英语毕业论文-英汉言语交际中面子观的对比研究.doc

四川师范大学文理学院本科毕业论文a contrastive study of face in english and chinese verbal communication英汉言语交际中面子观的对比研究学生姓名 院系名称 外国语学院 专业名称 英语（翻译） 班 级 学 号 指导教师 （副教授） 20英汉言语交际中面子观的对比研究摘要：在当今的全球化时代，中国人与西方人之间频繁的跨文化交际是空前的。但是，中西方人们不同的面子观会给双方之间的相互交流和相互理解造成障碍。中国人总是尽力维护他们自己的公众形象，比较注重人的谦逊品质，而西方人尽力避免伤害到双方的积极面子，他们比较看重人与人之间的平等。鉴于此，本人借鉴前人的研究对英汉面子观进行阐述和归纳，并在此基础上从称呼、请求、致谢、恭维和道歉等五个方面对英汉语言交际中的面子观进行对比研究。本文主要讨论了中西方面子观的差异以及这些差异在言语交际方方面面的体现。此外，本文还探究了面子观差异缩小的趋势并为避免由不同面子观而引起的冲突提供一些建议。希望本文的研究可以让人们认识到英汉面子观的重要性并帮助他们在英汉交际中提高跨文化意识。关键词：面子；面子观；言语交际；建议a contrastive study of face in english and chinese verbal communicationabstract：in the era of globalization, the frequency of chinese peoples intercultural communication with westerners is unprecedentedly high. however, there are some barriers caused by different face perception between chinese people and westerners to the mutual communication and understanding between them. chinese people always try to maintain their public image and emphasize modesty, but westerners try not to harm the both sides positive face and emphasize on equality. in view of this, this paper interprets and summarizes the characteristics and classification of face view by referring to the previous research attempting to make a comparative study on face in english and chinese in verbal communication from addressing terms, requests, thanks, compliments and apologies. this paper mainly talks about the differences between chinese face view and western face view and analyzes their manifestation in english and chinese verbal communication. in addition, this paper also explores the difference-narrowing trend of face consideration and provides suggestions to avoid conflicts caused by different face views. in hopes that it can make people realize the importance of face view and help them increase their intercultural awareness when using face view.key words: face; face view; verbal communication; suggestionscontentsintroduction1part connotation of face31.1 chinese face view31.1.1 good public image31.1.2 collectivism31.1.3 emphasis on modesty41.2 western face view41.2.1 positive face and negative face51.2.2 individualism and personality51.2.3 conception of equality6part different face view in english and chinese verbal communication72.1 rank ideas vs. equality72.1.1 manifestation in addressing terms72.1.2 manifestation in requests82.1.3 manifestation in thanks82.2 emphasis on modesty vs. emphasis on personality92.2.1 manifestation in compliments & response to compliments92.2.2 manifestation in apologies10part difference-narrowing trend of face consideration123.1 cultural integration123.2 influence of cooperative consciousness13part suggestions to avoid conflicts caused by different face views144.1 to be aware of different face view in verbal communication144.2 to overcome the face prejudices14conclusion15bibliography17introductionface is the public self-image every member of a society wants to gain. in international communication, china, as a representative of the east, pours great attention into face view. meanwhile, the western countries expect to save face as well. however, whether in definition, content, expression or politeness principles, china and the west are very different. as a result, these differences often affect intercultural collaboration in face understanding and politeness strategies. analysis of the distinctions, study of the reasons, and understandings of the different politeness principle obviously make for decrease of cultural clash as well as effective conduct of intercultural communication.“face” is rich in content and everyone concerns for their “face”. “face” culture is an interesting culture phenomenon and is covered under the topic of human relations. actually, “face” and “face” culture are the reflection of peoples attitude towards the communication between people. they are important factors in human relations. therefore, the study on face perception of chinese people and westerners are quite important.there are indeed many researches about the chinese and western “face” cultures, and also some have touched a little deeper such as the differences between them. however, no agreement of the definition of face has been unanimously agreed by the public. moreover, while there are differences between the two cultures about face, conflicts will be inevitable in cross-cultural communication. then, for a society where cross-cultural communication has become more and more necessary for the development of a country, some suggestions for cross-cultural communication are required.this paper aims to make a contrastive study on face in english and chinese verbal communication. this paper consists of four chapters except introduction and conclusion. the first chapter talks about connotation of face in chinese culture and western culture. in chinese peoples face view, they attach importance to their good public image, pay attention to collectivism, and emphasize on modesty. in westerners face view, based on equal terms, they attach importance to their positive face and negative face and pay attention to individualism and personality. the second chapter talks about the different face view in english and chinese verbal communication. the contrast between rank ideas in china and equality in west can be found in the differences reflected by addressing terms, requests, and thanks between english and chinese. in addition, the contrast between chineses emphasis on modesty and westerners emphasis on personality can be found in the differences reflected by compliments and response to compliments and apologies between english and chinese. the third chapter talks about difference-narrowing trend of face consideration under the influence of cultural integration and cooperative consciousness. the fourth chapter provides the suggestions to avoid conflicts caused by different face views, including to be aware of different face view in verbal communication and to overcome the face prejudices.part connotation of face1.1 chinese face view1.1.1 good public imagein chinese culture, face is first a social thing, which centers on ones social image and public reputation. it stands for the dignity of individuals obtained from the appropriate behavior and social desirability.according to professor hu xianjin (1944), chinese face view can be divided into two interrelated but different aspects “lian” and “mian”. “lian” stands on moral level that defines ones membership in society, while “mian” refers to ones social fame. but both depend on external environment. in other words, what chinese people follow with interest is others view and comments on them. when one fails to comply with the social code of conduct, he or she may lose face and has the disadvantage of falling behind. loss of face equals loss of renown in a community as well as drop of social status, which implies that the community no longer considers him or her as a respectable one. as a result, chinese often attach great importance to preserve ones face and avoid losing face to receive positive comments as well as gain popularity. in short, chinese face view put more emphasis on ones image built in others heart and social recognition of ones behavior.1.1.2 collectivismgu yueguo (2002: 23-56) highlights that when it comes to face consideration, chinese people always try best to maintain harmony. they always act with the realization that one must place the larger group-interests above private interests. professor hu wenzhong also makes some research in this area. hu (1988: 109) holds that collectivism is the center of chinese values. on the basis of collectivistic values, chinese think highly of social bond, collectivistic honor and communal harmony.for the sake of the general good, chinese people strive for a satisfactory arrangement of the whole matter. therefore, they often subordinate ones personal interests to those of the community and as required, sacrifice personal interests to protect and benefit the majority. when ones behavior conforms to and strengthen this collective values, he will be respected and thus “gain face”. otherwise, he will lose face, and thus be criticized, contempt, and even isolated. whats more, when it comes to mutual face consideration, chinese people always care much about others feelings and mutual face as well as try best to maintain harmony. they in general will not easily reject others request even for a moment because “ren qing” is highly valued. so it goes without saying that in chinese culture, face behavior is a tool to maintain harmony and stability of social relations.1.1.3 emphasis on modestydue to social structure and traditional morals, in han culture, people are requested to be courteous and prudent, as well as behave sorting with own age and social status. and modesty is a highly praised virtue, which plays a significant role in face consideration.chinese people often use honorifics and courtesy titles to defend mutual face, seek harmony, and finally seek interactional or commercial purposes (gu & lu, 1998:12-15). although in many cultures throughout the world, people use honorifics and courtesy titles, chinese usage of them are particularly outstanding and unique. people use different modest strategies to show politeness and implications. for instance, “ni（你）” and “nin（您）” are respectively used according to seniority in a clan and different relations. the honorary titles, such as “nin gui xing（您贵姓）”, “mian gui xing（免贵姓）” are decently used at first meeting. when it comes to oneself, “bi ren（鄙人）” “bei zhi（卑职）” “yu jian（愚见）” are used whereas when it comes to other persons, “zun xing（尊姓）” “gao jian（高见）”are used to preserve the others face. thereby, it is a common phenomenon that in china, a person humbles himself or herself to show respect for others.1.2 western face viewwestern face view is composed of positive face and negative face while the concept of negative face does not exist in some eastern countries. westerners pursue not only positive self-image but also self-freedom. on the basic of equal terms, they hunt for individuality as well as personality.1.2.1 positive face and negative facebrown and levinson maintain that “face has two interrelated aspectspositive face and negative face” (brown and levinson, 1987:61). positive face is the positive image one would like to obtain, that is, the want of ones positive self -image to be approved, and the desire of social recognition. negative face is the wish of ones actions to be free from imposition as well as ones privacy to be far from interference. it is a no-go-area one claims for himself.accordingly, westerners not only pay attention to protecting ones positive image, but also avoiding constraint and imposition to defend the negative face. however, the concept of negative face does not exist in some eastern countries, because individuals are subject to groups and have weaker concept of private territories. so this leads to disputes in face consideration between chinese and western cultures. a typical example is the different treatment manner in dining. western hosts often say “help yourself” to respect the guests free choiceswhether or not to eat and how much to eat. while in china, hosts usually say “eat more” or pick up food for the guests in order to show their hospitality, which offend the westerners negative face.1.2.2 individualism and personalityting toomey highlights “the fact that during negotiation, there are two simultaneous faces processes going on” (toomey, 1988: 215). they are face-threatening behavior, which centers on ones own face, but hardly gives consideration to others face, and face-honoring process, which attaches more importance to giving and asserting face for the other side. he emphasizes that westerners often pay more attention to face-threatening behavior, while face-honoring process is neglected.in western cultures, people hold the opinion that individual performance and personal character is the top priority. generally speaking, westerners are quite direct, assertive and ambitious. most westerners are taught from an early age to be self-confident, decisive and aggressive. lack of confidence and personality is often socially unacceptable.furthermore, the bond between community and individuals is comparatively loose. individuals assume less responsibility to communal accord and enjoy more freedom. they can and should take every chance to express their own ideas, put forward their own suggestions to assert their personality, originality, and especially, their irreplaceably. and even when a dispute occurs, they will still insist personal opinions rather than compromise so as to protect others face and maintain harmonious atmosphere. thus, a hassle is seen very common and even welcomed. undoubtedly, as for face consideration, what westerners seek for is individual freedom, rights and personal character rather than public affirmation and praise.1.2.3 conception of equalitywesterners equally reckon every individual as a unit of society, whatever his or her age, sex and social rank are. ininterrelationships,everyone is equal, everyone canget a chance.westerners rarely consider emotional factors, instead they are often straight-forward and business-like. that is to say, children can address their parents directly by name, intense argument is allowed between superior and junior, and as to material distribution, westerners alsoinsist onself-interest, equality,and fair tradeprinciple. they will neither give intogive the other side face nor compromise to get in good with others.theyactaccording tolaw, make a clear distinction between public rules and private relations, and refrain from seeking personal favor at the expense of principle. that business is business has always been their creed. everyone stands on fair positions, and enjoy equality to express personal viewpoints. it is unnecessary to make concession in order to save others face. however, thisis not to saythatwesternersare indifferent. in fact, theyare warm, passionate, and often make many friends. they just not regard relationshipasa means oftransaction asthe chinese people. based onequal terms, westerners always act without sparing anyones sensibilities.part different face view in english and chinese verbal communication2.1 rank ideas vs. equality2.1.1 manifestation in addressing termsin the communication, addressing others is very common. however, address systems vary from language to language, from culture to culture. as we all know, people have two kinds of personal names-a surname and a given name not only english but chinese. but there are somewhat difference of the order and the using of these names between these two languages. in the name of a chinese person, the family name is followed by the given name. while the names of english are written and spoken with the given name first and family name last. in english culture, addressing people by their first names, which was formerly employed to define intimate relationship, has now been used to indicate “friendliness”, and adopted between strangers, people of different ages and occupational status, students and professors, the young and their seniors (zhang, 2004: 20). this is the cultural value of “equal status” and the sense of “being casual and easy-going”.in the english speaking families, children often address their parents “daddy and mommy” while they are in their childhood. as they grow up gradually, they change their addressing form and call their parents “mum, dad or father, mother”. people from english speaking families often address their relatives who are of the same generation or of the same age directly by their name, usually nickname, for example, johnjohnny/jack, williambill, robertbob, samualsam, patriciapat, elizabethlizzy/liz and etc. on the contrary, in china, younger brothers or sisters often do not call their older brothers or sisters name. the addressing forms “哥（ge）、姐（jie）、弟（di）、妹（mei）” are used to illustrate who is young and who is old; meanwhile, the number is used to show age, such as 二哥（er ge），三妹（san mei）. quite distinct from chinese, the forms like “second elder brother”, “third younger sister” are not employed in english. this reveals that the western society pursues equality very much ; while in china, the traditional thought “长幼有序（the rank ideas）” has a great impact on us.2.1.2 manifestation in requeststhe way in which chinese people implement their requests is either too direct or too indirect. the people in a higher status or an old age ask others who is in a low status or the young to do something directly. on the other hand, it is indirect to request the old or the one in a higher status. for examples, the president told his secretary, “xiao zhang, copy this material for me.” a father may say, “oh, son, buy me a pack of cigarettes.” but such direct requesting speech acts may be rude to the english.on the other hand, it may not be easy and reasonable to do some requirements on the one in a higher status. hence, the requester should be implicit and indirect. before they make a request, they will build a frame of context so that the requests seem reasonable or the listeners will have a preparation. for instance, we can not say, “i want to ask for leave.” instead, we may say, “ouch, i have a headache today.” too indirect requesting way may make the english puzzled. they will think we have other intentions.when applying request speech acts, the english and the chinese may all be indirect. but their reasons are diff