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One Language and Culture
1.1 Definition of Culture
Culture is all the materials,systems and spirits that the human race has created.It includes the following main items.One,all that the nature brings to us such as mountains and rocks can’t be called culture.Two,even what the human race created at the age of barbarism can be called culture.Three,those that aren’t created by the human race can’t be called culture.Four,culture is created by the human race on purpose,while the substances,which take shape unintentionally,can’t be called culture.
1.2 The Relationship between Culture and Language
Language is a part of culture,which is best defined as “the totality of beliefs and practices of a society”.Language and culture cannot exist without each other.
Language is a special culture.First,it is the product of prehistoric time and it is the unintentional creation.It’s different from the creativeness of culture completely.Second,it belongs to neither the subjective world nor the objective world.It is something between the subjective world and the objective world.Thirdly,it is not only the carrier of culture,but also the reflection of culture.
Language is the most important carrier of culture and can include the whole information of culture,while the other carriers can only show a part of culture,and even a very small part of culture.Sometimes language needs to depend on written word to record something such as events in history.It seems that written word is the most important carrier of culture.But from the linguistic point of view,the written word is only a symbol for recording human speech.Language is the main manifestation of culture.Different languages reflect the differences of culture of different countries.The differences of culture are mainly shown in the historic traditions,social systems,life styles and cultural customs etc.Therefore,learning the knowledge of culture is the key of learning the culture.There is not any language which exists without the cultural background.
1.3 The Importance of Learning Culture While Learning English
Different languages have different cultural backgrounds.Because of different cultural backgrounds,people with different languages may easily misunderstand each other when they talk if they aren’t aware of the differences.Because of different cultural backgrounds,one may make the listeners laugh when he or she talks about a serious problem,and maybe the listeners may be offended at a comment which bears no ill will.Because of different backgrounds,the listeners may not laugh when they hear a joke told by a foreigner.
Different languages reflect the differences of culture of different countries.Language is the most important carrier of culture.And English is no exception.We must pay attention to it and shouldn’t learn English isolated,unilateral.We are introduced the culture of English speaking countries such as their food culture,life style,social intercourse,history background,literary etc.At the same time,we understand the differences between the eastern culture and western culture.As a result,we can grasp the soul of English and use it appropriately.
When we learn a foreign language,we are sure to learn the knowledge of social culture of the foreign language.When children learn the language of a nationality,they learn the culture of this nationality as well.Therefore,language and the using of language cannot be divorced from culture.The American famous linguist Mr.Sappier point out,
“Culture can be explained as what people in the society do and think,while language is the specific manifestation of thought.”
As a matter of fact,learning English is learning the culture of English speaking countries.Just as D.Brown says,
“Learning a second language is learning a second culture.”
Therefore,we can say that it is quite important to learn the culture in the learning of English.
Chapter Two The Cultural Elements in English Learning
2.1 The Differences between English and Chinese Words
In our English learning,we cannot avoid meeting some English words,which have their own cultural background.Here we have some examples.
1.Some words in Chinese don’t have the equivalent words in English.
“夏练三伏,冬练三九” is a Chinese proverb to encourage people to build up a good physique.It means that in summer keep exercising during the hottest days,and in winter do the same thing in the coldest days.There isn’t an English equivalent for this item.
The Chinese item “芝麻酱煮饺子” also doesn’t have an English equivalent.English speakers just don’t understand “芝麻酱” and “饺子”.In western countries,people often say “It is packed like sardines.” to express that it is too crowded in a place.If we speak to an English speaker,we should use the English term “It is packed like sardines.” instead of translating this Chinese term into English mechanically.
Some concepts have their own words both in Chinese and English; however,they don’t completely refer to the same things.
Now look at the following terms which can easily lead to confusion.
“high school” doesn’t mean “高等學校”.It is “middle school” in the USA.
“rest room” doesn’t mean “休息室”.It is a room with toilet articles in a theatre or shopping centre.
“busybody” doesn’t mean “大忙人”.It refers to the person who always interferes in other people’s private affairs.
2.A same thing,living thing or concept,which is expressed in one word in Chinese,may be expressed in a few or more words in English.
We may have many difficulties when we talk with English speakers.For example,“Linda’s brother married Michael’s sister” is hard to be translated into Chinese because both brother and sister have two meanings (elder brother or younger brother,elder sister or younger sister).There are many other words,which also belong to this kind of terms,such as “uncle,aunt,grandfather and grandmother etc.They may easily cause confusion.
In Chinese we use“公” and“母”(or“雌”and“雄”) for the sex of animals,while in English some male or female animals have their own terms.What’s more,they have their own terms for baby animals.
2.2 The Cultural Differences between English and Chinese in Daily Life
2.2.1 Greetings
In China,people often greet each other by asking,“Have you eaten yet?” But in English speaking countries,to ask the same question means something else.The question “Have you eaten yet?” would often mean the person who is asking hasn’t eaten and would like the other person to join him or her for a meal.Chinese people also often greet each other by asking,“Where are you going?” But if you said this to an English speaking person,especially someone whom you don’t know well,he or she might think that you are rather “nosy”,that it’s none of your business.
But in English speaking countries,people say “Good morning”,“Good afternoon” and “Good evening” to greet each other.They all mean “Hello” or “Hi”.Glad to meet you and Pleased to meet you are phrases people say at a first meeting when they are introduced to someone.
So when we meet a foreigner,we must greet him or her in the way of their country.If we aren’t aware of this,misunderstanding may be caused.
2.2.2 Ways of addressing people
Ways of addressing people are also different in Chinese and English.In China,we often use “Tongzhi”,“Lao” or “Xiao” as in Li Tongzhi,Lao Li,Xiao Li.Lately many people just the term “Shifu”,especially when addressing an unacquainted person.But English speakers don’t address people this way.So it is not proper to call the foreigners “Old Jones” or “Young Smith” or “Teacher Brown”.They usually use Mr.for a male and Mrs.,Miss or Ms for a female.
We can also see the cultural difference on praises.When hearing other people’s praise,Chinese people and westerners answer in different ways.English speakers accept the praise,while Chinese think they are not good enough.When an English speaker says,“Your dress is really nice.” English people must answer,“Thank you”,while in our Chinese way,we will say,“No,it’s not nice.” Thus the comment will make the English speaker feel surprised.It will make him or her think that we mean he or she doesn’t have aesthetic judgment.
2.2 The Idioms and Proverbs in English
Idioms and proverbs are important parts in a language and culture.They are usually hard to understand.What’s more,they are hard to be used properly.However,whether a person can use idioms and proverbs correctly or not shows the person’s level of using a language.Here we have a humor.A foreign student studying in the USA was reading by the window in his room.Suddenly he heard a voice,“Look out!” He quickly put his head out of the window.A board nearly hit him.He was angry and afraid.At that time,a person said,“Didn’t you hear me call ‘look out’?” He answered,“Yes,that’s what I did.” No matter whether it is true or not,it at least tells us that it is difficult to learn English idioms.The reason is that some English idioms have several or more Chinese meanings and we can’t guess their meanings just from the appearance.For instance,“make up” can be translated as “彌补、赔偿、拼凑、配制、编排、编制、虚构、捏造、化妆”etc.Idioms are the cream of the language.They are more typical and representative.And they have national color as well.It seems that English idioms are quite difficult.Actually,if we have enough patience,they are just a piece of cake.We can’t guess their meanings just from the appearance,neither.Now let’s take some English idioms as examples.
“To take one’s hair stand on end” isn’t equivalent to “令人发指”.It can be paraphrased as “very afraid seeing or hearing a terrible thing”.It can be translated as “令人毛骨悚然” instead of “令人发指”.
“To eat one’s own words” doesn’t mean “自食其言”.It means “take back one’s own words.
Proverbs are meaningful sayings among the people.They have substantial content and are infectious.Generally speaking,proverbs reflect geography,history,social system,social ideas and attitude of a nationality.For example,some nationalities live by the seashore.They make a living by the sea.So their proverbs usually have something to do with sailing.Look at the following proverbs.
“Where there is smoke there is fire.” can be translated as “无风不起浪”.
“No great loss without some small gain.” means “塞翁失马,焉知非福”.
We can see from the above examples that most proverbs don’t have the equivalents in Chinese.We must bear in mind about their Chinese meanings.
2.4 The Metaphors in English
There are many metaphors in English,which can’t be understood easily.We can come across terms such as:
“ ‘You chicken!’ He cried looking at Tom with contempt.” Here “chicken” can’t be translated as “雞”.It should be translated as “胆小鬼、懦夫”.
“A bull in a china shop” can be paraphrased as a person who acts very rudely and makes trouble easily.“As wise as an owl” means a person who is very clever,just as clever as an owl.In western countries,an owl is the symbol of wisdom.Yet in China an owl means bad luck.People dislike it at all.
We can see from the above-mentioned examples that because of different culture we can hardly guess the meanings just from the appearance of the words.
2.5 The Allusions in English
Almost all the people use some typical characters or events about history,literature or religion.The character and event are called “allusion”.It is the rich cultural heritage of language.Many English allusions come from English literature,especially from works of the great writer Shakespeare.For example,“forgive and forget” means forgive a person and forget his or her mistakes.“That’s all Greek to me” means “I know nothing about it.”
2.6 The Taboos in English
There are certain subjects,which should be avoided when talking with English speakers.For example,in China it is all right to ask someone how old he or she is,or how much he or she earns,but such questions would be considered too personal in all English speaking countries.Therefore,special attention should be paid to these subjects when we communicate with English speakers.
2.7 The Importance of the Cultural Elements in the Learning of English
From the above cultural elements we have mentioned,we can see that the cultural elements are so helpful in our English learning.If we want to grasp English,we must grasp them.Otherwise,we cannot really grasp English.If we want to overcome the difficulties caused by the cultural differences,we must get to grasp and use the cultural elements from the point of the language that we learn.It is obvious that if we don’t pay attention to the cultural elements,we can certainly not use English freely.Therefore,the cultural elements are very important in the learning of English.
Chapter Three Some Tips about Learning Culture
Since it’s so important to learn culture while learning English,we should try to grasp culture when we are learning it.Here are some tips about how to learn culture while learning English.
We can learn culture from the textbooks,English newspapers,magazines and literary books.We can often see dialogues and short passages in our English textbooks.These can help us to learn the culture.For example,after learning “English Names”,we know the culture about English names.After learning “Christmas”,we know something about holidays.From “What do English people eat?”,we can know the life style of westerners.We can learn culture from English newspapers,magazines and literary books as well.If possible,we can learn culture from English native speakers.We can learn culture by watching English films.English films can certainly reflect the culture of English speaking countries.So if we often watch films,of course we can get familiar with the English culture.
Conclusion
From the above discussion we can now conclude that it is quite important to learn the culture in the learning of English.Learning a foreign language also involves learning culture — a second culture.No one can learn English well if he or she is ignorant of the culture of English speaking countries.Please learn the culture while learning English,so that we can master the language and use it appropriately.
What we have discussed is helpful for English learners yet not complete.We sincerely hope that in the near future more research work will be done in this field.
1.1 Definition of Culture
Culture is all the materials,systems and spirits that the human race has created.It includes the following main items.One,all that the nature brings to us such as mountains and rocks can’t be called culture.Two,even what the human race created at the age of barbarism can be called culture.Three,those that aren’t created by the human race can’t be called culture.Four,culture is created by the human race on purpose,while the substances,which take shape unintentionally,can’t be called culture.
1.2 The Relationship between Culture and Language
Language is a part of culture,which is best defined as “the totality of beliefs and practices of a society”.Language and culture cannot exist without each other.
Language is a special culture.First,it is the product of prehistoric time and it is the unintentional creation.It’s different from the creativeness of culture completely.Second,it belongs to neither the subjective world nor the objective world.It is something between the subjective world and the objective world.Thirdly,it is not only the carrier of culture,but also the reflection of culture.
Language is the most important carrier of culture and can include the whole information of culture,while the other carriers can only show a part of culture,and even a very small part of culture.Sometimes language needs to depend on written word to record something such as events in history.It seems that written word is the most important carrier of culture.But from the linguistic point of view,the written word is only a symbol for recording human speech.Language is the main manifestation of culture.Different languages reflect the differences of culture of different countries.The differences of culture are mainly shown in the historic traditions,social systems,life styles and cultural customs etc.Therefore,learning the knowledge of culture is the key of learning the culture.There is not any language which exists without the cultural background.
1.3 The Importance of Learning Culture While Learning English
Different languages have different cultural backgrounds.Because of different cultural backgrounds,people with different languages may easily misunderstand each other when they talk if they aren’t aware of the differences.Because of different cultural backgrounds,one may make the listeners laugh when he or she talks about a serious problem,and maybe the listeners may be offended at a comment which bears no ill will.Because of different backgrounds,the listeners may not laugh when they hear a joke told by a foreigner.
Different languages reflect the differences of culture of different countries.Language is the most important carrier of culture.And English is no exception.We must pay attention to it and shouldn’t learn English isolated,unilateral.We are introduced the culture of English speaking countries such as their food culture,life style,social intercourse,history background,literary etc.At the same time,we understand the differences between the eastern culture and western culture.As a result,we can grasp the soul of English and use it appropriately.
When we learn a foreign language,we are sure to learn the knowledge of social culture of the foreign language.When children learn the language of a nationality,they learn the culture of this nationality as well.Therefore,language and the using of language cannot be divorced from culture.The American famous linguist Mr.Sappier point out,
“Culture can be explained as what people in the society do and think,while language is the specific manifestation of thought.”
As a matter of fact,learning English is learning the culture of English speaking countries.Just as D.Brown says,
“Learning a second language is learning a second culture.”
Therefore,we can say that it is quite important to learn the culture in the learning of English.
Chapter Two The Cultural Elements in English Learning
2.1 The Differences between English and Chinese Words
In our English learning,we cannot avoid meeting some English words,which have their own cultural background.Here we have some examples.
1.Some words in Chinese don’t have the equivalent words in English.
“夏练三伏,冬练三九” is a Chinese proverb to encourage people to build up a good physique.It means that in summer keep exercising during the hottest days,and in winter do the same thing in the coldest days.There isn’t an English equivalent for this item.
The Chinese item “芝麻酱煮饺子” also doesn’t have an English equivalent.English speakers just don’t understand “芝麻酱” and “饺子”.In western countries,people often say “It is packed like sardines.” to express that it is too crowded in a place.If we speak to an English speaker,we should use the English term “It is packed like sardines.” instead of translating this Chinese term into English mechanically.
Some concepts have their own words both in Chinese and English; however,they don’t completely refer to the same things.
Now look at the following terms which can easily lead to confusion.
“high school” doesn’t mean “高等學校”.It is “middle school” in the USA.
“rest room” doesn’t mean “休息室”.It is a room with toilet articles in a theatre or shopping centre.
“busybody” doesn’t mean “大忙人”.It refers to the person who always interferes in other people’s private affairs.
2.A same thing,living thing or concept,which is expressed in one word in Chinese,may be expressed in a few or more words in English.
We may have many difficulties when we talk with English speakers.For example,“Linda’s brother married Michael’s sister” is hard to be translated into Chinese because both brother and sister have two meanings (elder brother or younger brother,elder sister or younger sister).There are many other words,which also belong to this kind of terms,such as “uncle,aunt,grandfather and grandmother etc.They may easily cause confusion.
In Chinese we use“公” and“母”(or“雌”and“雄”) for the sex of animals,while in English some male or female animals have their own terms.What’s more,they have their own terms for baby animals.
2.2 The Cultural Differences between English and Chinese in Daily Life
2.2.1 Greetings
In China,people often greet each other by asking,“Have you eaten yet?” But in English speaking countries,to ask the same question means something else.The question “Have you eaten yet?” would often mean the person who is asking hasn’t eaten and would like the other person to join him or her for a meal.Chinese people also often greet each other by asking,“Where are you going?” But if you said this to an English speaking person,especially someone whom you don’t know well,he or she might think that you are rather “nosy”,that it’s none of your business.
But in English speaking countries,people say “Good morning”,“Good afternoon” and “Good evening” to greet each other.They all mean “Hello” or “Hi”.Glad to meet you and Pleased to meet you are phrases people say at a first meeting when they are introduced to someone.
So when we meet a foreigner,we must greet him or her in the way of their country.If we aren’t aware of this,misunderstanding may be caused.
2.2.2 Ways of addressing people
Ways of addressing people are also different in Chinese and English.In China,we often use “Tongzhi”,“Lao” or “Xiao” as in Li Tongzhi,Lao Li,Xiao Li.Lately many people just the term “Shifu”,especially when addressing an unacquainted person.But English speakers don’t address people this way.So it is not proper to call the foreigners “Old Jones” or “Young Smith” or “Teacher Brown”.They usually use Mr.for a male and Mrs.,Miss or Ms for a female.
We can also see the cultural difference on praises.When hearing other people’s praise,Chinese people and westerners answer in different ways.English speakers accept the praise,while Chinese think they are not good enough.When an English speaker says,“Your dress is really nice.” English people must answer,“Thank you”,while in our Chinese way,we will say,“No,it’s not nice.” Thus the comment will make the English speaker feel surprised.It will make him or her think that we mean he or she doesn’t have aesthetic judgment.
2.2 The Idioms and Proverbs in English
Idioms and proverbs are important parts in a language and culture.They are usually hard to understand.What’s more,they are hard to be used properly.However,whether a person can use idioms and proverbs correctly or not shows the person’s level of using a language.Here we have a humor.A foreign student studying in the USA was reading by the window in his room.Suddenly he heard a voice,“Look out!” He quickly put his head out of the window.A board nearly hit him.He was angry and afraid.At that time,a person said,“Didn’t you hear me call ‘look out’?” He answered,“Yes,that’s what I did.” No matter whether it is true or not,it at least tells us that it is difficult to learn English idioms.The reason is that some English idioms have several or more Chinese meanings and we can’t guess their meanings just from the appearance.For instance,“make up” can be translated as “彌补、赔偿、拼凑、配制、编排、编制、虚构、捏造、化妆”etc.Idioms are the cream of the language.They are more typical and representative.And they have national color as well.It seems that English idioms are quite difficult.Actually,if we have enough patience,they are just a piece of cake.We can’t guess their meanings just from the appearance,neither.Now let’s take some English idioms as examples.
“To take one’s hair stand on end” isn’t equivalent to “令人发指”.It can be paraphrased as “very afraid seeing or hearing a terrible thing”.It can be translated as “令人毛骨悚然” instead of “令人发指”.
“To eat one’s own words” doesn’t mean “自食其言”.It means “take back one’s own words.
Proverbs are meaningful sayings among the people.They have substantial content and are infectious.Generally speaking,proverbs reflect geography,history,social system,social ideas and attitude of a nationality.For example,some nationalities live by the seashore.They make a living by the sea.So their proverbs usually have something to do with sailing.Look at the following proverbs.
“Where there is smoke there is fire.” can be translated as “无风不起浪”.
“No great loss without some small gain.” means “塞翁失马,焉知非福”.
We can see from the above examples that most proverbs don’t have the equivalents in Chinese.We must bear in mind about their Chinese meanings.
2.4 The Metaphors in English
There are many metaphors in English,which can’t be understood easily.We can come across terms such as:
“ ‘You chicken!’ He cried looking at Tom with contempt.” Here “chicken” can’t be translated as “雞”.It should be translated as “胆小鬼、懦夫”.
“A bull in a china shop” can be paraphrased as a person who acts very rudely and makes trouble easily.“As wise as an owl” means a person who is very clever,just as clever as an owl.In western countries,an owl is the symbol of wisdom.Yet in China an owl means bad luck.People dislike it at all.
We can see from the above-mentioned examples that because of different culture we can hardly guess the meanings just from the appearance of the words.
2.5 The Allusions in English
Almost all the people use some typical characters or events about history,literature or religion.The character and event are called “allusion”.It is the rich cultural heritage of language.Many English allusions come from English literature,especially from works of the great writer Shakespeare.For example,“forgive and forget” means forgive a person and forget his or her mistakes.“That’s all Greek to me” means “I know nothing about it.”
2.6 The Taboos in English
There are certain subjects,which should be avoided when talking with English speakers.For example,in China it is all right to ask someone how old he or she is,or how much he or she earns,but such questions would be considered too personal in all English speaking countries.Therefore,special attention should be paid to these subjects when we communicate with English speakers.
2.7 The Importance of the Cultural Elements in the Learning of English
From the above cultural elements we have mentioned,we can see that the cultural elements are so helpful in our English learning.If we want to grasp English,we must grasp them.Otherwise,we cannot really grasp English.If we want to overcome the difficulties caused by the cultural differences,we must get to grasp and use the cultural elements from the point of the language that we learn.It is obvious that if we don’t pay attention to the cultural elements,we can certainly not use English freely.Therefore,the cultural elements are very important in the learning of English.
Chapter Three Some Tips about Learning Culture
Since it’s so important to learn culture while learning English,we should try to grasp culture when we are learning it.Here are some tips about how to learn culture while learning English.
We can learn culture from the textbooks,English newspapers,magazines and literary books.We can often see dialogues and short passages in our English textbooks.These can help us to learn the culture.For example,after learning “English Names”,we know the culture about English names.After learning “Christmas”,we know something about holidays.From “What do English people eat?”,we can know the life style of westerners.We can learn culture from English newspapers,magazines and literary books as well.If possible,we can learn culture from English native speakers.We can learn culture by watching English films.English films can certainly reflect the culture of English speaking countries.So if we often watch films,of course we can get familiar with the English culture.
Conclusion
From the above discussion we can now conclude that it is quite important to learn the culture in the learning of English.Learning a foreign language also involves learning culture — a second culture.No one can learn English well if he or she is ignorant of the culture of English speaking countries.Please learn the culture while learning English,so that we can master the language and use it appropriately.
What we have discussed is helpful for English learners yet not complete.We sincerely hope that in the near future more research work will be done in this field.