中英文化差异对称呼语的影响

1、On Addressing Terms Influenced by Cultural DifferencesBetween Chinese and EnglishAbstract:Addressingterms are the importantparts of language.Every language has its own specificaddressing system and its usage is closely related with the cultural background. Addressing terns areeasily observed in peop

2、le?s daily utterances. They play a significant in the smooth development of a wholecommunicationprocess. Appropriateaddressing terms are crucialforeffectivecommunicationandsuccessful maintenance of interpersonal relationships.原创英语毕业论文请咨询QQ253771735Thisthesis attempts to draw a cross-cultural compari

3、son of addressing terms between Chinese and Englishfrom their similarity and differences. It also goes beneath the surface and explores the cultural differencesin value systems and philosophical sources of differences in these aspects. This study will help peopleknow more about addressing terms unde

4、r different cultural backgrounds and thereby increase mutualunderstanding, enhance their communicationlevel and establish good relationships.Key words:Addressing terms; Cultural differences;Influence1中英文化差异对称呼语的影响摘要：称呼语是语言的重要组成部分,每种语言都有其特有的称呼体系。称呼语与其文化背景密切相关，受到文化的影响并且反映文化。称呼语在人们的日常会话中显而易见，为整个交际过程的顺利

5、进行起了重要作用。适当的称呼语对有效地沟通与维持成功的人际关系至关重要。本论文试对英语和汉语这两种语言称呼语的异同进行对比研究，同时也探讨其表象下价值体系和哲学来源地文化差异。这一研究无疑会有助于人们对不同文化背景下的称呼语的了解，从而增进彼此间的了解，提高人与人之间的交流水平，建立良好的人际关系。关键词：称呼语；文化差异；影响2ContentAbstract1Key words2Introduction21 The introduction of Addressing terms31.1 Definitions41.2 Classification51.3 functions7892 The

6、 similarities of Enlish and Chinese Addressing terms102.1 Titles in Addressing terms102.2 Zero Addressing terms113 The differences of English and Chinese Addressing terms113.1 The kinship terms113.2 The gender differences of Addressing terms12Conclusion15Notes17Bibliography17Acknowledgements183Intro

7、ductionWith the development of economy and culture, the intercultural communication increasesrapidly all over the world. As a matter of fact, addressingterms play an significant role inintercultural communication. As an important kind of communication language, they make upone of the most important

8、parts of language systems and reflect the speakers and addressees roleand identity, family and social status, intimacy or remoteness of their relationship as well as theirlikes and dislikes. Addressing terms are the prelude to personal association and their proper useare the prerequisite to achieve

9、the aim of personal contact. In many circumstances, addressingterms are the very first message conveyed to the addressee. Sometimes a simple addressing termcan take the place of a long sentencein conveying a profound meaning. Addressing is asystematic, variable social phenomenon. Different nation ha

10、s its own unique addressing system.Addressing terms are important as well as frequent in everyday social interactions all over theworld. 原创英语毕业论文请咨询 QQ253771735 Appropriate addressingbehavior is crucial forthe establishment and maintenance of interpersonal relationships.From the early days in human

11、history, addressing terms have caught scholars attention bothhome and abroad. Western scholars research on addressing terms roughly began in the 1950s.Since then, sociolinguists and psycholinguists have made some remarkable achievements in thestudy of addressing terms. They have presented addressing

12、 systems and the rules that govern thechoice of addressing terms. Among them, the most renowned study on addressing terms is doneby Brown and Gilman in the 1950s. Theyve made detailed study on the usage of V form, that is,the term Brown and Gilman use to designate the deferential pronoun in any of t

13、he languages,4taking the first letter from Latin vos, which is analogous to “您”(nin) in Chinese and T form,that is, the familiar pronoun, from Latin tu, which is similar to“你”(ni) in Chinese. Later in the1960s and 1970s, the addressing term system of American English was analyzed by Brown andFord an

14、d Ervin-Tripp. Ervin-Tripp took a quite different approach to the study of AmericanEnglish addressing terms. She presents the addressing term system as a series of choices usingthe computer flow chart format. Researches done by famous Chinese scholars include those byChao Yuenren, Chen Songcen, Zhu

15、Wanjin and Tian Huigang, among whom Tians research onChinese and Western addressing terms is more systematic and detailed. These researches, thoughfruitful, are only confined to the scope of sociolinguistics.原创英语毕业论文请咨询 QQ253771735 In recent years many pragmatists also show a stronginterest in study

16、ing the functions and meanings of addressing terms. On the basis of these studiesof sociolinguistcs, philosoghy, pragmatics and culturology, the paper attempts a systemanticinvestigation on cultural similarity and difference of addressingterms between Chinese andEnglish. The principal method used in

17、 this dissertation is comparative analysis, becausecomparison is one important and effective approach to get the essence of two similar matters.And a comparative study is also made for the purpose of guiding English language teaching andintercultural communication.The addressing term study touches a

18、 wide range of disciplines such as historicallinguistics,etymology,grammar, psychology,anthropology, ethnology,philosophy,sociolinguists, pragmatics and culturology, etc. The paper contributes a very small part tothis broad issue since address terms concerned in the paper are limited to the very gen

19、eralphenomenon in Chinese and English speaking countries. Some other factors such as family5background, power and solidarity, axiology outlook and cultural orientation, which arecovered in the present study, may prove to play an important role in the use of addressingterms. However, to a certain deg

20、ree, these factors are analyzed in a subjective perspectivewithout involvinga detailed questionnaire on addressing terms. So, more researchesincluding some tests are needed. Variation of the addressing terms are becoming a subjectof the researchers. In the future study, the study of group variation

21、and individualdifference as well as the uniformity will get more and more attention.Having a good understanding about addressing terms, we could make full use of them tostart cross-cultural communication and then build a better interpersonal relationship. Thisdissertation is composed of four parts.

22、The first part presents definition and function. The secondand third parts analysis addressing terms from their similarity and difference between Chineseand English respectively. Finally, the author make a conclusion of addressing terms influencedby cultural differences between Chinese and English.1

23、The introduction of addressing termsAddressing terms are an important and necessarypart in human language and alsocommon phenomenain verbal communication in daily life and universal across differentcultures. Therefore people should take care of their uses in daily communications andinteractions in o

24、rder to achieve better understanding and achieve harmonious relationship intheir speech communities. Here are the basic information about them.1.1 DefinitionsAddressing terms are frequently used in daily communications. To define it however, is not6an easy task because it involves many aspects. Ther

25、e are various definitions made from differentperspectives, a brief review of which may throw light on our understanding.1l) Addressing term is the word or words used to address somebody, in speech or writing.2) An addressing term is a term used to refer to or to name a person directly in speech orwr

26、iting.23) Addressing terms are the words speakers use to designate the person they are talking to3while they are talking to them.4)Addressing terms a numerically and attitudinally-marked designator while (a) functionsas a particle to pronominal ,you? to form a notionally paradigmatic phrasal ,you?;(

27、b)consists of names, words,or a combination of both; (c) is used for the benefit of aspeaker, addressee or a third-party hearer either optionally or necessarily for grammatical,4practical, social, emotional, or externally-imposed reasons.5) By ,address? we mean a vocative, a direct reference to the

28、addressee such as,Mr.?or,Mrs?.,Term? is best defined yb Oster as designating a value judgement that qualifies theformality of ,address?according to certain invariable but more often according to thesituation.5From the definitions above we know that the defining of addressing terms mainly coversthree

29、 points.First, where do they appear, in speaking or writing? Second, whom are they used torefer to, the addressee or a third party? Third, how are they used, directly or indirectly? From thelast two definitions which give us more detailed information about addressingterms, we caninfer the following

30、points. First, Addressing terms can mark the attitudes of the addresser;Second, they may imply the intention of the addresser in a certain context (according to (c) in the7fourth definition); Third, the choice of different forms of addressing terms can designate certaininterpersonal relation (accord

31、ing to the fifth definition).To sum up, the author wants to give a tentative definition of addressing terms from apragmatic perspective:An addressing term is the word or words used to address a person directly or indirectly inspeech or writing, referring to the addresseeor a thirty party an indicati

32、ng interpersonalrelationships or attitudes as well as implying the intention of the addresser.1.2 ClassificationAs there are many addressing terms in both English and Chinese, it is very hard to list themout. To bring convenience to our study, we willclassify addressing terms into differentcategorie

33、s. There are different criteria to classify them:Firstly, according to the way in which an addressing term is used, they can be classified intotwo categories:direct addressingterms and indirect ones. A direct addressingterm is namedvocative, used in face-to-face communication to refer to the address

34、eedirectly. An indirectaddressing term is named designative. In most cases, it does not refer to the addressee directly.For instance, in examples“When did you arrive, Tom? ”and “Sorry, Sir, I?m bringing it hereright now.”, ,Tom? and ,Sir?are vocatives referring to the addressee; in examples“Can Bill

35、have an ice-cream?”and “Where is the manager?”,Bill ? and ,the Manager? are designativesreferring to the third person rather than the addressee.Secondly, according to the emotional orientation, they can be divided into four categories:pet names, honorific terms, neutral terms, and depreciative (dero

36、gative) terms.Pet names are heavily coloured with the emotions like love, favour, and intimacy. And they8are used between people with intimate relationships, such as family members, close friends andlovers. For example, in English there are such pet namesas ,bunny?, ,kids?, ,doggy?, ,little?,bird?,

37、,my honey?, ,my love?, ,darling?, ,my sweet heart?, and ,baby?. And in Chinese there are,小燕子 ?, ,乖乖 ?, ,丫头 ? ,宝贝 ?, ,哥们 ? etc.Honorific terms are used to show respect and politeness, and they are often used to refer tosuperiors or strangers, such as ,Your Majesty?,令尊?,and ,您老人家 ?.Neutral terms,such

38、as,Miss?, ,Mister?, ,同志 ?， ,师傅 ?, and full names are used frequently between powerequals or acquaintances. Depreciative terms bear a sense of humiliation, such,Youas Chieken?and ,洋鬼子 ?.Thirdly, according to whether they contain figures of speech or not, addressing terms can bedivided into figurative

39、 addressingterms and non-figurative ones. Figurative addressingtermsinclude those involving a metaphor, such as:,草包 ? (a person who is good-for-nothing),栋梁 ?(a very useful and important person), , 饭桶? (a uselessperson), , 应声虫 ? (a person whoalways says, yes? ), ,狗熊? (a stupid and incompetent person)

40、,ugly duckling? (a child whoturns out to be a successful adult), ,honey? (referring to one?s spouse), ,My rib? (a termoriginating from Bible, referring to one?s wife). Some figurative addressingterms containmetonymy, for example:, handsorheads?(referring to people), Skirt (lady), Solomon? (a wiselea

41、der), , 手足 ? (brothers and sisters), 心腹 ?(a person who is trusted), 阿斗 ? (anincompetent，and not-worthy-of-support person). And some figurative addressing terms containirony, such as, , my headache? (referring to one?s wife), ,冤家 /狠心贼 ? (referring to one?shusband), 讨债鬼 ?(referring to one?s child /chi

42、ldren). Non-figurative addressing terms refer tothose containing no figures of speech.9According to the source, addressing terms can be divided into three types: pronouns, propernames and common nouns. Each group can be subdivided.Pronouns can be divided into the first, second, and third person pron

43、ouns. The secondperson pronouns are very active. In Chinese,你/您 is used just like Tu/Vous in French, Tu/Vosin Latin, Ty/Vyin Russian, and DuSie in German to show familiarity and politenessrespectively.Proper names referto mainly personal nameswhich can be subdivided into: full names,surnames, given

44、names and nick names.A full name is made up of two parts: surname and given name. A surname refers to a familyname. As it is put at the end of an English name, it is also called last name in English. Givennamescan also be called first names or Christian names.In English, given names sometimesconsist

45、 of more than one part. The second part is called middle name, while the initial one firstname. In a fullname like George Washington Brown, , George ? is the first name,Washington ?the middle name, , George ? together with ,Washington? makes up the given name, and,Brown? the surname (or the last nam

46、e).Nickname is an extra name given to a person according to hisher notable physical featuresor personalities such as,Lioness?, , Fatty?, ,Skinny?, ,Iron Lady?, , 书呆子 ?, ,大头 ?, and ,翘嘴 ?.Some nick names come from allusions or typical characters in classic literary works. Forexample,Shylock?, is used

47、to refer to a cruel, greedy, and money-grabbing person;,Judas? to atraitor; ,林黛玉 ?to a well-bred, sentimental, and physically-weak young lady; ,牛郎?and,织女?respectively represent husband and wife who have to be physically separated from each other.Some nicknames come from names of people in reality wh

48、o are known for their certain striking10features.For example, , 葛优? refers to a bald-headedperson. Some nicknames come fromanimal names symbolizing some characteristics. For example, fox used as a nickname refers tosomeone who is sly and cunning.Common nouns include such addressing terms as titles,

49、kinship terms, and general nouns.Titles can be subdivided into: 1) social titles, such as,Mr.?, ,Mrs?, ,Ma, am?,同志 ?,师傅 ?,and, 先生? ;2) official titles, such as ,Mr.president?, ,Mr. Govemor?,局长? , and ,经理 ?; 3)occupational titles, such as,Judge?,professor? , ,老师?, and, 医生?.Kinship terms are those for

50、 blood relations and for affines as vocatives or designatives, suchas ,uncle?,cousin?,爸爸?,and ,父亲?. Sometimes they are also used to address those whoare not really relatives. This kind of use is called the fictive use of kinship terms which canindicate an intimate relation between the addresserand a

51、ddresseeand show the addresser?respect for the addressee. Kinship terms are used symmetrically. Juniors often address seniorsorone of an older generation by kinship terms and the older will respond with given names or petnames.General nouns refer to the nouns or noun phrase that are often used in a

52、more specializedsense. In English, the general nouns that can be used as addressing terms include symmetrically,brother? (not one?s male sibling),buddy?, ,girl?, ,man?, ,pal?, ,boy?, ,ladies? and ,gentlemen?etc.In Chinese, the following words can also be found:,老头? , ,伙计?, , 姑娘?, ,小伙子 ?,年轻人 ?, ,朋友 ?

53、, ,小家伙?, ,诸位 ?, etc. .In addition, this category in Chinese also includesexpressions that function as nouns, such, 穿as红毛衣的 ?, , 骑自行车儿的 ?.To sum up, although the discussion above doesn?t exhaust all the addressingterms, itcovers the major categories frequently used in daily communication. It will hel

54、p us in our study11of addressing terms in a systematic way.1.3 functionsUnder a certain register if accompanied by certain tones, addressing terms both in Englishand Chinese can serve to convey a special pragmatic meaning , such as thanks, love, anger,warm, order, suggestion, etc. According to Leech

55、, the pragmatic meaning involves the speakersintention to convey certain meaning which may or may not be evident from the message itselfand involves action and interaction, and the consequentinterpretation of this meaning by thelistener likely depends on the context. That is, pragmatic meaning refer

56、s to the meaning of theaddressing terms that the speaker chooses to use in the specific context of situation. In general,the illocutionary force can be grouped into two categories: expressives and directives.Speakersuse expressivesto show their attitude towards the present situation, such asgreeting

57、 and parting, discrimination, thanks, etc. Let us see the following examples:a) Addressing terms used in greetings and partingsGreetings and partings belong to the category of expressives on the basis of theclassification of illocutionary acts. Actually, greetings and partings can be achieved by spe

58、ech orgestures, nodding heads, mutual glances and even smiles. Addressing terms are often used inverbal greetings, in which various kinds of addressing terms are employed.Addressing terms can be used alone as greetings. For instance, in China, when one meets afamiliar status superior, his/her utteri

59、ng of such addressing terms李as局长、赵厂长、刘老师、孙奶奶 and the like, accompanied by a smile, but without saying anything else, performs the actof greeting. Sometimesaddressingterms are attached to other parts functioning as politeness12intensifiers of greetings and partings. For instance:(1)A:Good morning, Mr

60、.Smith! (Title+LN)B:Good morning, Miss.Black! (Title+LN)(2)A:Goodbye, Peter! (FN)B:Goodbye, Tom! (FN)(3)“张老师，您好 !”(Surname+Title)小王，你好” (Xiao+Surname)(4)“建军，书买了吗 ?”(Given Name)(5)“老王，您走好 !”(Lao+Surname)b) Addressing terms used in discrimination or mockIn certain contexts addressing terms can produce