Influences of Chinese-English Cultural Differences on.doc

毕业论文（设计）The Influences of Chinese-English Cultural Differences onAdvertising Language1. Introduction12. Interaction Between Culture and Language32.1 The Definition of Culture32.2 The Impacts of Culture on Language43. Chinese-English Cultural Differences Influence Advertising Language63.1 Advertising Language Affected by Collectivism or Individualism63.2 Advertising Language Affected by Authority or Fact93.3 Advertising Language Affected by Indirect or Direct Communication133.4 Advertising Language Affected by the Static Lifestyle or the Dynamic Life Style154. Conclusion19References211. Introduction Modern society is informative. As a means of transmitting information, advertising has become an indispensable part to peoples life. With the development of economy, advertisements seem to have pervaded every corner of social life. Whether you are in a street, a bus, a supermarket, or a cinema or you are watching television, listening to radio, reading a newspaper or magazine, advertisements like unexpected guests are suddenly in sight of you. According to Websters Third New International Dictionary (1961), advertising is the activity of calling something to the attention of the public, especially by paid announcement. Moreover, Wei Qin (1986:86) mentions that advertisement is a cultural product which is the reflection of peoples concepts on philosophy and value, aesthetic taste, model of mentality, custom and habit, social system, religion. However, as for any type of advertising, its transmission depends largely upon language. According to Verschuerens Linguistic Adoptation Theory, the process of using language consist of “the continuous making of linguistic choices, consciously or unconsciously, for language-internal (i.e.structure) and/or language-external reasons” (Verscheren 1999:55-56). Advertising language has a specific purpose, i.e. to bring a specific response in the audiences. Therefore, lots of linguists have conducted a study of advertising language. Chen Bin said, Advertising translation is different from other translations, it also has the emotional transmission function apart from its language feature and expressive style.(1975:76) Advertising language distinguishes itself with the ultimate aim to persuade consumers to take a purchasing action, making a study of advertising language worthwhile in linguistic field. Researchers have made great contributions to advertising language studies, mainly concerning the vague expressions, rhetorical features, translating approaches, gender differences, etc. Although some scholars have already studied the relationship of advertising language and social culture from a cultural perspective, to make a further study of their relationship is still of the practical significance, especially nowadays when the world economy is being globalizing and in a new century when Chinas advertising is approaching the outside world. The thesis makes an attempt to understand advertising language through cultural aspects. The close relationship between social culture and advertising language is mainly analyzed, suggesting that advertising language, as a special communication means, on one hand, is restrained by culture; on the other hand, reflects various aspects of culture. Based on this, a proposal is made that creating advertising should take cultural differences into account. Finally, the impact of Chinas traditional culture on Chinas modern advertising language is explored as an important part. The traditional culture here discussed refers to social values, traditional morality and emotions etc.2. Interaction Between Culture and Language2.1 The Definition of Culture Sociologists define the culture as all the learned customs, beliefs, values, knowledge, artifacts, and symbols that are constantly communicated among a set of people who share a common way of life. People use culture to guide and give meaning to their social relations. Culture itself is the product of people interacting in a social system. Culture is what a people do, or the total life ways of a person, the social legacy the individual acquires from his group.(Gordon Marshall, ed, 1994: 104-105) Over a century ago, E.B Taloy (1871:1) defined culture as a complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by individuals as members of a society. Adamson Hoebel (1960:168) referred to culture as the integrated sum total of learned behavioral traits that are manifest and shared by members of society. Vern Terpstra and David Kenneth (1992) have also defined culture as learned, shared, compelling, interrelated set of symbols whose meaning provides a set of orientations for members of a society. It is clear that there is no shortage of definitions of culture. However, the above definitions reveal some commonalities. It is generally agreed that culture is not inherent, but rather is learned. They also stress that culture is shared by members of a group. It is this shared aspect that enables communication between individuals within that culture. Cross-cultural communication is so difficult because of the lack of shared symbols. On most occasions, people in a particular society live their lives relatively unaware of the tremendous impact that our culture has on them, Edwaed T. Hall (1966:177) points out No matter how hard man tries, it is impossible for him to abandon himself of his own culture, for it has penetrated to his mind and determines how he understands the world.people can not act or interact in any meaningful way except through the medium of culture. When people move into another culture, they carry their culture with them, responding to the foreign environment in ways that would be acceptable in their own culture, but that may or may not be accepted in different surroundings.2.2 The Impacts of Culture on Language We conduct our social lives with language. When it is used in communication, it is bound up with culture in many complex ways. As Claire Kramsch (2000:3) holds, language expresses cultural reality; language symbolizes cultural reality. Besides, he suggests further that language use is a cultural act not only because it reflects the ways in which one individual acts on another individual through such speech acts as thanking, greeting that are variously accomplished in various cultures. Language use is a cultural act because its users co-construct the very social roles that explain them as members of a community. As Goodenough W. Pointed out in 1957,a societys language is an aspect of its culture. The relation of language to culture is that of part to whole. Culture and communication are closely linked. It has been said that it is impossible to truly understand a culture without understanding the language spoken by its people. Oppositely, a language can not be fully understood outside its cultural context. In a word, culture both influences and is influenced by language. It follows that culture, defined as an integrated system of learned behavior patterns that are distinguishing characteristics of the members of any given society, includes everything that a group thinks, says, does and makes its customs, language, material artifacts, and shared systems of attitudes and feelings. Briefly, speaking culture includes a wide range of elements among which language has been described as a mirror of culture. As for the relation of language, culture and society, it is certain that advertising language is a social and cultural phenomenon as well.3. Chinese-English Cultural Differences Influence Advertising Language3.1 Advertising Language Affected by Collectivism or Individualism Chinese culture prefers the spirit of cooperation and unselfish devotion. It insists that the value of individuality should be reflected in his/her contribution. To Chinese people, the individual happiness should correspond to the collective interests, and the warmhearted care and considerate feeling are the virtue. Whereas the western culture pays attention to personality, freedom, self-development, ambitious spirits and so on. It insists that the personal interests should be the first. So the right of privacy and the right of freedom are more and more important in the western society as the necessary factors. Below are the Chinese examples: (1) 为你，为他，胃健康。（斯达舒胃药） (2) 大家好，才是真的好。（好的洗发水） (3) 让每个家庭拥有平安，平安中国，中国平安。（中国平安保险） (4) 冬天，我为家人准备热露露，一杯热露露，给家人带来温馨和关爱。（露露牌杏仁露） The first advertisement is full of emotional words. It means that this product is made for others and provides the services for every person. This kind of product can benefit the people and keep them healthy in the world. The second advertisement expresses the idea that if the product has the good effects on all the consumers, it is really good. The most important thing is the peoples mutual benefit. The third advertisement reflects the collective idea through the wishes让每个家庭拥有平安，平安中国. Every family and their country can be guaranteed to be peaceful and well being. The fourth advertisement means that the good product should be shared with the relatives. But it expresses that Chinese people always think of others. And they insist that the thing/products be good that can be owned and shared by all people. 为家人/热露露/温馨和关爱 are the expressing words in the fourth advertisement, which show the feeling of consideration. Those affectionate words can give the readers a kind of intimate emotion. In all, Chinese advertisements often reflect the sympathy, care and brotherhood that make consumers feel very warm and have confidence in the products advertised. So this collective idea can help the producer and the advertiser to realize their goals. But English advertisements emphasize the personal freedom and the self-realization. It encourages the development of personality. For example: (5) Connecting people. (Nokia) (6) She lures you with her beauty. Charms you with her wit. Fascinates you with her smile. Astonishes you with her. (Horse Laugh) (7) The SMOOTHER side of success. (J&B wine） (8) Your body is a ship. You are its captain. Fuel up with digital high test. Let your mind trip to the destinations of your desires. The high octane power of Digital Sanyo can take you there. By utilizing a renowned digital technology, our superior image and sound ensure your sense of the most pleasurable journey. To further enhance performance, we carefully engineer every single part that goes into our products. Digital Sanyo. Wherever you want to go. (SANYO) These words of the advertisements show the importance of the human beings as individuals. The first advertisement is very concise and powerful. Nokias advertisement takes people as the most important one. The advertisers insist that the producer think of consumers needs and their benefits as most important things. Lures/Charms/Fascinates/Astonishes are the words in the second advertisement. And the advertising words of J&B wine emphasize that the western culture thinks highly of the self-development and the personal enchantment. Every attracting character can make persons get a successful career, which can be brought by taking this kind of wine. SMOOTHER this word can tell the readers the good results that this kind of wine can achieve. Ensure your sense of the most pleasurable journey/ further enhance performance/ Wherever you want to go. are the three fragments in the third advertisement. The Sanyo advertisement also shows the individuality is the NO.1, and the satisfaction is very important. The words express that this kind of product can satisfy personal physical sense, and it can promote personal performance. The last piece of advertising words show that this kind of product can realize every consumers expectations and dreams. In a word, the words have said that if he/she bought the Sanyo products, he/she would get the enjoyment and they would help him/her achieve his/her ideal things.3.2 Advertising Language Affected by Authority or Fact From long time ago, Chinese culture stresses on the public opinion. It insists that people should ask for comments and suggestions from other persons outside his/her organization. And it also regards that the records can prove everything including the last, the present, and the future. The authority has a great power to affect the purchase of the consumers. So this is one important feature of Chinese advertisements. The advertisers often list the honors and certificates and let them occupy a crucial position, when the advertisers introduce the products to the readers. For example: (9) 上海名牌产品、IS9001 国际体系认证、“中国环保产品质量信得过重点品牌”称号。干洗机1000元起价，培训技术。(干洗机) (10) 奥莉亚绿色洗衣机诚邀加盟。（奥莉亚绿色洗衣机） (11) 中国驰名商标，中国名牌，国家免检产品，优质更超值。（雕牌洗衣粉） (12) 波导手机，2000年、2001年、2002年，国产销量第一。（波导手机） Especially in the last ten or twenty years, Chinese advertisements often lay the honors out one by one in order that the readers can be convinced by this advertisement. So at the present, the advertisers still list many records the products have in order to prove that this kind of product is better. The first advertisement is a typical example.名牌、国际体系认证、中国环保产品质量信得过重点品牌 are the honors which were written in the front of this advertisement. The advertiser wants to catch the readers from the beginning in the traditional way. Though this expressing way may seem tedious nowadays, it still has the power to influence and even to control the consumers purchases. The second advertisement also shows the credits by using almost the whole passage驰名商标/中国品牌/免检产品is the sentence to show that this kind of product is superior, and can be assured by the government. In general, most of Chinese advertisements adopt this kind of means which think highly of authority and honors. So in those advertisements there are a lot of certificates and evidences of last honors more or less. The third advertisement is designed for mobile phone. The mobile phone is a new born thing. It contains the advanced science and technique. And this model advertisement is proving its superiority by the sales records.国产销售第一 these words show this kind of mobile phone is welcomed by Chinese people. And it is the best one in the mobile phone market in China. Whatever the advertising form is, the fact is that there are more or less advertising words about the honor in Chinese advertisements. In all, the expressing way of listing honors is popular, and it is very affective to Chinese consumers. Nevertheless, different from Chinese advertisements, English advertisements have this kind of expressing way rarely. Because western culture centers on facts and personal value, western people treat the official position as the very common thing. Western culture pays more attention on the personal value and self interests. So the practical consciousness appeared here and there in English advertisements. Those English advertisements introduce the specialities and good points of the products to the readers, or hint that the consumers will feel the sense of out of ordinary and promisingly successful if they own those products. Therefore, the advertisers design the English advertisements by taking the consumers essential interests as the base and by taking the idea of self value realization as the goal. For example: (13) You dont let strangers read your mail. Why let them hear your calls? All it takes for stranger to eavesdrop on your cordless call is another cordless phone or a police scanner or even a simple baby monitor, which is why every Motorola cordless Phone features Secure Clear technology. It scrambles your voice, so all an eavesdropper hears is a stream of garbled distortion. Secure Clear protection. Motorola durability. American made. See it all today at your nearest Motorola retailer. And keep your private information from becoming public knowledge. MOTOROLA (Motorola mobile phone) (14) Be as comfortable on the ground as you are in the air?(Make sure that on the ground you can access Cinema On Demand) Our in-flight entertainment, communication and information system, Studio cx (up), provides you with the latest Hollywood and Chinese movies-on-demand which means you can select what you want to watch, when you want to watch it from a menu of up to 24 first run and classic films in both English and Chinese. Plus theres the latest news, documentaries and top CD albums via Audio On Demand as well as high-speed email and lots, lots more. Where on earth could you find so much to entertain you from the comfort of your own seat? Now you are really flying? (CATHAY PACIFIC airline) The first advertisement highlights the importance of human rights. “Secure Clear protection” these advertisement words reflect that the private right of human being is very important. The advertising language shows that this kind of product named Motorola can fulfill the security of the personal private world. “And keep your private information from becoming public knowledge” is the clear and positive insurance to the consumers. This advertisement sets up its technique, the effect of this kind of product, and the possibilities of private secret protection. The second advertisement is designed for CATHAY PACIFIC airline. “Our in-flight entertainment, communication and information system, Studio ex(up)” the first piece of advertising language is designed to show this airline can bring the entertainment to the passengers, because it has the advanced and complete equipment. “movies-on-demand which means you can select what you want to watch/the latest news, documentaries and top CD albums via Audio On Demand as well as high-speed email and lots, lots more” the piece of advertising language indicates that