On the Cultural Connotation of English Idioms英语专业毕业论文.doc

Contents1. Introduction12. The Understanding of English Idioms12.1 The Conception of the Word "Idiom"22.2 The Features of Idioms22.2.1 Conciseness and Extended Meaning22.2.2 Popularity32.2.3 Explosive Vitality32.3 Classification of Idioms32.3.1 Colloquialisms32.3.2 Proverbs42.3.3 Slang42.3.4 Allusions42.3.5 Phrasal Verbs43. The Importance of Researching Idioms43.1 To Master Language Well43.2 To Learn the Culture of English-speaking Countries53.3 To Promote Cross-cultural Communication in the World54. Sources and Culture of English Idioms54.1 Idioms Originating from Historic Events and Their Reflected Culture.64.2 Idioms Originating from Geography and Their Reflected Culture74.3 Idioms Originating from Economy and Their Reflected Culture84.4 Idioms Originating from Religion and Their Reflected Culture84.5 Idioms Originating from Literary Works and Their Reflected Culture94.6 Idioms Related to Sport and Their Reflected Culture104.7 Idioms Related to Animals Features and Their Reflected Culture104.8 Idioms Originating from Food and Their Reflected Culture115. The Development of Idioms116. Conclusion12Bibliography13On the Cultural Connotation of English Idioms1. Introduction Idioms are a colorful and fascinating aspect of English. They are commonly used in all types of languages, formal and informal, written and spoken. They are vivid in usage, brief in structure and profound in meaning. It makes language more colorful, more alive. If used correctly, these kinds of expressions can be very impressive. It is a group of words with meaning different from the literal one; therefore, it is difficult to understand idioms just from their literal meaning of individual elements. Idioms have short and brief words and connotative meaning. They reflect the specific cultural characteristic and cultural implication, which show development and evolution of English nation, they mirror the social life style and people's value of English speaking country. A good mastery of idioms becomes a significant symbol of a person's command of the language. However, because of a low level of linguistic competence in the target language, people who learn English as a second language are at a distinct disadvantage in understanding English idioms. We must know the origins of English so that we can learn English well. English idioms have many origins among which ancient legends, historical events and religions are given much space in discussion. As to the forms of idioms, proverbs and slang, which are often neglected in other books, are also taken into consideration. The origin of idioms is confined in a small number of people. If other people know little about it, they may have difficulties in understanding it.As we all know, Language is closely related to culture and can be said as a part of culture. From a dynamic view, language and culture interact with each other and shape each other. Language is the carrier of culture which in turn is the content of language. We can dig out cultural features from language and explain language phenomena with culture. Consequently, we can know much about culture through studying idioms and in turn get better understanding of idioms by learning the cultural background behind them. In this paper, I'm going to briefly show the source and culture implication of English idioms. It enables us to have an exact understanding of English idioms and to use them correctly.2. The Understanding of English IdiomsAn English idiom is a group of words with a special meaning different from the meaning of its constituent element. Strictly speaking, idioms are expressions which are not readily understandable from their literal meaning of individual elements. In a broad sense, idiom may include set phrases, two-part allegorical sayings, allusions, proverbs, maxims, epigrams, slang expressions colloquialisms, quotations and jargons. They form an important part of English vocabulary.2.1 The Conception of the Word "Idiom"The definition is various in different dictionaries. They are as follows:a. phrase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit (Oxford Advanced Learner's English-Chinese Dictionary ) b. a fixed group of words with a special different meaning from the separate words. (Longmam Dictionary of English Idioms)c. a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements (American Heritage Dictionary)d. a group of words in a fixed order that have a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word understood on its own (Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)2.2 The Features of Idioms The definition of idiom reveals its feature: the meaning of idiom can not be seen literarily. The meaning of it is not a complex of each word. If readers learn idiom from every word of it, they can get the meaning of each word, but they can not comprehend the whole idiom. Idioms are different from the free phrases, in which the meaning can be guessed from their components. It brings people some difficulties to learn it. As the fine flower of the language, idioms play a very important part in English; it is the wisdom and strength of the people because of its conciseness, popularity, and explosive vitality.2.2.1 Conciseness and Extended MeaningAs we all know that an idiom is an element of a language that possesses a unique way of expression based on its time-honored use. Generally speaking, it can express a meaning with very few simple and unrelated words. Just like "hang in" means "never give up" the idiom "green hand", meaning "an inexperienced person", has nothing to do with either the green color or the human hand；"red meat", refers to beef or lamb rather than any meat that is red in color.2.2.2 PopularitySince the specialty of idioms, they become very popular in both oral English and written English. The English-speaking people will prefer to use the idioms to express themselves, rather than the Long-winded words, for it can show the literary grace of the speaker and make the speech vivacious. For example, they will prefer to say "I am as angry as a bear" instead of "I am very angry" and “I have ants in my pants" instead of " I am agitated or excited about something and can't keep still."2.2.3 Explosive VitalitySince idioms have tight relationships with people's work and lives, it can be created very lively. As we all know that England is an island country, so it cherishes water very much. Then in English, it has such an idiom as "spend money like water". While Chinese people mainly live in the inland, so there is the Chinese equivalence" spend money like soil". One more example is that, when we mention the idiom "skeleton in the cupboard", we are perhaps impressed by the frightening scene without catching what it really means, yet if paraphrased into family scandal, everyone can understand it.2.3 Classification of IdiomsIdioms can be classified from different criterion. There are a variety of criteria for classifying English idioms. However, the criterion I want to point out in this article is mainly in terms of the cultural style. By this criterion, English idioms may be classified into five groups: colloquialisms, proverbs, slang, allusions and phrasal verbs.2.3.1 ColloquialismsColloquialisms are oral words or expressions used in daily conversation. For example, "The washing machine is on the blink.", "on the blink" is a kind of colloquialism, means "not working properly; out of order”; “big wheel", means "an influential or important person".2.3.2 ProverbsProverbs are short, implied sayings in frequent and widespread use that express a basic truth or practical precept. For instance, "A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit." "Do as they do at Rome." "Bitter pills may have wholesome effects." 2.3.3 SlangSlang is a kind of language occurring chiefly in casual and playful speech, made up typically of short-lived coinages and figures of speech that are deliberately used in place of standard terms for added raciness, humor, irreverence, or other effect. Slang enjoys popular use, because it is colorful, blunt, expressive and impressive. "Dough and bread", for instance, means "money". 2.3.4 AllusionsAllusions are often used where the more general terms reference would be preferable. Allusions apply to indirect references in which the source is not specifically identified. For example, "the Trojan horse", comes from the historical story of Trojan War; "a Sphinx riddle", among which, "Sphinx" is from Greek Mythology , means "A winged creature having the head of a woman and the body of a lion, noted for killing those who could not answer its riddle."2.3.5 Phrasal VerbsPhrasal verbs are idioms which are composed of a verb plus a preposition and/or a particle. For example, "get away with", means "do something wrong without being punished" "put down to", means "state that something is caused or explained by" "look into", means "investigate".3. The Importance of Researching Idioms3.1 To Master Language WellIdiom is an essential part of language, language items, it appears in a colloquial style, or in a formal style, or even in slang. It can be very short or rather long. Many idioms are treated on the basis of alliteration, rhyme, euphony and repetition. Idioms are hard to learn because their meanings are unpredictable and their patterns may be unusual. Their proper use is often a mark of one's command of English. It's worthwhile for people to make efforts to learn them well. A right use of them in speech and writing will add much to variety, strength and vividness of language. 3.2 To Learn the Culture of English-speaking Countries In a broad sense, whatever distinguishes man from the rest of the world is culture. Culture is human-specific and it is a social phenomenon. Culture is an extremely complex concept and an enormous subject. It embraces almost everything in the world, whether material or spiritual. Language is a very special component of culture, and culture can only be preserved by means of language handed down from generation to generation. So language is the cornerstone of culture. Language directly reflects the reality of culture. All kinds of idioms are important parts of the English language and English culture. Correctly using English idioms helps us to learn about more culture of English-speaking country.3.3 To Promote Cross-cultural Communication in the WorldLanguage plays an important role in communicating with others. There may be a gap between one and another with different cultural background. It's one of the best ways for people to know the culture of different countries through learning idioms. The correctly using of idioms helps them to communicate well with others. There are some people who learn the idioms from the literal meaning, so they often meet some embarrassment, but if they learn it well, the embarrassment will be cancelled. There are so many jokes made by idioms and their false understanding, so it is useful for English learners to learn something about English speaking counties' culture and to communicate with each others.4. Sources and Culture of English IdiomsWhy can people not get the meaning of idioms literarily? People may find the answer through researching on the origins and culture of idioms. The origin of idioms is the place where the idiom comes from and the time when it is used for the first time. It's lively. From it, people know more about its culture such as historic events, literary masterpieces, the religious beliefs, mythologies, ancient fables, anecdotes, seafaring, daily life, animal habitual behaviors, etc. Idioms best mirror the national characteristics embodied in a language and are thus always rich in cultural connotation and national flavor. Lots of cultural information is embedded in idioms. As Jia Xiuzhen mentioned in her thesis Cultural Connotation of English Idioms, Cultures shape languages. Cultures shape man's thinking. The most vigorous part in a language is idioms. It is no exaggeration to say that language is the life-blood of culture and that culture is the track along which language forms and develops. As a part of language, idioms should be learnt from culture background, and from idioms, people can know much about culture too. People can know well about idioms and use them concretely by knowing the culture of idioms. In view of it, it is necessary for Chinese to learn English idioms well. The correctly using of idioms helps them to communicate well with others.4.1 Idioms Originating from Historic Events and Their Reflected Culture.The idioms, may come from historic stories, it is a record keeper of a nation's history. Idioms from historic culture are the gems of human cultural heritage. Britain as an ancient country passes a long history, which mainly comprises allusion, myths, poem, ancient books and records etc. t is worthwhile for us to learn them well. English idioms have their legends and anecdotes about historical figures which have provided rich and varied materials, and consequently give a national color to the idioms. In most language, people embellish their speech or writing with references to characters or events from their history, that is to say, idiomatic expressions are closely related to a country's history. English has a history more than one thousand years and has some idioms coming from historical events. (1) "to meet one's Waterloo" means : be finally and crushingly defeated in a contest, especially after a period of success. It is involved with Napoleon and the breakdown of his empire. In history, Waterloo is the place where Napoleon was ultimately beaten by Wellington and Blucher in 1815. (2) "a Trojan horse" means a disguised means of introducing something harmful or disadvantageous. It originated from the large wooden horse filled with armed men, which when taken into their city by the Trojans as a gift, enabled the Greek to complete their siege of Troy. (3) "jump a claim" means "to rob things that are owned by others". It comes to be used in the history of America. The Americans robbed the land with force owned by others with the excuse that the owners have given it up or the owners have not used it properly. 4.2 Idioms Originating from Geography and Their Reflected CultureLanguage is a reflection of a countrys natural environment. Geographical environment plays an important role in shaping one country's culture and human beings have no choices and opacities to change the geography. As a result, idioms based on geographical features appear differences between different countries. Britain is an island country, so British have a special pa