OnDifferencsofTaboosbetweenChineseandWesternCultures中西文化禁忌的不同.docx

PAGE 18 PAGE 19 On Differences of Taboos between Chinese and Western Cultures Chapter I Introduction With the globalization and China’s wider opening to the outside world, a multiple Chinese people begin to learn English. They have a good command of English pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. However, when contacting westerners, they still find it difficult to communicate smoothly and effectively. In fact, learning a language is inseparable from knowing about its culture. Learning a culture means that we should make it clear what things we may do or not and which words we can say or not under the specific circumstance. As for those we mustn’t do or say definitely, we call them taboos—a self-restriction on our behaviors, a phenomenon which occurs in almost all cultures. According to sociology, there are differences among cultures in different countries, so it is with taboos. Because of the differences of cultural taboos, misunderstanding may rise, though language used in communication may be flawless. Because of differences of cultural taboos, friction may increase to affect the relationships with others. In order to be successful in cross-cultural communication as well as to promote frequent exchanges between China and the West, it is necessary for us to know the differences of taboos between Chinese and western cultures. Chapter II General Views on Taboos The Definition of Culture Culture has been studied and defined in many ways by scholars representing various disciplines. In 1871, E.B.Taylor, a famous British anthropologist, defined culture as “the complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, laws, customs and many other capabilities and habits acquired by members of society.” Britannica Concise Encyclopedia gives such an explanation of culture “It refers to the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that is both a result of and integral to the human capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to suc