A Comparative Study of Kinship Terms in Chinese and English 中英亲属称谓的对比研究.doc

A Comparative Study of Kinship Terms in Chinese and English 中英亲属称谓的对比研究 ABSTRACT: Language is the carrier of national culture. Chinese and English kinship terms belong to different kinship systems. The differences between Chinese and English kinship terms reflect cultural differences between the East and West to some extent. The paper is to reveal the different cultural implication in it through the comparative analysis of the distinctive features of kinship systems of Chinese and English which people are familiar with. Key words: kinship terms; comparison between Chinese and English; cultural differences 摘 要:语言是民族文化的载体，中英亲属称谓属于不同的称谓系统。在某种程度上，中英亲属称谓词之间的差异反映了中西之间的文化差异，本文探讨了人们所熟悉的两种亲属称谓语的特征，从而透视出两种不同的文化内涵。 关键词:亲属称谓；中英比较；文化差异 1 Introduction According to E.R. Leach, kinship terms are “category words by means of which an individual is taught to recognize the significant groupings in the social structure into which he is born”. Cultural differences between Chinese and English give rise to two kinds of different kinship terms. If Chinese kinship terms are transplanted directly into English, this will be bound to cause cultural conflict or cultural shock. Kinship terms belong to social language and they are used widely in daily communicative life. Language is a mirror of culture, therefore, the comparative study of kinship terms in Chinese and English is to understand better different cultural implication and make sure that communication is going on well. 2 Comparison between Chinese and English kinship terms 2.1 Pure kinship terms Due to historical and cultural reasons, Chinese culture has many fine-grained terms for different types of family relationships. Compared with Chinese kinship terms, English kinship terms are quite a few. The following table will reflect differences between them. Table 2-1 pure kinship terms in Chinese and English Chinese English 祖父外祖父 grandfather 祖母外祖母 grandmother 父亲母亲 father，mother 伯父叔父舅父姑父姨父Uncle 伯母婶母舅母姑母姨母Aunt 哥哥弟弟 brother