Language is a kind of social phenomenon and is the carrier of culture. Almost every language has color words, including Chinese and English. However, the words to describe colors differ from one language to another because of different customs, polities, religious beliefs etc. Different colors bring different symbolic meanings which have unique characteristics in each nation. As a result, it may lead to misunderstanding and even violate the taboos. The main purpose of this paper is to compare the differences between Chinese and English color words in terms of word building, history, politics, economy and daily usage to help people to have a better understanding of different cultures and to bridge the gap between different cultures in communication and to facilitate cultural exchange.
Keywords: color word culture differences politics history daily usage
1 Introduction
1.1 Purpose of writing this paper 员工企业文化调查问卷研究分析
Language is a kind of social phenomenon and is the carrier of culture. Almost every language has color words. Scientific research indicates that seven million kinds of colors can be found in the world. People's actual life is closely related to colors. There are many color expressions, which reflect different cultural psychologies and emotional colorings both in Chinese and English. Different color concept brings different symbolic meanings which have unique characteristics in each nation. However, the words to describe the colors differ from one language to another for certain reasons such as customs of different nations, background of the polity, religious beliefs, history, mode of thinking, aesthetic temperament and expressions of customs. Sometimes it is even difficult to find equivalent expression in another language. As a result, some are misapprehended due to the misunderstanding of culture which sometimes lead to embarrassment, and even worse, violate the taboos. The main purpose of this paper is to compare the differences between Chinese and English color words in terms of word building, history, politics, economy and daily usage and give some suggestion to help English learner to avoid cultural misunderstanding and facilitate cultural exchange.
1.2 Definition of color, culture and their relationship本文来!自辣$文%论^文&网*原文请找QQ3249,114
Color is the byproduct of the spectrum of light, as it is reflected or absorbed, as received by the human eyes and processed by the human brain. It is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, yellow, blue, black, etc. Color derives from the spectrum of light (distribution of light energy versus wavelength) interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors. Color categories and physical specifications of color are also associated with objects, materials, light sources, etc., based on their physical properties such as light absorption, reflection, or emission spectra. That is the definition of color in the dictionary. However, the color I talk here is not merely its original meaning, but also refers to the culture of different nations.