Abstract:
Taboo is a commonly existing cultural phenomenon among nations in the world which regulates people’s language and social communication. This paper aims to study and analyze the similarities and differences of English and Chinese taboos. Despite their different cultural bases, English and Chinese taboos have something in common. They both reflect people’s same desire for good health, good fortune and safety, and to show respect and avoid offending others. The similarities of English and Chinese taboos are mainly reflected in ominous words, offensive words, discriminatory words, and religion.
Apart from the similarities in English and Chinese taboos, there also exit sharp differences. The differences are evident in the aspects of privacy, colors, names, animals and old age. Cultural differences play a major part in the differences. Understanding these differences and the underlying causes will help English learners in China gain a better insight into cultural differences, thus reducing cultural misunderstanding and improving their intercultural communication competence.

Key words：taboos; similarities; differences; cultural differences

摘  要：
禁忌是世界各民族之间普遍存在的一种文化现象，它规范了人们的言语行为与社会交际。本文将分析探讨英汉禁忌语的异同。虽然英汉禁忌语有各自的文化基础，但它们有共同之处。从某种程度上，英汉禁忌语反映了人们渴求健康，好运和安全以及尊重他人，避免冒犯他人的心态。英汉禁忌语的相同之处主要反映在不祥词、冒犯语、歧视语和宗教这几方面。
尽管英文和中文中的禁忌语有着相同之处，但它们之间也存在着明显差异。这些差异尤其体现在隐私、颜色、姓名、动物和老年这几个方面。文化的差异在这些差异中扮演着重要的角色。了解这些差异的根本原因，有助于中国英语学习者更好地了解英汉文化差异，从而减少文化误解，提高跨文化交际能力。

关键词：禁忌语；相同点；不同点；文化差异

1 Introduction
Taboo is a subject that people avoid because they think it is offensive or embarrassing or a social custom which means a particular activity or subject must be avoided. Taboo is the reflection of society’s cultural background, social belief and value concepts. Generally speaking, taboo is composed of non-language taboo and language taboo. The taboos studied in this paper include not only the taboo in language but also the things that are regarded as taboo.
Taboo is also spelled as tabu, Tongan tabu, or Maori tapu. The term taboo is of Polynesian origin and was first noted by Captain James Cook during his visit to Tonga in 1771. He introduced it into the English language, after which it achieved widespread currency. Although taboos are often associated with the Polynesian cultures of the South Pacific, they have proved to be present in virtually all societies past and present (Liu, 2007:79). Taboo is regarded as one of the greatest obstacles in intercultural communication. Misusing taboo will lead to serious consequences such as cultural conflicts.