Download Article
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
International Conference on Education, Management, Computer and Society (EMCS 2016) On two Different Fictional Connotations Between Heterogeneous Natural Languages Diao Chen Liu Wanzhang* College of Electrical Engineering College of Electrical Engineering Northwest University for Nationalities Northwest University for Nationalities Lanzhou, China Lanzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] *Corresponding Author Cai Ning College of Electrical Engineering Tian Changhui Northwest University for Nationalities School of Foreign Studies Lanzhou, China University of Science and Technology Beijing e-mail: [email protected] Beijing, China e-mail: [email protected] Xue Lin School of Foreign Studies Beijing, China University of Science and Technology Beijing e-mail: [email protected] Abstract—Every language is closely related to its culture. There are not only mental differences between Due to historical events, cultural traditions, religious human beings and animals, but also the language ability beliefs, natural environment factors, and other aspects, making human beings holding the culture, which never cultures both in English and Chinese language gives exists among the animals [1-2]. It means that the animal words specific and different cultural connotations, relations of language and cultural is far more then forming their own specific animal culture. It is the basic important. However, human beings give the animal content of the national animal culture for a variety of words their connotations as well. Although animals will connotation’s attitude of animal words. This paper mainly never hold their own cultures, there are always some introduces the difference of the Dragon’s and Phoenix’s meanings for some special animals. Actually, most connotations between Chinese and western cultures. animals have different meanings in different cultures. Impacted by difference events and cultures, the same imagery will be given different connotations. Combining Human ethnolinguistics (or cultural linguistics) is an with the paragraphs mentioned above, it will be clear to interdisciplinary formed edge of linguistics and cultural see that connotations of “Dragon” and “Phoenix” are anthropology (social anthropology) [1-4]. Its influencing different culture backgrounds such as overlapping areas cover "language, thought, culture and religions, histories, imaginations and so on. their relationship" , which is the most dynamic and potential exploration in language research, and it will be Keywords-Phoenix; Connotation; Chinese culture; applied to this essay to research the differences and Western culture; History connections of animal words between Chinese and western cultures. I. INTRODUCTION The relationship between language, thought and Thinking of linguists on the relationship between culture is also known as the world view of language in language and culture has promoted the linguistic the language of thought history [1-5]. Its origin can be research to become more than through the form of the traced back to the classical period of Greece's language itself, but also through the language of a intellectual activity. In the enlightenment campaign of national culture to study from past to future. The eighteenth century, German, French and British thinkers thinking of linguists on the relationship between set the world view of language problems to more clear. language and culture has promoted the linguistic The research on this issue is also developed to research from the pure form of study to the language experience of science from philosophy. In the twenties through its national culture from past to the future. As of last century, as a result of philosophical anthropology the American linguist Edward Sapir have argued [1-2]: and human Linguistics rising, the world view of “language does not exist apart from culture, that is, from language has become a focus of modern linguistic and the socially inherited assemblage of practices and beliefs cultural anthropology. Around this focus, the that determines the texture of our lives.” generalized academic, including linguists, anthropologists and philosophers of language, have © 2016. The authors - Published by Atlantis Press 74 made unremitting exploration until today, and the dragon has nine similarities: camel’s head, deer’s horns, academic achievements and the impact of this diffuse in turtle’s eyes, cow’s ears, snake’s neck, mirage’s belly, theoretical linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, fish’s scales, eagle’s claws and tiger’s palms”. applied linguistics and many other branch disciplines. In China, the concept of “dragon” has undergone Although the academic circles dominated by Western four stages of evolution process [10], which are 1) research on the relationship between language, thought Totem worship 2) Divinity worship 3) Combination of and culture fruitfully for a long time, but because of its dragon god worship and emperor worship 4) comprehensive and complex nature of this research field, Combination of worship for Chinese dragon and Indian there are still some theoretical and practical problems dragon. disturbing the scholars. As the development and As the first stage, during the primitive times, some extension of the research, there will be more new tribes took dragon as their totem and the token for their problems. However, Ethnolinguistics will be the answer tribes and ancestors. According to the documentary of these questions. records, the dragon as a totem was transformed from Language is a cultural carrier, different social snake, being originally the totem of the Fu-Xi tribe. backgrounds and national cultures have a great effect on In the second stage, as the agriculture and stock the cultural connotations of vocabulary [1-8]. Chinese raising appeared, the religions were also developed. The culture and western culture as two different species of simple worship of totem evolved into polytheism. culture system, there exists vast differences in language Accordingly, the totem worship of dragon evolved into culture connotations. Every language is closely related the worship for dragon gods. People began to deify the to its culture. Due to historical events, cultural traditions, dragon and regarded it as the god of water and the god religious beliefs, natural environment factors, and other of rainbow. aspects, cultures both in English and Chinese language After the dragon was deified, the worship for it was give animal words specific and different cultural also combined with the worship for the emperor. During connotations, forming their own specific animal culture. the Qin and Han dynasties, the whole China was unified The cultural differences between China and the West and it demanded a superior god to integrate the different result in the same animal containing different cultural religions from different lands. Thus, the worship for connotations. This paper utilizes the data from a large dragon and emperor was combined. From then on, the corpus to analyze the words signifying “Dragon” and emperors of ancient China claimed that they themselves “Phoenix” and explores the cultural differences between were the embodiments of dragons. They thereby Chinese and Western and their various connotations. received belief and support from the people by Animal words reflects the moral institution, national borrowing power from the dragons. Meanwhile, dragon spirit, life attitude, aesthetic ideal and other aspects of also won a more honorable and noble reputation. the content of the national culture, and reflects the In the fourth stage, the image of Chinese dragon was nation's social culture and psychological culture. affected by the dragon from India. During the Sui and Therefore, analysis of the differences between Chinese Tang dynasty, Buddhism propagated in China very and English animal words connotation is beneficial to rapidly. The Indian dragon king was also propagated. understand the difference between social culture and Actually in the local Chinese culture, there were only psychological culture between nationalities, and dragon gods, but without dragon kings. The term conducive to communicate cross-culturally. “dragon king” was introduced after Buddhism. Along This paper is conducted out of two purposes. The with it, concepts such as “dragon palaces” and “dragon first one is, there are many differences between western princesses” also became popular. culture and Chinese culture. Thus, it is significant to After all, there should be a fifth stage, which is the know the differences cultures and histories. The second current epoch we are living in. Nowadays, to tell the and the primary one is that we will study the animal truth, the belief and worship for dragons have not yet words as an example through two different kinds of vanished at all although modern science has highly culture and their histories. The paper intends to make a developed. There have been rumors about a dragon body meticulous and deep try to promote more insight in this fallen from the sky to the fields of Ying-Kou city in the specific field. 30s of last century. Many people are still keeping on believe Buddhism and trusting that real dragons must II. LOONG AND DRAGON exist and the reason why they cannot be seen is that they Chinese dragon is one of the oldest totems of the live in some parallel world. Han nationality. In ancient times, the people reverenced Chinese dragon is often used to represent a symbol for nature and worship the magic power, so they created of