Language is the product of society, is the crystallization of human history and culture. It embodies a national passed from generation to generation of social consciousness, historical culture, customs and so on various aspects of human society all features. Different cultural background and cultural traditions, make Chinese and western ways of thinking, values, code of conduct and way of life, etc, there are also considerable cultural differences. Language is the carrier of culture, vocabulary is the
concentration of the cultural information, is an important part of language, it reflects the culture of the development and change, but also directly reflect the cultural differences.
In China more than two thousand years of feudal society in the
process of history, Confucianism has dominated the deep-seated string dominance, in Chinese society has a very deep and long influence. Idea of a Chinese has always been to fall back as a classic, this is in the Confucian \"golden mean\" as the basic rules of behavior. The ideal of \"in\" is the Confucian pursuit, life to life Confucian benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, letter of ideological and moral concepts as each person's behavior guide, treat people, want to consider temperature, quite good, purge, thrifty, let, proud of modest, to be open-minded, to oppose overly
reveal your self expression. Therefore, Chinese culture reflects the cultural characteristics of mass, the mass cultural characteristics are not allowed to put personal values take precedence over group interests.
The formation of western values can be traced back to at least the
Renaissance movement. The guiding ideology of the Renaissance is humanism, namely upholding individual as the center, to promote
individualism first, to develop their self expression. The concept of \"humility\" in western culture value is ignored. The people worship of life is the \"strong\" and \"hero\". Capable, talented the strong get reused, lack of confidence can only fall behind the weak or eliminated by relentlessly. Therefore, western culture reflects the individual cultural characteristics of this kind of individuality cultural characteristics of advocating personal values take precedence over group interests above.
Because of this, for some words between Chinese and western two cultures with mixed reviews have different colour. The word such as: ambition itself has mixed reviews, two kinds of meaning. Chinese use the derogatory sense, said \"ambition\\"ambition\". Aggressive one word, the Chinese are commonly used to describe someone \"provocative\" \"Aggressive\used to describe someone \"Aggressive enterprising, pioneering spirit\".
Mass culture in our country, attaches great importance to family and
friends, relationships, see it as a cell of society; In western countries, advocating independence independence. Chinese people attach importance to the traditional manner, father and son, seniority, hierarchical, in Anglo-American countries, equal status between the elder and the younger generation, no object boundaries, young and old to more friends. Chinese traditional ideas have always been advocating \"four generations\" \"family reunion\Anglo-American countries, children under the age of 18 still living at home depend on their parents life is unthinkable, they must rely on their own hands to live independently. Also, older parents even lost life self-care ability, general won't drag their children, are they usually live in old-folk's homes, by the social attention.
Culture of different values in different. The word such as lod, there have been \"aged to respect\" the Chinese tradition. \"Old\" in Chinese express the concept of respect, such as ancestor, old man, old man, and so on. \"Old zhang\The Chinese often proud of age. When talking with others, age, the older the qualification, also will get the respect of others. \"Ginger is old spicy. In our opinion, the elder not only is the embodiment of the wisdom and also a symbol of prestige. Western countries, however, very few people willing to seniority and self-proclaimed \"old\". In their view, the \"old\" is synonymous
with \"useless\British and American people don't like others say his old, not seniority. In western culture, they treat age as an individual is extremely important privacy. Especially women, more taboo asked her age. Even willing to talk about their age, also want others to guess their age, but at this point, the expectations of the real purpose of compliments they look younger than actual age, is how young. And, as the British and American people taboo word mo deep fat, see who had said the fat would frustrating and disgust. When it comes to fatmeat (fat) will be considered worthless the throw away waste. And the Chinese saw children say \"fat\" and \"fat\adult man said fat has the meaning of \"fat\fat, there is praise and flattery. Daily life work, also often hear people say something is a piece of \"fat\" or the words of a message is a \"nice\implication is rare things or the location of the most welcome. Chinese people not only do not hate fat, and the praise.
The same thing, different cultural figure, opinions vary widely. Chinese people despise the dog, it is \"running dogs\" \"dog\" \"dog\" \"heels dog\" \"a coward\" \"or\" \"seeing dogs were low,\" and so on. In western countries, people appreciate the brave and faithful dog, praise to the dog also common occurance, and compare people to the dog. Such as aluckdog (lucky), loveme, love my dog, love me, love my dog), Every dog has his day. (Every
dog has his day). Describe people \"very ill\" with sickas a t. \"Too tired\" is a dog - tired. On the contrary, the Chinese are very like cat, people use \"ChanMao metaphor\" greed, very affectionate composition, and in western culture, \"cat\" was used to describe \"harboring woman\".
Chinese and western cultural differences in addition to performance in values, customs differences thereof, and living environment, religious beliefs, the different related historical allusion.
1, the survival environment:
The generation of the language is closely related to people's labor and life. Britain is an island country, seafaring once led the world in history; And the han nationality in the Asian continent life reproduction, people's life cannot leave the land. Metaphor is to spend money to waste, lavishly, English is to spend money like lvater, while Chinese is \"money\". In English, there are many idioms on the boat and water, in Chinese, not completely the same corresponding idioms, such as to rest on one's OARS (temporary rest a while), to keep one's head above water (struggling to survive), all at sea (head), and so on.
In Chinese culture, \"dongfeng\" is \"spring wind\associated with the summer heat, the sun like fire \often used to describe the summer words. Britain is located in the western
hemisphere, north temperate zone, oceanic climate, news report spring is west wind, famous British poet Shelley's ode to the west wind \"is the song of spring. The British summer is the season of warm and pleasant, with \"cute\" \"moderate\" connected \"good\". Shakespeare in his sonnet compare love to summer, shall I compare thee to a summer's day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
2, aspects of religious belief
Buddhism was introduced into China has one thousand years of history, people believe in \"Buddha\" in all around the world, and a lot of language, such as \"we\" \"don't burn incense, spare time cramming\many western countries, especially in Britain and the United States, people believe in Christianity, related with \"God else those who help more (God helps self-help)\" Go to hell (hell) such a curse. 3, historical allusions
In Chinese and English two kinds of language has a great number of formed by historical allusion. These idioms simple structure, profound, is often can't from literal meaning to understand and translation. Such as \"imitation\" and \"pecking\" bad attitude \"and so on. The only weakness in English Achilles' heel (), meet one's Waterloo (lose), Penelope's web (always finish work), a Pandora 's box. (Pandora's box of disaster, the trouble, the root of evil), etc.
Due to various reasons, led to such as the many cultural differences
between Chinese and western, with the cultural differences and cross-cultural communication barriers. The process of modernization accelerates the spiritual and material circulation of products, to include ethnic groups in a common \"global village\become each nation indispensable part in life. If an enterprise want to make their products sell well in the international market, not only need high level of economy and technology, and need to have a thorough understanding of foreign culture, make the product in the packaging design and practical aspects in accordance with the foreign people's psychological needs. In China, such as, \"dragon (dragon)\" is our spiritual totem, is a symbol of good fortune and power, that prides itself on Chinese also as descendants of the dragon, in western eyes, however, the \"dragon\emotions, even understand \"dragon\" as a denial of the terrible monster. If a entrepreneurs don't know much about this, will be decorated with \"dragon\" products into the international market, just think of this product can stimulate the desire to buy of westerners? Can create high benefit to the enterprise. Therefore, to overcome cultural differences caused by communication barriers has become a common problem faced by the whole world. As a high school English teacher, should pay attention to the teaching of language ability in English teaching, special attention should be paid to developing students' communicative competence in daily teaching, the language of the role of cultural differences in English teaching as an important issue.
Chinese and western cultural differences in English learning to middle school students the disturbance of mainly manifested in the following aspects: 1, the salutation
The Chinese relatives appellation has a tendency to generalize the use of commonly used in the relatives between: young people say \"uncle\" \"aunt\" to your elders; To peers said \"big brother\" \"big sister\". But in English, kinship appellation is not widely used in social. If our mother tongue is English elders said \"Uncle Smith,\" \"Auntie Brown\Close connection of English culture, only to use such relatives appellation behind and don't take surname, with only names, such as \"Uncle Tom\".
And as the students know the meaning of the teacher is \"teacher\correspondingly called \"teacher Wangeacher is a kind of professional in English; Chinese have the tradition of respect, \"teacher\" is not only a kind of profession, and become a kind of known to man. Due to the cultural differences, students easy to understand: Wang = the Teacher Wang. In addition, in the Chinese traditionally called \"Tang Secretary\" \"a Nurse called\" Secretary Tang, Nurse Zhang, english-speaking people feel incredible sound. In English call people generally use Mr., Miss, Mrs., etc. 2, thanks and appreciation
Generally speaking, we Chinese between family members rarely use
\"thank you\". If used, will sound very strange, or is on the relationship between the distance. . In English speaking countries \"Thank you\" for all occasions, almost all people, even if the parents and children, between brothers and sisters are no exception. Send you a bottle of drink, prepare a dinner table, people would say, \"Thank you. The\" public whether others help you, you are main \"Thank you...\" This is at the very least etiquette.
English speaking countries, if you want, you don't have to refuse, saying \"if Yes, do\" don' just say \"No, thanks.\". It also fully embodies the Chinese implicative and different styles of English national people magnanimous frank. 3, praise
In english-speaking countries, praise is commonly used as primers of conversation. Praise the main content of personal appearance, appearance, new things, personal belongings, personal the great job in some way, etc. Usually praise others only when the appearance of praise her efforts to dress up as a result, instead of her natural beauty. Therefore: praise others hair many, few others beautiful hair. For other people's praise, the most common answer is: Thank you. For example, A: Your skirt looks nice. B: Thank you. 4 privacy
The Chinese first met asked about age, marriage, income, more concern, and the english-speaking countries is to compare, think that these
are personal privacy. As in JEFC Book 1 such dialogue in Lesson # 16: \"How old are you, Mrs Read?\" \"Ah, it 's a secret!\" Why does Mrs Read refused to tell her age? Because people want to English countries appear energetic in each other's eyes, youth and secretive about their actual age, women in particular. As Chinese said care about \"where are you going?\" \"What are you doing?\" In English will be spying on the privacy of others questioned, monitoring the words of others and unpopular. 5, say \"hello\"
The Chinese daily say \"hello\" is used to ask: \"did you eat?\" If you're like English country people say this, they think you want to please them to dinner, English national people say \"hello\" usually in the weather, health, traffic, sports and hobbies for topic.
6, holiday
The cultural differences in China and english-speaking countries also significantly manifested in the festival. In addition to China and
english-speaking countries common holiday (such as New Year 's Day), the two sides also each have their own unique festival. China is the Spring Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid - Autumn Day, etc.,
english-speaking countries have \"Valentine 's Day (Valentine's Day), its (Easter), April fool' s Day), April fool's Day, Thanks Giving Day (Thanksgiving
Day), Christmas Day (Christmas Day), etc. Chinese and western Festival customs is also very different. In the holiday, sent gifts for others, the Chinese tend to decline, behave helplessly accept, accepted generally do not open the face to face. If, jubilant open and face to face can cause\" greedy \". In English culture, people send gifts to others, is generally going to open the praise for a face to face, and glad to say thank you.
7, cultural connotations of vocabulary
English vocabulary in the long-term use of accumulated the rich cultural connotation, so in the teaching must pay attention to the cultural meaning of the English vocabulary, in case the students simply make subjective evaluation from the word itself. The word such as red in english-speaking countries or, in China, red is often associated with celebration or festival days, \"red - letter days are there in English (holiday). Especially in China, red symbolizes revolution and socialism and other positive significance, but in \"red\" in English also means that the risk or make people angry, such as \"red flag\" (is angry). And when you see business \"in the red\" in English, don't think that is a profit, on the contrary, is said losses, liabilities.
Cultural education in the teaching, the method is varied, teachers should adopt a flexible approach to improve students' sensitivity to the culture, cultivate cultural awareness, so that they can actively, self-study and
incorporated into the new culture environment. Such as: strengthen the comparison of Chinese and western cultural differences, Chinese and western culture in the call, greeting language and so on conversation topics and values of permeate teaching automatically. Such as: use of various channels, a variety of means, to absorb and experience the exotic culture. Can collect some articles and pictures of English countries, lets the student understand the foreign art, history and local conditions and customs, etc.
All in all, there are many differences between Chinese and western culture, not only pure note language teaching in English teaching, and must strengthen the language culture introducing, attaches great importance to the language cultural difference influence on language. In practice, however, only in this way, can correctly use the language.
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