On the Sources and Influence of English Allusions 浅谈英语典故的来源及其影响.doc

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1、On the Sources and Influence of English Allusions Abstract People like to quote the figures or events from the history, legends, literature or religion in their daily life, which are known as allusion. Allusion with peculiar features of one nation has the colorful connotations. It is a kind of cultu

2、re and can be seen in different cultures. It appears in almost every aspect of the society, such as politics, economy, ideas, names, even peoples daily life. English allusion with cultural value and connotations is an important part of English language culture and the rich heritage of English nation

3、s. It can enrich the language and be helpful to exchange peoples ideas at the same time. It has extensive sources with various forms and shows a strong influence upon peoples life. However, as the different history, religion, geography, politics, ideas and customs, allusion with different national f

4、eatures often expresses the different cultures. If one hasnt the sufficient knowledge of the historical backgrounds of English allusion, he would be quite difficult in understanding them properly, which is not good for communication. This essay focuses on the sources and influence of English allusio

5、ns. It pays much attention to the sources and supports them by adequate examples to explain the cultural backgrounds and connotations of some representative allusions, which could enrich the readers knowledge of western culture, history, customs, etc. Meanwhile, the essay also analyses the influence

6、 of English allusions upon the western society, which can help readers know the usage of English allusions and reflect their connotations from another side, so as to help readers understand and use them appropriately and improve the ability in intercultural communication.Key Words English allusion；s

7、ource；culture；language influence浅谈英语典故的来源及其影响【摘 要】日常生活中，人们常常喜欢引用历史，传说，文学或宗教中的人物或事件，即典故。典故有着丰富的文化底蕴，具有很强的民族性。它本身是一种文化形态，在各种文化中都可以见到。典故有着丰富的文化内涵和文化价值，是英语语言文化的重要组成部分。在说话和写作中使用典故，不仅能丰富语言，而且有利于人们沟通思想。它来源广泛，形式多样，不仅来源于文学，还来源于日常生活；不仅有人名、地名，而且有关于动物、植物的，对西方文化产生了深刻的影响。然而，由于历史，信仰，地理，政治，观念及风俗习惯的等方面的差异，典故有着不同的民族文

8、化特色，传达着不同的文化信息。因此，如果不熟悉典故产生的有关历史背景，不具备相关的文化知识，就不能正确把握和使用它们，以致不利于跨文化交际。本文从典故的来源及其影响着手，重点分析典故的来源，并适当举例说明某些代表性典故产生的历史文化背景，以帮助读者了解英语国家的文化，习俗，历史等方面的知识，扩大知识面。同时也适当分析了英语典故对西方文化的影响，有助于读者了解英语典故的具体使用情况，从另一个侧面反映出英语典故的文化内涵和使用价值，从而帮助读者更好地理解和运用英语典故，提高跨文化交际的能力。【关键词】英语典故；来源；文化；语言影响1. IntroductionAccording to Webste

9、rs New Collegiate Dictionary, allusion is an implied or indirect reference, especially, when used in literature.1 “This assumption is based on the knowledge or belief that their readers share with them a common historical, cultural and literary heritage, which enable the readers to identify the allu

10、sions and to understand their significance.”2 Allusions share the following common features: short and brief, indirect and cryptic, vivid and forcible.3 They have succinct forms and p rofound meanings which makes themselves more concise and expressive. People like to use the indirect references to c

11、haracters or events from culture: legends, literature, history, religion, and so on, to enrich their speech or writing, and then allusions came to being. The sources of English allusions are inexhaustible. We can find them not only from the newspapers, literature, but also in peoples daily conversat

12、ions. Every aspect of human life is a source of allusions. Meanwhile, they affect the western culture greatly.With the open up policy and the frequent intercommunication among different nations which shared different history heritage, people may have trouble in understanding the allusions properly w

13、ithout enough knowledge about other nations culture, as many allusions have proper figures and strong cultural features. The best way to understand allusions in other cultures is to study their sources and influence which would be rather helpful when we come across allusions in communication.2. The

14、sources of English allusionsLanguage is a part of culture and plays a very important part in it. Different languages in different nations reflect their own cultural features. Being a special kind of language, allusion indicates the peculiar features of culture. Now every side of social life becomes

15、a constant provider of allusions in English language. They are based on all kinds of historical events, historical figures, folk tales or legends, classical works, myths, etc, which are either familiar to the majority of the people, or familiar to most educated people, such as playwrights, poets, mu

16、sicians, and so on. Lets look at the sources of English allusions first. 2.1 Allusions from myths, fables and folk tales2.1.1 Greco-Roman mythologyThe source of the English can be traced back to ancient Greek and Roman civilization. Both the language of Greek and Roman belong to the Indo-European, a

17、nd they have exerted a great influence upon other nations language and culture in Indo-European, like English. Most of drawing, poetry, sculpture, architecture and custom in English are in relation to Greco-Roman mythology. It is no exaggeration to say that Greco-Roman mythic stories have permeated

18、through every aspect of western culture. The stories and heroic legends have come into large profound allusions and often alluded by people. It is natural that the classical Greek and Roman mythic stories are the common and important source of allusions in English. The following are some examples. (

19、1) A Pandoras box4: a plentiful source of troubles or disaster. It derived from the Greek mythology. The story is that Pandora, the first woman who was punished and sent to the earth by the gods as a form of punishment, was forbidden to open the box sent by the gods. When she opened it at last out o

20、f curiosity, all the evils in the box flew out to trouble the earth with endless disaster, and only hope left inside w hen the box was closed. So the phrase often indicates something which may seem good, but which brings troubles at last.E.g. The plan, which seemed so promising, turned out to be a P

21、andoras box. This sentence means that the plan was hopeless actually and brought many troubles at last.(2) Trojan horse5: the hidden danger. It originated from the story of huge wooden horse which were towed into Troy, without knowing that it was left by Ulysses. The armed soldiers inside the horse

22、later opened the city gates for the invading army, which enabled the Greeks to occupy troy.(3) A Damocles sword6: the danger which will happen in the near future. Damocles is a courtier of ancient Syracuse and served under Dionysius, a tyrant who ruled over Syracuse. Damocles was vainglorious and en

23、vied Dionysius greatly. Later Dionysius realized Damocles psychology and invited him to a feast; but hanging over Damocles head was a sword suspended by a single hair. Damocles sat through the banquet in constant fear.(4) Achilles heel7: a weak and vulnerable point. Achilles was the hero in Greek ep

24、ic Iliad. According to the legend, Achilles mother held his feet and dipped him into the River Styx to make him invulnerable. The water washed every part of his body except the heel in his mothers hand, which became his fetal weakness. Finally he was killed by the prince of troy, Paris in the battle

25、.E.g. Bill is a kind person, but his Achilles heel is that he gets angry easily.Apart from above, there are other well-known allusions from classical Greek and Roman mythic stories. For example, apple of discord indicates the origin of discordance; under the rose means to do something in secret; a H

26、erculean task signifies the difficult task which needs great efforts to complete, etc. As Britain had ever been invaded by Roman conqueror Julius Caesar. And the Roman occupation lasted for about four hundred years. English culture had been affected greatly by Roman culture, especially the English l

27、anguage. So there are many English allusions in relation to Roman culture. The Greco-Roman myths are the important source of English allusions. Almost every allusion from Greco-Roman myths has a story. Most of the stories are integral and coherent. It is hard to explain their backgrounds in one word

28、. So it needs the rich knowledge of their sources.2.1.2 The Fables of AesopMany colorful folk fables have become the global culture and are shared by different nations people, but not just belong to some nations. Most stories in the Fables of Aesop are simple, humorous and often with profound meanin

29、g. They affect the human culture greatly. There are enormous English allusions come from it. Lets look at the following examples.(5) Bell the cat8: to do something dangerous in order to save others or to step forward bravely to face the danger. It derived from the story named The Mice in Council in

30、The Fables of Aesop. A swarm of mice gathered to discuss how to stand up to the cat. One mouse advised to hang a bell around the cats neck, which was approved by other mice. However, none mice would go to bell the cat. Finally the meeting ended without any results.(6) A viper in my bosom9: signified

31、 the person who is ungrateful. In the story, a peasant saw a serpent which was numb with cold in one winter. He picked up the serpent in his clothes to rescue it out of pity. However, when the serpent came round, it bit the peasant who had rescued it to death. Later it is used to describe the person

32、 who is ingratitude.There are also other allusions coming from The Fables of Aesop, such as: to fish in trouble waters means to win advantages for oneself from a disturbed state of affairs; sour grapes indicates the fact that when one cant get what he wants, he often despises it; a dog in the manger

33、 signifies a person who prevents others from enjoying something that is useless to himself; cry wolf is often used to indicate giving false alarms or to warn of danger where there is none, and so on. All these are often used in daily life, so it is also a source of allusion.2.1.3 Arabian Nights Ente

34、rtainmentArabian Nights Entertainment is a well-known story album of Arab folk tales. The stories have been influencing the children from generation to generation. Lots of them have been cited in English to enrich the language. Allusions from this source are abundant. Here are some examples.(7) The

35、old man of the sea10: a sailor, met an old man, who always rode on the back of him, which made him feel quite tired. However, he had no idea to throw off the old man. So the phrase indicates the burden which cannot be thrown off or the importunate person.(8) Open sesame11: to code word to the treasu

36、re cave in the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Today it indicates the key to hidden treasure, success, knowledge, and so on.(9) Aladdins Lamp12: the treasure which could bring happiness and wealth. Because of the supernatural lamp, Aladdin could gain everything he wanted.E.g. He wants to ge

37、t high mark without hard-working, but it is impossible to get Aladdins Lamp. This sentence means that the person like to gain something without pains.2.2 Allusions from literature2.2.1The Bible and Bible storiesReligion has played a very important role in the development of human history. When peopl

38、e met something miracle which couldnt be explained logically, they thought of the supernatural figures or events to explain it. And religion came into being gradually. As the different geographical and natural conditions, different nations have different religions. In western societies, the Christia

39、nity is the dominant religion. In English, enormous religious allusions chiefly originated from the Bible. The Bible is the classics of Christianity and an important literature masterpiece of western civilization and the evolution of the society. It plays an unmeasurable and unchangeanble role i n t

40、he world. It is said that the Bible has bred the western culture. The formation of the whole western civilization is in relation to the influence of the Bible. If one doesnt know about or is poor in knowledge, he is said to be unable to know the western culture, which just like the saying “Biblical

41、phrases are embedded in many pages of English prose from the seventeenth century to the present day, but they remain always a thing apart from the movement of the writers own prose, he knows, and his audience knows, that he is citing scripture. To both readers and writers, the words are so familiar

42、that quotation mark are unnecessary.” 13Large number of allusions came from the Bible. The stories, events, characters, animals and plants mentioned in the Bible are all quite familiar to most people as the common knowledge in the west. People like to quote them both in communication and writing fre

43、quently. As far as time is concerned, lots of allusions came into being and have become an important part of the English language. They influence peoples life and ideas greatly. The works of many outstanding western writers, poets are based on the Bible. At the same time, Bible stories are also ofte

44、n alluded by those great men in their works.(i) Allusions from figuresThere are many famous figures in the Bible with their own characteristics. They have been cited again and again, and become fixed words or phrases to indicate a kind of men or behaviors with special connotations. The following are

45、 some examples.(10) Good Samaritan14: the kind persons who often help others. It derived from the story told by Jesus. A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Both a priest and a Levite were

46、 blind to him when they passed by. But when a Samaritan saw him, he helped him with pity. Now Good Samaritan is used to signify the person who spares no effort to help others.E.g. We have got through our trouble, thanks to your acting the good Samaritan.(11) Doubting Thomas15: a doubting person who

47、wont believe others easily. According to the Bible, Thomas was one of Jesus Christs 12 apostles. He didnt believe the resurrection of Jesus, unless he touched the mark of the nails in Jesus hands. A week later, Jesus came to make Thomas believe the resurrection of him and asked him not to doubt but

48、believe. So the allusions are often to refer to the doubting people. (12) David and Goliath16: the much weaker wins in a contest between two people, countries, firms, etc, derived from Davids killing of Goliath. David, a Hebrew shepherd, was weak and small. His opponent, Goliath was a powerful giant

49、. However, the giant was killed by David finally.In addition to the examples above, there are also lots of famous figures came from the Bible, such as Solomon. It is often used to describe a wise man., derived from Solomon who is the kind of Hebrews around the tenth century B.C. He could judge between right and wrong, true and false; The old Adam came from Adam, the first man according to the Bible, indicates the sin, the immoral, selfish side of human nature; whi