《中英姓名文化比较》正文部分.doc

Chapter One Introduction 1.1 About the Name According to the record name can be traced back to primitive society of human beings during the matriarchal system. At first, name is the product of the “totemism”, but with the development of productivity and the change of social system, the nature and function of name has been changed. Names are used by human beings and they are the signs for people to distinguish one person from the others. They have some particular functions that no other signs can perform. They are not only linguistic symbols, but also social symbols, representing relationship in societies and cultures. 1.2 The Background of Chinese and English Name China and Britain has had a long history, in which the long river of history, name, as a unique and ancient carriers of cultures, has been kept for thousands of years. Each person has his name which distinguishes himself from other members in the community, and each country has its own name system owing to their different historical and cultural background. Chinese culture and history and so on contribute to the peculiar name, the same situation with Britain. Although the two countries have different histories, cultures, nations and religions, the similarities still exist in some aspects. In a word, personal names are windows for people to see through different cultures in different societies. Review of Literature Before I study this subject, there are many scholars have researched in many aspects, it paves the way for my study. Zhuang Jianling(2002) gives a brief analysis that the cultural factors play an important role in the process of forming of name between English and Chinese. Dou Fangxia(2008) emphasizes on the comparision on Chinese and English surnames. Ai Fuqi, Hu Zongfeng, 2007, English and Chinese Surname Differences and Cultural Origins, Jounal of ZheJiang Wanli University. It stresses on the name’s differences and origins. Abroad scholars also have interest in this topic. Du