The Verbal Taboos on context about English and Chinese

史偉+王麗峰

Abstract：The language phenomenon of taboo language is produced. People are afraid of talking about some phenomena， actions or things from superstition， fear and other reasons， thus the taboo language is used in the language of life.

Key words： verbal taboo；cultural difference

中圖分類號：G648 文獻標識碼：B 文章編號：1672-1578（2017）10-0010-01

1.Introduction

Taboo word is an essential part in language family. It was born on account people avoid some phenomenon， action or object as harmful for superstition， fear and loathe etc. as a symbol of highly developed human civilization， It aces on people's thinking style， what is more， it affects people's spirit， and endows many common things with a kind of mythical feeling of the attractive culture. Taboo word exists in people's subconscious in every second and affects every aspect of people's daily life deeply. In English， if they must be mentioned， then the terms should be euphemistic ones. In Chinese， they are also taboo， but the Chinese attitude is less strict， and sometimes one will hear people say chi he la sa shui in serious public talk or conversation.

2. The social status based on verbal taboo in English and Chinese

The development of science and technology make the globe smaller and smaller， thus， different social values and life customs blend as well as collide with one another. For instance， English-speaking people usually substitute "under achiever" for "slow students" and nowadays Chinese people also tend to use the euphemistic phrase "后進生" instead of "差生". In present society， cross-cultural communication plays a considerable important part in the similar development of verbal in English and Chinese. In recent years， more and more pleasant-sounding words or phrases are being used in talking about social life and social affairs. For example， there are fewer occupations called jobs； many have become professions. In order to raise the social status of some occupations， people prefer to use euphemism to beautify them. In America， physician and engineer are two respectful professions， so there are numerous euphemisms ended with the suffix-cian and engineer， e.g. "mortician" for "undertaker"， "beautician" for "hairdresser"， "pipe engineer" for "plumber"， and "sanitary engineer' for "garbage collector". Because of these euphemisms' emergence， those humble jobs sound graceful. In one's self-introduction， she/he will not feel shamed and embarrassed； when talking of others， she/he seems to be courteous and civilized. Thus they enable people to strengthen the effect of their interpersonal communication. In education field， dressed-up words or phrases are likewise prolific. Some people prefer to "educator" to "teacher". In Chinese traditional culture， the most typical and obvious illustration of social status is the name taboo. In ancient times， Chinese people believed that name was not an ordinary language sign and that it had a supernatural power attached with people's spirits. After entering the feudal society， a person's name increased a layer of political and ethical colour on the basis of the former superstitious conception. Imperial government and rules of etiquette made all kinds of taboo regulations on the given names of emperors， sages and one's elders. For example， people in Tang Dynasty substituted "代" （generation） for "世"， "人" （people） for "民" in order to avoid the given name of Tang Taizong "李世民". Names of a person or place composing of "丘" were pronounced as "啟". Both in writing and speaking， Chinese people avoid the verbal taboos on the given name of their elders， too. For instance， Liu Wensou in Qing Dynasty never listened to music because his father's name "岳" was pronounced the same as "樂" （music in English） in Chinese character. Nowadays， when people give names to their children， they still avoid using the similar Chinese characters of their elders' given names.

3.Conclusion

Taboo is a common cultural phenomenon existing in both Chinese and western cultures. Salzmann points out the communicators are supposed to have a good knowledge of the nuance of other language and culture and treat objectively other nations' cultural traditions in order to deepen mutual understanding and attain mutual appreciation. we should know the deep cultural differences behind similar phenomena of verbal taboos in Chinese and English， so we could understand one another and communicate more effectively.

Reference：

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