The Outstanding Differences Between Chinese and English Linguistic Taboos

PAN+Jie

【Abstract】There are some similarities in Chinese and English linguistic taboos， in a specific context， but different cultures may not have the same point on whether it is a taboo. Improper use of linguistic taboos or lack of knowledge in this field may lead to misunderstandings or conflicts in cross-culture communication. Therefore， understanding the differences between Chinese and English linguistic taboos is very significant.

【Key words】Linguistic taboos；Differences

【摘 要】在特定的語境中，英漢語言禁忌有一定的相似性，但在不同的文化中，關于語言禁忌這一點是不可能完全相同的。在跨文化交際中，不能恰當地使用語言禁忌或缺乏這一領域的知識都可能會帶來誤解和沖突。因此，了解英漢語言禁忌的差異是非常重要的。

【關鍵詞】語言禁忌；不同點

Linguistic taboos are a reflection of these social developments， the value concepts and beliefs of the culture in which linguistic taboos are born. There are similarities between Chinese and English linguistic taboos， but in a specific context different cultures may not have the same point on whether it is a taboo word. Therefore the differences between Chinese and English linguistic taboos also exist.Improper use of linguistic taboos or lack of knowledge in this field may lead to misunderstandings or conflicts in cross-culture communication.This paper intends to introduce the outstanding differences between Chinese and English linguistic taboos from the following two aspects.

1 The outstanding differences between Chinese and English linguistic taboos in subjects

English people put privacy at a holy place. Privacy includes several aspects and it can be summarized by three words：“I，WARM，where”. Here “I” means “income”； “WARM” is formed by four letters. They are “W” means “weight”； “A” means “age”； “R” means “religion”；“M” means “marriage”. “Where” means “Where are you going？” In English there is an old saying “A mans home is his castle” meaning a persons home is sacred； no one should come in without permission. So it is also with his life and personal affairs.In China，when we get together，we usually ask such kinds of questions “What does your wife/ husband do？” “How about your salary？” or “Are you married”.We express our concern for our friends in this way.Generally speaking，we never feel embarrassed about these conversations.But when we ask the same questions to Westerners， they will think you want to involve in their privacy.In Western countries， it is improper to ask peoples religious beliefs.“Are you religious？” “What is your religion？” “Are you Catholics？” etc.are questions that may be offensive to most English speakers.

2 The outstanding differences between Chinese and English linguistic taboos in numbers

In China， the number “4” and the word “死 （death）” sound almost the same.People do not like the number “4”，because it makes them think of “death”.In Taiwan， many buildings have the 1st， 2nd， 3rd， 5th， 6th floor except the 4th floor. “73”and “84” are two key ages to old people. If you are “73” or “84” years old，you will die before the king of hell invite you to the underworld.So many old people avoid talking about their exact age. They would like to say a year older or younger than their exact age.

In Western countries， one of the most influential taboo numbers is “13”. According to the story of “The last Supper”， Judas，who betrayed Jesus， sat in the No. 13 chair. Therefore the No. 13 is considered to be unlucky.No doors number is 13； no hotel has the room of number 13； even 13 people are not allowed to have dinner together； voyagers will not set sail on the 13th day every month； some students refuse to sit on the number 13th chair in examination room.In short，they avoid the number 13 in every aspect. Ordinary people would feel very frustrated on the 13th day in each month. The number “13” became taboo in Western countries.

There are still other differences between Chinese and English linguistic taboos， such as in names and religions. But they will not be described one by one.

3 Conclusion

Linguistic taboo is an important part of social culture. It reflects social culture and meanwhile is deeply influenced by social culture. Because of different cultural background，there are differences between Chinese and English linguistic taboos.Those differences are reflected in subjects， numbers， names and so on.By comparison，we can find that as a kind of social linguistic phenomenon， linguistic taboo is closely related to the social culture.With the advancement of globalization，contacts on trade，science and culture between China and other countries become more frequent.When doing cross-culture communication activities we should keep alert to the differences of linguistic taboos and try to eliminate obstacle in cross-culture process， so as to achieve a successful communication and keep a harmonious relationship between China and the world.

【References】

[1]Chen，Ke.Chinese Customs[M].Tianjin People Press，1993.

[2]Guo，Xuewen.The Importance of the Linguistic Taboo in Teaching[N].Shanxi Normal University School Newspaper 2003，2：152.

[3]Liu，Runqing.The Language and Culture—Chinese and English Culture Comparison[M].Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press，1995.

[責任編輯：田吉捷]