西方礼仪文化unit8TheTaboosinWesternCultureandEtiquette.ppt

1、Unit 8 The Taboos in Western Culture and Etiquette,Lead-in,Have you ever heard or read some stories about taboo in western culture? If yes, share your experience with your partners. Have you ever met some very embarrassing moment when you get along with Westerners because of your ignorance of taboo

2、culture,1. What is Taboo,a universal concept a ritually sanctioned prohibition against contact with a thing, a person or an activity The term comes from the Tongan language, and appears in many,Some knowledge about taboo,1. What is Taboo,In Polynesian cultures, a tabu (or tapu or kapu) often has spe

3、cific religious associations. Captain James Cook introduced the word into English in 1777 after returning from Tonga, the place he named the Friendly Islands,Some knowledge about taboo,In its current use in Tonga, the word tapu also means sacred or holy, often in the sense of being restricted or pro

4、tected by custom or law. In the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga, where the greater portion of the population reside within the capital Nukualofa, the word is often appended to the end of Tonga, making the word Tongatapu, where local use it as Sacred South rather than forbidden south,2. Taboos ca

5、n include,dietary restrictions (halal and kosher diets, religious vegetarianism, and the prohibition of cannibalism) restrictions on sexual activities and relationships (sex outside of marriage) restrictions of bodily functions (burping, state of genitalia such as circumcision or sex reassignment) e

6、xposure of body parts (ankles in the Victorian British Empire, womens faces in parts of the Middle East, nudity in the US,restrictions on the use of offensive language. No taboo is known to be universal, but some (such as the cannibalism and incest taboos) occur in the majority of societies. Taboos

7、may serve many functions, and often remain in effect after the original reason behind them has expired,2. Taboos can include,Certain taboos lose their stinginess over periods of time. In the United States and western countries, most people are now more comfortable than before when they discuss and e

8、xplore social issues: alcoholism, depression, divorce, income disparity, personal relationships, pregnancy and childbirth and teenage rebellion. Medical disorders and diseases like cancer, polio, AIDS and suicide arent as heavily taboo now as in the past. Certain personal things such as age, height,

9、 weight and appearance are not always shared with confidants or in public; this indicates that such topics may be taboo to some people,Taboos often extend to cover discussion of taboo topics. This can result in taboo deformation (euphemism) or replacement of taboo words. Marvin Harris, a leading fig

10、ure in cultural materialism, endeavored to explain taboos as a consequence of the ecologic and economic conditions of their societies. Taboos challenge ones free speech and individual rights to express a subject or issue in need to be addressed for the benefit, not to damage, any given society,Other

11、 societal taboos to a certain extent or to some people are the issues of sex, death, racism, genderism, ethnicity, nationality, religion, politics, money, socio-economic class, sexual orientation and disability. People follow this advice of not discussing, joking about or making an issue of things t

12、hat can lead to bigotry, discrimination and stigmatization of people with those social group differences. They developed as a result of concerns for civil rights, sensitivity and multiculturalism nowadays,When done as a parody or comedy, said or done by comedians, taboo topics and subject matter can

13、 induce comical reaction by the general public, without disgust or offense on what was said or mentioned about an emotionally charged issue described as mainly taboo in a given society,Are there any taboo food in your hometown? What are they? Do you know the reasons for them to become taboo food? Wo

14、rk with your partners and make a list of taboo food you know in certain parts of the world,Look at the following pictures. Are they taboo food ? For whom? Why,Color is considered one of the most useful and powerful design tools we have. People respond to different colors in different ways, and these

15、 responses take place on a subconscious, emotional level. Can you list some colors and their symbolisms in different cultures,3. Color,Yellow is one of the colors that Han people mostly advocate. Yellow skin, Yellow River, Yellow Mountain, Yellow Dragon Ancient Chinese believe that yellow is the nat

16、ural color that will never change. In the past, only emperor has a right to dress in yellow. It implies “wealth, rank, brilliance”. Attention Do you know what theses words mean “黄色故事，黄色电影，黄色网站,Yellow,People like it, because they often associate the sun and the color fire with red. It also means happ

17、iness, marriage or wedding. Since “blood” and “fire” in war are red, it often implies the revolutionary struggle in history,Red,Green,Green is also called “青”( qing). Green is the color of plants and tree, so people often associate the Spring, grassland, forests ,lakes, jadeite and gem and so on. In

18、 traffic, green light mean the safety pass. (Green passway) In ancient China, green implied humbleness“地位低微”. Attention: Do you know what it means: “戴绿帽子”,Black,In operas, the black facial make-up always implies honest and straightforward ( 憨直)，and upright, above flattery , incorruptible （刚直不阿）. It

19、used to carry a positive sense, implying “honor, resolution, justice and mystery” Also means “depth and solemnity ” Also means “ death” Attention : Do you know what these words mean: 黑社会，黑名单，黑市，黑心,White,In Beijing opera, white facial make-up often means “crafty, sinister” and the like. People think

20、of white cloud and white snow with the color “white” and association of “nobility, pureness, brightness, cleanness, elegance, honest, simplicity ”. In history, in Han people in white are all common people called “庶民”. “白丁”refers to people without academic titles or official ranks. When a relative or

21、 a family member die, the others have to dress in white. So we call it “孝服”，mourning apparel. White also implies failure, fruitless, and foolish.（白痴,In Western Culture,Purple and gold are often associated with Royalty, wealth and opulence Green has taken on a very strong connotation as the color rep

22、resenting ecology and concern for the environment, however, it also conveys meanings associated with money and the suggestion to go ahead which is obviously derived from traffic lights. Colors represent holidays and seasons of the year. The Fall foliage colors of Red, orange, yellow, and brown are c

23、learly expressive of Thanksgiving. Halloween: Orange and Black. Red and Green represent Christmas,Purple and Yellow and other pastels colors represent Easter. Blue, Red, White and Grey = Stability, Power, Trustworthiness, Conservatism Yellow, Brown, Orange, Green = Nature, earthiness, warmth Red, Or

24、ange, yellow = more warmth Blues and Aquas = water and coolness Primary colors (Red, Blue, Yellow) = Convey fun,In Western Culture,4. Lucky Number or Unlucky Number,QQ Number: 12345 500,000 RMB200,000 RMB160,000 RMB,解不开的“数字情结,028 ) 88888888 2,330,000 RMB,1,People worship 1

25、because people believe all things on earth start from “一”. One makes two, and two make three, and three make everything on earth. Question: Why do people prefer to send 1 or 11 flowerers to the one they love,2,It is beginning of all “even number”. It is associated with “双”.双喜临门 Question Do you know

26、what “二百五”，”二流子” means,4,四” seems to be disliked by people, as it pronounces almost the same as “死”. Question When people play “finger guess”, we say “四季发 财”，“四季平安”. Why,5 6 7,五” is a good number, means “五谷丰登”，an abundant harvest of all food crops. “六” is an even number liked by most Chinese, as the

27、re is a popular saying “六六顺”, means smooth and success. “七” is a good number liked by many people,8,八” is an even number favored by most people, as it is considered a symbol of joy and celebration. Today , it is the number highly recognized and popularly used by people, as it pronounces like “ 发” ,

28、means making a fortune,9 10,九” is the biggest number liked by many people because it pronounces the same as “ 久” ，“酒”， which means long , long life and wine with happiness. “十” means perfection and satisfaction. “十全十美,The numbers people are fond of,13 and Black Friday,In the west, number “13” is ass

29、ociated with bad luck, always indicating occurrence of disaster or symbol of misfortune. It is mainly to come from a religion: Jesus was betrayed by Judas, and made a great sacrifice; they totally are 13 people. And that is exactly Friday, so if the 13th plus Friday, it will be thought to be a very dangerous day,Three In Christian thinking, “three” is an important number because it is the number of the Trinity God, C