中英颜色词的文化对比分析-以红白为例_英语论文

A Contrastive Analysis of Cultural Meanings between English and Chinese Color Words –Take Red and White for Examples

摘要

我们生活在五彩缤纷的世界里，多种多样的色彩也带来了多种多样的颜色词。颜色词在中英两种语言中都占有非常重要的地位。它们不仅仅表示颜色，同时还因为环境、信仰、思考方式和社会习俗等因素拥有不同的联想意义和内涵意义。在中西方重大场合中，红白两色作为一种重要的习俗体现形式，体现了不同的文化背景。该文将以“红”、“白”为例比较中英颜色词的内涵，从不同方面入手分析存在差异的原因，凸显出在跨文化交际中深刻理解颜色词的文化内涵的重要性，从而促进跨文化交流。

关键词：颜色词；文化内涵；红；白

Abstract

As we live in a colorful world, the diversity of colors results in the diversity of color words. The color words occupy a very important position both in Chinese and in English. The color words not only express the color, but also possess different associative and connotative meanings due to several factors like environment, religion, mode of thinking and social convention. In some momentous occasions, as the important expressions of customs, red and white reflect different cultural backgrounds. This paper takes red and white for examples to compare the connotative meanings of color words in Chinese and English, and tries to analyze some different reasons for the differences between their connotative meanings. Then this paper can highlight the importance of deep understanding of cultural connotations of color words in trans-cultural communication and promote cross-cultural communication.

Keywords: color words; cultural connotations; red; white

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 1

3. The Color of “Bai” and “Hong” in Chinese culture 2

3.1 Images of “Bai” 2

3.2 Images of “Hong” 3

4. The Color of “White” and “Red” in Western Culture 4

4.1 Images of “White” 4

4.2 Images of “Red” 5

5. Comparison and Contrast of Color Words between Chinese and Western Cultures 6

5.1 The similarities of color words between Chinese and Western cultures 6

5.2 The differences of color words between Chinese and Western cultures 7

5.3 Reasons for the differences of color words between Chinese and Western cultures 8

6. Conclusion 12

Works Cited 14