Chinese and English Linguistic Taboo文档格式.docx

1、语言是人们在活动过程中产生和发展起来的一种社交工具，其功能就是沟通信息，但在特定的语言行为中，却被赋予了它自身所没有的超人的感觉和超人的力量。社会成员竟认为语言本身能给人类带来某种吉祥或不幸，人为地设置了种种语言禁区。他们相信谁要是违背这些语言禁忌，谁就会受到应有的惩罚。反之，谁要是忠实遵循了语言禁忌的约束，谁就会得到相应的庇护和保佑。 语言禁忌存在的历史悠久，它不仅存在于原始社会的迷信时期，还存在于男性主宰的封建时期，也存在于现代人们生活的各个方面，是一种普遍存在的社会现象。在汉英两种语言中，有些忌讳是一致的。中英语言禁忌在语音层面、词汇方面具有相似性。但是由于汉英民族文化背景、意识形态、价

2、值观念等的不同，中英语言禁忌的内容和形式也有一些差异，因此中英语言禁忌在私人话题、数字及命名称谓的方面具有差异性。这些异同往往会给跨文化交际带来一些障碍，为此，有效避免使用禁忌语的方法主要是使用委婉语代替禁忌语，并充分了解异国的文化背景。研究禁忌语言能帮助英语学习者加深英汉两种语言和文化的理解，提高跨文化交际能力，避免交际失败，达到理想的交际效果。关键词：语言禁忌；对比研究；委婉语AbstractLanguage, as the carrier of culture, is created during the process of human beings productive labor

3、and serves as the tool of communication to convey the message between people. However, it has been endowed with magic and power in particular language acts. As the old saying goes, troubles come out of the tongue. Superstitious people think that the language itself can bring about fortune or misfort

4、une, therefore the restriction of the use of taboo language are created. Anyone who violates them will get punishment, whereas those who faithfully obey the restrictions of taboo language will get protection. Taboo language has a long history. It existed in primitive superstitious times, feudal patr

5、iarchal times, but also exists almost every aspect of peoples life in modern times. And it is a universal social phenomenon in China and Britain. Both Chinese and English cultures are in agreement about linguistic taboos such as pronunciation taboo, and vocabulary taboo. However, influenced by diffe

6、rent cultural backgrounds, ideologies and the concepts of value, Chinese and English linguistic taboos also have differences in the aspects of taboo subjects, taboo numbers, names and literature. These similarities will often bring some obstacles to cross-cultural communication. There are two effect

7、ive ways of avoiding taboo, that is, using euphemism and having a good knowledge of the taboo culture. It can help English learners improve their ability of cross-cultural communication and achieve better communicational effects.Key Words：linguistic taboo; comparative study;euphemismContentsIntroduc

8、tionTaboo language has a long history. Because many unconvients have brought by it and many people cant stand up for it in daily life. So people study it generation by generation no matter in abroad or domestic. Long before people had studied which situation that language taboo existed, but it is fa

9、r away to enough. It is manifested in language: persons, things and activities that are taboo should not be talked about or should be mentioned in a roundabout way in language. Words and expressions related to these social taboos are linguistic taboos. ” The above definition shows that linguistic ta

10、boo, as an integral part of language, is not only a linguistic phenomenon but also a social phenomenon.Like other parts of language, the origin of linguistic taboo is deeply rooted in the primitive social and cultural background and its change is greatly influenced by the development of human societ

11、y in order to satisfy human beings needs for smooth communications. With the advancement of science and technology, many puzzles about the universe are solved, and with the increase of material wealth, human demands for spiritual civilization are also becoming higher. Evidently, linguistic taboos ar

12、e a reflection of these social development and the value concepts and beliefs of the culture in which they are born. It exists in every aspect of peoples life. There are some similarities in English and Chinese linguistic taboo, but different cultures may not all agree on what is or is not a taboo i

13、n a specific context. So the differences also exist between English and Chinese linguistic taboo. A Lack of knowledge in this field or improper use of linguistic taboos may lead to misunderstandings, conflicts and other unknown serious consequences in the cross culture communications which is increa

14、singly frequent and wider now. This paper intends to study the evolution of linguistic taboo, to analyze the similarities between Chinese and English linguistic taboo in pronunciation and vocabulary, and present the differences from the aspects of names, numbers as well as taboo subjects in both cul

15、tures. Last but not least, two effective ways are proposed to avoid linguistic taboos.1. The Existence of Linguistic TabooThe word taboo （also spelled as “tabu”, “tapu” and “kapu”） was borrowed from Tonga, an island group in Polynesia, and its first recorded use in English was by Captain James Cook

16、（1729-1779）, a British navigator. He came to the Archipelago of Tonga during his explorations in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean. There he heard the word from the local people, which originally referred to persons, activities （including speech）, or things under prohibition because they were c

17、onsidered, on the one hand, ”sacred” and “consecrated”, and on the other, “uncanny”, “dangerous” and “unclean”. He introduced it into English in his description of his third voyage around the world in 1777. But taboo phenomena are not unique in Tonga. Instead, it has long existed in all cultures and

18、 language throughout the world. As we have mentioned above, linguistic taboo is not only a linguistic phenomenon but also a kind of social phenomenon. The development of society has influenced the development of linguistic taboo. So if we want to reveal the whole picture of linguistic taboo, we must

19、 have a review of the history of linguistic taboo. The existence of linguistic taboo has generally experienced two times according to the history of human society: the old times and the modern times1.1 The Old TimesAs we all know, In the ancient times, people didnt get to know well about nature, mos

20、t natural phenomena such as lightning, thunder, storm, earthquake, were beyond the understanding of human beings. When these phenomena happened, they thought that certain supernatural creatures possessed great power. They thought that if they were loyal to these supernatural creatures, they would be

21、 safe or rewarded. If they acted against them, they would be punished severely. As a result, the primitive people created different kinds of gods. They held a strong religious conviction that these gods controlled the world that they were living in. So the first thing they did was to respect these g

22、ods through language. In a word, the earliest linguistic taboo emerged as a result of the ignorance and superstition of the primitive people in ancient times. Feudal society is rigidly stratified. A country of feudalism is usually controlled by the royals and sometimes together with those considered

23、 with great power given by god. During the feudal times, people were not equal to the rulers and were suppressed by their superiors. The distinction between the upper and the lower classes was also reflected in the evaluation of the language used by them respectively. The words of upper class used w

24、ere considered good and elegant while those used by the lower class were regarded as vulgar and indecent and should be avoided in the speech of ladies and gentlemen. For example, when referring to “出汗” , duchesses used the word “perspire”, but the female servants used “sweat” during the feudal times

25、, men usually play a dominant role in family. We can see it from the Chinese expressions “三从四德” ,“三纲五常”etc. In order to strengthen their position and to prevent their subjects from violating them, the royals and kings put forward different kinds of prohibitions and bans. For instance, to show their

26、authority and majesty, the name of the emperor and his ancestors should not be mentioned. Most linguistic taboos during this period were put into effect by rulers in order to maintain their superior social position and keep the society under their control. However, some of them, because of their dee

27、p-rooted influence on peoples mind, still remain in language even after the collapse of the social system. 1.2 The Modern TimesIn modern society, as a result of the development of science and technology, many natural phenomena are no longer mysterious. Human beings not only constantly improve their

28、abilities to exploit the world where they are living through their great wisdom and knowledge, but also make efforts to explore the extraterrestrial world. Science has much more say in todays society. Thereby, the superstitious elements in linguistic taboos decrease while those reflecting spiritual

29、civilization increase. During such an open-minded period, people value freedom, equality and democracy very much. Many minorities struggle for equal rights with the majorities. As a result, linguistic taboos concerning racial discrimination arise. For example, in the United States, “nigger” was wide

30、ly used to call black people in the 1960s but now it is forbidden in normal interaction because such form of addressing shows contempt for the black and goes against the spirit of human rights.In addition, more and more women step outside their houses to work together with men. They dont want to dep

31、end on men any longer. However, the traditional ideas about women stifle the fulfillment of their abilities and they are often treated unfairly in work. This forces women to rise and fight for equalities with men and more and more men begin to learn to respect women, which will have an influential e

32、ffect on the language. As a result, taboos on sexist language increase. Besides, in an era of peace, the relative stability of society and the fast pace of life, people dont bother much to avoid things in the objective world. Instead, they prefer living a pleasant and harmonious life. They enjoy spiritual entertainment very much, so they try to avoid those words and behaviors that may make others feel unpleasant to keep the harmonious relationship. Those professions that were looked down upon in th