英汉数字之间的文化差异性研究的论文.doc

XXXXXXX本科毕业论文（设计）题 目 姓 名 学 号 专业年级 指导教师 职 称 二一三 年 四 月 三十 日湖北大学本科毕业论文 Abstractlanguages and culture are closely related to each other. The use of a language must rely on people, and people are bound to live in a specific cultural society. In cross-cultural communication, people not only should be familiar with their own language and culture, but also fully understand others language and culture, especially the cultural differences between different peoples. Thus they can carry on communications smoothly.Numbers come into being as the emergence and development of human civilization. Numbers, as a kind of special language sign, are endowed with rich cultural connotation both in Chinese and English. Numbers are closely related to humans life, and they play an important role in human cultural exchanges and development, reflecting the distinctive features of a people. Numbers and number culture are common phenomena in human language and culture, and also the part which can not be neglected. In the development of history, numbers are associated with all kinds of mysterious meanings under the impact of traditional customs, religious beliefs, the worship of a language, etc，and then many special number cultures are formed. This paper mainly compares the different cultural meanings between Chinese and English from the respects of the traditional concepts on numbers in eastern and western countries, the different connotations associated with numbers and the translation of numbers in literary works and our daily life.Key words: Numbers between Chinese and English; culture; comparative; study 摘要 语言与文化有着密切的关系。语言的使用离不开人，而人又离不开某个特定的社会文化。在跨文化交际活动中，参与的各方不仅要熟悉本民族的语言和文化，而且要充分了解对方的语言和文化，特别是本民族文化与他民族文化的差异，只有这样才能使交际顺利进行下去。数字是随着人类文明的产生和发展而产生的。数字作为一种特殊的语言符号，在英汉两种语言中都被赋予了丰富的文化内涵。数字与人类生活密切相关。它在人类文化交流与发展中起着重要的作用，反映着鲜明的民族文化特色。数字及数字文化是人类语言文化中的一种普遍现象，并且是人类语言文化中不可忽视的一类文化。但在历史的发展过程中。由于受民族文化的心理、传统习俗、宗教信仰、语言崇拜等方面的影响，数字被赋予了各种神秘的象征意义，从而形成了各自独特的数字文化。本文主要从中西方对数字不同的传统观念,英汉两种语言中数字蕴涵的不同意义及英汉文学中和生活中碰到的有关数字的翻译等来进行对比，探讨他们之间的差异性。关键字：英汉数字； 文化； 对比；研究Table of ContentsIntroduction11. The Differences in Expressions of Numbers Between Chinese and English31.1 Differences in Conventional Expressions31.2 Differences in Quantifiers42 A Comparison of Meanings on Numbers Between Chinese and English42.1 Analysis of Two Pairs of Typical Numbers42.2 Taboos on Numbers72.3 Preferences for Numbers82.4 A Comparison of Associations on Numbers92.4.1 Associations of Homophone92.4.2 Associations on Myths and Religion103. The Origins of the Cultural Differences on Numbers Between Chinese and English113.1 The Differences on Historical Roots and Religious Beliefs113.2 The Differences on Aesthetic Psychology123.3 The Differences on National Character133.4 The Differences on the Ways of Life13Conclusion14Bibliography1514A Comparative Study of Numbers in Eastern and Western Culture Introduction Numbers are a special kind of language sign. They emerge, with the help of symbols, as human mind develop to a certain stage and to adapt to social production. Phrases with numbers serve as an important part in human communication and development for their unique cultural implications and functions. Expressions with numbers are widely used. Some numbers are popular with people for that they are related with good luck; while some other numbers are not because they stand for misfortunes. Some numbers not only carry meanings themselves, but also have rich social meanings endowed by the national culture. In eastern and western culture, people have different preferences for numbers, which reflects different concepts on numbers between eastern and western people from one aspect.Ideas on numbers are of great importance both in eastern and western culture. As to the origin of numbers, Levy Bruhl has a splendid elaboration in Archaic Thinking. The main idea is that thought on numbers is the result of minds abstract on specific contents. In the Pythagorean School, numbers appear in the status of the ontology, making the thought on numbers establishes its position in western history of thought. Meanwhile, in China, the formation of divinatory symbols with numbers and pictures and the performance of the sixty-four hexagrams in Zhou Yi are the obvious demonstration of highly abstract thoughts on numbers. Many scholars and researcher have done studies on the differences between different peoples and on numbers and number culture. Since the 1970s, studies on culture and cultural differences have sprang up and developed quickly. A Dutch culture expert, Hofstedes theory of five dimensions of culture has the most profound influence in studies on cultural differences. In the book of A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (1985), R.Quirl and other people divide the nouns into three categories: closed classes, open classes and additional classes and numbers belong to the third category because they dont belong to the closed classes for the number of numbers is endless. And they dont belong to the closed classes for that the meanings of the numbers are exclusive and limited to each other and it is difficult to create new words. Lu Wenhui (2006) studies the meanings of Chinese idioms with numbers. He points out that the meanings of numbers contain the real reference, the virtual reference and both of them and he believes people can adopt different translation methods in terms of different references. Liu Hongquan (2004) points out that the semantic meanings of the same numbers in idioms are usually not corresponded or partially corresponded in different languages and then he puts forward that, regardless of domestication or alienation, one can achieve an excellent translation work only when he has a comprehensive understanding of English and Chinese. Xu Changxian (1999) studies the numbers from the respect of Chinese idioms with numbers and puts forward that it can be of great help to peoples expression ability in English if they have an accurate understanding and mastering on the formation and syntactic functions English idioms with numbers. Qi Yan (1999) studies the structural types of Chinese and English idioms with numbers, and discovers that there are similarities and differences in the structural types, but the differences are more than the similarities. In recent years, the number of articles on numbers from the respect of cultural background is growing. Li Li (2005) and other people mainly study the cultural background of English idioms with numbers and analyze the number of three, thirteen, six, seven and five. He holds that religious culture, Greek and Roman mythology and cultural thinking modes have influenced the formation of idioms. Huang Chengfu (2006) and other scholars explore the reflected cultural differences and national origins between eastern and western countires from national psychology, myths, religion and some other aspects. They point out that it is not only helpful to peoples understanding of national psychology and features and also to the learning of foreign languages and the teaching of Chinese as a foreign language if they make researches on cultural background of number idioms. From the above, we can see there is not very much studies on numbers from the respect of culture and some scholars studies overconcentrate on the respects of national psychology, myths, religion, electing the entirety of number idioms, so they have not done a comprehensive and thorough studies on cultural background of numbers. In different cultures, numbers, besides used to count numbers, can reflect the thinking modes and social psychology of the users and represent the peoples concepts and understandings on nature, human history and the quantitative relations. In Chinese and western languages, the application of pattern numbers is rich and wide, and they have their own cultural origins respectively. It is of significance to learn and study number culture in cross-culture communication. 1. The Differences in Expressions of Numbers Between Chinese and EnglishIn different cultures, people have different thinking modes and social psychology and they also form different concepts and understandings on nature, human history and the quantitative relations. So we have many conventional expressions with numbers in Chinese and English, but the expressions often are not in correspondence.1.1 Differences in Conventional ExpressionsThere are many conventional expressions with numbers in Chinese and English, but they often are not in correspondence. For example, in these sentences: aside from books for school though, we never read very much. We didnt need to because my father has read everything you have heard of，and people in town have said that talking to him about anything is better than reading three books (与君一夕谈，胜读十年书). In Chinese, we say “better than reading books for ten years”, while in English it is better than reading three books. In Chinese, the “yi xi tan (一夕谈)” stands for the time, while in English, people say “talking to him about everything ”. Another example, groups of cavalry orderlies in threes and fours ran across the riverbed by he ranks of the troops (一对对骑兵侦察员和三五成群的骑兵侦察员和三五成群的骑兵通信员,从部队行列边的河槽里跑过去). In English, we use “in threes and fours” but in Chinese we use “san wu cheng qun (三五成群)”. Here, it is not a mistake, but because of different habitual expressions of different peoples. Whats more, in English, when the numbers are located in the first place of a sentence, the numbers must be written in English numbers instead of Arabic ones. But, in Chinese, it is suitable to use both of them. For instance, forty-five animals and five sites of zoos were introduced in this paper (四十五种动物和五个动物园在这篇文章里都有介绍). The expressions above can show the differences in number-using and meaning-expression of Chinese and English, and then reflect their own cultural features.1.2 Differences in QuantifiersIn Chinese, when the numbers and the nouns are used together, the quantifiers are usually served as a bridge between them, or the expressions will not be coherent. However, in English, it is not necessary to add quantifiers between numbers and nouns to make the meaning clear, and it is in accordance with English conventional expressions. For example, in English we say an airplane took off one hour ago, while in Chinese we say “一架飞机在一小时前起飞了”. Here, we don not use a quantifier in the English expression and we don not need to, but when we translate it into Chinese we need to put an quantifier “jia (架)” between the “an” and the “airplane”, or the sentence will not be coherent and not in accordance to Chinese expression practice. Sometimes, we also use some quantifiers in English expressions, but the number of quantifiers in English is not very large, say bunch, piece, pair, etc. and then many times people use the same quantifiers to describe many different things. For example, in English we say a cluster of flowers, a cluster of grapes, a pot of soup and a pot of black tea. While in Chinese, we should add different and right quantifiers to each of those expressions according to our Chinese expression practice, so we can translate those examples into “一束鲜花”, “一串葡萄”, “一锅汤” and “一壶红茶” respectively.2. A Comparison of Meanings on Numbers Between Chinese and EnglishBecause of different national psychology, thinking modes, religious beliefs and so on, people give different connotations to even the same number in eastern and western countries and they have formed hateness and preferences to some certain numbers. 2.1 Analysis of Two Pairs of Typical Numbers In the ancient traditions, numbers have sacred significance and are associated with religious superstition for that they can predict good or ill luck. Numbers carry profound national culture and then different peoples have different choices on numbers. Here, this paper would analyze two pair of representative numbers.The first pair is “three” and “nine”. Many Chinese phrases or idioms contain the number of “three”. For example, look before you leap (三思而后行); among any three people walking one can certainly be my teacher(三人行，必有我师焉); two heads are better than one (三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮); one day apart seems three autumns (一日不见，如隔三秋); repeated orders and warnings (三令五申); and one after another (接二连三), etc. There are reasons for Chinese peoples love for the number three. It is said in Analytical Dictionary of Chinese Characters that “three is the representative of the heaven, earth and man”, in which the upper is the heaven; the lower, the earth; the middle, the human. In western culture, the world is composed of the earth, the sea and the sky; the nature contains animals, plants and minerals and the body of human has three dimensions: the flesh, the spirit, and the soul; the trinity in Christianity refers to the union of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Thus westerners have a preference for the number three, regarding it as the perfect number. They usually say number three is always fortunate. In Shakespeares plays, we get all good things go by three.In Chinese culture, the number nine seems to be the most mysterious number. There are lots of Chinese phrases or idioms with the number nine, say, a narrow escape from death (九死一生); use every ounce of ones strength (九牛二虎之力); a drop in the bucket (九牛一毛); a word carries weight (一言九鼎); and throw to the winds (九霄云外). The origin of Chinese peoples superstition to nine comes from the worship to the heaven. The work of Analytical Dictionary of Chinese Characters puts that nine comes from the change of Yang, including all the forms of things (九，阳之变也，相其尾曲穷尽之形). And in all the numbers, all the odd numbers are the numbers of Yang; all the even numbers are the Yin numbers. In divination, the Yang hexagram is called nine and the Yin hexagram is called six. Therefore, nine is a typical representative of all the Yang number, the holographic symbol of Yang.The number nine in English has no the connotation of sacredness or honor, but can has profound meanings. For example, a nine days wonder; a stitch in time saves nine; be dressed up to the nines; crack up (flatter / honor / praise) to the nine; on cloud nine/seven; a cat has nine lives, etc.The second pair is “six” and “seven”.In Chinese, six is a harmonic number both in space and time. We often say all eyes and ears, and here “all eyes” refers to the harmony of six respects: front, back, left, right, upper and lower, or the four quarters of heaven and earth. Those are the six directions of the three dimensional space. In Chinese peoples eyes, six is a most auspicious number and the saying “double six means the best” ca serve as a good example. When choosing the telephone numbers and car license plate numbers, people especially love the numbers with double six, three six, or four six as the mantissas because they are a symbol of good luck and going well.In English, six is not a good number. People regard it as signs of ill omen, which can be reflected from some idioms. Such as, at sixes and sevens; hit someone for six or knock someone six; six of the best; six penny; six of one and half a dozen of the other, etc.In Chinese culture, we say make “a reply after seven days” and “seven days in a mountain is like one thousand years on earth. But seven is often a taboo number in Chinese; when giving gifts, we should avoid give things in number seven and we should never serve seven dishes on the table. People always avoid the days of seven, seventeen, or twenty-seven when choosing an auspicious day. One of the reasons is that Chinese people have a preference for even numbers and another is related to the traditions of Chinese funeral ritual. In some areas of China, the seventh day in July in lunar calendar is a black day, and marriage is absolutely forbidden. This custom is associated with the legend of the cowherd and the girl weaver. It is said that the cowherd and the girl weaver can only meet each other on the seventh day of the seventh month of lunar calendar. In some areas, the legend is more magic, which says that if it rains on that day, then the rains must be tears of the cowherd and the girl weaver. It is much more painful meeting once only in a year than living in a long distance. So it is reasonable that people avoid marriage on that day and the Chinese idioms with number seven often have negative meanings, for instance, “qi ling ba luo (七零八落)”, “qi shou ba jiao (七手八脚) ”, “qi zui ba she” (七嘴八舌), “qi pin ba cou” (七拼八凑), “qi shang ba xia” (七上八下), and “qi niu ba wai” (七扭八歪) all have the meaning of crowdness and being in disorder. In westerners eyes, seven is a sacred number. They attach importance to the Seven Virtues, the seven kinds of knowledge of art and science and the seven holy communions. They believe there are seven stages in ones life. In English the virtues, good deeds and sins are supposed to mount up to seven, for instance, the Seven Virtues, the seven deadly sins, the Seven Gifts of the Spirit, the seven corporal works of mercy, the seven spiritual works of mercy and the Seven Sacraments. Also, westerners think seven as an auspicious number, and they have the saying of “lucky seven”. 2.2 Taboos on NumbersPeople live in different geographical and physical environment and have different practice in religion and custom. So they give the numbers different cultural connotations and then gradually they form love or worship for some certain numbers, while hateness or fear for some other numbers. So numbers contain rich social and cultural connotations.In China, the number one, an odd numb