Chinese and English Names and Their Cultural Differences.doc

毕业论文(设计)B.A. Thesis Chinese and English Names and Their Cultural Differences B.A. Candidate: Zheng AnfangAdvisor: Zheng Sanliang Foreign Language DepartmentJiaying UniversityMay 25, 200822AcknowledgementsI would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to the teachers and friends who have offered me all kinds of help in accomplishing this thesis.I owe great gratitude to my supervisor, Ms. Zheng Sanliang, whose insightful suggestions and constructive comments have contributed a lot to my thesis. It was under her useful instructions, patient guidance and detailed revision that this thesis could finally assume its present shape. Without these, the completion of this thesis would not have been possible. A special acknowledgement should be shown to Mr. Tian Minggang who taught us how to do the reference last term. I am particularly indebted to Bob and Gerry who offered some useful information. Finally, I wish to extend my thanks to the reference room of Foreign Language Department where I found the important information, and the library assistant who helped to supplied me with reference materials of great value.Abstract Personal names refer to the symbols indicating each particular member in the society. As an essential part of human language, personal names are playing a very dominant role in the communication. China and English-speaking countries have shaped different naming systems, which involve almost every aspect of human society, such as history, geography, economy, politics, etc. At the same time, as carriers of cultures, Chinese and English names are full of cultural connotations, and result in cultural gap between Chinese and English. Personal names are not only symbols that distinguish one person from others, but also social symbols. It is “a mirror of culture”. Through comparative study from the sources of Chinese and English names to family concepts, values, religious beliefs, bynames, different cultural connotations between Chinese and English names are clearly revealed. In Chinese names, the culture of Confucian-worship, hierarchy can be found, so can the religion, personal-orientation, individualism be found in English names. By comparison and through analysis, it can be concluded that name is a sign as well as an information window, through which people may better perceive a society and its culture in various aspects, and that the development of personal name system synchronizes with the improvement of society and the development of culture. That is to say, the development of names can show the changing of society in different times, and the development of culture in turn influences the process of naming and leaves its marks on names. So names are windows to see through different cultures. And it is the variety of culture that leads to the differences in Chinese and English personal name systems. A probe into this linguistic phenomenon of names helps people to broaden the knowledge on Chinese and English names and to enhance mutual understanding and communication between eastern and western culture. Key Words: Chinese and English names cultural connotation cultural differences摘 要姓名是指人类社会中每一个具体成员的正式的代指符号。作为语言的重要组成部分，姓名在人们的交往过程中有着举足轻重的作用和地位。汉英国家在其发展过程中形成了不同的姓名系统，主要涉及到历史，地理，经济，政治等领域。同时，姓名作为一种文化载体，蕴涵着极其丰富的文化内涵，汉英姓名因而存在着巨大的文化差异。也就是说，姓名不仅仅是一种简单的区别于他人的符号，它同时也代表一种社会文化现象，被喻为“文化的镜像”。本文通过对汉英姓名的来源阐释, 进而从家庭观念,价值观念，宗教信仰，别名现象等的对比研究，揭示出汉英姓名的深层文化内涵。汉英文化内涵的差异，如中国的崇儒思想，等级制度等文化因素都可以从中国人的姓名中反映出来。而英语民族的宗教信仰，个人取向，强调个性也在英语姓名中有所反映。通过比较和分析表明，姓名不仅仅是人们籍以相互区别的标志或符号，还是交往的开端，更是人们了解一个社会及其文化诸多方面的一个信息窗口。也表明了姓名系统的演变同社会的进步、文化的发展是同步的。也就是，姓名的发展变化可以反映出一个社会的时代变化，而历史文化的发展变化也影响人们的命名过程，从而在姓名中留下其印记，所以说姓名是透视文化的窗口。而正是文化的多样性,导致英汉姓名的差异。探究姓名这一语言现象,加深人们对于汉英姓名文化的了解, 并促进东西方文化交流和增进相互了解。关键词: 汉英姓名 文化内涵 文化差异ContentsAcknowledgements.iAbstract (English).iiAbstract (Chinese). iv1. Introduction.12. Surname sources .1 2.1 Chinese surname .1 2.1.1 Evolution of Chinese surname.1 2.1.2 Chinese surname sources.22.2 English surname 52.2.1 Evolution of English surname.62.2.2 English surname sources73. Given name sources . 93.1 Sources of Chinese given name .93.2 Sources of English given name.104. Cultural differences between Chinese and English names.114.1 Family contents.124.1.1 Importance attached to Chinese surnames rather than given names.12 4.1.2 Importance attached to English given names rather than surnames.134.2 Avoidance of taboo.134.2.1 Avoidance of taboo in China 144.2.2 People-oriented in naming.144.3 Religion.154.3.1 Chinese names influenced by Confucianism.154.3.2 English names influenced by Christianity.164.4 Byname phenomenon.174.4.1 Chinese bynames.174.4.1.1 Little name. .174.4.1.2 Courtesy name.174.4.1.3 Literary name.184.4.2 English bynames.18 4.4.2.1 Christian name.184.4.2.2 Diminutive194.4.2.3 Nickname.195. Conclusion20References.21Chinese and English Names and Their Cultural Differences1Introduction Names are used by human beings and they are the signs for people to distinguish one person from the others. They have some particular functions that no other signs can perform. They are not only linguistic symbols, but also social symbols, representing relationship in societies and cultures. “Each person has his name which distinguishes himself from other members in the community, and each country has its own name system owing to their different historical and cultural background (Net. 1)”. In a word, personal names are windows for people to see through different cultures in different societies. 2. Surname sourcesSurname or family name is the most basic and important identification mark and sign of social members. Through it people can better perceive a society and culture in various aspects. Due to different cultures, Chinese and English surnames are different in origins and their development.2.1 Chinese surnameThe well-established development of Chinese surnames is one of the important parts of Chinese ancient civilization, which reveals a lot about the relationship between surnames and cultural elements.2.1.1 Evolution of Chinese surname“Chinese family names came about in matriarchal clan society. At that time, every clan got the distinctive clan name based on their totem or dwelling places. The clan names are the earliest family names which in Chinese are called 姓(xng)(Net. 2).” After population of a clan multiplied, the clan was divided into several branches and moved to different places to live. Then each branch would get their own branch name to distinguish this branch from the others. The name of each branch is called氏(sh). The difference between them is that, the former one is used to tell apart different families in ranks of family in the society. So “xng” is not changeable, but “sh” can be changed. In ancient China, there were thousands of people shared the same family names, who came from the same clans and lived in the same villages. Some of them moved to other places, but they couldnt change their family names. According to historical records, in Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, “xng” and “sh” began to have class color besides their original function. “Sh”, especially, was best owned by their ruler. As a result, “sh” became the mark of the aristocracy. Only the aristocrats had “sh”, and the ordinary people had no “sh”. All the aristocrats were men at that time. Therefore, only men had “sh”. The distinction between “xng” and “sh” disappeared in Qin and Han Dynasty. They became one that is called “xngsh” in Chinese and refers to family names (Net.2).” This phenomenon indicates that the original function and distinction of “xng” and “sh” were of no significance after the centralized feudal social system was established.2.1.2 Chinese surname sourcesToday, there are over 700 different Chinese family names, but as few as twenty cover a majority of Chinese people. Most Chinese family names have only one character, but there are a few with two. Generally speaking, there are some viewpoints about the origin of family name at present. They are:(1) From the maternal line. The Chinese have had surnames long before the period of the Three Emperors and Five Kings (21st century BC), that is, during the time when recognition was given only to ones mother and not ones father. It is said that the mother of the first fabulous Emperor in Chinese history was named Nv Deng, so the surnames of her offspring were all named Nv. (2) From the worship for Totem. There is a close relationship between surnames and totem worship. “At beginning, the basic of personal name is totemism. Totemism may be animals, plants or unliving things. The group often takes some totem as their ancestor, and then used it as their own names(Sun Shouyu & Yue Hongli, 2001).” The early Chinese adopted the names or symbols of certain animals as their surname, such as Long which means dragon. As a result of worship of such plant totems as Mi (米), Gu (谷), Mai (麦), Su(粟), Yang(杨), Liu(柳), Hua(花), the role as surnames they play came into being.(3) From the vavasory. In the Western Zhou Dynasty (11century-771BC), the emperor bestowed titles and field on the dukes, princes, or persons who had rendered outstanding service. These people got field and then set up their own countries and named the countries as, for instance, Lu (鲁), Xie(谢), Jiang(蒋), Han(韩), Lu(吕), Deng(邓), Chu(楚), Yan(燕), etc. The names of the countries later became the family names. A man was enfeoffed the city of Zhao by the emperor, then his surname was changed into Zhao, and so did that of his offspring.(4) From the place name. The surnames originated from the name of the village in which one lived or to which the family belonged. Compound surnames such as Bai Li(百里)，Xi Men(西门), Dong Guo(东郭), Zhu Ge(诸葛) indicated the location or living place of a family.(5) From ones official position and occupations. The clan-name derived from the title granted, sometimes by the emperor to a noble for an achievement, such as:Si Ma(司马): official in charge of military affairsQian(钱): official in charge of moneyZhu(祝): official in charge of the sacrificial ritesZhong(钟): official in charge of music Gu Zhen(贾正): business manYe(冶): blacksmith and Yu(渔): fisherman(6) From minorities names. There are two types. One is the transliteration of minorities names, such as Chanyu, Zhangsun and Yuchi, etc. The other is transformed from the minority nationality. As one of the tendencies of national fusion, in North Wei the emperor ordered people of Xianbeizu(鲜卑族,a minority nationality) to learn from Han people and change their own family names into Han family names, for example, Tuoba(拓拔) was changed into Yuan(元), Helou(贺楼) was changed into Lou(楼).(7) From surnames bestowed by emperors. There were two kinds of situations that emperors would bestow surnames. First, emperors might bestow people who made great contributions to the country so as to expresses extreme awarding. The great Chinese navigators family name Zheng(郑) was bestowed by an emperor in Ming Dydddnasty(1368-1644). Zhengs original family name was Ma(马). Second, emperors might bestow people who committed serious crimes so as to manifest severe penalty. Wu Zetian(武则天, the female emperor in Tang Dynasty) forced her sons queen to change her surname Wang(王) into Mang( 蟒), which means big snake.(8) From change of surnames. Generally speaking, there are two reasons for changing the surnames. The first is changed for avoidance of taboo, such as Yan(严), He(贺), You(尤), Qiu(邱). For instance, Zhuang Zi (庄子)was changed into Yan Zi(严子) for the reason that the emperor at that time was named as Liu Zhuang(刘庄). Second, Surnames are changed for avoidance of disasters. One story goes like this: Sima Qian(司马迁) in the Han Dynasty had troubles with authority, so both of his sons changed their surnames from Sima(司马) to Feng(冯) and Tong(同)(He Xiaoming, 2001:75).(9) From other sources. Some came from ancestors name or Shi Hao(谥号), a given name rendered to a person after he died. In ancient China, after a person, especially a noble died, he would be endowed with a Shi Hao(谥号) based on his contributions to the country. Then, it became family name of his descendants.It can be seen from the study of Chinese surnames that Chinese surnames have a close relationship with history and cultural elements. As the carrier of culture, they vividly reflected the glorious history of China.2.2 English surname“The history of English family names is much shorter than the Chinese ones. It came about in the Middle Ages (Li Shirong, 2002).” Social cultural factors play an important role in the development of English surnames, so surnames are the living fossils for studying English history and culture.2.2.1 Evolution of English surname English family names are the historical product of English society. They experienced nearly three centuries from nonexistence to full development. There was a time when no one had a hereditary family name. “When the ancestors of English people invaded Britain in the 5th century, they formed a tribal society. English people didnt get family names until 1066 when Normans conquered Britain. The Normans certainly didnt have a fully developed family names system (Huang Birong, 2004).” It was not yet their conscious policy to identify a family by one name. But there were not enough names for distinction. In a certain period more and more names were duplicated. This phenomenon brought great trouble to people in communication. So when people were talking about a person who was absent, they often employed additional phrases for further identification. For example, when they referred to John who lived under the hill, they would add descriptive phrase as “from the hill”. Then John became “John from the hill” to indicate which John they were talking about. Although the additional phrases can play the role for further identification, they are too complicated. Therefore, some unimportant words are often omitted. Then “John from the hill” is changed into “John Hill”. With the development of feudal society, there was an urgent need for people to solve the problem of personal identification. For this reason, people created a new way for expression that they began to add their fathers or manors name behind their given name. In fact, the additional phrases which are called “bynames” are the embryos of English family names. They played an important transitional part in the development of English family names. Gradually, these bynames were turned into hereditary family names. From the beginning of the 15th century nearly all English people inherited family names at birth and the word “surname” was used with the meaning it is given today. It had been borrowed from French “surnom”, deriving from Latin super, and was used at first to mean “an extra name” or “a nickname”. Modern French translates “surname” as nom de femile, so in English surname is also called family name.2.2.2 English surname sourcesSurnames are also known in English as family names or last names. Many people obtained their surnames in the following ways:(1) From their occupation. For example, Goldsmith, Silversmith, Blacksmith (-smith means metal working); Boatwright, Cartwright (-wright indicates the occupation concerning with manufacturing work); Stoneman, Carrier, Carpernter, Chalker, Painter, Cover, Pitcher, Plumb are surnames evolved from occupations of building industry. Crapper/Cropper, shear, Woolsorter, Landrey/Laver, Steeper, Spinner, Twiner, Weaver, Dyer and Lester are surnames evolved from occupations of other industries.(2) From place name. Place names were often taken as a surname. They were derived from the name of the place where one resided or from a geographic description of the place, such as London, Churchill, Moor, Wood and Hill. Various suffixes which indicate a topographical feature are lee (meadow), bank, don (town), field, house, and thorp (village).(3) From the fathers name. In America, 58% of surnames are formed by saying whose son is, using the given name of the father, such as Johnson, Wilson, Anderson, Richardson, Michelson, Tennyson, Jones, Williams, Davis, Thomas and so on. “-son” means son, thus Jackson is the son of Jack, so are “-s”, “mac/mc” and “o”.(4) From a descriptive nickname. These types of surnames were often used to describe something unusual about an ancestors physique and some for the special abilities. Small, Bigge, Short, Long, Bunch and Petit are obvious examples, so are Blackbeard, Whitehead and Armstrong. (5) From religion. People like to seek the protection of God. No matter how rich or poor they were, people from all levels liked to use Adam as their surnames. And later, it evolved other surnames like “Adams, Adamson, Adkins (Raton, 2000: 52)”, etc. Similarly, “Peters, Pierce and Pieter (L