1、第 1 页 共 12 页Review1. What is the Hofstede model of cultural pattern?2. What is high-context communication and what is low-context communication? How about the major differences between a high-context culture and a low-context one?Unit Four Language and CultureI. Warm UpPlease read the humorous dialo
2、gues on page 118, then try to translate them into Chinese. Can they be rendered in Chinese as humorous as the original?II. Language and Culture1. Read the article of “How Is Language Related to Culture”. What do you think is the relationship between language and culture?1) the relationship between l
3、anguage and culture: Culture and language are intertwined 相互交错 and shape each other. It is impossible to separate the two. Language is not a matter of neutral codes and grammatical rules. Each time we select words, form sentences, and send a message, either oral or written, we also make cultural cho
4、ices. Thus, we have to be aware of the cultural implications of the phrase if we want to avoid attributing a very different meaning to it or interpret 解释 it literally.2) Functions of language:第 2 页 共 12 页e.g. questions: asking for information information questionsa lubricant 润滑剂 to move the conversa
5、tion forward social questionsExamples: How are you? 吃了吗?3) The meaning of the words comes out of the context, the cultural usage 用法. Language reflects the environment in which we live.Example: self-introduction of Germans and Americans Language reflects cultural values.4) Problems: There are no such
6、 equivalents between languages, and we translate concepts from a foreign language and culture with words that fit our priorities 优先顺序. Therefore to communicate concepts effectively, cultural knowledge is as important as linguistic knowledge.Examples: manana/tomorrow kinship terms 亲属称谓(E pidgin Engli
7、shes2. Read the article of “Language-and-Culture, Two Sides of the Same Coin”. How does language reflect the culture?1) Language and culture are clearly fused 混合; one reflects the other.2) Language-and-Culture: It is coined 创造 by Byram and Morgan in 1994 in order to reflect the relationship between
8、language and culture both unification 同一 and separation.3) Language embodies 体现 the products, perspectives, communities, and persons of a culture. Members of the culture have created the language to carry out all their cultural practices, to identify and organize all their cultural products, and to
9、name the underlying cultural perspectives in all the various communities that comprise their culture. Language and cultural products:Many cultural products literature, tax codes, telephone directories, operating instructions, passports consist entirely of language.Language is a cultural product in a
10、nd of itself. Language and cultural practices:Cultural practices almost always require language, the language of 第 4 页 共 12 页participation, such as speaking, listening, reading and writing.The social circumstances, the people involved, the topic, and a number of other factors influence the nature of
11、 the language used. Language and cultural perspectives:We use language to name and understand the perceptions, values, attitudes, and beliefs that govern our way of life. Though language, we make tacit perspectives explicit. Language and cultural communities:Communities develop distinct language to
12、describe and carry out the particular practices and products associated with their group and its activities. Language and persons:Language, like culture, is not only collective but also personal. Each of us uses language in an idiosyncratic manner, based upon our background, experiences, social grou
13、ps, our personal outlook, and our identity.3. Conclusion:(i) Language and Environment1) Language is an instrument. Word differences are obvious in various languages. The relation between word and its meaning is arbitrary. For example, in Chinese, we live in a 房子. In English, we live in a house.2) La
14、nguage is even more an environment. It has as much to do with the 第 5 页 共 12 页philosophical 哲学的 and political conditioning of a society as geography or climate. So, we can see that absolute color designations white, black, red, yellow are not merely inaccurate 错误的不精确; they have become symbolic rathe
15、r than descriptive.Homework: Finish the exercises on page 124, try to analyse the different perceptions of colour terms.1. green; 2. brown; 3. blue; 4. white; 5. black; 6. yellow; 7. green; 8. red; 9. black; 10. blue, blue; 11. white; 12. red; 13. blue; 14. green; 15. yellow.(ii) Language and Cultur
16、eHomework: Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (p146-149)Supplement: Word MeaningsWe know that words represent meaning. The problem is that they may represent several types of meanings simultaneously.(i) Denotation 符号 and Connotation 内涵What is denotation? What is connotation? Give examples to show their differen
17、ce?(p126-127)(ii) Seven categories 类别 of lexical meanings 词汇意义The study of word meaning is lexical semantics 词汇语义学. The lexical meanings could be classified into seven categories: conceptual meaning, connotative meaning, stylistic meaning, affective meaning, reflected meaning, collocative meaning an
18、d thematic meaning.第 6 页 共 12 页1. Conceptual Meaning (概念意义)Words may refer to objects in the real world (e. g. dog, book, river, etc.) or abstract concepts (e. g. life, friendship, hatred, etc.) in our mind. The relationship between a word and an object in the real world or a concept in our mind to
19、which the world refers is the conceptual meaning of the word.2. Connotative Meaning (内涵意义)It is the communicative value 交际价值 an expression has in addition to the purely conceptual meaning. The word “woman” can be defined conceptually as an adult female who is biped 两足 and has a womb 子宫, which is the
20、 physical features of a woman. But several other psychological and social features can be attributed to her, such as “capable of speech”, “experienced in cookery” and “skirt or dress wearing”. These additional features are its connotative meaning, which may include such features as “frail”脆弱的 , “pro
21、ne to tears”, “emotional”, etc. and such good qualities as “gentle”, “compassionate”慈悲, “sensitive”, “hard-working”, and so on.A high government official: (1) politician: engaging in polities for personal gain; (2) statesman 政治家3. Social Meaning (社会意义 )It is what a piece of language conveys 表达 about
22、 the social circumstances of its use, which includes at least language users (who are using language), settings (where is language used), and topics (what are the language users talking or writing about).第 7 页 共 12 页家: (1) domicile: used in official or legal documents or between people who are invol
23、ved in official or legal affairs. (2) residence: used in formal or administrative 行政、管理的 circumstances. (3) abode: a poetic 诗意 word, used in creation and appreciation of poems. (4) home: used in everyday speech between classmates, colleagues, friends or family members.4. Affective Meaning (情感意义)It i
24、s communicated when the feelings or attitudes are expressed in language. Such interjections 感叹词 as “aha”, “my God”, “oh”, and “dear” are chiefly used to convey 传达 affective meaning.5. Reflected Meaning (反映意义)It arises in words of multiple 多重的 conceptual meaning, when one sense of a word forms part o
25、f our response to another sense. For example, “the Comforter” and “the Holy Ghost” both refer to God in religious English, but the former sounds warm and comforting, while the latter sounds awesome because these are the reflected meanings of these two terms.6. Collocative Meaning (搭配意义)It consists o
26、f association a word gets from those words that are often used together with it. Nice-looking : (1) pretty: girl, woman, flower, garden, color, village(2) handsome: boy, man, car, overcoat, airliner第 8 页 共 12 页7. Thematic Meaning (主题意义)It is what is communicated by the way in which a speaker or writ
27、er organization a message, in terms of ordering, focus, or emphasis.e. g. the same conceptual content: (1) Mr. Smith donated the first prize.(2) The first prize was donated by Mr. Smith.The active sentence seems to be an answer to the question “What did Mr. Smith donate?”, while the passive sentence
28、 appears to answer “Who was the first prize donated by?” or “Who donated the first prize?”. The active sentence suggests that we know who Mr. Smith is while the passive one does not.Meanings 27 are called associative meanings.关联意义III. Language and Translation(i) Problems in translation to achieve eq
29、uivalence between languagesPlease read over the article on pages 138-142, and answer the following question:How many types of equivalence in translation are mentioned?1. Lexical equivalence: 2. Idiomatic di:mtk equivalence: like idioms3. Grammatical-syntactical equivalence:4. Experiential equivalenc
30、e: 5. Conceptual equivalence第 9 页 共 12 页(ii) Words and Meaning1.Words and Culture-specific 文化特异性 Conceptual Meaning1) Words and geography: The Mississippi; the Channel; koala, kangaroo2) Words and history: The May Flower; scalp (剥带发头皮); lynch 私刑; cowboy; hippie; duke; castle3) Words and politics: Pr
31、esident; congress; Democratic Party 民主党; Governor-General 总督4) Words and Christianity: Trinity; Bible; Catholic; Protestant; Puritan5) Words and holidays: Christmas box (圣诞节礼 ); Christmastide (圣诞节节期); Easter6) Words and living styles: Hot dog; hamburger; pudding; cocktail; drive-ins (drive-in cinema
32、s; drive-in banks; drive-in restaurants); motels, diners (餐车式饭馆); baseball (垒球 ), striptease (脱衣舞); love store (色情商店); late-late TV shows (深夜放映的色情电视片)2.Words with Partial 局部的 Equivalence1. young, middle-aged and oldEnglish: 18-40-60-Chinese: 18-35-55-2. intellectuals第 10 页 共 12 页3. (1) social scienc
33、es: political science, economics, sociology, etc., branches of learning that are concerned with human society, esp. its organization and the relationship of individual members to it.(1)社会科学: all the academic fields not included in the natural 自然科学 and applied sciences 应用科学.2. (1) yard: a small open
34、space completely or partially enclosed and adjoining 紧邻 a building(2) 院子 : 房屋前后用墙或栅栏围起来的空地 .3. (1) drugstore /a chemists shop: where medicines, toiletries 化妆品, and various other small articles including food, are sold, but where one can buy only a few kinds of medicine without a prescription 药方.(2)药
35、店: where medicines and some kinds of medical apparatus 医疗设备 are sold, most of which are sold without a doctors prescription.4. kinship terms 亲属称谓 (p125-126)Summarize 总结 the major differences between English and Chinese kinship terms:3.Words Often Mistakengreenhouse (温室) 绿色的房屋busywork (耗时又无价值的工作) 忙碌的
36、工作busmans holiday (消磨于与日常工作类似之活动的假日)公共汽车驾驶员/乘务员的假日busybody (爱管闲事的人) 大忙人第 11 页 共 12 页housewarming (乔迁喜宴) 房屋供暖donkeywork (苦役；单调的日常工作) 驴活儿police action (未经正式宣战，对破坏国际和平与秩序的叛乱者采取的镇压行动)警察行动lowbody (矮脚抽屉柜) 矮个子男孩free love (公开同居 )自由恋爱equalitarianism (favorable term)平均主义disinterested (公正的) 无兴趣wester (西风 )西方人f
37、irst lady; high school; lover; restroom4.Words and Connotative Meanings1) dog and 狗 (p127)2) peasant and 农民3) landlord and 地主4) comrade and 同志5) self-made man (successful persons from humble origin) and 白手起家的人( 经济基础不是很好)6) propaganda and 宣传7) do-gooder (stupid persons earnestly bent on doing good without knowing the harmful result) and 作好事的人8) spiritual (religious connotation) and 精神的第 12 页 共 12 页IV. Case Study: Students are required to read the cases given carefully and try to analyse them from the viewpoint of IC.
