英语专业毕业论文On the Cultural Connotation of Kinship Terms in Chinese and English.pdf

毕业论文 设计 i acknowledgements i wish to express my thanks and appreciation to my supervisor ms wu bifang whose careful reading and suggestions have been invaluable to me throughout my thesis writing meanwhile i am also most grateful to all of my teachers in foreign language department they have directly or indirectly imparted knowledge to me and educated me in the past years which makes my paper become a possibility i am also grateful to my classmates and roommates for their psychological support and encouragement in particular i own a special debt of thanks to xu jing who has given me many suggestions to revise the paper 毕业论文 设计 ii abstract language and culture have very close relationship in society contexts for the same word people of different culture backgrounds may have different impressions or understandings language is the presentation of culture without knowledge of culture it is difficult to learn language well therefore culture is a system of symbol and language is only one element of the symbolic system in this network and it is obviously that one should think of language in culture and not just of language and culture chang zonglin 2004 90 91 kinship system as part of language fully reflects its culture this article makes a comparison study between kinship terms in chinese and english firstly different structures and different features of two kinship systems are displayed based on the analysis above the author seeks different culture connotations of chinese and english on different family structures different blood relationships different patriarchy concepts different social stratum concept different cultural adoptions and different courtesy principle actually though the study on chinese and english kinship terms is still new this article attempts to display different cultural connotations between chinese and english by the analysis on the two kinship terms key words chinese english kinship termscomparison cultural connotations 毕业论文 设计 iii 摘摘要要 在社会环境中 语言与文化有着非常密切的联系 当面对同一个词 来自 不同文化背景的人会有不同的理解和想象 语言是文化的化身 如果首先没有对 文化进行了解 是很难学好一门语言的 因此 文化是一种符号系统 而语言只是这个符号系统网络中的一个元 素 常宗林 2004 90 91 作为语言的其中一部分 亲属称谓充分反应了 其中隐含的文化背景 文章首先对汉英亲属称谓作了一个比较研究 其中体现 了汉英亲属称谓系统的不同结构以及不同的特征 在此分析的基础上 作者探求 了汉英亲属称谓反应出的中西方不同的文化内涵 包括不同的家庭结构 血缘关 系方面 不同的宗法观念 社会等级观念 不同的文化取向以及不同的礼貌原则 事实上 关于汉英亲属称谓方面的研究目前来说还是比较新的 但本文尝 试了对汉英两种称谓系统的分析 并再现两种不同的文化内涵 关键词 关键词 汉英亲属称谓比较文化内涵 毕业论文 设计 iv contents acknowledgements i abstract english ii abstract chinese iii contents iv 1 introduction 1 2 acomparison between kinship terms in chinese and english 1 2 1 different structures of kinship terms in chinese and english 1 2 2 different features of kinship terms in chinese and english 5 2 2 1 the description of chinese kinship terms 5 2 2 2 the recapitulation of english kinship terms 6 2 2 3 the generalization of kinship terms in chinese and english 7 3 cultural connotation of kinship terms in chinese and english 9 3 1 family structure 9 3 2 blood relationship 10 3 3 patriarchy concept 10 3 4 social stratum concept 12 3 5 cultural adoption 12 3 6 courtesy principle 14 4 conclusion 15 references 17 嘉应学院毕业论文 设计 0 on the cultural connotation of kinship terms in chinese and english 1 introduction language is the carrier of culture kinship terms system itself is not only a part of language but also a kind of culture to some extend we can see the cultural differences between chinese and english from different kinship terms in chinese and english the focus of this paper is to present the cultural implication in different kinship terms in chinese and english according to e r leach kinship terms are category words by means of which an individual is taught to recognize the signficant groupings in the social structure into which he is born 1958 p 143 every human language has a different kinship term system which reflects its unique culture there are some main causes to understand the different cultures that is family structure blood relationship patriarchy concept social stratum concept cultural adoption and courtesy principle therefore to analyze these causes is very helpful to the cultural understanding and intercultural communication 2 acomparison between kinship terms in chinese and english chinese and english languages have their own definitions on kinship terms and the roles they serve in the society there are several differences between chinese and 嘉应学院毕业论文 设计 1 english kinship terms 2 1 different structures of kinship terms in chinese and english kinship term is a common phenomenon throughout all kinds of social contexts to further study up on kinship systems of chinese and english the following two tables show the comparison of the kinship terms in chinese and english of the same generation table 1the kinship terms between chinese people of the same generation cai fang 2007 position in the family hierarchyfactors kinship termsno father generation male linealfu qin1 female linealmu qin2 male maternal consanguineous collateraljiu fu3 female maternal in law collateraljiu mu4 female maternal consanguineous collateralyi mu5 male maternal in law collateralyi fu6 male older paternal consanguineous collateralbo fu7 female older paternal in law collateralbo mu8 male younger paternal consanguineous collateralshu fu9 female younger paternal in law collateralshen mu10 female paternal consanguineous collateralgu mu11 male paternal in law collateralgu fu12 嘉应学院毕业论文 设计 2 table 2the kinship terms between english people of the same generation cai fang 2007 position in the family hierarchy factorskinship termsno father generation male linealfather1 female linealmother2 male collateraluncle3 female collateralaunt4 from table 2 and table 3 we may realize all the factors that influence the kinship terms in chinese and english there are more complicated factors that make up chinese kinship system than that of english in the chinese language age is a very important factor in the organization of the kinship system specific terms are used to address different relations in accordance with their different ages a very typical example is the kinship terms bo fu and shu fu the former is used to address one s father s elder brother while the latter is for one s father s younger brother if one has more than one bo fu or shu fu then the ordinal numbers are prefixed to these terms such as first bo fu second bo fu or first shu fu second shu fu and so on the chinese language considers the differences between paternal and maternal relations seriously the differences mean very much to chinese people and determine the real relationships close or distant inside or outside between relatives therefore 嘉应学院毕业论文 设计 3 in china there are different terms for one s paternal and maternal relations take grandparents for example paternal grandfather and grandmother are called zu fu and zu mu respectively whereas maternal grandparents are called wai zu fu and wai zu mu wai in chinese literally means outside which suggests maternal grandparents are less powerful and not so close as paternal grandparents meanwhile wai shows the relationship between generations not only related purely by blood but certain external factors such as marriage xu hong 2006 the same is true with the terms for grandchildren son s son and daughter are called sun zi and sun nv while daughter s son and daughter should be called with the word wai which implies the married daughter is an outsider of the family and her children outsiders as well while in english kinship system we may see a quite simple and general one compared with chinese kinship system english kinship system pays little attention to the differences of the ages the patrilineal or matrilineal relations and the consanguineous or the in law relations according to statistics there are only 13 basic kinship terms namely father mother uncle aunt husband wife brother sister cousin son daughter nephew and niece cai fang 2006 as regards age there is not a criterion in distinguishing personal relationships or grouping kinship terms in the english kinship system within the same generation a certain term may cover different relationships not being relevant to age it is quite common in english to say he is my brother no matter whether he is older or younger than the speaker only when it is necessary may one say he is my elder or 嘉应学院毕业论文 设计 4 younger brother to emphasize the age in addition the english language attaches little importance to the differences between consanguineal and in law relations in its kinship system besides it sees no difference between paternal and maternal relations the same kinship term can be used to address relations of the same sex within the same generation for instance uncle may be employed to address both father s brother and mother s brother a typical nuclear family in west is usually made up of father and mother with several ingrown children with less family members the family structure becomes simpler the influence from outside factors such as relatives and friends on the family becomes weaker within the family a few basic kinship terms are enough for people s daily use accordingly the simple family structure can be a reason why the english language has such simpler and fewer kinship terms 2 2 different features of kinship terms in chinese and english chinese and english kinship term systems have different features chinese kinship term system is descriptive while english is recapitulative besides the generalization of kinship terms exists in both chinese and english 2 2 1 the description of chinese kinship terms comparatively speaking chinese kinship system is a richer and more complicated one not only including positions in the family hierarchy and genders but also strictly distinguishing the old and the young the patrilineal and matrilineal and the consanguineous and the in law the chinese kinship terms are classified in greater details based on different 嘉应学院毕业论文 设计 5 relationships according to different positions in the family hierarchy ages and kinship relationships chinese people use different kinship terms to address kins which produces a large number of kinship terms it is roughly estimated that chinese kinship terms within three generations reach as many as 60 cai fang 2007 therefore the uniqueness and complexity of chinese kinship terms comes that is to say there is a particular and fully descriptive term responding to each relative for instance when one person is addressed by a kinship term we may see clearly his status information and the relationship between him and the addresser for example as one of the kinship terms tang ge tells us an exact information as following tang ge is male elder consanguineous and of the same generation as the addressor 2 2 2 the recapitulation of english kinship terms there are only 4 descriptive terms in english nuclear family that is father mother son and daughter all referring to the unique person respectively on the other hand other english kinship terms are used vaguely to address other relatives without referring to the unique person and some of these terms do not distinguish between the elder and the younger for example brother can not only refer to the elder brother but also the younger one so does sister take another case for instance grandfather can not only refer to father s father but also mother s father and so does grandmother furthermore certain terms are used to mark different relationships for example the term uncle is used to designate at least five relations both consanguineous and in law namely father s elder or younger brother mother s brother father s sister s husband and mother s sister s husband 嘉应学院毕业论文 设计 6 besides a typical instance of english kinship term cousin for addressing sons and daughters of parents brothers and sisters no matter one s cousin is a male or a female or whether he or she is a paternal or maternal relation or a consanguineous or in law one while in chinese there are at least 8 kinship terms in this case biao ge older son of one s mother s brother biao di younger son of one s mother s brother biao jie older daughter of one s mother s brother biao mei younger daughter of one s mother s brother tang ge older son of one s father s brother tang di younger son of one s father s brother tang jie older daughter of one s father s brother tangmei younger daughter of one s father s brother 2 2 3 the generalization of kinship terms in chinese and english the generalization of kinship terms refers to addressing non kins or strangers by kinship terms tanaka 1977 points out in many societies some lexically identical terms are applied not only to formally recognized fictive kin e g blood brothers godparents etc but to other non kin as well and sometimes not egocentrically at all the existence of such a phenomenon if recognized is rather casually interpreted as a self evident case of the metaphorical or fictive extension of the egocentric kinship ideology to wider social areas p 211 in social communication some of the kinship terms in the chinese language can apply to any person according to the person s sex and relative age actually kinship terminology is often employed to address non kins or strangers this phenomenon exists in both chinese and english kinship systems with different characteristics the chinese kinship terms are more often and widely used to address people 嘉应学院毕业论文 设计 7 who are very obviously not kin by any criteria in the daily life some of the kinship terms in the chinese language can apply to any person according to the person s gender and relative age on the one hand the difference between close and distant is taken as a serious case in chinese traditional culture the order from close to distant is directly related relatives to collateral relatives in addition choosing address forms is attached important in respect rule children may address non kinship relatives lao ye ye big grandpa lao nai nai big grandma shu shu father s little brother and a yi mother s little sister this generalization phenomenon indicates that interpersonal relation net of han nation has the function of promoting group cohesion and deepening people s emotion a middle aged man traveling in unfamiliar places and asking for directions would adderess an old man as da ye big grandpa or da bo da shu big uncle a man of the same age as da ge big elder brother a woman of the sam age as da jie or da sao big elder sister a child as xiao di di little younger brother or xiao mei mei little younger sister for a child all the old men are grandpas and all the old women grandmas all the middle aged men and women uncles and aunts all the children older than him her elder brothers and elder sisters according to baker 1979 using these terms is not merely a politeness but also carries the expectation of commensurate respectful treatment p 163 in particular kinship terms are frequently used to address even strangers to initiate verbal communication for the purpose of shortening the social distance and showing politeness and respect addressing others by kinship terms helps one gain 嘉应学院毕业论文 设计 8 compliance on the other hand in english terms like uncle and aunt can be used to designate non kin relationships as when children are sometimes taught to use them for close friends of their parents in english there are only few terms which can be applied in this way qiu yanping 2002 chinese language has much more kinship terms than the english language and there exist great differences between the two kinship systems then some questions are raised why does the chinese language have so many kinship terms are there any reasons for chinese people to consider seriously all those consanguineous in law lineal and collateral relations can we find some natural links between this aspect of language and culture yotsukura 1977 states language and culture are fused as denotation and connotation of words thus when linguists try to analyze language they cannot neglect to refer to the culture behind language analyzing language requires analyzing culture p 270 the kinship system in a certain society is dominated by its culture and in turn reflects its cultural reality as it should be behind the kinship terms in the chinese languages there must be some relevant influential factors of chinese culture the same is true with the kinship systems in english language 3 cultural connotation of kinship terms in chinese and english there are seven different cultural connotations of kinship terms in chinese and english the family structure blood relationship patriarchy concept social stratum 嘉应学院毕业论文 设计 9 concept cultural adoption and courtesy principle 3 1 family structure there is a known saying in china the more sons one has the more happiness one enjoys bearing up children with the aim to guard against troubles in one s late year of three kinds of ungratefulness to one s parents the greatest is not to have a male descendant an extended family becomes the basic unit of the society it is necessary to specify address to distinguish the younger and the elder the blood and the marriage relation in big family net 1 in west under the concept of nuclear families the number of extended family is declining after their entrance to the industrialized society more couples just want one or two children an investigation held in 1990 in britain showed family made up with a couple and one or two children amount to 65 of the total families made up with a couple and three or more children amount to 14 of the total net 1 at present dink a couple with double income and no kids newly appearance family unit pursuing the value of individual self development and self enjoyment leads to the reducing of family members and the kinship terms tending to be simplified it is obvious that with the carrying out of the family planning kinship terms will be reduced 3 2 blood relationship in china there is over emphasis on the differences between consanguineous and in law relations which might be another reason why so many terms of kinshi