The universality and individuality in English and Chinese proverbs 英汉谚语文化取向-研究.doc

PAGE 1 The universality and individuality in English and Chinese proverbs Introduction Chinese and English cultures are two big cultures which are complicated and different distinctively from each other. The languages of these two countries also belong to two different language families. Proverb which derive from life is one of the most typically representation of its language. As the major form of these two different languages, Chinese and English proverbs contain very special and important cultural information, too. Because of the huge diversity of these two languages, the different cultural orientations seem to be a key point. Therefore, excellently and precisely learning about proverbs on their cultural orientation is very important in achieving successful cross-cultural communication. Learning a foreign language well means more than merely mastering the words, grammar, idioms and all kinds of special phenomenon, or separately learning the language and culture. It also means learning the ways in which their language reflects their own culture, customs and behavior of their society, learning to understand culture by every detail. In a word, learning a language is inseparable from learning its culture. Proverbs are the diamond of a language. Language is part of culture. So as a part of language, proverbs closely integrated with the society and culture. Proverbs reflect many aspects of the nation such as human knowledge and experience. Learning proverb is one important aspect and ways to learn a language and to understand one nation’s culture. This essay I aim to analyze and compare cultural orientation in Chinese and English proverbs.  Ⅰ Language and culture Language and culture are closely related to each other and influence each other. Language and culture often interact with each other, influent and shape each other. The Language is the part of culture, the isotopic carrier of culture, the most important representation of culture