chapter2language culture part 1.ppt

Language and culture Language is flesh, and culture is blood. Without culture, language would be dead, without language, culture would have no shape. Communication is the swimming motion, language is the swimming skill, and culture is water. Language is both a means of communication and a channel of culture. 1. The Sapir- Whorf hypothesis:萨丕尔-沃尔夫 假说 language structure controls thoughts and cultural norms. The differences between languages represent basic differences in the worldview of diverse cultures. culture is controlled by and controls language.语言规定思想，萨丕尔-沃尔夫相对论主张语言影响思维以及不同的语言反映了不同的世界观 Differences in Languages reflect the different views of different people English brother-in-law: Grandson/grandmother uncle/aunt Translate: Linda’s brother married Michael/s sister. Examples show that culture indeed influences the language 40 words for “camel” in Arabic More than 100 Eskimo words for “snow” No words for snow in Amazon area Rice to the Chinese “人是铁，饭是钢”，“铁饭碗”，“吃饭” is more than eat the rice. Culture and word meanings : How culture affects language Denotation and Connotation外延、内涵 Denotation (the primary, surface meaning, explicit meaning) Connotation (social-cultural association, implicit meaning) Politician E.g. politician Activity 2 :The return of Hongkong to China  …ensuring the smooth return of Hong Kong and promoting the reunification of the motherland. (Beijing Review) He will officially take office on July 1, 1997, the day Hong Kong reverts to China. (Times) How do you account for the difference in the choice of words? Return Revert Return: the recovery of something taken by others, especially illegally Revert: refers to the return (of property) to (the original owner) by reversion. A legal term. Five categories based on the Degree of Equivalence in different language Task: give more examples to each categories. Category 1: terms in one language have equivalents or near equival