Chinese and English Names and Their Cultural DifferencesWord文件下载.docx

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May25,2008

Acknowledgements

Iwouldliketotakethisopportunitytoexpressmyheartfeltthankstotheteachersandfriendswhohaveofferedmeallkindsofhelpinaccomplishingthisthesis.

Iowegreatgratitudetomysupervisor,Ms.ZhengSanliang,whoseinsightfulsuggestionsandconstructivecommentshavecontributedalottomythesis.Itwasunderherusefulinstructions,patientguidanceanddetailedrevisionthatthisthesiscouldfinallyassumeitspresentshape.Withoutthese,thecompletionofthisthesiswouldnothavebeenpossible.

AspecialacknowledgementshouldbeshowntoMr.TianMinggangwhotaughtushowtodothereferencelastterm.IamparticularlyindebtedtoBobandGerrywhoofferedsomeusefulinformation.Finally,IwishtoextendmythankstothereferenceroomofForeignLanguageDepartmentwhereIfoundtheimportantinformation,andthelibraryassistantwhohelpedtosuppliedmewithreferencematerialsofgreatvalue.

Abstract

Personalnamesrefertothesymbolsindicatingeachparticularmemberinthesociety.Asanessentialpartofhumanlanguage,personalnamesareplayingaverydominantroleinthecommunication.ChinaandEnglish-speakingcountrieshaveshapeddifferentnamingsystems,whichinvolvealmosteveryaspectofhumansociety,suchashistory,geography,economy,politics,etc.Atthesametime,ascarriersofcultures,ChineseandEnglishnamesarefullofculturalconnotations,andresultinculturalgapbetweenChineseandEnglish.Personalnamesarenotonlysymbolsthatdistinguishonepersonfromothers,butalsosocialsymbols.Itis“amirrorofculture”.ThroughcomparativestudyfromthesourcesofChineseandEnglishnamestofamilyconcepts,values,religiousbeliefs,bynames,differentculturalconnotationsbetweenChineseandEnglishnamesareclearlyrevealed.InChinesenames,thecultureofConfucian-worship,hierarchycanbefound,socanthereligion,personal-orientation,individualismbefoundinEnglishnames.Bycomparisonandthroughanalysis,itcanbeconcludedthatnameisasignaswellasaninformationwindow,throughwhichpeoplemaybetterperceiveasocietyanditscultureinvariousaspects,andthatthedevelopmentofpersonalnamesystemsynchronizeswiththeimprovementofsocietyandthedevelopmentofculture.Thatistosay,thedevelopmentofnamescanshowthechangingofsocietyindifferenttimes,andthedevelopmentofcultureinturninfluencestheprocessofnamingandleavesitsmarksonnames.Sonamesarewindowstoseethroughdifferentcultures.AnditisthevarietyofculturethatleadstothedifferencesinChineseandEnglishpersonalnamesystems.AprobeintothislinguisticphenomenonofnameshelpspeopletobroadentheknowledgeonChineseandEnglishnamesandtoenhancemutualunderstandingandcommunicationbetweeneasternandwesternculture.

KeyWords:

ChineseandEnglishnamesculturalconnotation

culturaldifferences

摘要

姓名是指人类社会中每一个具体成员的正式的代指符号。

作为语言的重要组成部分，姓名在人们的交往过程中有着举足轻重的作用和地位。

汉英国家在其发展过程中形成了不同的姓名系统，主要涉及到历史，地理，经济，政治等领域。

同时，姓名作为一种文化载体，蕴涵着极其丰富的文化内涵，汉英姓名因而存在着巨大的文化差异。

也就是说，姓名不仅仅是一种简单的区别于他人的符号，它同时也代表一种社会文化现象，被喻为“文化的镜像”。

本文通过对汉英姓名的来源阐释,进而从家庭观念,价值观念，宗教信仰，别名现象等的对比研究，揭示出汉英姓名的深层文化内涵。

汉英文化内涵的差异，如中国的崇儒思想，等级制度等文化因素都可以从中国人的姓名中反映出来。

而英语民族的宗教信仰，个人取向，强调个性也在英语姓名中有所反映。

通过比较和分析表明，姓名不仅仅是人们籍以相互区别的标志或符号，还是交往的开端，更是人们了解一个社会及其文化诸多方面的一个信息窗口。

也表明了姓名系统的演变同社会的进步、文化的发展是同步的。

也就是，姓名的发展变化可以反映出一个社会的时代变化，而历史文化的发展变化也影响人们的命名过程，从而在姓名中留下其印记，所以说姓名是透视文化的窗口。

而正是文化的多样性,导致英汉姓名的差异。

探究姓名这一语言现象,加深人们对于汉英姓名文化的了解,并促进东西方文化交流和增进相互了解。

关键词:

汉英姓名文化内涵文化差异

Contents

Acknowledgements……………………………………………………..……………i

Abstract（English）………………………………………………..………..………...ii

Abstract（Chinese）……………………………………………………..……………iv

1.Introduction……………………………………………………………………….1

2.Surnamesources…………………………………………………..….………….1

2.1Chinesesurname……………………….………………………………….….1

2.1.1EvolutionofChinesesurname……………….………………………….1

2.1.2Chinesesurnamesources……………….………………………………2

2.2Englishsurname………………………………………………………………5

2.2.1EvolutionofEnglishsurname…………………………………………...6

2.2.2Englishsurnamesources…………………………………………………7

3.Givennamesources…………………………………………….…………………9

3.1SourcesofChinesegivenname………………………………….…………….9

3.2SourcesofEnglishgivenname………………………………….………….…10

4.CulturaldifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglishnames….………….…….........11

4.1Familycontents………………..………………………….…………………...12

4.1.1ImportanceattachedtoChinesesurnamesratherthangivennames…….12

4.1.2ImportanceattachedtoEnglishgivennamesratherthansurnames…......13

4.2Avoidanceoftaboo…………………………………………………………….13

4.2.1AvoidanceoftabooinChina……………………………………………14

4.2.2People-orientedinnaming……………………………………………....14

4.3Religion………………………………………………………………………..15

4.3.1ChinesenamesinfluencedbyConfucianism…………………………….15

4.3.2EnglishnamesinfluencedbyChristianity……………………………….16

4.4Bynamephenomenon….………………………………………………………17

4.4.1Chinesebynames………………………………………………………...17

4.4.1.1Littlename.……………………………………………………..17

4.4.1.2Courtesyname…………………………………………………..17

4.4.1.3Literaryname…………………………………………………...18

4.4.2Englishbynames………………………………………………………...18

4.4.2.1Christianname…………………………………………………..18

4.4.2.2Diminutive………………………………………………………19

4.4.2.3Nickname……………………………………………………….19

5.Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………20

References…………………………………………………........................................21

1．Introduction

Namesareusedbyhumanbeingsandtheyarethesignsforpeopletodistinguishonepersonfromtheothers.Theyhavesomeparticularfunctionsthatnoothersignscanperform.Theyarenotonlylinguisticsymbols,butalsosocialsymbols,representingrelationshipinsocietiesandcultures.“Eachpersonhashisnamewhichdistinguisheshimselffromothermembersinthecommunity,andeachcountryhasitsownnamesystemowingtotheirdifferenthistoricalandculturalbackground（Net.1）”.Inaword,personalnamesarewindowsforpeopletoseethroughdifferentculturesindifferentsocieties.

2.Surnamesources

Surnameorfamilynameisthemostbasicandimportantidentificationmarkandsignofsocialmembers.Throughitpeoplecanbetterperceiveasocietyandcultureinvariousaspects.Duetodifferentcultures,ChineseandEnglishsurnamesaredifferentinoriginsandtheirdevelopment.

2.1Chinesesurname

Thewell-establisheddevelopmentofChinesesurnamesisoneoftheimportantpartsofChineseancientcivilization,whichrevealsalotabouttherelationshipbetweensurnamesandculturalelements.

2.1.1EvolutionofChinesesurname

“Chinesefamilynamescameaboutinmatriarchalclansociety.Atthattime,everyclangotthedistinctiveclannamebasedontheirtotemordwellingplaces.TheclannamesaretheearliestfamilynameswhichinChinesearecalled姓（xì

ng）（Net.2）.”Afterpopulationofaclanmultiplied,theclanwasdividedintoseveralbranchesandmovedtodifferentplacestolive.Theneachbranchwouldgettheirownbranchnametodistinguishthisbranchfromtheothers.Thenameofeachbranchiscalled氏（shì

）.Thedifferencebetweenthemisthat,theformeroneisusedtotellapartdifferentfamiliesinranksoffamilyinthesociety.So“xì

ng”isnotchangeable,but“shì

”canbechanged.InancientChina,therewerethousandsofpeoplesharedthesamefamilynames,whocamefromthesameclansandlivedinthesamevillages.Someofthemmovedtootherplaces,buttheycouldn’tchangetheirfamilynames.Accordingtohistoricalrecords,inXia,ShangandZhouDynasties,“xì

ng”and“shì

”begantohaveclasscolorbesidestheiroriginalfunction.“Shì

”,especially,wasbestownedbytheirruler.Asaresult,“shì

”becamethemarkofthearistocracy.Onlythearistocratshad“shì

”,andtheordinarypeoplehadno“shì

”.Allthearistocratsweremenatthattime.Therefore,onlymenhad“shì

”."

Thedistinctionbetween“xì

”disappearedinQinandHanDynasty.Theybecameonethatiscalled“xì

ngshì

”inChineseandreferstofamilynames（Net.2）.”Thisphenomenonindicatesthattheoriginalfunctionanddistinctionof“xì

”wereofnosignificanceafterthecentralizedfeudalsocialsystemwasestablished.

2.1.2Chinesesurnamesources

Today,thereareover700differentChinesefamilynames,butasfewastwentycoveramajorityofChinesepeople.MostChinesefamilynameshaveonlyonecharacter,butthereareafewwithtwo.Generallyspeaking,therearesomeviewpointsabouttheoriginoffamilynameatpresent.Theyare:

（1）Fromthematernalline.TheChinesehavehadsurnameslongbeforetheperiodoftheThreeEmperorsandFiveKings（21stcenturyBC）,thatis,duringthetimewhenrecognitionwasgivenonlytoone'

smotherandnotone'

sfather.ItissaidthatthemotherofthefirstfabulousEmperorinChinesehistorywasnamedNvDeng,sothesurnamesofheroffspringwereallnamedNv.

（2）FromtheworshipforTotem.Thereisacloserelationshipbetweensurnamesandtotemworship.“Atbeginning,thebasicofpersonalnameistotemism.Totemismmaybeanimals,plantsorunlivingthings.Thegroupoftentakessometotemastheirancestor,andthenuseditastheirownnames（SunShouyu&

YueHongli,2001）.”TheearlyChineseadoptedthenamesorsymbolsofcertainanimalsastheirsurname,suchasLongwhichmeansdragon.AsaresultofworshipofsuchplanttotemsasMi（米）,Gu（谷）,Mai（麦）,Su（粟）,Yang（杨）,Liu（柳）,Hua（花）,theroleassurnamestheyplaycameintobeing.

（3）Fromthevavasory.IntheWesternZhou