三稿Abstract

1、分类号： H 单位代码： 104 密 级： 一般 学 号：1040207014012 本科毕业论文（设计）题 目： 中英礼貌用语文化差异 专 业： 英 语 姓 名： 杨艳芬 指导教师： 拓晓波职 称： 讲 师答辩日期： 2011年5月 CULTURAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHINESEAND BRITISH ON POLITENESSBYYANG YANFENA THESISSUBMITTED TOTHE SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGESIN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTSFOR THE DEGREE

2、OF BACHELOR OF ARTSAT YANAN UNIVERSITYMAY 2011AcknowledgementsI would like to take this chance to express my sincere gratitude to all who have helped me through various way of the writing of this thesis.Firstly, I would show my deepest appreciation to my supervisor, Mr.Ta, for his constant encourage

3、ment and professional guidance. His kindly assistant and valuable suggestions enabled me to complete my thesis smoothly.My gratitude also extends to all the teachers in the School of Foreign Languages Yanan University who have instructed and helped me during my undergraduate years. Lastly, I would l

4、ike to owe my thanks to my classmates who have spent some time in helping me solve the problems during the difficult course of this thesis.AbstractPoliteness is a social phenomenon, generally existing in every language. But due to different cultural background and values, people from different cultu

5、re may have different understandings about politeness, and they deal with politeness in different ways. This thesis aims to research cultural differences between Chinese and British on politeness. The author tries to make a contrastive study of courtesy language on appellation, greetings, parting, t

6、hanks and response, praise and response, and personal affairs between Chinese and British. The author discusses the causes about cultural differences on politeness and proposes how to solve the problem in cultural communication. Language and culture are inseparable. Language is a part of culture, bu

7、t also reflects culture and is a mirror to culture. From the study of courtesy language, the author finds that intercultural communication capability should be improved to avoid misunderstanding in cross-cultural communication. The author thinks that the best way to improve intercultural communicati

8、on is to study Chinese and foreign culture.Key words: culture; politeness; language; cultural difference摘 要 礼貌是一种社会现象，它普遍存在于各国语言中，但由于文化背景、价值观念的差异，人们对礼貌的理解、处理和运用方式不同。本文旨在研究中英礼貌用语的文化差异。文章比较分析了中英礼貌用语在称谓语、招呼语、分别语、致谢语及回答、称赞与及回答、私人话题等六各方面的差异，并探讨了造成礼貌用语文化差异的原因及其解决方法。语言与文化密不可分，语言是文化的一部分，但也反映文化，是文化的一面镜子。作者通过

9、礼貌用语文化差异的对比学习，得出了在跨文化交际中，要避免交流失误，必须提高跨文化交际能力；而要提高跨文化交际能力的一个比较好的方法就是研究学习中外文化。关键词：文化；礼貌；语言；文化差异Introduction We are now in a quite different world from before, which is sometimes referred to as a “global village”. It naturally follows that contact has become more frequent, more abundant and, therefore,

10、 more significant than ever before. China has become an active member of the world community, and her recent entry into the WTO is bound to bring us into more contact with the outside world. Intercultural Communication refers to the different cultural backgrounds, communication between people. As th

11、e frequency between the Chinese and Western intercultural activity day by day, cases of the cultural conflict had happened repeatedly because of differences on concept of value, ethics morality and national customs among various countries. And it often makes many jokes, causes circumstances which ma

12、ke people embarrassed. Now that we will conduct more and more intercultural communication, the problem we are facing is how to do it, and how to do it well. A good knowledge of a foreign language, mainly English the most widely used langusge in the world today, is of course indispensable. And that h

13、ow to use foreign language has become more and more important.Language is the tool for human to pass on information and express emotion. Politeness language is an important part in everyday communication, Often considered an important means to establish a good personal image, and build a good interp

14、ersonal relationship. In cross-cultural communication, in order to promote the smooth conduct of both sides of communication, poliness language is frequently used. However, as different countries have their own different ways of expression and the principle of courtesy in the use of polite language,

15、 inevitable misunderstandings often occur. Therefore, how to master the proper use of polite language in cross-cultural communication is an important issue. In order to avoid misunderstanding in communication, we should learn what is polite language and study how to use it properly in different cont

16、ries, so that communication distance becomes closer.1. Culture and politenessCulture is a term that means many different things to different people. Culture provides us with a system of knowledge that generally allows people to know how to communicate with other members and how to interpret their be

17、haviour. Culture influences our behaviour directly through the norms and rules we use to guide our behaviour when we interact with others.Politeness is the mark of progress of human civilization. Politeness is very important principle and the basic norms in communication, especially in cross-cultura

18、l communication. Politeness is the means to maintain harmony. Good manners of people are the basic conditions for successful communicationBut politeness is constrained by culture, culture influences the politeness. Good manners are very common phenomenon in human culture, Different cultures have dif

19、ferent emphasis and meanings for politeness. Different cultures have a great influence on languages and manners, especially on polite language. Politeness also promote the progress of human civilization and culture.1.1 Culture and elements of culture 1.1.1 Culture“Each country has his or her own cul

20、ture. Culture includes language knowledge, faith, art, morality, law, custom etiquette and it is a tool that individual in society takes over ability.”(Hu wenzhong, 1994: 78). Culture is taken as an integrated system of learned bahavior patterns which are characteristics of the memebers of society a

21、nd which are not the result of boilogical inheritance. Some describes that culture is a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that the members of a society use to cope with their world and with one another.1.1.2 Elements of culture (i) History History is a kind of chart

22、 that guides its member into the future. Like most of the improtant elements of culture, it gets passed on from generation to generation. (ii)Language Language allows the member of the culture to communicate with one another, to share idea, feelings and information, and it is one of the chief method

23、s for the transmission of the culture.Most words, meanings, grammar and syntax bear the identification mark of a special culture. Language is the carrier of culture.(iii)Norms Norms can include the folkways, mores, taboos and rituals in a culture. Norms have great moral significance such as the norm

24、s in folkways which can guide people to bahave properly, and taboos which may persuade people what to do or not to do. Most improtant norms in a culture apply everywhere and at all times, which move a society smoothly.(iv)Values The values of a culture often refer to learned rules for making choices

25、 and for resolving conflicts. Values are broad, abstract concepts which provide guidelines and standards to help determine how people ought to behave in a particular culture. In other words, understanding values is a great help to avoid conflicts, to respect different cultures, and finally to achiev

26、e social harmony.(v)Religion and beliefs All cultures possess a dominant, organized religion with which salient belief and activities like rite rituals ceremonies can be given mening and legitimacy. Because religion is so powerful and pervasive, its impacts can be seen in the entire fabric of a cult

27、ure from business practice to politics, and from individul behavior to collective activities.(vi)Social collectives Social collectives refer to the social groups, organizations, communities, institutions classes, and societies. These units and institutions such as the family, government, schoolsand

28、communities, help the members of the culture organize their lives. These social systems establish communication networks and regulate norms for social development and social progress.(vii)Status and roles A status or a social role is nothing but a passion within a group or society, which gives an ov

29、erall idea of the social structure. This can also include traditional gender-based or age-based roles, which push a society going harmoniously.(viii)Cultural integration The notion of cultural integration includes the degree of harmony or integration within the various elements of culture. This can

30、include elements like sub-cultures, local cultures and the difference between historical and cultural tradition.1.2 Definition of politeness In Oxford Advanced Learners English-Chinese Dictionary, POLITE is defined as “1. Having or showing that one has good manners and consideration for other people

31、; 2. (typical) of a superior class in society; refined.”(Hornby.As. et.al. 2003 1235).Politeness can be understood as a social phenomenon, a means to achieve good interpersonal relationships. Politeness is universal, which is interpretable in various ways, it can be observed as a phenomenon in all c

32、ultures, it is resorted to by speakers of different language as a means to an end, and it is recognized as a norm in all societies. And different culture has different definition of politeness. 1.2.1 Definition of politeness in Chinese In modern Chinese, the equivalent of politeness, limao, is belie

33、ved to have evolved in history from the notion of li. The notion of li originated with the ancient Chinese philosopher and thinker Confucius (B.C. 551-479), who lived at a time when the slavery system had disintegrated and there were constant wars between feudal states; the former aristocratic socia

34、l hierarchy was shattered and chaos reigned over the land. To remedy the situation, Confucius advocated the restoration of li, which referred to the social hierarchy and order of the slave society of the Zhou Dynasty (dating back to 1100 B.C.) To Confucius, it was the model of an ideal society. To r

35、estore li, it was necessary to zhengming (to rectify names), i.e. to put each individual in his place according to his social position. Confucius set much store by zhengming because he thought, if names are not properly rectified, speech cannot be used appropriately, nothing can be achieved; if noth

36、ing is achieved, li cannot be restored. and consequently social order and hierarchy cannot be maintained. The notion of li advocated by Confucius was interpreted, as social appropriacy (sic) with regard to ones social status, by way of self-denigrating andother-respecting. It has ever since become a

37、n essential feature of the Chinese notion of politeness and has remained at the core of politeness in the Chinese culture.Prof. Gu Yueguo, a scholar of Beijing Foreign Studies University, has traced the origin of the notion of politeness in the Chinese culture, and has also formulated a different se

38、t of politeness maxims, which he thinks are more suitable to the Chinese environment.Gu holds that there are basically four notions underlying the Chinese conception of limao: respectfulness, modesty, attitudinal warmth, and refinement. (He Zhaoxiong，1995 28) Respectfulness is self positive apprecia

39、tion or admiration of other concerning the latters face, social status, and so on. Modesty can be seen as another way of saying self-denigration. Attitudinal warmth is self demonstration of kindness, consideration, and hospitality to others, and Refinement refers to self behavior to other which meet

40、s certain standards.1.2.2 Definition of politeness in British Among those in English speaking countries who engage them in the study of politeness for a long time, Lackoff, Brown and Levision and Leech are the outstanding ones. They unanimously conceptualize politeness as stategic conflict avoidance

41、.According to Robin.T. Lackoof(1991), “Politeness is a system of interpersonal relations designed to facilitate interaction by minimizing the potential for conflict and confrontation inherent in all interchange.” Fraster and Nolen (1981) stated that “to be polite is to abide by the rules of the rela

42、tionship”. In Brown and Levinsons terms, politeness is concerned with “face” which is the public self-image that every member in society wants to claim for himself. They view politeness essentially as a complex system for softening face-threatening acts offers politeness as “one of the constraints o

43、n human interaction, whose purpose is to consider others feelings, establish levels of comfort and promote rapport”. This definition not only regards politeness as a constraint on human behavior but also indicates that the constraintsis not only there to reduce friction but no enhance rapport and ha

44、rmony. More recently Ide(1989) saw politeness as “language usage associated with smooth communication” achieved through the use of speakers intentional strategies and expressions confirming to prescribed norms. In the English-speaking culture and the western world in general, politeness has been clo

45、sely related to the behavior typical of a certain social location and a certain social group( Brown.P&S.Levision,1992.).2. Cultural differences between Chinese and British on politenessLanguage, as part of culture, is influenced by culture. So is courtesy language. Different cultures lead to differe

46、nt courtesy. Courtesy language is mainly expressed in the forms of appellation, greeting, parting, thanks and response, praise and response, personal affairs which reflect the different cultures.2.1 AppellationAppellation is an important part of language as well as a language custom and it has much

47、connection with culture. Actually, appellation terms are a language phenomenon and have much national culture features. So, the differences between Chinese and English appellation terms on politeness actually are the differences between both cultures.The Chinese and the English have different appell

48、ation terminology. Chinese traditional family lies on paternity. The seniority must be respected. Age and position in the family hierarchy is very important, thereby kindred is strictly prescribed in the family terms. The appellation terms of the same position in the family hierarchy are differentia

49、ted, including elder brother and younger brother, elder sister and younger sister, fathers elder brother and fathers younger brother, mothers elder sister and mothers younger sister and so on. In the appellation terms of different position in the family hierarchy, eldership can call juniors family n

50、ame and given name, but junior can only call elderships relevant appellation terms. The Chinese tend to abide by the polite principle of depreciating oneself and respecting others to show appropriate respects towards the persons being addressed, otherwise, the addresser may be considered as ill mann

51、ered, ill educated or rude. But in English speaking countries, people have a tendency to follow the reciprocal or symmetrical addressing. Although they are different in age and status, they can call the other directly, namely, their names. In general, Chinese cultures appellation has the following s

52、everal kinds. First, relation appellation, including calls such as “grandfather, grandmother”(爷爷，奶奶), as well as non- relation calls, for example “grandfather, aunt”（爷爷，阿姨） and so on. Second, The name, including the alias, the childhood name, the nickname and so on. In the appellation, you may call

53、the familiar or the intimate persons name or the full name or just “Laowang, xiaolong, lili, abao”（老王，小龙，丽丽，阿宝）and so on. When you call “Surname+gentleman, woman, lady as well as the status title”(姓+先生，女士，小姐以及身份头衔等) and so on，or “Zhanggong, Liulao”（张公，刘老） the relations are official or the linguistic

54、 environment is regular. Third, The general use appellation, referring to “comrade, gentleman, lady, teacher”（同志，先生，女士，老师）and so on. It is used widely in social category for various members names. Fourth, Post, namely symbol occupation or dutys appellation, including calls such as “policeman, postma

55、n”（警察，邮递员）. Last, Zero appellation, referring to “Hello, excuse me”（喂，劳驾） and so on. Comparing with the appellation pattern in Chinese culture, appellation pattern in the British culture mainly has two fundamental modes. One is appellation + surname, for example, Bill Field is called Mister Field. I

56、n a formal setting,adress men as “Mister ”(abbreviated as “Mr.”),married women as “Misses”(abbreviated as “Mrs.), and unmarried women as “Miss”(abbreviated as “Ms.”). Many women in British prefer to be addressed “Ms.”. If the person has an M.D. or ph.D., they are often adressed as “Doctor”(abbreviat

57、ed as “Dr.”), faculty are adressed as “professor”(abbreviated an “prof.”)The other is first name, such as Bill. British will introduce each other by first name, without titles, and occasionally by just the last name. In British, Younger people probably move to first names more than older people, and

58、 those of the same sex move more rapidly than those of the opposite. A common occupation or nationality, or any common experience at all, encourages the rapid use of first names(Hu Wenzhong, 1999: 211.).The appellation presents frequently confusion in the cross-culture communication because the appellation