><p>　　5. Conclusion15</p><p>　　Bibliography19</p><

12、;p>　　Acknowledgements21</p><p>　　1 Introduction</p><p>　　1.1 Relationship between Language and Culture</p><p>　　For many years, ethnologists, linguists, sociologists and ethnogr

13、aphers have been dwelling on the relationship between language and culture. They have contributed many theoretical comments and innumerable facts. However, they arrive at one point that language is the keystone of cultur

14、e. Without language, they maintain, culture would not be possible. Language is influenced and shaped by culture; it reflects culture. In the broadest sense, language is the symbolic representation of the people and </

15、p><p>　　“Language is one of the most important symbol systems in any culture. The vocabulary, grammar and phonology of a language tell a great deal about the nature and values of the culture. In the great icebe

16、rg, language can be considered as highly observable behavior and within consciousness and its deeper, subtler meaning and messages can be seen as more value, thus out of consciousness”. </p><p>　　Thus

17、, language and culture are tightly connected. This connection penetrates every aspect of language in language system. Word and expressions are the most active and animate components, which embody people’s concepts and at

18、titude to the objective world and development of a nation or a society. To be exact, cultural patterns, ways of life, religious beliefs, worldviews, value concept, personalities and perceptions, etc, are reflected in lan

19、guage. Culture is the source of language, i.e. culture c</p><p>　　The relationship of language and culture can be summarized as follows: culture and language are connected with each other. On the one hand, l

20、anguage is the carrier of culture, culture is loaded in language, through which the material developments, institutional systems, conceptual features and the like of a certain society are recorded, expressed and transmit

21、ted. On the other hand, language is influenced and shaped by culture and meanwhile reflects culture. So the understanding of a culture requ</p><p>　　Our world takes on a colorful look because of the natural

22、colors, so do the languages. Color words are an interestingly and extensively studied lexical set. Although they are quite small in number, and they share the same designative meanings in all languages, they are loaded w

23、ith rich associative meanings, which, to great extent, are shaped and constrained by various cultural settings. The flag of the Olympic Games has five interlocking color rings (blue, yellow, black, green, and red in orde

24、r)</p><p>　　The world is gradually becoming a global village, that is to say, communities of different languages and cultures are intensifying their activities of communication. Translation, as a bridge betw

25、een different cultural communications, plays a very important role in these activities. However, translation is not simply the act of transferring the meaning of a text from one language into another. In fact, it has bee

26、n indispensably involved in the various cultural communications and penetrations betw</p><p>　　1.2 Color and Color Terms </p><p>　　Color has long been an interest and a concern for human beings.

27、 Earlier pursuits of color vision and color perception can be traced back to ancient times. Color is a natural phenomenon which exists in every corner of the human environment. It is a part of perception and experience o

28、f all human being toward the outside world so it is everyone’s topic wherever he is from or whatever ethnic group he is in. “Scientific research indicates that seven million kinds of colors can be found in the world. <

29、;/p><p>　　2. Literature Review</p><p>　　2.1 Previous Studies on Color Terms from Home and Abroad</p><p>　　Each progress of research on color term is closely linked with human civilizat

30、ion. Enlightenment of natural science in the 17th century promoted the research on color in the areas of physics and optics; the booming of research on philosophy in the 18th century brought about the research on color i

31、n the area of aesthetic; the progressing of science of human culture in the 19th century laid a solid foundation of research on color term in the area of cross-culture comparison; since the 20th century</p><p&

32、gt;　　Taking the color term——red as an example, Xu Fang (2008) explored semantic similarities and differences of color terms between Chinese and English in terms of basic semantic equivalences, partial semantic equivalenc

33、es, non semantic equivalences and zero semantic equivalences. Her study also looks into the cultural mechanisms that underlie such semantic similarities and differences of color terms. </p><p>　　Under the fr

34、amework of cognitive linguistics and based on the theories of metaphor and metonymy, Zhang Zhuxiang & Du Fenglan (2008) analyzed the cognitive structure of the basic color words in English and Chinese, and explored t

35、he causes that can account for the similarities and differences of the basic color terms between English and Chinese. </p><p>　　Wen Lingyun (2007) made a tentative attempt to analyze the semantic cognitive

36、models of the basic color terms. Based on the analysis, the author intends to reveal the different cultural-cognitive schema of the basic color terms between English and Chinese. </p><p>　　Dou Chengjun (2007

37、) discussed how the development of the national culture influences the meaning of color words. He concluded that the semantic differences of color words in different cultures derived from the differences in cultural-hist

38、oric background, esthetic psychology, ect. </p><p>　　Besides, a number of Chinese researchers elaborated on the issue of color words in monographs and dictionaries. For example, in his book《英語聲色詞與翻譯》, Zhang

39、 Peiji (1979) makes a detailed description of the usage of almost all the English color terms and their translation. In 1990, Liu Yunquan published his book《語言的色彩美》, in which he gave an overall account of the categories

40、and functions of the Chinese color terms. Among other things, two dictionaries “A Comparative Dictionary of English and Chinese</p><p>　　Western scholars have made extensive study on color terms, which can b

41、e traced back to Plato and Aristotle, who, in the article “On Colors” (Sloane, 1991: 168), expressed that there existed a relationship between simple colors and some basic elements in the physical world. He explained the

42、 nature of colors which assumed that simple colors were mixtures of “black” and “white”.</p><p>　　At the end of the nineteenth century, the research into color terms was challenged by Magnus’ (1880) publicat

43、ion of his cross-cultural investigation of color terms. His major findings include that primitive people possess a color-sense that is identical to those from civilized nations, that people can perceive more colors than

44、they can identify, and that the development of linguistic expressions for colors seems to be ordered in the sense that some colors, like red and yellow, are more clearly d</p><p>　　In the late 1960s, two Ame

45、rican scholars, Brent Berlin, an ethnographer, and Paul Kay, a linguist, conducted a cross-cultural investigation into the color lexicon, and methodologically, the investigation was composed of an experimental study whic

46、h involved native-speaking informants from twenty different language backgrounds and a comparative library research which examined seventy-eight other languages, thus making up a total ninety-eight languages. In this com

47、prehensive and scientific study of</p><p>　　Figure 1: An evolutionary sequence of basic color lexicon</p><p>　　White/black < red < green/yellow < blue < brown < purple/pink/orange

48、/gray</p><p>　　Since the late 1970s, through a series of experiments, Rosch has found that “color categories are processed by the human mind in terms of their internal structure” (Rosch, 1975: 193-94). Based

49、 on the results revealed by her own experiments and by other relevant studies, Rosch holds that our cognitive representation of color terms may well differ from that of other concepts, thus forming a “concrete and imager

50、y” versus an “abstract and imageless” contrast in our mental representation in general.</p><p>　　A different linguistically related study of the color lexicon can be traced back to a sociolinguistic hypothes

51、is proposed by Lakoff (1973) in her seminal article on language and women’s place. In the article, Lakoff claims that women are more likely than men to use “fancy” or elaborated color words such as mauve, lavender, and b

52、eige in English. The following years after the hypothesis have seen some experimental studies primarily from psychological and sociolinguistic sides to test the validity </p><p>　　2.2 Critical Comments on th

53、e Previous Studies </p><p>　　We have made a review of studies of color terms in English and Chinese done by both English and Chinese scholars above, and we can see from it that these researches were made mai

54、nly on color terms in one language. In the study of color terms, a contrastive analysis of color terms in different cultures is of great significance since we now live in a world in which we increasingly :interact with p

55、eople from different cultures. Although color terms is a common phenomenon of all languages, people fr</p><p>　　3. Semantic Analysis of the Color Term——Red in Chinese and English</p><p>　　The me

56、aning of a word is multiple-leveled, and color terms are no exception. Geoffrey Leech, a well-known British linguist, in his Semantics (1974) recognizes seven types of meaning of a word: (l) Conceptual meaning; (2) Conno

57、tative meaning; (3) Social meaning; (4) Affective meaning; (5) Reflected meaning; (6) Collective meaning; (7) Thematic meaning. Leech says that conceptual meaning is concerned with the relationship between a word and the

58、 thing it refers to, and connotative and the following</p><p>　　3.1 Culture Connotations of Red in Chinese</p><p>　　(1) Jubilation, good fortune and celebration</p><p>　　The color o

59、f red in Chinese is the symbol of happy, lucky and joy. In the wedding ceremony, birthday party and some special days, people will use something red to add happiness. In the wedding ceremonies, red character Xi (喜“happin

60、ess”), red candles, red head covers and red dresses of the brides, all bring the festival atmosphere and make people think that days after wedding will become better. During the holidays, people will post the red couplet

61、s on gateposts, hang the red inscribed board, and</p><p>　　(2) Prosperity, success and victory</p><p>　　The color of red has the meaning of good luck or something that goes smoothly. At the open

62、ing of a business or the opening ceremony of a fair, red ribbons are cut because they are thought to bring good fortune and success. Kaimenhong (開門紅“have a good start”) symbolizes good fortune. Hongyun (紅運“good luck”), h

63、ongbang (紅榜“red list"), hongrigaozhao (紅日高照 “the red is shining high to bring good fortune”) are all good examples.</p><p>　　(3) Wealth</p><p>　　In ancient China, red is a graceful color, s

64、ymbolizing wealth and high social position. The outstanding poet Du Fu in Tang Dynasty wrote a famous poem, saying Zhu Men Jiu Rou Chou, (朱門酒肉臭“behind the red gates of the rich, meat and wine are left to rot” [The Conte

65、mporary Chinese Dictionary, 2002: 2498]) in which zhumen (朱門) refers to the red-painted gates, implying the houses where high officials and nobles lived. In archaic Chinese buildings, rafters, columns, doors, windows and

66、 other structura</p><p>　　(4) Revolution and advancement</p><p>　　When the flag of Bolshevism rose in the hometown of Lenin, and Marxism-Leninism widespread in China, the meaning of revolution o

67、f red color melted into the traditional culture in China. Chinese national flag, Wuxinghongqi (五星紅旗 “Five-star national flag”) is red which means being stained red by the blood of the revolutionaries and martyrs, while h

68、onglingjin (紅領(lǐng)巾“red scarf”) symbolizes a corner of the red flag and is an emblem of the Young Pioneers. Red in such expressions as hongjun (紅軍 “the Red </p><p>　　(5) Danger, deficit and warning</p>&l

69、t;p>　　Red is also the color of fire, blood and war, revolutionary battles that usually make the warriors bleed, thus red means dangerous, such as the red light in traffic regulations serves as a sign reminding and war

70、ning drivers to stop. “In the red”, “red figure”, “red ink” refers to the deficit, or owing more money than you have, by contrasting to “in the black”, because in business people usually use red ink to record the part of

71、 deficit, as a sign of warning. In China, writing letters in red ink </p><p>　　(6) Female</p><p>　　The Chinese color terms hongyan (紅顏) and hongfenjiare (紅粉佳人) are used to imply a beautiful or y

72、oung woman; hongzhuang (紅妝) means a woman in rich attire; honggui (紅閨) or honglou (紅樓) refers to a lady’s room or a boudoir. Hongdou (紅豆) used to symbolize love in ancient literature.</p><p>　　(7) Health<

73、/p><p>　　What’s more, color of red can express psychological states, such as Manmianhongguang (滿面紅光“radiant with happiness”), miansehongrun (面色紅潤“in very good health“), and so on.</p><p>　　(8) Jeal

74、ousy</p><p>　　If someone is getting “red” (become popular and successful), others would envy or feel jealous of him. That’s how red gets its meaning, envy or jealousy. Yanhong (眼紅“envy”) and hongyanbing (紅眼病

75、) does not mean any disease at all. Instead, they mean someone is jealous.</p><p>　　(9) Popularity</p><p>　　The red also conveys popularity, such as dahongdazi (大紅大紫)，hongren(紅人), zouhong (走紅) o

76、r honghuo (紅火) which means a good business.</p><p>　　3.2 Culture Connotations of Red in English</p><p>　　(1) Danger</p><p>　　According to Bible, when Adam and Eve, the alleged ances

77、tors of human beings, committed the original sin, God said to Eve: “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.” The great pain that a woman suffers in giving birth to a ch

78、ild is bleeding freely, and that may be why blood became a symbol of misery and red became associated with dangers for English-speaking people. “Red light” means danger, and “red light district” means a neighborhood with

79、 man</p><p>　　(2) Over elaboration</p><p>　　“Red tape” means the rigid application and observation of rules and regulations in all their minute details without regard for the end they were desig

80、ned to achieve, as in “Susan is a casual girl who hates the red tape”. This expression came from lawyers and government officials’ former practice of keeping their papers and records in bundles tied with red tape.</p&

81、gt;<p><b>　　(3) Anger</b></p><p>　　In English, red is associated with certain emotions, too. What is the meaning of “to see red” and “waving a red flag”? Both are associated with anger. Th

82、e former means to be made angry or to become angry suddenly, the latter means doing something that could cause quick anger in other people. The origin is bullfight, in which the cowboy waves a red flag to irritate the bu

83、ll. The bull gets excited and angry when it sees the red flag and intends to attack the cowboy.</p><p>　　(4) Embarrassment</p><p>　　In English, “to become red-faced” or her “face turned red” sho

84、ws embarrassment, as it does in Chinese lianhong (臉紅 “face turned red”).</p><p>　　(5) Celebration and happiness</p><p>　　It is true in both English-speaking countries and China that the color of

85、 red is usually related to celebrations and joyful occasions.</p><p>　　In the western world, red is the color of life like the sun shining with great and irreversible force, it encourages people to take acti

86、ons. In this sense, red represents life, birth, love, warmth, passionate and celebrative. On Christian calendar, important festivals and happy occasions are printed in red and called “red-letter days”, in church, when th

87、e priests are preaching; they wear red robes without sleeves which are regarded as a holy red. The expression “to paint the town red” means to e</p><p>　　(6) Obsceneness and cruelness</p><p>　　R

88、ed also means cruel, obscene, blood or fight in English. Red Badge of Courage is a novel describing the cruelty of war. Scarlet, a kind of deep red, symbolizes shame in Nathanial Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter.<

89、;/p><p>　　3.3 Similarities and Differences</p><p>　　From the above analysis of connotations of red in English and Chinese, valuable results can be found as follows:</p><p>　　First, the

90、 colors of red in English and Chinese also have many similar cultural connotations. That is to say, English and Chinese people also share much the same perception of this color which, according to the psychologists and c

91、olorists, is a warm color and can excite people, resulting in speeding up heartbeat and heightening blood pressure. Those cultural connotations are reflected in the expressions such as “red notice”, “red pepper”, “see re

92、d”, and hongguanghuanfa (紅光煥發(fā)).</p><p>　　Second, red in English has as many cultural connotations as Hong in Chinese. And those cultural connotations show people are passionate for life. The following connot

93、ations have proved the point, such as revolution in “red flag” and “the Red Army”, blood and death in “red-handed” and “雙手沾滿鮮血”，love in “red rose” and “hongdou”(紅豆)，and celebration in“red-letter day” and red carpet (紅地毯)

94、.</p><p>　　Third, as far as those cultural connotations of the two terms are concerned, they show different and even totally different cultural connotations. For example, envy someone in Chinese and the “red

95、 eye” means cheap wine in English.</p><p>　　Fourth, more negative cultural connotations are found in English but more positive cultural connotations are reflected in Chinese. Those connotations like terror,

96、bloody, communism, violence can in English but not in Chinese. Whereas, Hong is bestowed with more positive and lucky associations, such as good luck and success in hongyun (紅運), loyalty in Beijing Opera’s facial makeup,

97、 marriage and festivals when red is preferred in those happy times, and beauty in hongzhuang (紅妝) and hongyan (紅顏).Th</p><p>　　Fifth, mutual influence happens in the progress of intercultural communication.

98、Through communication, some elements of one culture are often borrowed into another and become part of the latter. Through cultural contact, red sometimes cannot be literally translated into Chinese Hong and vice versa.

99、Such as in “red man” (北美印第安人), “red neck”(美國南部鄉(xiāng)巴佬),“red-handed”(沾滿鮮血的), “red-blooded”(充滿活力的), “red pencil” (修改或刪除) and “red eye”(便宜的威士忌) (it cannot be translated into yanhong(眼紅) in Chinese. Here yanh</p><p>