跨文化交际课件 L 9 V C Sematic Difference

1、Lecture NineVerbal CommunicationLearning ObjectivesWarm-up CasesMeanings of Word Cultural Differences in Denotative Meaning Cultural Differences in Connotative MeaningGeneral IntroductionCulture has an impact on language at various levels. In verbal communication we can find the differences at phone

2、mic, lexical, syntactical, discourse and pragmatic levels. Especially, at the lexical, discourse and pragmatic levels, there are numerous examples concerning intercultural communication. Part One Warm-up CasesCase 1 Shoes for Street WalkingA shoe store in Rome had a sign in front of the shop to attr

3、act customers: Shoes for street walking. Come in and have a fit. When some English-speaking tourists saw this sign, they laughed. WHY?Case AnalysisBecause these two terms have different connotations in two cultures. Thats why the English tourists who knew the connotations laughed. A street walker: m

4、eans pedestrian in Italian Culture; while it means prostitute in English-speaking cultureHave a fit: means to have a try in Italian; while its defined as to become suddenly and violently angry or upset in EnglishCase 2 A Misunderstanding Caused by a Joke Roger was the Personnel Executive of a large

5、American multinational firm. He attended a party which his employees from America and Brazil also took part in. He met Rosalina, a Brazilian woman whom he had known for some time, he felt easy and told jokes. Rosalina wanted to introduce her good friend to go to Rogers firm, Roger smiled and replied

6、, “OK, but I just hope I dont get hustled. ” His remarks made Rosalina upset and never spoke to him any more. Case Analysishustle: 1. the literal meaning of hustle is to push or force sb. in a harsh way e.g. hustle into agreeing2. Slang and idiomatic expression of hustle means to engage in prostitut

7、ion or romance/sex is hintedThe case reminds foreign language learners that they should pay special attention to the slang and idiomatic expressions used by native speakers. Meanings will vary depending on the context which can be hard for foreigner language learners to comprehend.Case 3 Look OutA f

8、oreign student heard someone yelling “Look out!”, so he stuck his head out of the window. Just then a board hurled down from above, narrowly missing him. He looked up angrily. There is a man on the roof doing repairs. “Didnt you hear me call Look out ?”he demanded. “Yes, that is what I did.” the stu

9、dent replied. Case AnalysisLook out: 1. put ones head out of a window 2. be vigilant or prepared 3. have or afford a specified outlook The student comprehended the phrase “look out” as putting ones head out of a window in order to find something happening. While the repairer called “look out ” in a

10、loud voice in order to alert the people to pay attention to the thrown board. Different people will have different understandings at different time and at the different contexts.Warm-up Cases From the above three cases, we can see that a word can elicit many meanings. If the sender and the receiver

11、attribute different meanings to the same word or use different words though intending the same meaning, misunderstanding often occurs. In a word, the meanings of words are not in words themselves but in the minds of the sender and the receiver. Meanings of WordsPart TwoTypes of Lexical Meaning Words

12、 are the basic units of meaning. Understanding the meanings of words is critical to the sharing of meanings conveyed in verbal communications. The diversity of meanings suggests that words not only mean different things to different people but can also mean different things at different time and in

13、different contexts.Types of Lexical Meaning I. Many words have two layers of meanings: (1) Denotative meaning: is the conceptual meaning of the word that designates or describes things, events or process, etc. It is the primary, explicit meaning given in the definition of a word in a dictionary. Mos

14、t science words have denotative meanings. (2)Connotative meaning: refers to extended meanings or associated meanings. It is the implicit, supplementary value which is added to the purely denotative meaning . e.g. words in poems or works often have connotative meanings.Mother: (1)denotative meaning:

15、the female parent(2)connotative meaning: maternal love, care, motherland, tendernessTypes of Lexical MeaningII. The meaning of words is personal as well as cultural. (1) Each individual has his own sphere of experience. His connotations of certain words may be based on his unique experience. (2) Mea

16、ning are culture specific. People of the same culture may share a lot in physical environment, customs, traditions and other cultural heritage, they tend to have the similar understanding of a word and associative meanings. e.g. People from Arctic area and East Asia have different understanding of t

17、he word “snow”II. Meanings of Words 1. Various meanings One word may not only mean different things to different people but also can imply different meanings at different time and in different contexts, for example different countries will have different levels to judge the woman “attractive” Arabia

18、ns: 250-pound beautiful woman Italians: 170-pound slim lady Americans: 110-pound skinny lovely girl II. Meanings of Words 2. Try to manage the words in order, according to their denotative meaning and connotative meaning . skinny frank well-built slender blunt plump insolent thin fat II. Meanings of

19、 Words Denotative meaning Group One: skinny slender thin Group Two: frank blunt insolent Group Three: well-built fat plump II. Meanings of Words Connotative meaning Group One: I am well-built/ frank/ slender. (positive) Group Two: You are plump/blunt/thin. (neutral ) Group Three: He is fat/ insolent

20、/skinny. (negative)When we talk about keeping to ones opinion and not changing it, we can say:I am firm. (a positive quality)You are obstinate. (implying criticism)He is a pig-headed fool. (an insult)II. Meanings of WordsMeanings of Words Both denotations and connotations are used in interpersonal c

21、ommunication. The understanding of meanings depends on the extent or degree to which the listener and speaker share the utterance meanings attributed to the employed codes. Cultural differences in lexical meaning occur on both levels of denotative meaning and connotative meaning. Cultural Difference

22、s in Denotative MeaningPart ThreeI. Absence of referent in the speakers or listeners languages 1. Each culture creates certain vocabulary to describe its unique physical and social environments as well as the activities. The following words just like, “节气，经络， 太极，功夫，嫦娥奔月” can only be made sense to th

23、e Chinese. I. Absence of referent in the speakers or listeners languages2. The absence of certain objects, events, concepts or states in one culture will naturally result in the absence of the necessary vocabulary to refer to them. The following words can only be made sense to westerners, for they a

24、re quite foreign to most Chinese. “Privacy”, “Parliament”, “Motel”, “Hostel” etc. I. Absence of referent in the speakers or listeners languages 3. One word exists in one language not in another. e.g. “Carder” Chinese expression “干部” , which means the leader or the manager in the dictionary, is most

25、commonly mistaken to mean “cadre” in English. In English dictionary, it is not a common word, sometimes it is substituted by official, functionary, administrator, etc. I. Absence of referent in the speakers or listeners languages3. One word exists in one language not in another “Social Sciences” Chi

26、nese for “Social Science” covers all the fields except the ones in the natural sciences and applied sciences. It would be same to “the humanities” in English: language, literature, philosophy, etc., which is the branch of learning dealing mainly with the cultural aspects of civilization. II. Overlap

27、ping of denotative meaning In addition to total equivalence of words and absence of equivalents in denoting certain referents, cultures also overlap in the denotation of certain vocabulary. Chinese, English have a general term for “snow” , while Eskimos have more than a hundred words to express snow

28、 just like falling snow, snow on the ground, fluffy snow, wet snow etc. Semantic differences between English and Chinese wordsPart FourI. Words with same denotation but different connotations1. Animals Words(1) DragonIn Chinese culture, “dragon” is a totem with many royal association, such as “活龙活现”

29、， “龙子龙孙”，“龙的传人”，“龙凤呈祥”， “龙腾虎跃”，“龙心大喜” In the western culture, “Dragon” means horrible, disgusting monster.I. Words with same denotation but different connotations1. Animals Words(2) OwlIn Chinese, the owl is a symbol of bad luck, like proverb “夜猫子进宅，好事不来”（If the owl comes at night, misfortune will f

30、ollow.）In English, the owl is associated with wisdom, as in the saying “As wise as an owl”I. Words with same denotation but different connotations1. Animals Words(3) dogIn Chinese, dogs have negative connotations, therefore Chinese use it in a derogatory way, just like, “狼心狗肺”， “狗仗人势”，“狗急跳墙”.In Engl

31、ish, people give dog much positive connotation as faithful, caring, like “Love me, love my dog.”I. Words with same denotation but different connotations2. Color Words(1) yellowIn Chinese, the word “黄色” carries the meaning of obscene , just like “黄色电影”， “黄色书刊”In English, the word “yellow is associate

32、d with the state of being cowardly, just like “yellow-belied”, “yellow streak”.I. Words with same denotation but different connotations2. Color Words(2) redIn Chinese, word “红” is associated with happiness, good luck, celebration, flourish, etc. Many Chinese businessmen hope to make a good beginning

33、 “开门红”and share the profit bonus “分红利”.In English , westerners tend to associate redness with something dangerous, threatening, cruelty or blooding and with communist. II. Words with connotations in one language but none in the other 1. Number Words In Chinese, six , eight and nine are considered lu

34、cky numbers, since their homophones have auspicious meanings. Six: implies that everything will go smoothly. Eight: means to make a great fortune. Nine: associates with the meaning of everlasting. In English, number 13 is most unwelcome because of its connection with the “Last Supper” of Jesus Chris

35、t. II. Words with connotations in one language but none in the other2. Plant WordsIn Chinese, people consider themselves part of nature and keep harmony with nature. Pine tree, bamboo and plum blossom are embodied with connotationsof uprightness, perseverance, endurance and loftiness. In English, th

36、e plant words as pine tree, bamboo and plum blossom have no Connotations. II. Words with connotations in one language but none in the other 3. Intellectual In Chinese, “intellectual” means those people including teachers, students, doctors, engineers or interpreters who have had good education, the

37、coverage of the word is great, however, it once had derogatory meaning 臭老九in Chinese Cultural Revolution. In western culture, it only refers to the people with high academic status such as professors, scientists etc, which covers smaller range of people. It has complimentary connotation.III. One wor

38、d with many equivalents in another In referring to animals and birds, the Chinese practice is generally, but not always, to use “公or “母” to show whether a creature is male or female. In English, more specific terms are often used, including terms for the young. III. One word with many equivalents in anotherGeneric termName for maleName for femaleName for the youngchickenduckgoosehorse