Cultural Differences of Chinese and English Color Words颜色词的中英文文化差异.doc

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1、Cultural Differences of Chinese and English Color WordsABSTRACTLanguage is a kind of social phenomenon and is the carrier of culture. Almost every language has color words, including Chinese and English. However, the words to describe colors differ from one language to another because of different c

2、ustoms, polities, religious beliefs etc. Different colors bring different symbolic meanings which have unique characteristics in each nation. As a result, it may lead to misunderstanding and even violate the taboos. The main purpose of this paper is to compare the differences between Chinese and Eng

3、lish color words in terms of word building, history, politics, economy and daily usage to help people to have a better understanding of different cultures and to bridge the gap between different cultures in communication and to facilitate cultural exchange.Keywords: color word culture differences po

4、litics history daily usage颜色词的中英文文化差异摘 要语言是一种社会现象，也是文化的载体。几乎每种语言都会有颜色词，中文和英语也不例外。但因民族历史文化、政治背景、宗教和习俗等因素的影响，中英文化语言中色彩词用法各异。不同的颜色观会引伸出不同的颜色象征意义。象征意义在不同民族语言中有其独特的特点，由于文化的差异往往会造成颜色词的误解，甚至触犯禁忌。本文主要从构词法、历史、政治、经济和日常用法这几个角度对比中英文颜色词的差异,以更好地帮助人们理解中英语言颜色词的不同文化内涵，达到更有效地交际的目的，促进文化的交流。关键词: 颜色词 文化差异 政治 历史 日常用语CONT

5、ENTSAbstract摘要 1Introduction 11.1 Purpose of writing this paper 11.2 Definition of color, culture and their relationship 11.3 The importance of understanding color words 22 The similarities between Chinese and English color words 42.1 word-building 42.1.1 Degree adjective +color word 42.1.2 Color wo

6、rd + suffix 52.1.3 Color word + color word 52.1.4 Something + color word 52.2 Color and Career 52.2.1 Color words and career in western countries 52.2.2 Color words and career in China 63. Differences between English and Chinese color words 73.1 Color words and history 73.2 Color words and politics

7、93.3 Color words and economy 93.4 Color words and daily usage 11 4. The common misunderstanding of color words 17 5. Conclusion 19 References 20 Acknowledgements 211 Introduction1.1 Purpose of writing this paperLanguage is a kind of social phenomenon and is the carrier of culture. Almost every langu

8、age has color words. Scientific research indicates that seven million kinds of colors can be found in the world. Peoples actual life is closely related to colors. There are many color expressions, which reflect different cultural psychologies and emotional colorings both in Chinese and English. Diff

9、erent color concept brings different symbolic meanings which have unique characteristics in each nation. However, the words to describe the colors differ from one language to another for certain reasons such as customs of different nations, background of the polity, religious beliefs, history, mode

10、of thinking, aesthetic temperament and expressions of customs. Sometimes it is even difficult to find equivalent expression in another language. As a result, some are misapprehended due to the misunderstanding of culture which sometimes lead to embarrassment, and even worse, violate the taboos. The

11、main purpose of this paper is to compare the differences between Chinese and English color words in terms of word building, history, politics, economy and daily usage and give some suggestion to help English learner to avoid cultural misunderstanding and facilitate cultural exchange.1.2 Definition o

12、f color, culture and their relationshipColor is the byproduct of the spectrum of light, as it is reflected or absorbed, as received by the human eyes and processed by the human brain. It is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, yellow, blue, black, etc.

13、 Color derives from the spectrum of light (distribution of light energy versus wavelength) interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors. Color categories and physical specifications of color are also associated with objects, materials, light sources, etc., based on t

14、heir physical properties such as light absorption, reflection, or emission spectra. That is the definition of color in the dictionary. However, the color I talk here is not merely its original meaning, but also refers to the culture of different nations. Color words, in whatever languages, are used

15、for describing the colors of different kinds of things. The statistics show that there are more than 7 million kinds of colors that can be recognized in the nature. However, the color names in the language are very limited because there are only dozens of colors expressed in single-morpheme word. Be

16、sides indicating their specific colors, such as red, yellow, white, black, blue, green, grey, pink, brown, purple and orange and so on, they also reflect the different cultural connotations in different languages.Culture in its broadest sense is cultivated behavior; that is the totality of a persons

17、 learned, accumulated experience which is socially transmitted, or more briefly, behavior through social learning. Culture is also a way of life of a group of people-the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by comm

18、unication and imitation from one generation to the next. It refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a

19、group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.Changes in the meaning of color words are determined by the culture, of which the substantial content is in turn reflected by the cultural meaning. Many English and Chinese color words differ in meaning owing to diffe

20、rent cultural content, tradition, psychology, and the cultural connotation differences are likely to cause errors in comprehension and expression. Because of the spread of the modern science and technology and exchange of ideology and culture, the modern views on the color of various nationalities a

21、re reaching unanimity. However, it is in virtue of the factor of culture that different national languages still have a different view of the color. Color exists objectively in the nature, that is to say, it is unchanged in view of different language corresponding vocabularies.1.3 The importance of

22、understanding color wordsColor plays a major role in the lives of almost everyone. Color words help us to understand the world around, like our sense of taste and smell. Being able to accurately describe a specific color is important to being able to communicate an idea. Color words are frequently u

23、sed both in Chinese and English. A lot of color words are produced under special historical and geographical background. If we do not understand these color words, their social custom and cultural background, it would be hard for us to communicate with each other. It is very important for us to gras

24、p the difference between the literal meaning and associative meaning. The basic color words in English such as red, yellow, white, black, not only express the colors of objective things, but also the subjective things. The same terms of color in two languages may have different cultural association.

25、 It would be hard for us to communicate with each other. In cross-cultural communication, without understanding these cultures, we will probably run into obstacles or make fun of ourselves in communication. It is very important for us to grasp the difference between the literal meaning and associati

26、ve meaning. Moreover, it is practically useful to know and study the differences, thus promoting the cultural communication. This article focuses on discussing the similarities and differences of color words in different cultural fields to help people to have a better understanding of different cult

27、ures and to bridge the gap between different cultures in communication and promote and strengthen cultural exchanges among countries smoothly.2 Similarities between English and Chinese color words2.1 Word buildingThe word-building of English and Chinese color words are similar in many aspects.2.1.1

28、Degree adjective + color word(1) Indicating the strong color:In English, it expresses as “deep/dark + color words”In Chinese, it expresses as “深” + color words”E.g.: English: deep blue; deep green; dark brown; dark redChinese: 深蓝色、深绿色、深褐色、深红色(2) Indicating the light color:In English, it expresses as

29、 : “light/pale + color words”In Chinese, it expresses as : “浅/淡/ + color words”E.g.:English: light yellow; light blue; pale grey; pale whiteChinese: 浅（淡）黄色、浅蓝色、浅灰色、淡白色(3) Indicating the bright color：In English, it expresses as : “Bright/rich/vivid + color words”In Chinese, it expresses as : “鲜/大/亮 +

30、 color words”E.g.:English: bright/rich/vivid red; bright/rich/vivid yellowChinese: 鲜/大/亮红色、鲜/大/亮黄色(4) Indicating the dark color:In English, it expresses as : “dull/dirty + color words”In Chinese, it expresses as : “暗/灰/漆 + color words”E.g.:English: dull yellow; dull gold; dirty grey; dirty white; du

31、ll blackChinese: 暗黄色、暗金黄色、暗灰色、灰白色, 漆黑2.1.2 Color word + suffix Indicating the different shades of the color: In English, it expresses as “color words + suffix”In Chinese, there is no corresponding structureE.g.:English: whitish, yellowish; reddish, bluely, golden, rosyChinese: 微白的、微黄的、微红的、蓝色的、金黄的、玫瑰

32、红的2.1.3 Color word + color wordIndicating the mixture of the color:In English it expresses as: color word + color wordIn Chinese it expresses also as: color word + color wordE.g.:English: yellow green, purple black, green black, blue green，grey blackChinese: 黄绿色、紫黑色、墨绿色、蓝绿色、黑灰色2.1.4 Something + colo

33、r wordIndicating the color which is similar with something:In English it expresses as: something + color wordIn Chinese it expresses also as: something + color wordE.g.: English: apple green, lemon yellow, milk white, sky blueChinese: 苹果绿、柠檬黄、牛奶白、天蓝2.2 Color and career 2.2.1 Color words and career i

34、n western countriesIn most western countries, especially in the United States, people often use color to describe ones job, they add different color to the collar to distinguish various jobs. White collar The term white-collar worker refers to a salaried professional or an educated worker who perfor

35、ms semi-professional office, administrative and sales coordination tasks and the like.Blue collar Blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who performs manual labor and earns an hourly wage. Blue-collar workers are distinguished from those in the service sector and from white-collar worke

36、rs, whose jobs are not considered manual labor. Blue-collar work may be skilled or unskilled, and may involve manufacturing, mining, building and construction trades, teaching, mechanical work, maintenance, repair and operations maintenance or technical installations.Gold collar Gold-collar worker (

37、GCW) is a neologism which has been used to describe either young, high-wage workers who invest in conspicuous luxury (often with parental support), or highly-skilled knowledge workers, traditionally classified as white collar, but who have recently become essential enough to business operations as t

38、o warrant a new classification.Pink collarPink collar worker is pertaining to employees in predominately female service industry, service industries. Green collar A green-collar worker is a worker who is employed in the environmental sectors of the economy, or in the agricultural sector. Environment

39、al green-collar workers satisfy the demand for green development. Green collar workers include professionals such as conservation movement workers, environmental consultants, environmental or biological systems engineers.2.2.2 Color words and careers in ChinaIn China, there are also some similar col

40、or words to describe ones job. For instance, those workers who are better educated and have some working experience, we call them 白领. While those workers who may involve in manufacturing, mining, building and construction trades, mechanical work, maintenance, repair and operations maintenance or tec

41、hnical installations, we call them 蓝领. And we call those highly-skilled knowledge workers 金领, those women who are on the sub-important stations, we call them 粉领, and those who work in the environmental sectors of the economy, or in the agricultural sector 绿领.3 Differences between English and Chinese

42、 color wordsThe nature is varicolored, there are many color expressions, which reflect different culture psychologies and emotional colorings both in Chinese and English. A lot of color words are produced under special historical and social background, most of which are called “culture limited words

43、”. If we dont understand these words, the social custom and their cultural background, it will be hard for us to communicate with each other. Therefore, it is of great importance to grasp the differences between the literal meaning and the amplifying meaning. Now, lets talk about the differences in

44、terms of history, politics, economy, and daily usage.3.1 Color words and historyThere are many color expressions, which reflect different cultural psychologies and emotional colorings both in Chinese and English. Especially in Chinese, there have been rich and colorful color words since ancient time

45、s. There have been the same in English. Many color expressions reflect the Western customs as well.Colors in Traditional Western History:In Western, people pay attention to religion. They often display the basic meaning of color words to the objective world, so the symbolic meanings of the color wor

46、ds are directly link to western religion. Red In western countries, red is associated with happy things, like red-letter which means happy days or memorable days. However, it also relates to war, blood and horror. For example, red- handed describes someone who is committing a crime.WhiteWhite is the

47、 symbol of purity. In the Bible, an angel always wears a white dress, with a white aura over the head, a pair of white wings in the back and a magic wand in the hand. So until now, people still consider white as something pure. While in Chinese, there is even a long history of color words.Colors in Traditional Chinese History:Chinese cultures were affected by the development of