[摘  要]

在历史进步和社会发展的漫长过程中，动物与人类保持着广泛而密切的联系，对人类的生存与发展产生了深远的影响。因此，在英汉两种语言中出现了大量与动物相关的词汇，习语和表达。本文以动物词汇为例，主要讨论和比较对英汉动物词汇文化喻意的异同。此外，本文将通过对比和分析阐述英汉动物词汇文化喻意差异形成的原因，如：地理环境，风俗习惯，宗教信仰及审美价值取向和社会心理等，这对促进英语教学和进行跨文化交际有重要的现实意义。

[关键词] 动物词汇；文化喻意；对比分析；文化差异；跨文化交际

Abstract:

In the long progress of the historical evolution and social development, animals maintain a wide and close relationship with human beings and exert profound influence on human survival and development. Therefore, there are a large number of words, idioms and expressions both in English and Chinese which are linked to animals. Based on the animal words, the thesis mainly discusses and compare the similarities and differences of cultural connotations of animal words both in English and Chinese. In addition, it will elaborate the reasons for cultural connotative differences of animal words in English and Chinese, such as geographical environment, customs, traditional culture, religious beliefs, etc. by comparative analysis, which would have practical significance in promoting English teaching and multicultural communication.

Key words: animal words; cultural connotation; comparative analysis; cultural differences; multicultural communication

1. Introduction
Generally speaking, language is viewed as a mirror of society, through which people can better understand the related social culture. As one of the most significant parts of the language, vocabulary will undoubtedly reflect the image of a society from many aspects and angles. Various associative meanings are attached to vocabulary in countries of different cultures, which is in particular apparent in animal words. During the human historical advancement course, animals are all the time closely bound up with human existence and development, playing an important part in the human society. For example, some of them are necessary food for people; some offer labor force for agriculture; others bring the inspiration for many inventions in the scientific field. Human beings gradually attach a variety of emotions towards animals such as hatred, fondness, sympathy, fear and so forth. By this means, animals have become part of human life. Thus, it is natural that animal words and expressions have gradually become an indispensable member of the fundamental vocabulary in many languages. And English and Chinese are of no exception. In human everyday life, the words and expressions concerning animals can been seen or heard from anywhere, which reflects social life, natural phenomenon and people’s value orientations. Some animal words in English and Chinese are endowed with the same or similar cultural connotations in that the English and Chinese nations have something in common, such as some similar laws of cognition for the same features and attributes of some animals and some similar mode of thinking. However, the cultural connotations of animal words are not always identical between English and Chinese owing to the differences in geographical environment, customs, traditional culture, religious beliefs, etc.