A Study of Taboo Differences Between Chinese and Western Culture.doc

毕业论文 设计 1 A Study of Taboo Differences Between Chinese and Western Culture 1 Introduction 1 2 A general survey of taboo 2 2 1 The definition of taboo 2 2 2 The features of taboo 3 2 2 1 Universality 3 2 2 2 Variability 4 2 2 3 Nationality 4 3 Classifications of taboos and taboo differences between China and the West 5 3 1 Taboos of appellation 5 3 2 Taboos of conversation topics 6 3 3 Taboos of expressions 8 3 3 1 Taboos of words about scourges 9 3 3 2 Taboos of words about sex 9 3 3 3 Taboos of words about blasphemy 10 3 3 4 Taboos of words about discrimination 11 4 The analysis on taboo differences between Chinese culture and western culture 12 4 1 The influence of traditions on taboo 12 4 2 The influence of histories on taboo 14 4 3 The influence of religious beliefs on taboo 16 5 Conclusion 19 References 20 毕业论文 设计 2 1 Introduction When we consider starting a conversation with other people we should be aware of plenty of the themes and topics not uttered freely among our human beings The reason is that each community has its own principles when people talk about some topics We must bear in mind what we may speak what we should not speak and how to speak in a proper way Here is one example B is an American Once A asked B a question A How much is your salary B It is none of your business If B is a Chinese he may tell A his salary It is a taboo to ask an American about the salary but it is not for the Chinese It is taboo that is a complicated cultural phenomenon which exists universally in our society Net 2 Taboo words however are not the same in different countries with various cultures so that whether some word or some topic can be covered or not it depends on special social environment Analyzing the taboo we find that taboo phenomenon embodies differences between Chinese and western culture Only if we clearly know the taboo and those cultural differences we can carry on the cross cultural communication successfully and smoothly 2 A general survey of taboo First of all it is necessary to acquaint ourselves with what taboo is and what the features of taboos are 毕业论文 设计 3 2 1 The definition of taboo In ancient time the primitive people had little knowledge about natural phenomena and the power of nature They feared nature and could not give any explanation for what happened frequently Thus came into being taboo Net 3 Taboo originated from the language of Tongan of Polynesian to indicate the proper speeches and behaviors Dr Thomas Bowlder defines that taboos are those expressions omitted which cannot be read aloud in the family Net 3 Taboo remains two aspects one is about the respected God and objects which are not permitted to speak freely the other is the sneered matters which are not allowed to keep contact arbitrary In fact one is word fetishism the other is the prohibition of words and the substitutes of the words Net 3 Therefore taboo is some objects behaviors or relations that people try to avoid and taboo is by extension employed to be a word to express those objects behaviors and relations Gu Jiazu 2002 248 2 2 The features of taboo Taboo exists everywhere and it is dynamic Meanwhile it is different from one nation to another Universality variability and nationality are its features Net 2 2 2 1 Universality People can notice taboos in our daily life such as calling names of superiors directly in China or inquiring about the age of a young lady from the West Taboo exists in nations all over the world in primitive tribes or civilized modern society in China or western countries As it were the moment a person was born 毕业论文 设计 4 his behaviors and speeches were restricted by a variety of taboos Here are some common taboos Many Americans stand for the all natural look Supposing a man who is bald wears false hair it is taboo to compliment his hair even though we are saying the truth People s inner world it is a tricky problem Sometimes we will run into people who cannot wait to pour their hearts out to us Then there are those who make sure that their personal business is their own privacy Therefore try not to ask too many questions about someone s feelings marriage and family until we have a friendship with this person Even then we had better wait for our friend to come to us to share stories in inner world Net 1 2 2 2 Variability Language is alive changing and developing continuously A taboo in some age is likely to become a common word in another age The words with the meaning of pregnant can specify this She has cancelled all her social engagements Year 1856 She is in an interesting condition Year 1880 She is knitting little tootees Year 1910 She is in a family way Year 1920 She is expecting Year 1935 She is pregnant Year 1956 There is the obvious variation as the times are moving on the sentences become shorter the meanings get clarified and pregnant is used ultimately Gu Jiazu 毕业论文 设计 5 2002 250 And in the 19th century leg should not be used in formal occasion even a leg of a piano was called a limb of a piano and chicken leg called chicken s limbs There is a joke about leg Once a woman had a wounded right leg and was sent to hospital for a surgery She told the doctor her limb not upper limb was hurt but she was too frightened to say her right leg At present leg is really a common word for us 2 2 3 Nationality Language is the signal of culture and culture is the orbit of language Net 2 A national culture can be reflected by its language so taboo can also uncover its culture The cultural mode of one nation has its own characteristics since histories beliefs and traditions vary among nations In English religion and privacy are taboos while in Chinese words and conversations about sex are taboos Before the foundation of the PRC some words were used to express contempt for the minority 蛮人 referring to the minority and 蒙古大夫 a doctor of Mongol referring to an incompetent doctor In the West nigger was employed On the contrary these words full of the impressions of racial discrimination are taboos thus few people use them in formal situations today 3 Classifications of taboos and taboo differences between China and the West Some people classify taboos into verbal and nonverbal taboos yet in this paper taboos are divided into the following three categories taboos of 毕业论文 设计 6 appellation taboos of conversation topics and taboos of expressions 3 1 Taboos of appellation In China people should avoid calling names of their parents of people having a high social status of old people Furthermore the younger cannot have the same names as their ancestors or elders People seldom call the other s name during the process of interpersonal communication in order to show respect to him It can be easily found out in people naming emperors The first emperor YINGZHENG 嬴政 of the Qin dynasty his name had the word ZHENG 政 so people called the first lunar month DUAN yue 端月 not ZHENG yue 正月 to avoid the words ZHENG 政 and ZHENG 正 In Tang dynasty TAIZONG 太宗 named Li Shimin 李世民 so people in the state applied the word DAI 代 to substitute for the word SHI 世 REN 人 to the word MIN 民 Even in Buddhism Guanshiyin 观世音 also abstracted to Guanyin 观音 in which one word SHI 世 was evaded On the other hand In American culture people only call their relatives as Grandpa or Uncle If a stranger calls an American Uncle or Aunt the American will feel confused or even disgusted Once a visitor Gina arrived in China and later went to a nursery The moment she entered the gate children yelled Aunty which made her unpleasant Hu Wenzhong 1994 508 She thought she was not Aunt of the children so they could not call her Aunt Likewise a little child could not call an unknown old man Grandpa On most informal occasions whoever they are male or female young or old they call each other s name directly To sum up those are the differences of appellation taboos between China and 毕业论文 设计 7 the West 3 2 Taboos of conversation topics In this respect it is greatly different between English and Chinese During daily communication some topics are taboos in the West but they are not in China Native English speakers evade topics like age income marriage or weight and yet the Chinese do not mind sharing this information with other people Privacy is taboo in the western culture hence people attach much importance to it A man s home is his castle as the saying goes Chinese people often greet others with a sentence Have you had a meal This common greeting indicates we begin our conversation with our acquaintance just like foreigners ask How nice the weather But providing that the same question is given to a foreigner he will wonder whether we want to invite him to join the dinner Sometimes when we get together and talk naturally about these questions How about your salary Are you married What do your wife husband do or especially asking a woman How old are you we express our good wills to care for our friends Generally speaking we never feel embarrassed about these conversations but when we ask the same questions to the foreigners they will think that we may poke our nose into their privacy Net 3 Weight is one of the touchiest subjects In America it is a sin and a huge embarrassment to be overweight In fact the thinner they are the prettier they are considered Looking through any American fashion magazines we will notice that most models are nothing more than skin and bones The word fat should not be used if possible as it is insulting Chinese is different from English Words 毕业论文 设计 8 such as 富态 发福 心宽体胖 etc with the meaning of fat they are employed to pay one a compliment Sex however it is the last taboo for Chinese to discuss in public Dai fan 2003 98 99 Displaying interest in sex could be interpreted as a very undesirable character law and can get one into big trouble One can be despised and condemned for it As China opens more to the world the Chinese are beginning to see how widely sex is discussed in the West and that there is nothing wrong about being sexy Nevertheless people still feel uncomfortable discussing anything to do with sex in public places Thus a topic on sex is still a taboo Indeed sexual matters are more sensitive in China than in the West Westerners who start a conversation on this topic invariably make a bad impression on the Chinese Chinese conversational partners can be embarrassed by or misinterpret personal compliments a foreigner makes In the West a man can casually compliment a woman on her appearance or clothing without meaning much by it In China similar comments usually indicate a special personal interest In some western social situations it may be acceptable for a person to tell a member of the opposite sex that he or she is sexy or in some other way indicates that the person is attractive but this can be embarrassing or offensive to a Chinese conversational partner Davis 1999 93 94 Not only topics of privacy but also topics of political and religious beliefs are taboos in the West rather than in the East Deng Yanchang listed the following questions in his Language and Culture about American taboos Are 毕业论文 设计 9 you a republican or a Democrat Why did you vote for Do you go to church What s your religious belief Are you Catholic 1989 227 In the USA people do not ask these questions to avoid conflicts because the United States is a country making up by immigrants from different places Meanwhile the Americans believe it is their freedom of choosing beliefs and nobody has the right to enquire too much In China however anyone may be asked whether he is a Party member or not whenever it is The status of Party member is usually relative to morality and character Net 4 3 3 Taboos of expressions Taboos of expressions include taboos of words about scourges sex blasphemy and discrimination More details are as follows 3 3 1 Taboos of words about scourges In Chinese the number 4 and the word 死 sound almost the same People do not like 4 for they fear the action die Death is taboo in language Other numbers 73 84 and 100 need avoiding Among old people they think they will have three key ages When they are 73 84 or 100 years old they might die before God of hell invites them Accordingly many old people are not willing to talk about their exact ages and they will shorten or prolong one year to overpass these key ages In western countries it is another unlucky number 13 regarded as taboo They never live in Room No 13 in a hotel in some grand hotels there is no the 13th storey or Room No 13 and books may not have the Chapter 13 According to the Bible Jesus Christ was betrayed by Judas the 13th person in the last supper 毕业论文 设计 10 Comparatively the Chinese are more scared of death than the westerners Gu Jiazu 2002 250 Speaking of death people in any nation try to express politely and respectably Shakespeare s Hamlet to die is to sleep and no more is a good example using sleep instead of die In World War Winston Churchill wrote to his wife he described his mind about death sometimes also I would not mind stopping living very much Different people have different expressions about death To pass away is a common usage or to gasp one s last to blow off fallen asleep in the lord etc 3 3 2 Taboos of words about sex In Chinese and English words about sex are a kind of important taboos hence people keep from mentioning these words The Chinese are more conservative and sex is a secret topic When people have to talk about sexual organs or activities they usually replace them with other expressions 下部 同房 for instance The westerners are open to sex and yet they do not casually remark on it in public Moreover four letter words such as shit damn or fuck used to be forbidden to be listed in The Oxford English Dictionary or be broadcast on television or radio Those four letter words are included in dictionaries now however a person who is without caution to use them during conversation is regarded as a man lacking of cultivation Gu Jiazu 2002 251 3 3 3 Taboos of words about blasphemy Leonard Bloomfield an American linguist refers to taboo in his book about language and he says many words about religion like God devil heaven 毕业论文 设计 11 hell Christ Jesus or damn are used in serious speeches only otherwise it is improper and people who break this rule will be condemned Gu Jiazu 2002 251 Deeply affected by the Christianity people who do not believe in religion or God refuse to offend God and the devil Gu Jiazu 2002 251 Darn it Gir cripes Gad substitute to damn it Jesus Christ God respectively which change the sound to avoid embarrassed situations While China is a country of multi worship of gods ranging from nature worship totems worship to religion worship Therefore the Chinese have more taboos about blasphemy For example some minorities in the southwest of China have the worship of tiger as long as they come across 虎 they substitute it with another word 猫 Similarly in the northeast people living in mountains consider tiger as god so 虎 must be evaded and the name of tiger is changed into 大虫 Gu Jiazu 2002 251 3 3 4 Taboos of words about discrimination Racial discrimination is taboo both in English and Chinese Racists believe that some races are created inferior not as excellent as others The white color represents cleanness innocence or kindness In contrast the black one indicates filthiness sin or wickedness Net 2 Besides white lies are benevolent lies On the contrary black lies are malevolent lies In American history white racists called black people niggers or Negroes Subsequently the movements of the blacks in 1960s and 1970s forced people to change their languages As a result black people are called African Americans What is more the American Chinese 毕业论文 设计 12 or Japanese were called as Chinks or Japs Italians as Dagos Jew as Kikes which became history In Chinese history racial discrimination had existed too The Han nation took up a large population and the minorities were called barbarians In addition the Han nation excluded the minorities and their languages in ancient China they named the minorities in the North and the Northwest as 胡 Once the Chinese called foreigners as 鬼子 or 大鼻子 However few people employ this type of words any more 4 The analysis on taboo differences between Chinese culture and western culture Heretofore this paper has shown many an example of taboos and taboo differences between China and the West There are various traditions histories and religious beliefs in China and the West which determine the existence of those differences 4 1 The influence of traditions on taboo First the Chinese guess that language itself will bring people luck and disaster thus language is the cause of fortune and misfortune Net 2 In speeches languages should have the functions of avoiding mischance and bringing happiness People prefer talking about life to speaking of death The sayings of 言生不言死 and 好死不如赖活 are formed in this circumstance The pronunciation of 4 is like that of 死 and it can be understood why death or the number four is taboo Gu Jiazu 2002 250 Second the idea of what privacy is depends on people s traditions Most 毕业论文 设计 13 Chinese they live in rural areas with their family and relatives meeting one another often and they care about others also their conversation topics cover many things On the other hand as Robert Frost US says good fences make good neighbors Hu Wenzhong 1994 9 The westerners in cities they might not recognize their neighbors and they seldom care about others In the meantime they emphasize individualism The rights to privacy and personal freedom are unquestioned by the British Perhaps it is the lack of space that has fostered and maintained their fierce individualism in the UK There is a common saying among the British people My home is my castle The wind can come in but the Kings and Queens and human beings can never come in without my permission Sui Mingcai 2003 173 The understanding of privacy between the British people and the Chinese people is not identical at all Sui Mingcai 2003 173 74 All the