论中西方文化中动物象征意义的差异.doc

文章来源 毕业论文网 论中西方文化中动物象征意义的差异文章来源 毕业论文网 1 introduction“language and culture，intrinsically dependent on each other，have evolved together through the history.”(claire kramsch，1998)“on one hand，language as an integral part of human being，permeates his thinking and way of viewing the world，language both expresses and embodies cultural reality. on the other，language，as a product of culture，helps permeate the culture，and the changes in language uses reflect the cultural changes in return”.(claire kramsch，1998)language is the base of entire culture，and it is only in language that culture can be wellpresented and handed down from generation to generation. on the other hand，language is influenced and shaped by culture;it reflects language. language reflects characteristics of culture and predicts the developing orientation of culture.2 comparison of the symbolic meanings of animals in chinese and western cultures2.1 similar symbolic meanings of animalsas the ecological environments of human life are roughly similar，people in china and the west will naturally produce the same or similar association，giving the same significance of the animal words when they understand animals from the basic attributes of the animals. for example，in chinese，fox is the synonym for cunning and craftiness. when people use such phrases like as cunning as “a fox”，“old fox” to describe a person，they often consider him or her sly and tactful. in english speaking countries，fox is also associated with this kind of meaning.2.2 different symbolic meanings of animalsa few of animals have the same or similar symbolic meanings both in china and the west，but it is well known that the majority of animals are different in the symbolic meanings because of the different cultural backgrounds. now，i’ll give several peculiar animals to testify my view.2.2.1 dragon and phoenixdragon has come to be regarded as the symbol of china and the chinese，and china is called huge dragon of east. in china，the traditional symbols of royalty are the dragon and phoenix. the dragon stands for the emperor and the phoenix for the queen. besides，as an auspicious creature that supposedly brings good luck，the dragon gave rise to the saying that parents“wang zi cheng long”—long to see one’s son become a dragon，that is，to be successful.to westerners，however，the dragon is often a symbol of evil.they regard the dragon as a fierce monster that destroys some other things;therefore，in their opinion，it must be destroyed.2.2.2 batto chinese，the “bat” is a symbol of good fortune，wellbeing，and happinessall positive qualities. the reason for such associations is probably that the name of the creature is pronounced the same as the word“fu”. thus the traditional design shows the bat and the deer together is very popular in china，because the words pronounced is the same as “fu lu”—good fortune，happiness，wealth and position.in the western countries，the bat is usually associated with negative qualities.“as blind as a bat”，“carry as a bat”，“he’s a bit batty”typical expressions of the negative associations.they may be even worse.mention of the bat often evokes the image of an ugly，sinister，bloodsucking creature.this may be caused by the “vampire bat”。3 factors leading to the different symbolic meanings of animalsthere are many factors affecting cultural differences，which would cause different symbolic meanings of animals between china and the west.such factors are as follows：3.1 diversity in spiritual culture3.1.1 belief systemsin the western tradition people believe the universe is created and controlled by a divine power.man and the universe are separate entities.and therefore，there are laws of nature that must be followed.with such a view of the universe，people in the west developed a dualistic world view.their goal of life is to be more objective and rational.chang is considered progress. the scientific method is usually their approach to problems in life. people are considered as equal to one another. however，people in china regard the universe as a harmoniously selfoperating organism in which each part is related to other parts in a system of hierarchy. with this view of the universe，chinese developed a holistic world view. they hold man and nature are interrelated;man is a part of nature and man’s goal of life is to keep harmony with nature.stability is highly valued. therefore，their attitude toward life tends to