Abstract

Both English and Chinese have long history and rich cultural heritage. There are lots of words or phrases connected to animals in these two languages. Cultural connotations of these animal words show different cultural mentalities, values and social styles of different countries, also reflect gorgeous cultures of these countries as well. Most animal words or phrases have similar meanings in Chinese or English, but due to different cultural backgrounds, same animal idioms may have different cultural connotations. Animal idioms usually have distinctive national identities and some animal idioms have different commendatory or derogatory meanings. This thesis mainly analyzes the influence of culture on animal idioms and helps us to understand the cultural differences between English and Chinese. Knowing about these differences will help us to convey the right information in translation and intercultural communication.

Key words: animal idioms; connotations; cultural origin; cultural differences
 
摘要

英语和汉语有着悠久的历史和深厚的文化底蕴。在这两种语言中有许多关于动物的单词或词组。这些动物词汇的文化内涵表现出不同的文化心态，价值观和国家的社会风俗，同时也反映出了不同国家丰富的文化内容。英汉语言中对这些动物的特性的看法总体一致, 因此无论是汉语还是英语,大多数动物词或词组含义都是相同或相近的,但是由于不同的文化背景,我们又对同一动物词赋以不同的文化内涵,通常一种动物的象征意义完全相同而其文化内涵却有明显差异,相互矛盾甚至相反,动物词常带有鲜明的民族文化特征,部分动物词具有不同的褒贬含义。本文从比较两种语言中一些有代表性的动物词汇入手,探讨其在中西文化中所体现出的不同的文化意蕴, 帮助我们了解英语和汉语之间的文化差异，减少跨文化交际中的语言障碍。

关键词：动物习语; 联想意义;文化根源;文化差异