L 10 V C Idiom, Proverb.ppt

1、Lecture 10,Verbal Communication,Learning Objectives,By the end of this lecture, students should be able to : 1. understand the cultural reflections on idioms. 2. grasp the influence of culture on proverbs. 3. discuss the features of English idioms. 4. make a research on Chinese idioms. 5. study the

2、differences of Chinese and English proverbs.,General introduction,Idioms, proverbs and sayings are an important part of the language and culture of a society. They are hard to understand, and harder to use correctly. The proper use in a language is often a mark of a persons command of the language.

3、Speech or writing without them lacks color and is uninteresting, but overuse or improper use makes the language sound affected and unnatural.,Part One,Idiom,I. Definition of idiom,An idiom is a fixed phrase with its own meaning which has to be learned. Idioms differ from ordinary phrases by their te

4、ndency to be frozen in form, and they must be entered into our mental dictionaries as single items.,II. Functions of idioms,English has a long history, it contains a large quantity of idioms, some are humorous, and others are serious. They are not only concise and to the point, but also vivid and ef

5、fective. 1. Idioms serve various functions: expression, interaction and understanding. 2. Idioms can give us insights into another nations language and culture.,III. Uses of idioms,When we use idioms, we shouldnt take the meaning literally or simply, or just translate it into ones own language witho

6、ut a thorough understanding. We must get deep insight from cultural perspective by analyzing various kinds of idioms.,IV. Scope of Idioms,Idioms can be single-word, or multiword; they include not only traditional idioms, ranging from phrases, sayings, slangs and proverbs, but also what is called hab

7、itual collocations. Idioms are an important and indispensable part of the language.,V. Categorizations of idioms,Idioms can be divided into 3 groups: 1. pure idiom: is a type of conventionalized, non-literal multi-word expression e.g. full of beans: be energetic 2. semi-idiom: has one or more litera

8、l constituents and at least one with a non-literal sub-sense. e.g. foot the bill: pay the bill 3. literal idiom: :have the combined meanings of their constituents. e.g. no pains, no gains.,VI. Features of idioms,1. An idiom must be well-established and accepted through common practice. In general, n

9、o element in the idiom can be changed without destroying the sense as a whole. 2. An idiom has an implied meaning. It cant be interpreted only according to its literal meaning.,VII. Practice,1.rain cats and dogs 2.put ones foot in his mouth 3.face the music 4.play the game,VII. Practice,1.rain cats

10、and dogs 2.put ones foot in his mouth 3.face the music 4.play the game,VII. Practice,1.rain cats and dogs - rain very heavily 2.put ones foot in his mouths/put his wallet in his coat- someone blunders by saying something he shouldnt have done 3.face the music-realize the mistake; to accept the criti

11、cism,unpleasant consequence. 4.play the game- to do something in a fair and honorable way.,Part Two,English and Chinese Idioms,I. English Idioms,English idiom includes : 1. idiomatic phrases, which has 3 kinds: (1) phraseological collocation: e.g. as busy as a bee (2) phraseological unity: e.g. to w

12、ash ones dirty linen in public 家丑外扬 (3) phraseological fusion: e.g. (to make) a mountain out of a molehill小题大做 2. proverbial sayings: e.g. Union is strength. Look before you leap. 3. slang expressions: e.g. behind the eight ball 陷入困境,II. Chinese Idioms,Chinese idioms can be roughly divided into: 1.

13、成语:（set phrases)狼吞虎咽wolf down; 翻天覆地earth-shaking 2. 俗语: (common saying)这山望见那山高；一个巴掌拍不响 3. 谚语： （proverb）良药苦口利于病，忠言逆耳利于行 4. 歇后语：（a two-part allegorical saying）老鼠过街，人人喊打 擀面杖吹火，一窍不通（know nothing about sth.） 5. 粗俗语: (vulgar expression) 兔崽子：son of bitch,III. Translating Idioms,III. Translating Idioms,III.

14、 Translating Idioms,III. Translating Idioms,III. Translating Idioms,III. Translating Idioms,IV. Idioms from the Bible,IV. Idioms from the Bible,V. Animal and Idioms,Many animals are often associated with certain qualities in both cultures. They have become a kind of symbolism in peoples thinking and

15、 this symbolism is reflected in the language. But because of different history and culture, the connotations of animal words in one language dont necessarily coincide with those in another. Lets talk about the connotation of the animal words.,V. Animal and Idioms,V. Animal and Idioms,V. Animal and I

16、dioms,1. Horse around: play nosily 2. Horse and horse: shoulder by shoulder 3. Horse and foot: do ones best 4. Chicken heart: timid 5. Chicken comes home to roast: receive the punishment 6. Cute chick: beautiful girl 7. Mother hen: careful, considerable mother 8. Rain dogs and cats: rain heavily 9.

17、Cat-monkey trick: trick with benefits 10. Cats and dogs life”: miserable life 11. Queer cat, fat cat=person 12. Let the cat out of the bag: disclose the secret,III. Idioms with animals,13. Big dog, lucky dog, sly dog, top dog=person 14. Every dog has its day: every person will succeed some day. 15.T

18、o help a lame dog over the stile. To help the person in the difficulty 16.Dog-eat-dog: person eats person, cruel world 17. Dogs breakfast: awful breakfast 18.Let sleep dog lie: not to disturb others. 19. Love me, love my dog. Love me all 20. Sheep and goat: good person and bad person 21. Sheeps eyes

19、: dancing eyes,V. Animal and Idioms,I. Fill in the blanks with suitable animal words 1.as busy as _ 7. as happy as_ 2.as cunning as _ 8. as foolish as_ 3.as strong as_ 9. as stubborn as_ 4.as slippery as_ 10.as wise as_ 5.as blind as_ 11.as majestic as_ 6.as meek as_ 12.as stupid as_,Keys,1. bee 2.

20、fox 3. horse 4. eel 5.bat 6.lamb 7.lark 8.donkey 9.mule 10. owl 11.lion 12.goose,VI. Sports and Idioms,Part Three,Proverbs,General introduction,Proverbs may provide interesting glimpses or clues to a peoples geography, history, social organization, social views, etc. They can also show the similarit

21、ies of human experiences and observations of both English and Chinese cultures. However, since culture is powerful in giving a language its characteristics, the dissimilarities are naturally more apparent. Chinese proverbs without commonly known English equivalents are too numerous.,I. Definition of

22、 Proverb,Proverbs are those popular short sayings containing words of advice or warning, they are an important part of the language and culture of a society.,II. Features of English Proverbs,Occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of two or more words in succession. (1) Practice make

23、s perfect. 实践出真知 (2) Forewarned is forearmed. 凡事预则立. (3) Forgive or forget. 不念旧恶 (4) Spare the rod and spoil the child.不打不成器. (5) A miss is as good as mile.失之毫厘，谬以千里 (6)Waste not, want not.不用不喊 (7) Manners make the man.观其礼而知其人,1. Alliteration:头韵,II. Features of English Proverbs,2. Rhyme 节奏 To put wo

24、rds together to form a rhyme (sameness of sound between words or syllables ). (1) Little strokes fell great oaks.百里之堤，溃于蚁穴 (2) A little learning is a dangerous thing.一知半解 (3) Haste makes waste.欲速则不达。 (4) Health is better than wealth.健康胜于财富 (5) Make a little makes a mickle. 积少成多 (6) What soberness co

25、nceals, drunkenness reveals.酒后吐真言 (7) A hedge between keeps friendship.君子之交淡如水 (8) Expectation is better than realization.期待总比现实美。 (9) No pains, no gains. 没有付出，没有收获,II. Features of English Proverbs,3. Balanced structure平衡 (1) In for a penny, in for a pound.一不做二不休 (2) Art is long, life is short.人生有涯艺无涯 (3) First come, first served.先来先得 (4) Two is com