A Cross-Cultural Study of Cultural Connotation of Animal Words between English and Chinese Idioms开题报告

1. 研究目的与意义

Languages are a fruit of wisdom of people, which are the systems of communication in speech and writing that are used by people of particular countries. Used by particular people at a particular time or place, Idiom, as a part of language, is a group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words. Formed in a particular condition, culture of the people is loaded on idiom. Idiom containing animal words accounts for a large percent of whole idioms of one culture because of the close relationship between human beings and animals. In other words, all those animal words in idioms have their unique cultural connotations that are the connotative meanings formed in a particular circumstance. How to understand idioms has been a problem that needs be solved at the beginning of language learning. In order to understand idioms, analyzing the cultural connotation of animal words is a necessary and inevitable job for paving the way for an easier intercultural communication.

2. 研究内容和预期目标

This paper will make a study of the similarities and differences of cultural connotation of different kinds of animal words between English and Chinese idioms and then the reasons will be discussed. Finally, make a suggestion of learning methods of understanding the cultural connotation of animal words between English and Chinese idioms.

3. 国内外研究现状

linguistic words are the most distinctive carriers of cultural information. because of the frequent use of idioms containing animal words in the intercultural communication, there have been many researches on the cultural connotations of animal words made by both chinese and foreign scholars, however, they often have different emphases, but language should and must reflect its own characteristics in a certain condition. the more specific study the researchers do, the more useful it is. the idiom is a particular part of language. the whole society should pay more attention to the cultural connotations of animal words between english and chinese idioms. that is why this paper attempts to make a research on this topic.

this paper will introduce some researches from both foreign and chinese experts.

foreign researches on this topic are not very much. earlier linguists mostly classify and interpret the animal idioms from the aspects of the origin of animal words and its functions and meanings. first, the representative is english linguist smith. in 1925, smith published the book words and idioms. he first saw the animal idioms as one part of idioms, and gave explanations to the communicative functions of animal idioms, sorting out the scopes of emotion, attitude, desire, decision and so on.

4. 计划与进度安排

1. introduction

1.1 the overall structure of the thesis

1.2 generalization of advertisement

5. 参考文献

[1] cowie a. p. mackin. r. oxford dictionary of current idiomatic english [m]. oxford: oxford university press. 1984

[2] jan de ward and eugene a. nida from one language to another [m]. nashville: thomas nelson publisher. 1986

[3] kramsch c. language and culture [m]. shanghai: shanghai foreign language education press. 2000