观赏鱼论文 之金鱼.doc

A Comparative Study on Red in English and Chinese外国语学院英语非师2班程颖222012310032011AbstractColor is the byproduct of the spectrum of light, as it is reflected or absorbed, as received by the human eye and processed by the human brain.Color terms are abundant in both English and Chinese，such as red, yellow, and blue. In this thesis, I have attempted to make a comparison between the sense of red in English and that in Chinese partly because I love red very much.The thesis is divided into three parts. Firstly, Id like to make a brief introduction about red and other colors. Secondly, I want to introduce the sense of red in the west in detail, which covers its symbol, related collocations and stories. Thirdly, I plan to talk about the red in Chinese, including its origin, history, meanings, culture and some stories.Through a comparative study of the sense of red in English and Chinese, I know that there exist similarity and difference in the three kinds of equivalent relationship of red terms in English and Chinese. Both similarities and differences are attributed to cognitive basis and cultural influence. If we know them well, we can achieve better cross-culture communication. Key words: red; English; Chinese; symbol; culture; stories.Thesis statementAccordingtoGeoffreyLeech(1981),“Thereareseventypesofmeanings:conceptualmeaning,connotativemeaning,socialmeaning,affectivemeaning,reflectedmeaning,collocativemeaning,andthematicmeaning.”Andhecombinedconnotativemeaning,socialmeaning,affectivemeaning,reflectedmeaning,collocativemeaningintoassociativemeaning.Sobesidestheliteralmeaning,colourwordshaveaffluentassociativemeanings.Differentnationsendowthemwithdifferentculturalconnotations.ThecomparativestudyofthesenseofredinbothEnglishandChinesewillbeabridgeforbothEnglishandChineselearnerstounderstandthesimilaritiesanddisparities;otherwise,thesedisparitiescancauseambiguityandleadtomisunderstanding.Outline1. Introduction2. The similarities of red in English and Chinese3. The red in English3.1 General ideas of red in English3.2 Light reds meanings in English and related examples3.3 Dark reds meanings in English and related examples3.4 Related collocations of red in English4. The red in Chinese4.1 The origin and history of red in Chinese4.2 The symbols of red in Chinese and examples4.3 Red culture in Chinese4.4 Some specific nouns about red I Chinese5. Conclusion6. Works cited1. IntroductionAs we know, colors can be used to express kinds of feelings and affect our moods. And many of them share common symbolic meanings. For example, red is a warm color, represents blood and fire and symbolizes life and strength. Blue is a cool color, which can reduce blood pressure and slow down the beat of pulse. However, different nations use them differently because of the diverse cultural backgrounds. For example, British sees black as the mourning color. But in China, its just a pure color. So, the comparative study of the sense of red in both English and Chinese will be a bridge for both English and Chinese learners to understand the similarities and differences; otherwise, these differences may lead to misunderstanding. So it is quite necessary to make a comparison between associative meaning of red in English and that in Chinese. If we know the similarities and differences in the sense between these two languages, we can learn the second language better, thus achieving the cross-culture communication. The thesis is to introduce some basic knowledge of red and analyze some examples of red terms in both English and Chinese, try to find the similarities and dissimilarities between them in terms of semantics, and find out the factors that cause these semantic similarities and dissimilarities from the perspective of cognition and culture.2. The similarities of red in English and ChineseThe view of the world is “a cultures orientation toward God, humanity, nature, the universe, life, death, sickness, and other philosophical issues concerning existence” How one views the world will affect his perception toward the world-the process by which he attaches meanings to social events he encounters in his environment. It helps people interpret and evaluate what is right and wrong, what is good and bad, what to do and not to do, and so on. Thats the same in color perception. Both in China and English-speaking countries, red is usually associated with celebrations and joyful occasions. In China, people usually use red things to create happy atmosphere, especially on a traditional Chinese wedding and the Spring Festival. People stick red double xi on windows and doors and the bride is dressed in red from head to feet on a wedding. At the Spring Festival, the elder will give the young red envelopes with money in to pray for happiness and health. In English, red is also used for celebrating events. It has the cultural associative meaning of happiness, such as in red letter day. Important days are printed in red on calendars rather than in black for ordinary days. For western people, a red letter day means a day when a good event happens. Red is also associated with certain emotions, anger and embarrassment included. These two kinds of emotion exist both in English and Chinese. Lets see an example. Her face turned red when bombarded with such an embarrassing question. We can easily guess the meaning of red and the meaning of this sentence, for there is an Chinese equivalence for it:脸红.3. The red in English Besides these similarities I have mentioned above in terms of red, there also exists differences between English and Chinese. So, lets see the red in English at first.In the west, red is the color of life as well as the color of fire and blood. So it has dual nature in its symbols. Dazzling and centrifugal light red has the nature of diurnal, male, tonic stimulating activity, encourages people to take action, just like the sun. In this sense, it represents life, birth, love warmth inspired passion and celebration. For example, in Christianitys calendar, important festivals and festive days are printed in red, which are called red-letter days. Also, pastors are always in holy red when attending Mass. Whats more, the collocation paint the town red means carnival. The red used in advertisements carries along, heartens and stimulates.On the opposite, dark red has the nature of nocturnal, female, secret and ultimately centripetal activity. Meanwhile, it represents the mysteries of life. Moreover, Its the color of war, loss of blood, the destructive power of fire and hate. Its the sign of warning, and makes people worried and nervous to some extent. Additionally, its the color of red light at the crossroad, the color of the operation room and the whore house. The devil Satan always appears in red.The red in English is always related to derogatory sense. I will show some collocations: in the red(亏损，出现赤字), see red(非常气愤), red brick(二流大学，非名牌大学), red cent（一文不值）， red neck(乡巴佬), red-light bandit(冒充警察的匪徒), red-haired person(被视为不牢靠的、奸诈的、脾气暴躁者) and so on.4. The red in ChineseIn Shang and Zhou dynasty, the emperors used red seals which is called “朱印“to mark their high status. “朱” or “丹”in Chinese is a kind of mineral and may be the origin of red. Another legend of red is about the rainbow because its pronunciation is the same with red in Chinese. In Chinese，red is also the symbol of blood and life. As long as you live, the blood is flowing. Blood is the symbol of life, so the color of blood becomes the color of life. In ancient times, in the ceremony of sacrifice, the blood is the best because it represents peoples life and soul; when ancient people took an oath, they must drink blood wine to show lifes promise. Owing to the meaning of red, people often use it to avoid the ghost and bad things.Red also represents raging fire and symbolizes the revolution. The red belief has been the common belief of all people who want to wipe out old systems and set up new ones. Therefore, red also becomes Chinese revolutions synonyms, such as the Chinese Workers and Peasants Red Army（中国工农红军）, red political authority(红色政权), a red heart towards the Communist Party of China(一颗红心向着党) etc.There is a mentality of red admiration in Chinese culture. In Xizhou Dynasty, red was the national color. Also, red is the color of the officials in ancient times. In addition, red is related to marriage in Chinese culture. The matchmaker(红娘) is the proper noun of the marriage broker. Red ropes become the tie of marriage. The bride has to sit in the sedan chair and be covered with red headcloth. And the room must be decorated in red, such as red couplets. Besides, red has close relationship with women in Chinese culture, and almost become the proper noun of the women. Examples: 红颜，红妆，红粉等。5. Conclusion This thesis focuses on a comparative study of meanings of red in both English and Chinese. At the very beginning, I give a general idea of color in these two cultures. Then, I introduce the similarities in them and give lots of examples. Next, I analyze the red in English and Chinese separately. Through so many examples, readers may have a good understanding of meanings of red. Some readers may have read some of the examples somewhere, but they do not know how to exactly express those phrases related to red. Some readers may have misunderstood some phrases, while after reading my essay, they will have a clear sense of it. If someone has never touched this field, he or she will find how interesting it is. In the end, I am intending to make an conclusion on what t write and display my opinions.Only when we understand the different sense of red correctly can we have a good command of it. And only when we have a good command of red can we achieve better cross-culture communication. Works citedFoley, W. A. Anthropological Linguistics: An Introduction M. Beijing: Foreig