A Cultural Analysis of English and Chinese Names 英汉姓名文化内涵对比.doc

PAGE PAGE 19 A Cultural Analysis of English and Chinese Names I. Introduction 1.1 Introduction of this Thesis Ones name, as a carrier of his cultural heritage, is born with him, companies him for the whole life. It is like a card, a sign to distinguish from each other as well as an information transfer of history, language, psychology, religion, culture, customs, morality, ethics etc. “Different names contain different cultural connotations and they are the carrier and appearance of a culture. The way of naming, using and developing them is, to some extent, influenced by the culture.”(姚亚平, 1990:130) This thesis shows the great importance of names both in English-speaking countries and in China. A brief introduction of my thesis is as follows. 1. The Research Objective of this Thesis The research is to increase peoples cultural awareness by informing both the English and the Chinese of knowledge of names in both languages and cultures and eventually promotes the communication and friendship between them. As we can see that cross-cultural communication is so important when establishing a good relationship. The underlying aim is to help people understand other countries culture and better understand the meanings of names and revise their ways of interacting by taking more account of cultural differences when people with different cultural background encounter and communicate with each other. 2. The Significance of this Thesis To know a society usually starts from the contact with its people; to know a person always begins with exchanging names at the first encounter. We all form a unique impression when we first hear a name. Perhaps we make a next move just because of the sound of the word, but definitely an image flashes in the back of our minds simply from the name itself. Name is not only a sign or a symbol that distinguishes people from each other but also full of cultural messages of a nation such as history, language, psychology, religion, culture, customs, m