中英禁忌語的比較【畢業(yè)論文】

1、<p><b>　?。?0_ _屆）</b></p><p><b>　　本科畢業(yè)設計</b></p><p><b>　　英語</b></p><p><b>　　中英禁忌語的比較</b></p><p>　　A comparison of t

2、aboos between Chinese culture and English culture</p><p><b>　　摘要</b></p><p>　　一切被宗教、傳統(tǒng)和社會習慣所禁止的事情，我們稱之為禁忌。它應避免直接使用，否則會令人討厭，進而冒犯別人。</p><p>　　總所周知，由于文化的差異性，各國人民對禁忌并不完全一致。這

3、篇文章介紹了禁忌語的定義，禁忌語存在的原因，也從文化差異這個角度比較了中英禁忌語的不同點和相同點。主要的目的使人們對語言禁忌有更好的了解，并且在交流中能夠建立更高的警覺性避免使用禁忌語，然后提高他們的跨文化交際能力。</p><p>　　關鍵字：文化；禁忌語；差異；幫助 </p><p><b>　　Abstract</b></p><p>　

4、　Anything which is prohibited by religion, tradition or social usage is a taboo. And it should be avoided mentioning directly, or it will make people unpleasant or offensive.</p><p>　　As we all know, people

5、of different countries have different taboo because of the cultural diversity. This paper introduces the definition of taboo words, the reasons for the existence of taboo, and then compares the similarities and differenc

6、es of taboo language between English and Chinese cultural differences. The main purpose is to help people have a better understanding of linguistic taboo and develop a clearer awareness of avoiding taboo words in communi

7、cation, thus enhancing their cross-cu</p><p>　　Key words: culture; taboo; diversity; help</p><p><b>　　Contents</b></p><p>　　AbstractⅡ</p><p>　　1 Introduc

8、tion1</p><p>　　1.1 Different definitions of taboo1</p><p>　　1.2 The features of taboo1</p><p>　　1.3 The consequences of violating taboo2</p><p>　　2 The reasons of

9、the existence of taboo3</p><p>　　2.1 Fear and Ignorance3</p><p>　　2.2 Respect3</p><p>　　2.3 Elegance4</p><p>　　3 The similarities between English and Chinese tabo

10、os4</p><p>　　3.1 General principle for pragmatic similarity4</p><p>　　3.1.1 Desecrating language-related taboo5</p><p>　　3.1.2 Abusive language-related taboo6</p><p

11、>　　3.2 Disease and Death-related taboo7</p><p>　　3.3 Sex discrimination-related taboo8</p><p>　　3.4 Religion and God-related taboo9</p><p>　　4 The differences in taboo betwe

12、en English and Chinese culture9</p><p>　　4.1 The numbers and colors-related taboo9</p><p>　　4.2 The names-related taboo10</p><p>　　4.3 The queue and bargain-related taboo11</

13、p><p>　　5 Conclusion11</p><p>　　Bibliography13</p><p>　　Acknowledgements14</p><p>　　1. Introduction</p><p>　　Taboo is a common language phenomenon existi

14、ng both in Chinese and English culture. “In a certain cultural occasion, some words should not be talked about or should be mentioned in a roundabout way in language.”(Kang Jialong, 2003:114) Words and expressions relate

15、d to these social taboos are linguistic taboos which are not only a linguistic phenomenon but also a social phenomenon. Therefore, language is like a mirror to reflect national culture. In modern society, especially in i

16、nformatization o</p><p>　　This thesis will analyze the similarities and differences between Chinese taboos, English taboos, and present some general knowledge of taboo. Then, a conclusion will be drawn and s

17、ome suggestions put forward to recommend the future research.</p><p>　　1.1 Different definitions of taboo</p><p>　　In our daily life, there is a very common language phenomenon which exists in e

18、verywhere, but people would not say it. As time goes on, they become a kind of taboo. In other words, linguistic taboo, originating from social life, is part and parcel of social taboos. Due to its universal existence in

19、 all social communities around the world, people should pay great attention to this important social-cultural phenomenon. Among various definitions of taboo three are listed here. The first one is, “Ta</p><p&g

20、t;　　1.2 The features of taboo</p><p>　　No matter in Chinese or western countries, the scope of taboos is very wide, ranging from personal life to the whole society. Therefore, understanding and complying wit

21、h each other’s taboo habits, especially their special features, are of vital importance. As follows, 5 features of taboo (Xia Tian, 2007:121) have been listed.</p><p>　　1. Universality: Taboo universally exi

22、sts in every social field and class. Thus, the expressions of taboo also universally exist in people’s everyday life.</p><p>　　2. Times: Just as the characteristic of language itself, taboo is also dynamic.

23、“Every culture contains taboo in the world, and the taboo’s change depends on the periods’ change.”(Wan Jianzhong, 2001:3) </p><p>　　3. Culture: As the old saying goes, "winds are different within 100 m

24、iles; customs are various within 10 miles." That is because people’s habitual practice is not exactly the same in different cultural backgrounds. Therefore, taboo also becomes cultural under the different customs. W

25、hat’s more, taboo is full of superstitious imprints. Many taboos were created under the old tradition. </p><p>　　4. Industry: As the development of the society, a person’s working identities vary. It is more

26、 and more common that taboo exists and differs in different industries. </p><p>　　5. Implicitness: It is the unique characteristic of taboo. People can track the origin of taboo language and call those which

27、 are difficult, impolite or inconvenient to speak our taboos. To avoid embarrassment, we may express with substitutions, similar symbols, imagery, commendatory method or even contrary expression. As long as that expressi

28、on is implicative enough to show the real intension, it will work as expected.</p><p>　　1.3 The consequences of violating taboo </p><p>　　A taboo usually is a moral or cautionary restriction pla

29、ced upon certain actions by authorities of a people, while if ignored it will result in specific negative consequences. Ernst Cassirer thinks, “The danger of changing something into taboo is physical danger, no matter ou

30、r action is intentional or not intentional, the effect is same and it is not related to people. Generally speaking, taboo means something cannot be touched, and cannot be touched hasty. But the purpose and the way you ac

31、cess</p><p>　　2. The reasons of the existence of taboo</p><p>　　There are certain reasons of the existence of taboo, because taboo language as a linguistic phenomenon has its cultural roots. “Un

32、derstanding the reasons of the existence of taboo can help us predict, grasp and master the taboo language, and thus help us communicate effectively and appropriately with foreigners.”(Guo Xuewen, 2003:56) Different soci

33、al customs and manners, theories and psychological factors all account for the existence of taboo. At the same time, it also shows that in the process</p><p>　　2.1 Fear and Ignorance</p><p>　　Fi

34、rstly, taboo exists because of the worship of language which resulted from people’s fear and ignorance of language. In the ancient society, with low productivity and undeveloped science, people had no knowledge of the na

35、ture. Language was often given a super power and ancient people believed that it had a magic power. Because filled with fear and ignorance of nature, they tended to be terrified by the scared language. But for those whic

36、h must use language to express, they use another kind of e</p><p>　　2.2 Respect</p><p>　　As the development of society and technology, people have gradually got rid of nature’s restraints. There

37、fore people’s fear towards taboo evolves to respect as time passes by. As we all know, China is a country of etiquette. The emperor owns sovereign right and status, so his people cannot call his name directly. This kind

38、of taboo finally helps lead to the absolute obeying. In the foreign culture, people cannot say God’s name directly, which also expresses their respect to the God.</p><p>　　2.3 Elegance</p><p>　　

39、People’s educational background improves as the development of the society. What one says shows his general quality. Therefore, people are always seeking for better speaking methods. When they come across taboo in their

40、daily lives, they will look for more elegant words to avoid causing rudeness, impoliteness and unhappiness. For example, people will not say urinate directly. Instead, ladies’ room is used for expressing that kind of int

41、ention.</p><p>　　3. The similarities between English and Chinese taboos</p><p>　　It is a common phenomenon both in Chinese and English culture that there is a special language phenomenon formed

42、by taboo language. Taboo language is not only a linguistic phenomenon, but also a social phenomenon. As we all know, Chinese and English cultural backgrounds are different, so it caused huge differences between Chinese a

43、nd English taboo language. But taking a historic perspective, there are many similarities as well. In modern society, the world is just like a global village and it’s </p><p>　　3.1 General principle for prag

44、matic similarity </p><p>　　The pragmatic similarity between English and Chinese taboo mainly embodies in some rude taboo expressions, and also in religious, psychological and physical taboos. Pragmatics is a

45、 subject to study how to use languages and the regular of it. In order to establish pragmatic rules, from the speaker and the hearer’s point of the view, the behavior of using language is affected by various social const

46、raints which act on specific context of a specific discourse, highlighting the context that may affe</p><p>　　3.1.1 Desecrating language-related taboo</p><p>　　English and Chinese taboos have re

47、ached a consensus in many ways. Excreta and acts of human excretion are to be avoided in polite conversation. In western countries, some Christians are very pious to the god; they believe that the misuse of God or God

48、9;s name is disrespectful. Therefore, Chinese people must avoid using this kind of language. In Christian countries, the name of the god is the biggest taboo. No matter when and where, people should not say god’s name. T

49、he god required Israelis to ob</p><p>　　Like Chinese, they do not use god as well. And also they do not mention the name of the master, which is also a taboo in western country. Both the ancient people and t

50、he modern people have the awe for the god and the ghost. There are a lot of religions to believe in China, and there are many taboos about religion. First, they keep far away from desecrating the god; they should not use

51、 their words to disrespect the god they believe. In China, people who believe in Buddhism and Daoism would say so</p><p>　　The Chinese Han language likewise shows trace of racism, although there have been co

52、nsiderable improvements since the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949. Prior to that, belittling or outright degrading terms for non-Han people were not uncommon: virtually calling certain Chinese ethnic group

53、s barbarians, such as 蠻人；derisive expressions such as 蒙古大夫（Mongolian doctor-a quack or incompetent doctor）to show off the assumed superiority of one’s own ethnic group. Since the middle of the cen</p><p>　　I

54、n spite of the changes mentioned above, and in some areas, the progress have been made greatly, there still exist the traces of sexism and racism between Chinese and English culture. Unless one is careful, one can easily

55、 offend without realizing it. Keeping up with the language changes in these areas is needed of course. What’s more important is to develop sensitivity to the feelings of those who suffering from the unfair treatment. Und

56、erstanding the injustice of the society is perhaps the best</p><p>　　3.1.2 Abusive language-related taboo</p><p>　　From the ancient civilization to the new century, some abusive words have been

57、forbidden. And that is true both in English and Chinese culture, but further explanation are very necessary. Because this kind of abusive words always offend people, making them feel unhappy or angry. They usually use an

58、imals to laugh at someone, just like bitch, cow, swine, and pig. Some abusive words like cheeky, liar, prevaricating, fascist and shit, hell, damn, fuck and so on are all forbidden in normal situations</p><p&g

59、t;　　In China, it seems to have fewer restrictions to use abusive words. 他媽的 seems to be the most common words that won’t arouse too strong disapproval. Another phenomenon of taboo would be the age, sex and the occupation

60、 of people. If a child says some abusive words, she/he will soon be blamed by her/his elders. In the same way, a woman would be considered indecent while a teacher would be regarded as highly improper when they say these

61、 abusive words. A third phenomenon would be the setting or envir</p><p>　　3.2 Disease and Death-related taboo</p><p>　　As we all know, people are afraid of facing disease and death. Thus, in com

62、munication, people always avoid talking about "dead" words as much as possible. When they have to mention it, they use other words instead. Like a celebrity had said, “Death is the most terrible taboo, because

63、"death" is an irresistible physiology phenomenon and social phenomenon, therefore, people felt an undefined superhuman power when they were confront with death.”（Chen Yuan，1983:124） For example, when it comes t

64、o can</p><p>　　This is a universal psychology existing in the world that people are looking forward to health and living forever. Although such a psychology would not achieve any real results, it can reduce

65、the psychological pressure. In western countries, people tend to push the ignoble disease to other countries, Such as a British would like to say "Spanish blain" instead of "Britain blain". While it c

66、omes to Chinese attitude to disease and death, it becomes even more severe. Early China, people have no noti</p><p>　　3.3 Sex discrimination-related taboo</p><p>　　“There are male-centered langu

67、ages existing in both English and Chinese cultures, partial are male and belittle women words.”(Feng Cuihua, 2004:278) The most obvious example is the communication referred to gender unknown person; he is always used in

68、stead of she. Chinese were using "he" instead of "her." Even clearly know that the master is a female, she will be wildly called as chairman, and even president of that Mrs. In ancient China, the perc

69、eption that women were ignorant, low status, often</p><p>　　In short, whether in open western or in the east with traditional culture, about the topic "sex" is considered a very private problem of

70、a person. In many cases people avoid talking about sex since it becomes a sort of taboo.</p><p>　　3.4 Religion and God-related taboo</p><p>　　In Western countries, some Christian, they have a st

71、rong sense of religion and God. People are strictly prohibited from mentioning God’s name. In the Christian West, God's name Jehovah is the biggest taboo. Once you break the rule, you will be criticized or even be al

72、ienated by other members. If someone mentions Jesus Christ in casual talk or in a joke, he will be considered impolite. In china, they often call God such as “玉皇大帝”，“大圣”，“佛主”，etc to show their respect. When they swear, t

73、hey will use</p><p>　　All in all, from above comparison and analysis between English and Chinese, it can be perceived that both Chinese and English taboos reflect people’s psychology for good will, for peace

74、 and fortune and pleasantness. The Chinese and English people limit their words and behavior through taboos, trying to keep a harmonious relationship between people and society, or between human and nature. It seems that

75、 the earth is getting smaller and smaller with the progress of the science and technology and t</p><p>　　4. The differences in taboo between English and Chinese culture</p><p>　　English and Chin

76、ese belong to two different types of languages, with separate but complete language systems. And there are huge differences in social systems, values, customs, and lifestyles and so on. So it is especially important for

77、us to be aware of what the differences are in order to understand each other well. Some differences will be discussed as follows in hoping of a comprehensive understanding of taboo. </p><p>　　4.1 The numbers

78、 and colors-related taboo</p><p>　　In many eastern and western countries, people regard the number 13 as a taboo. Engagement should also avoid the date 13; avoid the 13-layer, as well as a room number 13. T

79、herefore, in the actual communication, we must know how to respect the Westerners. However, for Chinese, there would not have a taboo 13. Chinese people, however, also have a taboo on number is 4. Because "four"

80、; and "death" is harmonics, so it is an unlucky word in Chinese culture. It is even unpopular in license number, telep</p><p>　　As for the color words, Chinese and English-speaking countries also h

81、ave different taboos. Chinese people like red, that red are the color of celebration. The bride's wedding dress is the traditional Chinese red. The white is the color of death, so more decoration at a funeral is whit

82、e. However, in Western countries, the color of white is pure. The bride's wedding dress is white. Instead, western culture thinks red as hoodoos, expressing the meaning of warning. Therefore, it is a warning color. &

83、lt;/p><p>　　4.2 The names-related taboo</p><p>　　In ancient China, it was a taboo for younger generation to have the same names with the elders, or have homophonic words. And if they did so, they w

84、ould be considered disrespectful to elders, which were named "bullying ancestors" behavior. When it comes to the emperor, it was forbidden to write the name of an emperor when a scholar wants to quote or compos

85、e something from the dominator. For example, people in Tang Dynasty substituted “代”for “世”,“人” for “民” in order to avoid the given name of Tan</p><p>　　4.3 The queue and bargain-related taboo</p><

86、p>　　In America, people don’t always need to line up, but when they have to, it is always orderly. Whether in the bank, airport, railway stations, there are striking logos and different windows separated by ropes to re

87、mind people to stand in line. Chinese people might think that Americans line up almost to the point of being “stupid”--it’s a kind of wasting time. What’s more, the Chinese people like to keep a certain distance with peo

88、ple and hate people crowded, so they don’t willing to line up.</p><p>　　In Britain, the most serious taboo is bargain. The British don’t like bargaining, believing that it’s a dishonorable thing. So if you a

89、re going to buy a high-ticket artwork or high number of goods, you also need to be careful with the seller to agree on a full price. British people rarely bargain, and they either think a commodity price is appropriate t

90、o buy or just walk away.</p><p>　　In a word, every culture has its own taboos that are quite different from other countries, just like many different factors listed above. The two different cultures have bee

91、n compared and analyzed from the different reaction and understanding when it comes to the same words and the behavior. Hope readers have a general knowledge of western taboo language and will get the best of both countr

92、ies, avoid in mutual misunderstandings and even conflict.</p><p>　　5．Conclusion</p><p>　　From what has been mentioned above, people can see that a linguistic taboo refers to a word or expression

93、 that is prohibited by the “polite” society from general use. People in China or abroad believe that some certain words or expressions which imply misfortunes or disasters will bring them great trouble and bad luck. So t

94、hey try to avoid talking about it. Although the existence of taboo brings us a lot of inconvenience in our life, work and study, its existence boosts the development of langua</p><p>　　Only when people under

95、stand the similarities and differences between English and Chinese, can we make communication effective and appropriate by minimizing certain confusion and embarrassment. The main point of this paper is using the pragmat

96、ic principles to compare the differences and similarities between English and Chinese taboos to help language learners and users deeply understand the cultural connotations and value systems of the two different language

97、s. Consequently, this paper calls for </p><p>　　Bibliography</p><p>　　Hornsby. Oxford English-Chinese dual solution dictionary [M]. Harvard: Harvard University Press. 2007</p><p>　　

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