摘要

    汉语和英语这两种语言都拥有大量的动物词。这些动物词含有丰富的文化内涵,并且在一定程度上分别代表了这两个民族各自的民族心理。因此，探讨动物词在跨文化交际中的文化内涵具有重要意义。本文以杰弗里•利奇的语义理论为基础，试图对中英动物词的情感意义进行对比分析，尤其对动物词的褒贬意义进行重点分析。与此同时，本文还探讨了导致中英动物词褒贬意义不同的原因。研究结果证明了两点：一，汉语里的动物词的褒贬意义并不总是和英文中的动物词保持一致；二，自然环境、传说、习俗以及审美价值观和社会心理的不同是造成中英动物词表达差异的主要原因。

关键词：动物词；情感意义；褒贬意义；对比分析

Abstract

There exist many animal words in both Chinese and English languages，which contain many cultural connotations and represent to some degree their national psychologies respectively. Thus, it is of great importance to discuss the cultural connotation of the animal words in effective cross-cultural communication. This thesis, based on Geoffrey Leech’s Theory of Meaning, is aimed to make a comparative analysis of affective meanings of animal words in Chinese and English, especially the commendatory and derogatory aspects. Meanwhile, it tries to find out why such different affective meanings have come into being. Result of analysis proves two things: first, the affective meaning of Chinese animal words may not always be identical with that of English animal words; second, natural environment, legends, custom, aesthetic value orientation and social psychologies are the main factors which cause the differences in expressions of animal words between Chinese and English.

Key words: animal words; affective meanings; commendatory and derogatory meanings; comparative analysis

1    Introduction
With the development of human society, animals are becoming an indispensable part of human’s life. Some of them are tamed to be docile, and even become the pets. Some live in the environments that people create for them. Animals are gradually regarded as our human beings’ friends. In a word, Luo Shiping (2005) says, “animals have made a great contribution to human beings. But one important contribution is easily neglected. That is they enrich human language.”
Vocabulary is the foundation of language. At present, no one doubts the important role of vocabulary in language leaning, because “words make us human”，and “when you are out of words, you are out of life” (Fishwick, 1990). We always associate our attitudes, experience and even emotional feelings with animals. As a consequence, animal words are widely used in the language of both Chinese and English.