語言顏色與文化

摘要:本文采用對比法就顏色詞在中西文化中的具體運用進行了比較詳細的闡述，從而得出顏色與語言和文化之間有著密不可分的聯系的結論。

關鍵詞:語言 顏色 文化

中圖分類號：G420 文獻標識碼: A 文章編號：1674-098X(2011)10(b)-0000-00

1 赤、橙、黃、綠、藍、靛、紫，使世界如此美麗，令江山如此多嬌。生活中充滿了五顏六色，萬物著色，絢麗輝煌。人們生活在色彩中，與顏色結下不解之緣。顏色不僅裝扮了繽紛的世界，而且有著超出其本意的內涵。顏色詞也都另有其意。是不是顏色只在漢語中才如此神秘多變？其實，顏色在英語中也同樣有著極其豐富而且和漢語非常相似的用法。我們從英語成語和諺語中就足以見其妙。不同國家、不同文化、不同民族的智慧在這里閃耀、聚焦。

1.1 +顏色詞

(1)\"deep/dark+color words\": indicating the strong color

(2)\"light/pale+color words\": indicating the light color

(3) \"bright/rich/vivid+color words\": indicating the bright color

(4) \"dull/dirty+color words\":indicating the dark color

1.2 ”顏色詞+英語”

This group indicates the different shades of the color. An adjective followed by -ish means \"slightly…\"

1.3 ”顏色詞+顏色詞”

This pattern indicates the mixture of the color. The former stands for the main color， while the latter functions as modification.

1.4 ”顏色詞和顏色詞”

Two colors coexisting in something without being mixed form a design and color.

2 English abounds with phrases containing color words. Colors may convey different messages to people of different cultures. Due to the respective cultural background and tradition， some phrases containing color words have far surpassed their original meanings， forming different connotations

2.1紅

In both Chinese and English， red is usually associated with happy occasions. On calendar， we can find that holidays such as Spring Festival are printed in red， which is called “red-letter days”， while ordinary days are in black. Besides， “to paint the town red” is to celebrate wildly， to enjoy oneself to one’s heart’s content. Another example is to “roll out the red carpet for someone”， meaning to give a hospitable and formal reception.

Similarly， We Chinese people traditionally cut red couplets and applique to celebrate occasions like wedding and New Year. Besides， We have a very famous trademark “double red happiness” (紅雙喜) which is symbolic of good fortune.

2.2藍

看來，藍色是一種良好的單詞來中國；藍色的天空，不是經常，可以激發我們向往美好的未來；藍色的大海充滿不確定性引起無限的想象力。當然，我們理所當然地認為，著名的歌曲“愛是藍色等于一個浪漫的愛情故事。在西方文化中，然而，藍色沒有聯系的幸福和想象，但憂郁和抑郁癥。

He has been in a blue mood (or having the blues) since he knew that his failure in the entrance examination. In this example， those two terms mean a sad or gloomy mood. Similarly， a blue Monday carries the same feeling. Usually after the happy weekends， we are likely to feel reluctant to attend school or go back to work， thus coming the expression-a blue Monday that can be accepted and understood by both cultures.

Blue is also often associated with high social status or being aristocratic. He is a real blue blood means he is from an aristocratic family. In addition， in U.S.， a book with the names of famous figures， especially top government officials， is called blue book. Here is more to complement the word list of blue.

2.3綠色

英語稱紅眼病或綠色與羨慕，嫉妒和羨慕的意思。然而，在中國，用來表達描述同樣的感覺是眼紅或紅眼病（字面紅眼）；一個完全不同的顏色一樣的感覺！

In English， green also indicates lacking in experience， as seen in the phrase greenhand and greenhorn. The former suggests someone who is inexperienced and immature. The latter suggests an immigrant who is not familiar with local customs or untravelled.

By the way， the Chinese expression 戴綠帽子（literally to wear a green hat） means to be a cuckold. If we translate it word by word， misunderstanding or confusion will arise.

2.4黃

一般來說，黃在某種程度上是貶義，帶有內涵懦弱、嫉妒、猜疑和卑鄙。證據在這里

Here is the proof.

yellow alert;alert in advance

yellow boy;gold coin

a yellow dog;a contemptible person

a yellow dog contract;a contract signed in the precondition that the employee will not join in the labor union

the sear and yellow leaf;an old age

yellow looks suspicious looks

yellow streak;tending to be coward and chicken-hearted

3 According to the above comparison and analysis， we can see that there are distinct differences between the color words in Chinese and English. Sometimes， Chinese may not use the color words when they are used in English expressions and vice versa. Let us see a few examples containing the Chinese character－紅.

紅人;a favorite with somebody in power

紅榜;honor roll

紅利;bonus; extra dividend

紅運;good luck

紅光滿面;one’s face glowing with health

臉紅;blush

紅茶;black tea

紅綠燈traffic light

我相信上述例子充分說明這一點。在許多情況下，它的基本含義是沒有顏色的功能，但深刻的文化協會的有關顏色的功能。也就是說，不同的使用顏色詞的英漢站出來當自己的顏色詞不發揮重要作用。雙因素可能有助于說明。首先是語言本身。有許多不同的特點，這兩種語言。英語單詞的特點是靈活性。然而，綠色中國將失去意義除非它是結合革命或其他詞相似。二是超越語言的因素，其中包括文化因素等不同的習俗、傳統和文化背景。無論上述差異的存在，使用的顏色詞不能相同。因此，應該特別注意的是在使用顏色詞。

參考文獻

[1] 李密.顏色看中西文化

[2] 上海外語教育出版社.2003.4