英美文化差异论文(DOC毕设论文).doc

摘 要文化是一个复合体，其中包括知识、信仰、艺术、法律、道德、风俗以及人作为社会成员而获得的任何其他能力和习惯。交际的过程是人们运用语言知识和社会文化知识传递信息的过程，所以学习语言与了解语言所反映的文化背景知识是分不开的。了解英语文化知识，有助于交际畅通并有效地进行。相反，缺乏了解英语文化背景知识必然导致交际障碍， 冲突和误解。我的论文所谈的不是因为语法结构出错而导致的词不达意，而且指说话方式的不妥，或不符合表达的习惯，或说得不合时宜。说话人未能按照英美人的社会风俗习惯来交谈所造成的失误。交际文化涉及面非常广，从日常见面问候、称赞、致谢、道歉到了解掌握委婉语、禁忌语乃至体态语言等，所以我们要在培养学生英语语言能力的同时，更多地让同学们识别和了解英汉两种交际文化的差异。让我们更深入的学习英语，了解英语文化的背景和我们学习英语息息相关。让更多的中国英语使用者在跨文化交际中意识到文化差异的存在，从而知道如何避免由于这种差异带来不必要的冲突，误解和尴尬，让他们在跨文化交际中能进行无障碍的交流。关键词: 文化差异 语言能力 文化背景 跨文化 AbstractCulture is a complex, including knowledge and belief, art, morals, law, custom, and members of the society who acquired as any other capabilities and habits.The process of communication is people use the language knowledge and social and cultural knowledge transfer information process, so learning language and understanding language reflect the cultural background knowledge is not divided.Understanding of English culture knowledge, help communication unblocked and efficient manner. Instead, lack of understanding of English cultural background knowledge will inevitably lead to communication barriers, conflict and misunderstanding.My thesis not because they are talking to grammar mistakes, and refers to the way the thought of not satisfactory, or do not accord with the habit of expression, or, to be out of date.Speaker fails to the Anglo-American social custom caused by mistake to talk. Range is very wide, communication culture from daily greetings, praise, meet thanks, apologize to the understanding of the euphemism, taboo language and even posture language etc, so we should in training students English language ability, meanwhile, more let classmates recognition and understanding of the two communicative English and Chinese cultural difference.Let us more in-depth study English, understand English culture background and we learn English is closely linked. Let more Chinese English speakers in cross-cultural communication is aware of the cultural differences, and know how to avoid unnecessary because the difference of conflict, and misunderstandings and embarrassed, let them in cross-cultural communication can for freely.Keywords: cultural differences language ability cultural background cross-cultural Contents摘 要.iAbstract.ii1 Introduction.12 The Purpose and Meaning of this Research.32.1 The Purpose32.2 The Meaning33 Comparison of the Traditional Cultures.53.1 Chinese Values and Beliefs.5 3.1.1 Values of Collectivism and Harmony.5 3.1.2 Hierarchy and Humility.5 3.1.3 Courtesy /Good Manners.53.2 American Values and Beliefs.63.2.1 Individual Freedom and Self-Reliance.63.2.2 Equality of Opportunity and Competition.63.2.3 Material Wealth and Hard Work.74 Elaboration on this Difference for the Daily Communication and Influence.84.1 Forms of Address.84.2 Greeting and Farewell.94.3 Compliments and Praise.104.4 Visiting and Entertaining114.5 Miscellaneous Communication Considerations.12 Conclusion14Acknowledgments15Bibliography161 Introduction With the developing of sciences and technologies, people with different cultural backgrounds are communicating more and more frequently.People with different lifestyles, ways of thinking, behavior and values are interacting more with each other. With more cross-cultural communication, because of cultural differences, misunderstandings may arise, although the language used in communication may be faultless. The same words or expressions may not mean the same thing to different peoples. Due to culture differences, a serious question may cause amusement or laughter; a harmless statement may cause displeasure or anger. Cultural difference may result in jokes by a foreign speaker being received with blank faces and stony silence. Yet the same stories in the speakers own country may leave audiences holding their sides with laughter. Social scientists tell us that cultures differ from one another, and that each culture is unique. Cultural differences can be viewed as the way in which other groups, societies or countries are socially organized, developed and communicate and which have customs, laws and lifestyles differing from other ethnographic groups. As cultures are diverse, so languages are diverse. It is only natural then that differences in languages, can create differences in communicating between cultures and across cultures. Understanding is not always easy. It is therefore very important to be aware of and understand culture differences, only with that will someone know how to respect other cultures and how to use their languages well when communicating with them. Agreement about a simple meaning of culture is not in sight. Various definitions of culture reflect differing theories for understanding or criteria for evaluating human activity. Sir Edward B. Tylor writing from the perspective of social anthropology in the UK in 1871 described culture in the following way: “Culture or civilization, taken in its wide ethnographic sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.” “Culture consists of all the shared products of human society”. This means not only such visible things as cities, organizations and schools, but also non-material things such as ideas, customs, family patterns, languages. To simplify, culture refers to the entire way of life of a society, “the ways of a people.” Language is a part of culture and plays a very important role in it. Some social scientists consider it the keystone of culture. Without language, they maintain, culture would not be possible. On the other hand, language is influenced and shaped by culture; it reflects culture. In the broadest sense, language is the symbolic representation of a people, and it comprises their historical and cultural backgrounds as well as their approach to life and their ways of living and thinking.2 The Purpose and Meaning of this Research2.1 The Purpose Culture, as a term, the elastic. somebody said that the culture as a kind of complex social phenomenon, the 19th century english anthropologist（edward taylor tylor）in the primitive cultures in a culture, give off a classic:the definition of “culture is a complex, including knowledge and belief, arts and law, morality, customs and as a member of society and any other ability and habit.” “Communication process is the use of language knowledge and social and cultural knowledge of the process of delivering information, so learning a language and understanding of the language cultural information are not divorced. learn english culture, society was clear and effective. on the contrary, knowledge of english cultural background inevitably lead to social barriers, conflicts and misunderstanding.My paper has not caused any grammatical structure of the launches and means to speak of it, or does not accord with expression, or rather outdated. the speaker failed to follow the british and american social custom to come by. Social and cultural involves very wide, greeting from daily to meet, praised, thank you, sorry to learn to master euphemism and taboo words and body language, so we must train students in english language ability, more and let the students to identify and understanding between the two types of social and cultural differences. so i chose the united states in daily communication of cultural differences ”the subject.2.2 The Meaning Recent news reports that a Chinese students, violating the rules without security, rushed to the airport with girlfriend goodbye zone. The results of that airport had to thousands of passengers to safety, and goodbye security event occurred C terminal implementing six hours of closed measures, many operators flights have therefore delay. For the airport, small kiss upon events that the name of the United States foreign students must inspects aviation security, but americans dont think airline security is items, and seriously work here, two countries in dealing with different cultural problems will have distinct effect, like our English learning, language is the carrier of culture, is part of the culture in human culture, the emergence and development process of with culture, language is always the synchronous development change. Therefore, English learning is not only language learning, is also a kind of culture study. However, in the current study, often more concerned external form of language and grammatical structure, and ignore the language of the cultural differences, this will affect our understanding and mastering of language. Let us more in-depth study of english,About english culture and we learn english are closely related.Let more chinese English student realized the cultural differences in the cultural communication,to know how to avoid the conflict because of the differences,misunderstanding and awkward,Let them in the cultural communication in a fluent communication.3 Comparison of the Traditional Cultures3.1 Chinese Values and Beliefs Traditional Chinese culture evolved very gradually over a long historical period into a form of national spirit manifested in group loyalty. It expresses itself in the modes of thinking and behavior, in the national temperament and in other aspects of culture still perceptibly influential today. Generally speaking, the traditional Chinese culture values can be summed up as follows: Collectivism, Harmony, Hierarchy, Humility and Courtesy.3.1.1 Values of Collectivism and Harmony A key belief of people in collectivist cultures is that the smallest unit of survival is the collective or group. Chinese culture is characterized as being collectivism orientated. The basic unit is the family (collective), not the individual. It is sometimes referred to as a collective or group culture. Filial piety is one of the principal virtues counseled by Confucius; this is not an abstraction but one that manifests itself daily by children and adult children demonstrating their obedience and solicitousness towards their parents and solicitous of their welfare. Family support is rated highly by all. Family support necessitates cooperation with others. Therefore, harmony is highly valued and open conflict avoided. Competition is not encouraged. One important way to achieve harmony is to accept and respect each persons need to preserve face i.e. Honor.3.1.2 Hierarchy and Humility Another key characteristic of traditional Chinese culture is hierarchy. People have to accept their social position both family and society in order to achieve social harmony. Confucius wrote “Let the emperor be an emperor, the subject a subject, the father a father, and the son a son”. This implies that within the family as within the nation, people were not equal. He acknowledged inequality because in his view, the obligations between higher and lower orders in society worked in both directions. Each had a duty towards the other. Throughout Chinese history people have shown respect for seniority, rank, age and family with a hierarchical perspective.3.1.3 Courtesy /Good Manners As harmony is desired in a hierarchical society, courtesy has always played a key role in Chinese culture when interacting with people. Humility manifests itself in everyday life, and often without our awareness. It often takes the form of self-disparagement.3.2 American Values and Beliefs American culture has been viewed as “cultural pluralism”. Throughout American history there has been diversity shown by the cultures of the differing Native American tribes, Spanish settlers in the south-west and Florida, African slaves, French traders and British colonialists. Over two hundred years of immigration has increased that diversification. The American culture is often referred to as an individualistic culture where individuals subordinate the goals of collectives to their personal goals. Six core values or beliefs have evolved as traditional American values: freedom of the individual, self-reliance, equality of opportunity, competition, the desire for material wealth and hard work.3.2.1 Individual Freedom and Self-Reliance Due to limitation of the power of Government, Church and absence of Aristocracy, the early settlers created a climate of freedom with emphasis on the individual. The new independent United States (post 1776) instilled the concept of individual freedom, probably the most basic of American values. A key belief of people in individualistic cultures is that the smallest unit of survival is the individual. American culture is sometimes referred to as the “I” culture since it is the individual rather than the group which is emphasized. Freedom for Americans means the right of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interference from government, a ruling class, church or other organized authority. Americans are therefore expected to take the initiative in advancing their personal interests and well-being and to be direct and assertive in interacting with others (Hu&Grove1991:31). A price is however paid for individual freedom: self-reliance. Americans believe that the individual must learn to rely on themselves or risk losing freedom. This often means achieving financial and emotional independence from parents at the earliest time possible. The need to “stand on theirs own feet” is considered a priority.3.2.2 Equality of Opportunity and Competition President Lincoln expressed the value of “equality of opportunity”. Americans understand this as the right to have equal chance for success in life but not that everyone is or should be equal. They see life as a race for success. Equality means that everyone should have an equal chance to enter the race and win. In other words, equality of opportunity may be thought of as an ethical rule by ensuring that the race for success is fair and that a person does not win just because he/she was born into wealth. If life is seen as a race, then a person must run it in order to succeed. A person must compete with others. This is the price paid for equality of opportunity. It is expected that everyone should attempt to be successful. Americans match their intelligence against that of their neighbors in a competitive contest for success. The more successful are considered as winners. The pressures of competition in life begin in early childhood and continue until retirement. Learning to compete and win is part of growing up. Competition and the desire to win are considered healthy and desirable.3.2.3 Material Wealth and Hard Work Material wealth is probably the most widely accepted measure of social status in America. Rejection of European class structure and the adoption of a more classless society saw the emergence of a substitute for judging social status. The quantity and quality of an individual material wealth became that substitute. However Americans pay a price for this: hard work. The land and other rich natural resources were exploited by hard work as was the industrialization of America. The wealth generated was and is still converted into material possessions and a high standard of living. Hard work has rewarded many. Material possessions are the tangible evidence of this.4 Elaboration on this Difference for the Daily Communication and Influence4.1 Forms of Address The trend is for Americans to address others by using first names such as Bill or Jean rather than the more formal method of address such as Mr. Smith or Miss Jones. This also applies even when people meet for the first time. It is also common when young children address older people, including their grandparents. This is not considered a sign of disrespect but as an accepted cultural norm. People of different social status also do the same, for example students often call their professors by their first name. This is not regarded as a sign of familiarity or disrespect, but rather, as an indication that the relationship between professor and student is affable and has a sense of equality. The Chinese custom in this aspect certainly seems to counter what is practiced in the United States. In China, seniority is paid respect, with the affability and equality of the American professor and st