Comparative Study of English and Chinese Taboos in Recent Times by Social Cultural Factor

徐宜華

【Abstract】A taboo is something you should avoid doing or saying because a society thinks it is offensive， embarrassing or wrong.Different cultures do not all agree on what taboo is and what should be tabooed in a given context.Both Chinese and English have taboos on such things as sex，death， religion， superstition and so forth， but they follow different cultural norms.This thesis incorporates some anthropological and sociolinguistic ideas to analyze linguistic taboos in Chinese and English.

【Key Words】linguistic taboos；differences；similarities；Chinese；English

I.Introduction

A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and forbidden based on moral judgment and sometimes even religious beliefs.Taboos is an integral part of language， it is appeared with the languages appearance.It refers that for some reasons； we cant， dare or would not to say in normal communication，especially in public places.（張慧，2007：05） Chinese and western cultures taboo the language of sex， death， religion， superstition， but they follow different cultural standards.Chinese cultural tends to encourage use taboo language negatively， while that in western prefers using it actively.The use of two taboo languages originated in different religious background.Cognitive behavior management， asking questions， self reveals and vague is the effective strategy to realize the success of cross-cultural communication.（劉娜娜， 2009：04）The origin of linguistic taboo is deeply rooted in the primitive social and cultural background and its change is greatly influenced by the development of human society in order to satisfy human beings needs for smooth communications.It exists in every aspect of peoples life.

II.Similarities

The range of taboo in English and Chinese is similar.The similarities of English linguistic taboo mainly embody in the following aspects：Religion is a fertile field of taboo terms.For example， Christians are forbidden to “take the Lords name in vain”， and this prohibition had been extended to the use of curse words such as “hell” or “damn”， which are considered to have magical powers.Thus， “heck” and “darn” are often used in place of “hell” and “damn”.Similar examples can be found in China.Chinese use some complimentary address to refer to awesome gods such as “大帝”or“大圣” and avoid to mention the name of devil.Another example is that， tiger is regarded as the divine animal near the Changbai Mountain located in the Northeast of China.Therefore， People avoid calling the “tiger” directly and gave the tiger another name： “山君” or “山佛爺”.

The culture between English and Chinese， disease， physical disability and death may terrify people.So people try to avoid mentioning these kinds of expressions directly in conversations.In the middle ages of English，“Scrofula” is called “the kings evil” because of the belief that only a kings touch could treat it.In modern times，people dont like to talk about some diseases directly.Usually “heart condition” for “heart disease”，“growth” is for “cancer”，etc.（段萍，2007：03）.In China， people use “不舒服”or “不適” instead of “病了”.Sometimes in order to achieve humor effect， people may say “掛彩了” instead of “受傷”.

III.Differences

Although there are many similarities in English and Chinese， different views about what is taboo can be found in two cultures.In China， the ancestors and the older generations names cannot be called directly.The younger generation would use words such as “爺爺”、“奶奶”、“叔叔” and “阿姨”to call elder generation instead of using their name.But in English culture， there are no such name taboos.The younger generation can call the elder generations name directly.It shows that they are equal， friendly and intimate.In normal situations， they put “Mr.”， “Miss.” or “Professor”， “doctor” in front of others name to refer to that person.（張潔如， 2009：02）

The lucky and unlucky numbers are different in western countries and China.In China， the number “4” almost sounds the same as the word “死”.People do not like to have number “4” in their room numbers or telephone numbers because it reminds them of “death”.However，in English-speaking countries，people do not basically have the taboo about“4”， in addition to the following one.There is a small exception，namely， when selecting the marriage day，people always avoid “Thursday”，which is a symbol of misfortune（高媛，2010：01）.

IV.Ways of Avoiding Linguistic Taboos

4.1 Knowledge of the Taboo Culture

Language and culture depend on and affect each other.Languages， as the carrier of culture， are formed and develop under certain cultural background.Linguistic taboo is a kind of social phenomenon.Its existence and development are restricted and influenced by specific cultural background.（周璐，2011：05）Some words are prohibited in English， some words are banned in Chinese and some words are prohibited in both languages.As a result， if one wants to avoid linguistic taboos， he or she should have a good knowledge of what is or is not a taboo in the culture

4.2 Using Euphemism

A euphemism is a mild， indirect or less offensive word or expression substituted when a speaker or writers fears more direct wording might be harsh， unpleasantly， direct， or offensive.Since euphemism may very well serve as polite substitutes for taboo language， euphemistic terms are used in every aspect of society.Except for the examples mentioned in this essay， instances like these can multiply.

While at the same time， we must realize that language is alive and changing all the time.Influenced by the social psychology and its culture， euphemisms change constantly.When the negative connotation of a word is recognized in its euphemistic form， a new euphemism will have to be sought for.

V.Conclusion

This paper mainly recommends similarities and differences of taboos between English and Chinese culture in the present age by social cultural factor.By comparison， we can find both Chinese and English linguistic taboos reflect peoples psychology for good will， for safety， fortune and pleasantness.But we cant deny the fact that there are differences between English and Chinese taboos.This thesis explores language taboos from our daily life and illustrates relevant examples in each side.Therefore， the original rigid theory becomes lively.However， there are also few limitations such as the involved ranges are relative narrow， and the knowledge studies are not further enough.

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