A Comparative Study of Words About Animals in Chinese and
English
Abstract:The present papers in this field attempts to, through examples, make a comparative study of similarity and difference of words about animals. The essay is under the guidance of G.Leech’s types of meaning:conceptual meaning, connative meaning, social meaning, affective meaning, reflected meaning, collocative meaning, and thematic meaning. From the second to the sixth meaning, it is known for associative meaning. This paper concludes two kinds of meaning about animal words both in Chinese and English. This essay will try to discuss the cultural connotations of words about animals both in English and Chinese from the following aspects: the same words about animals with the same cultural meanings; the different words about animals with same cultural meanings; the same words about animals with different cultural meanings.
Key words:types of meaning;words about animals;conceptual meaning; associative meaning
Chapter 1 Introduction
As two of the most widely used languages, both Chinese and English are full of words about animals. According to Guo(郭著章), words about animals consist of names of animals and phrases or idioms involving animal names. It is estimated that there are as many as about 649 words about animals in these two languages. The tendency to use words about animals widely has affected all aspects of human society.As far as words about animals are concerned, it is well known that cultural universals do exist between different nations. However, different nations do not treat
all the words about animals in the same way. Some animals, such as lambs, foxes,pigs, etc, have exactly similar associative meanings in both cultures. Some animals like petrel, hat, dragon, owl, so on and so forth, stand for absolutely different images. Owing to different natural surroundings, there is exclusiveness of animals existing in either the Orient or the Occident, such as silkworm, tortoise, crane, and phoenix and so on. With the deepening of intercultural communication between China and the western world, it has been realized that words about animals are likely to form an area in which misunderstanding in intercultural communication seems inevitable because of the diversities of their cultural connotation and that the instruction of their connotative meaning cannot be neglected.
This thesis will try to analysis systematically their similarity and differences
meanings in both languages. Through careful illustrations, we can understand each other better.
Chapter 2 Comparison Between Words About Animals
Many animals become a kind of symbolism in people’s thinking and this symbolism is unavoidably reflected in the language. However, because of different geographic environments, traditional habits and ways of perception, the conceptual and associative meaning of words about animals are similarly or different.
2.1 Same Conceptual Meaning, Same Associative Meaning
People of different race live in the same world. So it is possible for them to share similar experiences. Some words about animals gradually get the same associative meaning both in Chinese and English. For example, a parrot, we get the impression of “verbosity and mockery”. Wolf ,the word is regarded as a symbol of “cruelty and ferocity”. “Grace” is the most obvious feature of a swan. The symbolism of pig is “dirtiness and gluttony”. Now let’s take fox and pig for example to see why and how they have the same associative in both languages.
In English, a pig is often used to refer to a person who eats too much, or who is dirty or ugly in manner, or refuses to consider others. The following examples can best explain the meaning.
make a pig of oneself
teach a pig to play on a flute
He is a pig about money
The word “pig” has the same connotation in Chinese. “肥猪”(a fat pig) is equal to greedy. “猪头猪脑”(pig porcine brain)is figuratively used to stand for stupid. “猪狗不如”( less than a pig or a dog)indicated some one is rude.
Comparing semantic idea of pig, we can come to the conclusion that the word “pig” has the same connotative meaning in Chinese and English. It is safe to take this animal as someone who is dirty, stupid greedy.
The word fox has the following denotations as a wild mammal which has a pointed face and ears, a wide furry tail and often reddish-brown fur. Foxes are traditionally thought to be clever and good at deceiving people. We can see how cunning this animal is from the following proverbs.
1. Don’t trust that man; he’s a sly old fox
2. When the fox preaches, and then you take care of your geese.
3. When the fox says he’s vegetarian, it’s time for the hen to look out.
The word “fox” has the same connotation in China. Fox is suspicious. When it swims across the Bing River, it stops now and then and listens to make sure it is safe. So a suspicious person can be called foxy. Consequently “狐疑不决”(foxy and undetermined) means being indecisive in one’s mind like a fox. So “狐狸”(fox) in Chinese refers to a cunning and suspicious person.
It is safe to draw the conclusion that the animal fox has the same cultural connotation both in Chinese and in English. It has the symbolism of “cunning and artifice”. Though people of different races may have different customs and ways of perception, it does not follow that they will never share the same understanding about the same entity. In addition, the following are some other animals, which share the same symbolic meaning in Chinese and English:
cock: vigilance and arrant insolence
lamb: innocence and self-sacrifice
ox: patience and strength
2.2 Different Conceptual Meaning, Same Associative Meaning
On the other hand, because people come from different races, they may have the same impression of different words about animals. That is to say, one animal in one language has the same or similar symbolism as a different animal does in another language. Let’s take the word “ox” and “horse” and the word “tiger” and “lion” for examples.
The word “ox” in Chinese figuratively refers to a person who is industry, and has nearly the same meaning as the word “horse” in English. We may take the following into account so as to having a better understanding of these words.
牛头不对马嘴-horses’ jaws don’t match cows’ heads
老黄牛-a willing horse
健壮如牛-as strong as a horse
像老黄牛那样干活-work like a horse
For many centuries “tiger” has been a symbol of nobleness and courage in Chinese which the lion in English has the same meaning. The following are examples.
A Comparative Study of Words About Animals in Chinese and English
