Chapter1
Doeslanguageshapecultureordoescultureshapelanguage?Inmyview,languageisamirror,infrontofwhichcultureisreflected.AsastudentmajoringinChineseasaforeignlanguage,I’dliketotakethisadvantagetodiscusstheculturaldifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglish.Inthefollowingpassage,Iamgoingtoelaborateontheculturaldifferencesreflectingincolors.
Therearemanycolorwordsinourlanguage,suchasred,white,black,yellow,purpleandsoforth,whichareusedfrequently.Inthefirstplace,I’dliketointroducethecommonusagesofthecolorwords.
1.adj.+colorword
(1)"deep/dark+colorwords":indicatingthestrongcolor
e.g.,deepblue;deepgreen;darkbrown;darkred.
(2)"light/pale+colorwords":indicatingthelightcolor
e.g.,lightyellow;lightblue;palegrey;palewhite.
(3)"bright/rich/vivid+colorwords":indicatingthebrightcolor
e.g.,bright/rich/vividred;bright/rich/vividyellow.
(4)"dull/dirty+colorwords":indicatingthedarkcolor
e.g.,dullyellow;dullgold;dirtygrey;dirtywhite.
2."colorwords+-ish"
Thisgroupindicatesthedifferentshadesofthecolor.Anadjectivefollowedby-ishmeans"slightly…"
e.g.,whitishsky,yellowishbookleaves;reddishface…
3."colorwords+colorwords"
Thispatternindicatesthemixtureofthecolor.Theformerstandsforthemaincolor,whilethelatterfunctionsasmodification.
e.g.,redgreen;greenyellow;greyblue…
4."colorwords+and+colorwords"
Twocolorscoexistinginsomethingwithoutbeingmixedformadesignandcolor.
e.g.,Thedogisblackandwhite.
Shehasayellowandblackcar.
Chapter2
Englishaboundswithphrasescontainingcolorwords.Colorsmayconveydifferentmessagestopeopleofdifferentcultures.Duetotherespectiveculturalbackgroundandtradition,somephrasescontainingcolorwordshavefarsurpassedtheiroriginalmeanings,formingdifferentconnotations.
Whatdoesseeredmean?Ifheisinabluemood,whatkindofmoodishein?Ishehappy,sad,orwhat?Obviously,redandbluedonotmeanjustthecolor.Eachhasadditionalmeanings-certainculturalassociations-thatarehiddenbehindtheword.Thefollowingpartwillbedevotedtothediscussionofculturaldifferencesofcertaincolorwords.
2.1Red
InbothChineseandEnglish,redisusuallyassociatedwithhappyoccasions.Oncalendar,wecanfindthatholidayssuchasSpringFestivalareprintedinred,whichiscalled“red-letterdays”,whileordinarydaysareinblack.Besides,“topaintthetownred”istocelebratewildly,toenjoyoneselftoone’sheart’scontent.Anotherexampleisto“rollouttheredcarpetforsomeone”,meaningtogiveahospitableandformalreception.
Similarly,ChinesepeopletraditionallycutredcoupletsandappliquetocelebrateoccasionslikeweddingandNewYear.Besides,Wehaveaveryfamoustrademark“doubleredhappiness”(红双喜)whichissymbolicofgoodfortune.
Redisalsoassociatedwithcertainemotions.Letusseeafewexamples.
Heclenchedhisfistandwentveryred.
Herfaceturnedredwhenbombardedwithsuchanembarrassingquestion.
Icanseethatheisredwithanger.
Whenhecriticizedmywork,Ireallysawred.
Themerementionofhisenemy’snameislikewavingaredflagtohim.
Inthesentencesabove,wecanguessthemeaningofsome,forthereisanChineseequivalent，whiletheothersarenotsoeasytounderstandbyChinese.Forinstance,inEnglish,herfaceturnedredortobecomered-facedshowsone’sembarrassment,asitdoesinChinese脸红.Butwhatisthemeaningofseeredandwavingaredflag?Bothsuggestanger.Theformermeanstobecomeveryangrywhilethelattermeanstocausequickangerinsomebodybydoingsomethingoffensive.
“Governmentpolicyininterestrates,andonfinancegenerally,hasbeenmarkedbyvacillation,wishfulthinking,electoralexpediencyofthemostshamefultypetowardstheendoflastyear,contortionsandcontradictions,alltoaccommodatetheredneckeconomicsoftheNationalCountryParty.(HarsardAug.271981)”
Intheexampleabove,“redneck”isusedasanadjective,meaning“reactionary”.“redneckery”derivingfrom“redneck”refersto“reactionaryattitudes”.Forinstance,“...theredneckeryoftheQueenlandgovernment...(GarthNettheimABCBooksandWritingApr.21.1982)”
Theliteralmeaningof“redneck”isred-neck.Howisitrelatedto“reactionary”?“redneck”originallymeant(AmE)SouthernfarmersofU.S.A.,usuallycarryingaderogatorymeaning.Now“reactionary”,theextendedmeaningof“redneck”,hassomethingtodowithitsspecialhistoricalandgeographicalbackground.
Anotherexample.
“Ironically,itwasRedNoseDay,thedaywhenmillionsofAustraliansdonnedrednosestosupportresearchintosuddeninfantdeathsyndrome.(NewIdea.Oct.71989)”
RedNoseDayreferstoadayonwhichanappealismadefordonationsforresearchintosuddeninfantdeathsyndrome,markedbythedistributionofplasticrednosestodonors.InChinese,however,thereisnosuchconnotation.
SomeWesternerstake“red”asanevilomenorredfordanger,stemmingfromthespiritsofbullfighters.Sotheredrag(orredflag)thatbullfightersusetoprovocatebullsisconsideredannoying.AccordingtotheRandomHouseDictionary,redfurtherdevelopstobethesynonymforpoliticalradical.
Furthermore,redhassomeextendedmeanings,suchascruelty,disaster,trivialformalities,etc.
redalert�alarminginemergency
aredbattle�acruelbattleinwhichalotofliveshavebeenlost
becaughtred-handed�becaughtonsite
haveredhands�commitamurder
redideas�revolutionaryconcepts
redruin�fire(asadisaster)
redtape�bureaucraticwritings
inthered�indebt
don’tcarearedcent�don’tcareatall
2.2White
TomostChineseandWesterners,whitehassomemeaningsincommon.Whitesuggestspurity,innocenceandhonesty.
e.g.,Maryisawhitegirl.(pureandinnocent)
Tomisaverywhiteboy.Henevertellslies.(honest)
Butinthissense,whatdoesthetermawhiteliemean?Canaliebepureandinnocent?Actually,awhitelieisaharmlessone,intendednottohurtsomeone.Forexample,yourmotherboughtadressforyouthatshewasverysatisfiedwith,andwantedtoknowifyoulikedit.Maybeinyourmind,itwasoutofthefashionorthecolorwasnottoyourtaste.Butyousaid,“Oh,Ireallylikeit”inordernottoletherdown.Itwasalie,butagood-intentionedlie.
TheconnotationofwhiteinChinesealsoincludessomethingunhappy.Atfunerals,Chinesepayrespecttothedeadandexpresstheirsorrowbywearingwhiteandwritingelegiaccoupletsinwhitepaper.IntheWest,however,whiteisthetraditionalcolorforthebridesatweddings,andtowearwhiteatfuneralswouldbeoffensive.Socareshouldbetakenintranslatingthephrase红白喜事.Toavoidmisunderstanding,wecanputitsimplyasweddingsandfunerals.Talkingaboutredandwhite,thereisaninterestingcoincidenceinChineseandEnglish.InChinese,thosewhoarepopularandfindfavorwiththeirbossesarecalled红人(redguyliterally).ButIrishpeoplecallthemthewhite-headedboy.Inthissense,redequalswhiteinthetwocultures.
Wehaveafamousdramacalled《白毛女》.Ifwetranslateitliterallyas《AWhite-hairedGirl》,thoseWesternerswillbeconfusedanditwillbeveryhardtoseetheprofoundmeaningbehindit�InoldChina,folksingeneralweremadeghosts,whilethingshavechangedalotinnewChina.
Inaddition,hereisacollectionofexpressionscontainingthewordwhite.
thewhitearea�ananti-revolutionaryarea
awhiteday�aluckyday
whitelightdistrict�ever-brightarea
awhiteelephant�somethingburdensomeandvalueless;hugeburden
showthewhitefeather�showfear
awhiteslave�someonewhoisforcedtobeaslave
daysmarkedwithawhitestone�happydays
awhitewar�awarwithoutbloodshed;aneconomiccompetition
bleedwhite�extorteverycentfromsomeone
2.3Black
InbothChineseandEnglish,therearevarioustermsindicatingthatblackoftencarriesanegativemeaning:blackmail(勒索),blacklist（黑名单),black-hearted(黑心的)，blackmarket(黑市),etc.Butinthefollowingsentence,canyouguessthemeaning?Sincehetookoverthebusiness,thecompanyhasbeenintheblack.Intheexampleabove,blackhasagoodmeaning�runningthebusinessprofitably.Thetermintheblackremindsmeofthephraseintheredwhichisjustoppositetotheformerone.Bothtermscomefromthecoloroftheinkusedinkeepingaccounts.Interestingly,wehaveanappropriateequivalentinChinese-赤字,probablyboughtfromEnglish.
Besides,blackimpliesgloom,disgrace,misfortune,extremeanger,etc,ascanbeseeninthefollowingexamples.theblackart�enchantment
blackandblue�fullofbruises
blackday�unluckyday
blackdog�unhappy
ablacklook�anangrylook;glareatsomebody
inablackmood�inlowspirits
blacksheep�evilmemberoftheherd
ablackstranger�astrangeroutandout
turnblackwhite�confuserightandwrong
2.4Blue
ItseemsthatblueisafavorablewordtoChinese�thebluesky,asoftenasnot,canarouseustoyearnforabetterfuture;theblueseafullofuncertaintyinducesboundlessimagination.Naturally,wetakeitforgrantedthatthefamoussongLoveisBlueequalsaromanticlovestory.InWesternculture,however,bluedoesnotassociatewithhappinessandimagination,butgloomanddepression.
Hehasbeeninabluemood(orhavingtheblues)sinceheknewthathisfailureintheentranceexamination.Inthisexample,thosetwotermsmeanasadorgloomymood.Similarly,ablueMondaycarriesthesamefeeling.Usuallyafterthehappyweekends,wearelikelytofeelreluctanttoattendschoolorgobacktowork,thuscomingtheexpression-ablueMondaythatcanbeacceptedandunderstoodbybothcultures.
Blueisalsooftenassociatedwithhighsocialstatusorbeingaristocratic.Heisarealbluebloodmeansheisfromanaristocraticfamily.Inaddition,inU.S.,abookwiththenamesoffamousfigures,especiallytopgovernmentofficials,iscalledbluebook.Hereismoretocomplementthewordlistofblue.
blueaboutthegills�indepression
bluedevils�depressionandgloom
bluefilm�eroticfilm{InChinese,wecallit黄色电影(ayellowfilmliterally).}
onceinabluemoon�occurringonlyonceinathousandyears
blueintheface�lookpasty
bluemurder�horriblescreamingandshouts
singtheblues�inlowspirits;verydepressed
outoftheblue�athunderfromtheclearsky;thesuddencomingofsomethingunexpected
2.5Green
Englishhasthetermgreen-eyedorgreenwithenvy,bothmeaningjealousandenvious.However,inChinese,theexpressionusedtodescribethesamefeelingis眼红or红眼病(literallyred-eyed)�atotallydifferentcolorforthesamefeeling!
InEnglish,greenalsoindicateslackinginexperience,asseeninthephrasegreenhandandgreenhorn.Theformersuggestssomeonewhoisinexperiencedandimmature.Thelattersuggestsanimmigrantwhoisnotfamiliarwithlocalcustomsoruntravelled.
Bytheway,theChineseexpression戴绿帽子（literallytowearagreenhat）meanstobeacuckold.Ifwetranslateitwordbyword,misunderstandingorconfusionwillarise.
Whenpairedwithdifferentwords,itsmeaningisdifferent.Thefollowingexampleswellillustrateitsvarioususages.
greenapple�unripeapple
greenback�USdollars
greenfromtheschool�freshfromtheschool
greenhouse�awarminghouse
givethegreenlighttosomebody�allowsomeonetodosomething
agreenoldage�bearone’sagewell
greenpower�mightypower
greenrevolution�agriculture-relatedreform
greenroom�thedrawingroomforactorsandactresses
gotothegreenwood�tobetheherointhewood
2.6Yellow
YellowappearsinsuchChineseexpressionsas黄色书刊，黄色电影，黄色音乐.Shouldtheybetranslatedasyellowbooks,yellowmovies,yellowmusic?Ofcoursenot.Wecanreplace黄色withfilthy,obscene,orvulgar.InEnglish,wehavethephraseyellowjournalismwhichlaystoomuchemphasisonscandalsorexaggeratestheordinarynewstoasensationaldegree,sometimesevenwithdistortion.
Similarly,wehaveYellowPages(黄页)bothinChineseandEnglish.Thisisabookwiththetelephonenumbersofdifferentshops,businesses,organizations,etc.,arrangedintheorderofdifferentcategories.YellowPagesisaveryusefulhandbookwhosepagesareyellow,butthecontentisnotyellowintheChinesesense.
Generallyspeaking,yellowistosomeextentderogatorythatcarriestheconnotationsofcowardice,jealousy,suspicionandcontemptibility.Hereistheproof.
yellowalert�alertinadvance
yellowboy�goldcoin
ayellowdog�acontemptibleperson
ayellowdogcontract�acontractsignedinthepreconditionthattheemployeewillnotjoininthelaborunion
thesearandyellowleaf�anoldage
yellowlooks�suspiciouslooks
yellowstreak�tendingtobecowardandchicken-hearted
2.7Purple
InEnglish,purplesharesthesameconnotationasthatinChineselanguage.IntheeyeofWesterners,purpleisthesymbolofemperorandpower.Inparticular,thepurplereferstothethroneoftheemperororthepope.“tobeborninthepurple”means“tobeborninaroyalfamily”;“toberaisedtothepurple”means“tobepromotedtothepositionasapope”;“purplepassages”means“toofloridwords”,etc.InChinese,wehave红得发紫,meaningpopulartotheextreme.Here,purpleindicatesthedegreeofpopularity(红).
Hereismore:
marryintothepurple�marryintoafamilyofhighsocialposition
purplepatches�pompouspassages
turnpurplewithrage�flyintoafury
PurpleHeart�(US)aninsigniaawardedtothosewoundedinthebattle
2.8Grey
Greyisoftenusedtosuggestdarkness,sullenweather,bluemoodorgloomyoutlook.Forinstances,Helooksgreyandtired.Theprospectofthemarketisgrey.Heisagrey-hairedmannow.
Greyalsosuggestswisdomandtact,asinthefollowingexpressions:greywisdom,greymatter,andgraybeard.
Othercolorshavesomeconnotationsaswell,butwillnotbediscussedhere.
Chapter3
Accordingtotheabovecomparisonandanalysis,wecanseethattherearedistinctdifferencesbetweenthecolorwordsinChineseandEnglish.Sometimes,ChinesemaynotusethecolorwordswhentheyareusedinEnglishexpressionsandviceversa.LetusseeafewexamplescontainingtheChinesecharacter－红.
红人�afavoritewithsomebodyinpower
红榜�honorroll
红利�bonus;extradividend
红运�goodluck
红光满面�one’sfaceglowingwithhealth
脸红�blush
红茶�blacktea
红绿灯�trafficlight
Ibelievetheabove-mentionedexamplesamplyillustratethepoint.Onmanyoccasions,itisnotthebasicmeaningofthecolorthatfunctions,buttheprofoundculturalassociationsrelatedtothecolorthatfunctions.Thatistosay,thedifferencesinusingcolorwordsbetweenChineseandEnglishstandoutwhenthecolorwordsthemselvesdon’tplayanimportantpart.Twofactorsmayhelptoillustrate.Firstisthelanguageitself.Therearemanydifferencesinthecharacteristicsofbothlanguages.Englishwordsarecharacterizedbyflexibility.Onewordislikelytohavedifferentmeaningsindifferentcontexts.Comparativelyspeaking,themeaningofChinesewordsremainsfixed.Chineseisfeaturedbystandard,rigorandprecisenessinchoosingthewords.Let’stakethewordgreenforexample.Greengainscertainnewmeaningwhenassociatedwiththephrasegreenrevolutionandwhenitisusedalone,itstillcarriesthatmeaning.However,greeninChinesewilllosethemeaningunlessitiscombinedwithrevolutionorotherwordsinsimilar.Secondisthefactorbeyondthelanguage,whichincludestheculturalfactorssuchasdifferentcustoms,traditionsandculturalbackground.Wherevertheabove-mentioneddifferencesexist,theusingofthecolorwordscannotbethesame.Therefore,specialattentionshouldbepaidinusingthecolorwords.
References:
<<英汉语言文化对比研究>>李瑞华主编
上海外语教育出版社1997.3
<<语言与文化>>�英汉语言文化对比邓炎昌、刘润清著
<<语言与文化>>顾嘉祖、陆昇
上海外语教育出版社1990.6
<<英语翻译规律>>碧青、周丽蕊主编
<<外语教学与研究论文集>>之浅谈“颜色词”辽宁大学常虹 |
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