英漢動物詞匯的文化內(nèi)涵對比

PAGE1AbstractBothEnglishcultureandChineseculturehavealargenumberofwordsrelatedwithanimals.ThesameanimalwordsmayhavethesameordifferentconnotationsinEnglishandChinese,anddifferentanimalwordsmayhavesimilarconnotationsinEnglishandChinese.Inaddition,animalwordshavesemanticgapsinEnglishandChinese.ThispaperisintendedtocontrastandanalyzetheconnotationbetweenEnglishandChineseanimalwordsfromtheseaspectsanddiscussthecausesofdiscrepancyintheconnotationbetweenEnglishandChineseanimalwordsformtheanglesofreligion,history,geographicalenvironmentandaestheticorientation.Moreover,thispaperanalyzestheinfluencesoftheconnotationofanimalwordsoninterculturalcommunication.Thenthispapergivessomesuggestionsforinterculturalcommunication.Atlast,itdrawsaconclusionthatlanguageisthecarrierofculture.Languagesofdifferentnationspresentrichculturalproperties.WeshouldpaymoreattentiontothediscrepancyintheconnotationbetweenEnglishandChineseanimalwordsduringtheprocessofinterculturalcommunicationandenrichourknowledgeofdifferentculturesasmuchaspossible.Intheageofglobalization,communicationbetweentheChinesecultureandtheEnglishcultureisontheincreasedaybyday.Withthehelpofthispaper,peoplecanunderstandtheculturaldifferenceofEnglishandChineseanimalwordsfurtherandachieveperfectinterculturalcommunication.Keywords:Animalwords;EnglishandChinese;Connotations;Comparison英漢動物詞匯的文化內(nèi)涵對比摘要在英漢兩種文化中有許許多多與動物相關(guān)的詞匯。同一動物詞匯在英漢語言中可能具有相同或者不同的文化內(nèi)涵，不同的動物詞匯在英漢語言中可能會有相似的文化內(nèi)涵。另外，動物詞匯在英漢語言中存在語義空缺現(xiàn)象。本文旨在從這幾個方面對比和分析英漢動物的文化內(nèi)涵，并從宗教、歷史、地理環(huán)境、審美取向的角度探討英漢動物詞匯的文化內(nèi)涵存在差異的原因。此外，本文分析了動物詞匯的文化內(nèi)涵對跨文化交流的影響。然后，本文為跨文化交流提出了一些建議。最后，得出結(jié)論：語言是文化的載體，不同民族的語言呈現(xiàn)出豐富多彩的文化特性。在跨文化交流過程中，我們應(yīng)該更加重視英漢動物詞匯的文化內(nèi)涵差異，盡可能豐富我們在不同文化領(lǐng)域的知識。在全球化的時代，中西文化交流日益頻繁。通過本文，人們能夠進(jìn)一步了解英漢動物詞匯的文化差異，順利進(jìn)行跨文化交流。關(guān)鍵字：動物詞匯；英語和漢語；文化內(nèi)涵；對比Contents1.Introduction 12.ConnotationsofEnglishandChineseAnimalWords 12.1ConnotationofanimalwordsinChineseandEnglish 12.1.1Animalwordswiththesameconnotations 22.1.2Animalwordswithdifferentconnotations 32.1.3Animalwordswithsimilarconnotations 62.2Semanticgaps 72.2.1AnimalwordswithrichconnotationsinChinese 72.2.2AnimalwordswithrichconnotationsinEnglish 83.TheCausesofDiscrepancyintheConnotationbetweenEnglishandChineseAnimalWords 93.1Religion 103.2History 103.3Geographicalenvironment 113.4Aestheticorientation 114.InfluencesoftheConnotationofAnimalWordsonInterculturalCommunication 125.SuggestionsforInterculturalCommunication 136.Conclusion 14Bibliography 16PAGE17PAGE1AComparisonoftheConnotationbetweenEnglishandChineseAnimalWords1.IntroductionTheintimaterelationshipwithanimalsmakeshumanbeingshavecomplexemotions,suchasfondness,sympathy,disgustandhorror,etc.Humansoftenplacetheirfeelingsonanimalsanduseanimalstoexpressfeelingsaswell.ManyanimalwordsandphrasesareendowedwithconnotationsinEnglishandChinese.Therefore,learningaboutthedifferentconnotationsofEnglishandChineseanimalwordscanhelpEnglishlearnerstocorrectlyunderstandthislanguage.Animalwordshavethesame,differentorsimilarconnotationsinEnglishandChinese.Inmostcases,althoughbothEnglishandChinesehavethesamereferentialmeaningsofanimalwords,theconnotationsoftheseanimalwordsaredifferent(ShangQi,2006).Thisiscausedbyreligion,history,geographicalenvironmentandaestheticorientation.ThispaperstartswiththecomparisonofEnglishandChineseanimalwords.Afterwards,thispaperdiscussesthecausesofdiscrepancyinconnotationsbetweenEnglishandChineseanimalwords.Intheend,thispaperdiscussestheinfluencesofculturalconnotationsofanimalwordsoninterculturalcommunication.2.ConnotationsofEnglishandChineseAnimalWords2.1ConnotationofanimalwordsinChineseandEnglishThesameanimalwordsmayhavethesameordifferentculturalconnotationsinEnglishandChinese.Inaddition,differentanimalwordsmayhavesimilarculturalconnotationsinEnglishandChinese.2.1.1AnimalwordswiththesameconnotationsLivinginasimilarecologicalenvironment,peoplemayhaveasameimaginationaboutanimals.Therefore,animalwordswillbeendowedwiththesameculturalconnotation.InChineseandinEnglish,thefoxiscunning;theassisstupid;thelambisdocile;thewolfisalwayshungry;therabbitcanrunrapidly;thebeeisbusy;thesnakeiscrafty;thehenisassociatedwithwoman.Forexample,whenwesay“heisafox”,ChinesepeopleandNativeEnglishspeakerswillrealizethatheiscunning.TothenativeEnglishspeakersandChinesepeople,“pig”standsfordirtiness,lazinessandstupidity.Therefore,therearesomesayingslike“asfatasapig”,“eatlikeapig”,“makeapigofoneself”,etc.InChinesecultureandEnglishculture,“bee”alwaysgivesustheimpressionofanextremelyhardworker.Wecanuse“asbusyasabee”todescribesomeonewhoisdiligent.A“parrot”(atypeoftropicalbirdwithhookedbeakandbrightlycoloredfeathers)canbetrainedtoimitatehumanvoice.InChinesecultureandEnglishculture,itisusedtodescribesomeonewhorepeatsthewordsoractionsofotherswithoutunderstandingthemeaning.InChinesecultureandEnglishculture,“ass”isalwaysusedtodescribeastupidperson.Thesaying“makeanassofassofoneself”meansthatonebehavesstupidlyandridiculously.InChinesecultureandEnglishculture,“dove”isasymbolofpeace.TothenativeEnglishspeakerandChinesepeople,“sheep”isonekindofdocileanimal.Whenitcomestothesheep,peoplewillhaveagentleandmeekimageinmind.Therefore,“sheep”isalwaysusedtodescribeagentleandmeekcharacter.2.1.2AnimalwordswithdifferentconnotationsInChinesecultureandEnglishculture,differentculturalbackgroundscanresultindifferentconnotations.InChineseculture,“dragon”isakindofmythicanimalwhichhasscales,clawsandlegsandwhichcanflyinthesky,swimintheseaandcreatecloudandrain.“Dragon”issomethingsacredandisusedtorepresenttheancestorofChinesenation.ThisiswhytheChinesepeoplecallthemselvesdescendantsofdragon.InancientChina,“dragon”wasasymbolofimperialpower.Ancientemperorscalledthemselvesas“真龍?zhí)熳印?thesonofdragon).Theirclotheswereembroideredwithdragonandwerecalledas“龍袍”(dragonrobe);theirchairswerecalledas“龍椅”(dragonthrone);theirposteritieswerecalledas“龍種”(dragonchildren).InChina,wemayoftenhearthatChineseparentsexpecttheirsonbecomea“dragon”(expectone’schildcanhaveabrightfuture)(LuoAifeng,2006).However,theliberaltranslationsoundsridiculoustonativeEnglishspeakers,becausetheythinkdragonisanevilmonsterwhichcanspitfireandhasthreetonineheads.InEnglishculture,“dragon”isalwaysusedtodescribefiercenessespeciallyforwomen.Forexample,“sheisadragon,you’dbetterkeepawayfromher”(sheisabad-temperedperson).ChinesenationandEnglishnationshareasamehabitofraisingdogs.InChineseculture,“dog”isaderogatoryanimalwordandisendowedwithuglythings.Forexample,“actlikeasnob”(狗眼看人低),“mistakeagoodmanforabadone”(狗咬呂洞賓，不識好人心),“afilthymouthcannotutterdecentlanguage”(狗嘴里吐不出象牙).However,“dog”symbolizesfriendship,sincerityandloyaltyinEnglishculture.Forexample,“l(fā)oveme,lovemydog”,“everydoghashisday”(everypersonwillsomedaysucceedofbecomefortunate),“toletsleepingdoglie”(tomakenotroubleornottodisturbpeople),“aluckydog”(aluckyman),“ajollydog”(ahappyperson),“acleverdog”(acleverman),“atopdog”(apersonhasadvantagesindoingsomethings),“nothaveadog’schance”(havenochance),“agooddogdeservesagoodbone”(amanwhomakesacontributionshouldberewarded)and“l(fā)ikeadogwithtwotails”(veryhappy).InChineseculture,owl,theanimalwhichalwaysshoutsandcriesatnight,isconsideredtobeananimalwhichwillbringunluckinessandmisfortune.InEnglishculture,“owl”isregardedasthesymbolofwisdom.Ifonesaysyouareowlish,itmeansthatyouarecleverandstrict.“Aswiseasanowl”indicatesthatthenativeEnglishspeakersassociatewisdomwithowl.Anotherexamplecanbeprovided,“hepeeredowlishlyatusthroughhisglasses”.InChinesetraditionalculture,“bat”isasymbolofhappiness,because“蝠”and“福”arehomonyms.Andredbatisasignofluckiness,because“紅蝠”and“洪?！盿realsohomonyms.Insomecases,Chinesepeoplecombine“bat”and“deer”togetherinordertoget“蝠鹿”,whichhasthesamepronunciationwith“福祿”.Anditmeanshappinessandgoodfortune(蔣磊,2000).However,theWesternersareafraidofbat.Theydislikebat,becauseitisoftenrelatedwithuglyandevilimage.Therefore,Englishidiomsaboutbatarealwaysderogatory,forexample,“asblindasabat”(haveeyesbutseenothing);“crazyasabat”(abnormal).“Peacock”isamalebirdwithlongblueandgreentailfeathers,whicharelikeafanwhenthetailfeathersarespreadout.However,astheaestheticorientationsofChinesecultureandEnglishculturearedifferent,“peacock”representsdifferentimagesandhasatotallydifferentculturalconnotation.NativeEnglishspeakersholdthatthepeacockisproudandvainwhenitiswalkingwithtailfeathersspreadout.Therefore,itgivesthemtheimpressionofvanityandarrogance.Suchas“asproudasapeacock”,“playthepeacock”,“asvainasapeacock”,etc.However,inChinesetraditionalculture,thepeacockisthesymbolofbeauty.InChineseculture,“magpie”isawelcomebird.“Magpie”isabirdwhichcanbringgoodlucktoyou.“Magpie”isalwaysconnectedwithgoodluck,happiness,etc.andisusedtoshowthatsomethinggoodisgoingtohappen.However,nativeEnglishspeakersholdthatmagpieisakindofdisgustingbirdandpaymoreattentiontonoisesmadebythisblackandwhitebird.Therefore,inEnglishculture,“magpie”isusedtodescribesomeonewhoalwayschattersinterminably.Forexample,sheisamagpieofawoman;shekeptmutteringlikeamagpie.Inaddition,theWesternersusuallyuse“magpie”tocomparetotheconditionofchaosoragreatmass,suchas“amagpiecollection”,“tomagpietogether”,etc.(ChenWenbo,1982)“Whale”isakindoflargeanimal.TheWesternerspaytheirattentiontoitsmeritsandprofits.InEnglishculture,“whale”impliesgreatbenefit.“Awhaleofchance”meansaverygoodchance,and“awhaleonskating”meansapersonwhoisgoodatskating.However,whatwhaleimpressesChineseisitsstrongappetite.InChineseculture,“whale”hasaderogatorysense,suchas“蠶食鯨吞”(nibbleawaylikeasilkwormorswallowlikeawhale).InChinesetraditionalculture,phoenixisasupernaturalbird.Itsymbolizesaqueenandstandsforluckiness.Peoplelikeitandbelievethatitcanbringthemluckiness.However,inEnglishculture,phoenixstandsforimmaculacyorrenascence(李青,2001).Itisconsideredasanimmoralbird.Phoenixsymbolizesanewstartoralonglife.Forinstance,“religion,likeaphoenix,hasbeenresurrectedfromtheashesofthewar”.2.1.3AnimalwordswithsimilarconnotationsDifferentanimalwordsmayhavesimilarculturalconnotationsinEnglishandChinese,namely,peopleusedifferentanimalwordstoexpresssimilarmeanings.Eventhoughtheanimalwordsaredifferent,theymayhavesimilarconnotations.“Tiger”isalwaysreplacedby“l(fā)ion”inEnglish.Forexample,“alionintheway”(aroad-blockingtiger),“beardthelioninhisden”(godeepintotigercave),“putone’sheadinthelion’smouth”and“comeinlikealionandgooutlikealamb”.“Horse”appearsmorefrequentlyinEnglishidioms,and“ox”isalwaysreplacedby“horse”inEnglish.Forexample,“talkhorse”(talkbig),“asstrongasahorse”(asstrongasanox),“horselaugh”(laughloudly);“horseplay”(roughandnoisyplay);“horsesense”(commonsense)and“youcanpullahorsetoariver,butyoucannotmakehimdrink”.Whenitcomestocowardice,Chinesepeoplewouldliketosay“astimidasamouse”.However,nativeEnglishspeakerswouldemploy“rabbit,chickenandpigeon”toexpressthesimilarmeaning,thatis,“astimidasarabbit,chicken-heartedorpigeon-hearted”.InChineseculture,peopleoftenuse“catcriesformouse”todescribesomeonehypocritical.InEnglishculture,“shedcrocodiletears”hasthesimilarmeaning.InChinese,“asstubbornasanox”isusedtodescribesomeonestubborn.InEnglish,“asstubbornasamule”isemployedtoexpressthesimilarmeaning.Todescribeanxiety,Chinesepeoplewouldsay“antsonahotpan”whilenativeEnglishspeakerswouldliketosay“acatonhotbricks”.Todescribeslipperiness,Chinesepeopleusetheword“l(fā)oach”whilenativeEnglishspeakersusetheword“eel”,suchas“asslipperyasaneel”.Todescribesomeonefoolish,Chinesepeopleusuallyusetheword“pig”whilenativeEnglishspeakersusetheword“ass”,suchas“makeanassofoneself”.Todescribesomeonedrenched,Chinesepeoplewouldsay“drenchedchicken”whilenativeEnglishspeakerswouldliketosay“drownedrat”.2.2SemanticgapsWordsineverylanguagedonotonlyrepresentanimals’images,butalsoaredeeplybrandedwithculture.Therefore,similarityanddissimilarityinconnotationofanimalwordsinthetwolanguagesexist.WeshouldtakesemanticgapsofthesameanimalwordsbetweenEnglishandChineseintoconsiderationincross-culturalcommunication.ItisnecessarytofindinEnglishandChineseculturalequivalentsratherthantranslatetheanimalwordsdirectly,aswhatwearetoconveytothetargetlanguageisthesymbolicimagesinthesourcelanguageratherreferenceofparticularanimals.2.2.1AnimalwordswithrichconnotationsinChineseSomeanimalwordshaverichconnotationsinChinese,whilethesameanimalwordsinEnglishhavenoconcernedconnotations.SilkwormisakindofChineseanimal.InancientChina,theSilkRoadiswell-knownallovertheworld.Thesilkgoodsattractingalargenumberofforeignersaremadeofsilkproducedbysilkworm.SilkwormishighlypraisedbyChinesepeopleforitsdedicationspirit,whichcanbereflectedinpoem“春蠶到死絲方盡”(thesilkwormtillitsdeathspinssilkfromitslove-sickheart)”.Thissentenceisusedtopraiseamanwhoisdevotionalandself-giving.ThecultureaboutsilkwormhasadeepandlonghistoryinChina.ThespecialconnotationisdeeplyrootedintheheartofChinesepeople.InEnglishculture,however,thesilkwormwhichisanexoticanimalisnomorethanalittleworm.ItisdifficultfortheWesternerstounderstanditsnoblequalityanddedicationspirit.InChineseculture,“crane”hasvariousconnotations.Firstly,itsymbolizeslongevity.Therefore,parentsliketogivetheirchildrennameswith“crane”,suchas“鶴年”,“鶴齡”,etc.Theywishtheirchildrengoodhealthandalonglife.Secondly,itsymbolizesexcellence.Chineseidiom“l(fā)ikeacranestandingamongchickens”impliessomeonewhostandsoutinthecrowd.Thirdly,itsymbolizeshermit.“Thesolitarycloudandthewildcrane”meansthatsomeonewhowithdrawshimselffromsocietyandlivesfreely.However,inEnglishculture,itdoesnothavetheseconnotations.InChineseculture,“mandarinduck”isconsideredasthelovebird.Themandarinduckisakindofbirdlivinginwater.Onemalemandarinduckandonefemalemandarinduckalwayslivetogetherandplayonwater.Theyliveahappyandfreelife.Therefore,“mandarinduck”inChinesecultureisthesymbolofaffectionatecoupleslivingahappylife.Peoplebelievethataffectionatecoupleswillturnintomandarinducksafterdeathandwillaccompanywitheachotherforever.InancientChina,agirlmaygiveherloveraclothbagwithapairofmandarinducksembroideredonit.Nowadays,groomandbrideliketousemandarinduckquiltsfortheirwedding.However,inEnglishculture,“mandarinduck”hasnosuchsymbolicmeaninganditisonlyakindofbird.2.2.2AnimalwordswithrichconnotationsinEnglishSomeanimalwordsmayhaverichconnotationsinEnglish,whilethesameanimalwordsinChinesehavenoconcernedconnotations.InEnglish,thebestoysteralwayskeepsitsshellsclosedtightly.Therefore,oysterisasymbolofamanoffewwordsinEnglishculture.Suchas“ascloseasanoyster”,“asdumbasanoyster”and“heseldomsaysanything,heisaregularoyster”.However,Chinesepeopleseldomseeoysterandtheydonothavesuchconnotation.InEnglishculture,“cat”hasplentifulmeanings.IntheEnglishmythology,catcanevenaffectthechangeoftheweather,asthesayinggoes,“toraincatsanddogs”and“thecathasagaleofwindinhertail”.Therearemanyphrasesandsayings,suchas“oldcat”(anoldwomanwithbadtemper),“cat’spaw”(apersonwhoisdupedordeceived),“acatinthepan”(atraitor),“bellthecat”(takerisksforthepublicbenefits),“catburglar”(anextremelyagilethief),and“l(fā)etthecatoutofthebag”(todisclosethesecret).ItmaybedifficultforChinesepeopletounderstandtheaboveconnotations.Chinesepeoplehavenosuchrichmeaningsofcat,theyjustconsidercatasadocileandlovelyanimal.Beaver,aNorthAmericananimalwhichisnotwidelyknowninChina,hasauniquetechniqueandabilityforcreativity.Itsconstantactivity,itshabitofbuildingcomplexhouses,itsskillandingenuityhaveearnedhimselfthename“eagerbeaver”.Therefore,“beaver”standsforanactiveandstudiousman.Inmetaphor,aneagerbeaverisapersonwhoisanxioustogetsomethingdone,hard-workingandsomewhatimpatient.Thiswordsometimeshasaslightlyderogatoryconnotation.InChineseculture,beaverisjustananimalanditcannotstandforanyconnotation.3.TheCausesofDiscrepancyintheConnotationbetweenEnglishandChineseAnimalWordsInChineseandEnglish,thephenomenathatthereferentialmeaningsofthesameanimalaretotallyidenticalwhiletheirconnotationsaredifferentusuallyoccur.AsChinesepeopleandEnglishpeopleliveindifferentculturalbackgroundsforalongtime,naturally,animalwordsareendowedwithdifferentconnotations.3.1ReligionReligionisaculturalphenomenonandhasagreatinfluenceonpeople’slife.InWesterncountries,Christianityisthedominantreligioninfluencingpeople’slifeandthinkingforhundredsofyears.TheBibleisdeeplyrootedinpeople’smind.Forexample,“Alionintheroad”and“beardthelioninhisden”.LionsarementionedintheBiblefortheirstrength,boldnessandferocity.EnglishpeoplebelieveinChristianityandoftengotochurchtopray.InEnglishchurch,thereisnofoodformicetoeatandmicearealwayshungry.Therefore,“aspoorasachurchmouse”canbeusedtoshowpoverty.InChina,Buddhaisthedominantreligioninfluencingpeople’slifeforoverathousandofyears.ChinesepeopleholdthatBuddhacancontroleverythingintheworld.InBuddhism,“dragon”isthesymbolofpowerandsuccess.TherearemanyChineseconnotationsofanimaldirectlyrelatedwithBuddhism.Forexample,“佛口蛇心”(aBuddha’smouthbutaviper’sheart).3.2HistoryInChinesehistory,“dragon”isatotemimage.InChinesemythology,“dragon”isakindofmythicanimalwhichhasscales,clawsandlegsandwhichcanflyinthesky,swimintheseaandcreatecloudandrain.Inthousandsofyearsofhistory,“dragon”wasconsideredasasymbolofimperialpower.InWesternmythology,“dragon”isahugelizardwithwings,scalesandalongtail;itcanspitfireanditisasymbolofevil.InBible,SatanwhoisagainstGodiscalledas“thegreatdragon”.“Dragon”usedinmodernEnglishalwayshasderogatorysenses.InEnglishculture,“dragon”isalwaysusedtodescribefiercenessespeciallyforwomen.Whenonewomaniscalledas“dragon”,itmeansthatsheisfierceanddisgusting.3.3GeographicalenvironmentVariousculturescomefromallkindsofenvironment.Asweallknow,Englandisanislandnationwhichissurroundedbysea.Englandwasthedominantpowerinfishery,shipmanufacturingindustryandmarinetransportation.FishwasaninseparablepartofBritishpeople’slife.Therearemanyculturally-loadedwordsrelatedwithfish,suchas:“drinklikeafish”(牛飲),“abigfish”(大人物),“adullfish”(遲鈍漢),“acoolfish”(無恥之徒),“acoldfish”(冷酷無情的人),“aloosefish”(放蕩不羈的人),“anoddfish”(怪人),“apoorfish”(可憐蟲或倒霉的家伙)andsoon.China,onthecontrary,isabigagriculturalcountry.Thousandsofyearsofagriculturalliferesultinpresentculturally-loadedwords.Takecattleforexample,“他壯得像頭?！?heisasstrongasabull);inEnglish,thisshouldbetranslatedas“heisasstrongasahorse”.Thisisbecausehorse,insteadofbull,isthemostimportantanimalinEnglishculture.Inaddition,horseisahard-workingsymbolinEnglishculture.Thesecanbeusedtoexplainthetranslationsof“worklikeahorse”(辛苦地工作)and“eatlikeahorse”(狼吞虎咽).3.4AestheticorientationAestheticsisanimportantpartofhuman’smentalworld.Accordingtoourmoralneeds,weareabletoperceiveandjudgeobject.Withoutaesthetics,wearelikelytobecomeslavesofobjectandenvironment.Thesameanimalwordmayhavecommendatorysensesinonecultureandhavederogatorysensesinanotherculturebecauseofdifferentaestheticorientation.Forexample,inChineseculture,“cat”isadocileandlovelyanimal.However,inEnglishculture,“cat”symbolizesfreedom,vitality,viciousladyandwindstorm.Forexample,“Don’tlistentohergossip,sheisacat(viciouslady)”.InChineseculture,“dog”isaderogatoryanimalwordandisendowedwithuglythings.Forexample,“actlikeasnob”(狗眼看人低),“mistakeagoodmanforabadone”(狗咬呂洞賓，不識好人心),and“afilthymouthcannotutterdecentlanguage”(狗嘴里吐不出象牙).However,“dog”symbolizesfriendship,sincerityandloyaltyinEnglishculture.Forexample,“l(fā)oveme,lovemydog”,“everydoghashisday”(everypersonwillsomedaysucceedofbecomefortunate),“toletsleepingdoglie”(tomakenotroubleornottodisturbpeople),“aluckydog”(aluckyman),“ajollydog”(ahappyperson),“acleverdog”(acleverman),“atopdog”(apersonhasadvantagesfordoingsomethings),“nothaveadog’schance”(havenochance),“agooddogdeservesagoodbone”(amanwhomakeacontributionshouldberewarded)and“l(fā)ikeadogwithtwotails”(veryhappy).4.InfluencesoftheConnotationofAnimalWordsonInterculturalCommunicationInterculturalcommunicationmeanscommunicationamongpeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgrounds.Withtherapiddevelopmentofscienceandtechnology,theworldisbecomingincreasinglysmaller.Communicatingwithpeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgroundsisinevitable.Ininterculturalcommunication,aplentyofanimalwordsarewidelyusedtoenrichthelanguageandculture.Astheabovecomparisonsshow,animalwordsmayhavethesame,differentorsimilarconnotations.IfwedonotknowtheconnotationsofEnglishanimalwordsandonlyanalyzetheinformationaccordingtoournationalconnotations,wewouldmisunderstandtheinformation,leadingtofailureofcommunication.Withthedevelopmentofeconomicglobalization,anincreasingnumberofproductsappearintheinternationalmarket,andsomeanimalwordsareusedasproducts’names(ZhangLifeng,2006).However,themisunderstoodconnotationsofanimalwordsmayhaveabadinfluenceontheproducts’marketsforculturaldifference.Forexample,abatteryfactoryuses“whiteelephant”asitsproducts’names.However,inEnglishculture,theword“elephant”impliessomethingcostlyanduseless.Therefore,eventhoughthebatteriesenjoyhighqualityandlargemarketsinChina,themarketfortheminEnglish-speakingcountriesissmall.Foranotherexample,atrademarkofaclockisnamedas“fivegoats”inChina.However,inEnglishculture,theword“goat”symbolizesasinner,lecherorfoolishperson.Therefore,theconnotationsoftheword“goat”mayaffectthemarketsinEnglish-speakingcountries.Theforegoingexamplesindicatethatitissignificantforpeopletoknowabouttheconnotationsofanimalwords.Peopleshouldpayattentiontoculturaldifferencesininterculturalcommunicationtoavoidfailureofcommunication.5.SuggestionsforInterculturalCommunicationAnimalwordshavethesame,differentorsimilarconnotationsinEnglishandChinese.Inmostcases,althoughbothEnglishandChinesehavethesamereferentialmeaningsofanimalwords,theconnotationsoftheseanimalwordsaredifferent.Therefore,weshouldpaymoreattentiontothediscrepancyintheconnotationbetweenEnglishandChineseanimalwordsduringtheprocessofinterculturalcommunicationandenrichourknowledgeofdifferentculturesasmuchaspossible.IfwedonotknowtheconnotationsofEnglishanimalwordsandonlyanalyzetheinformationaccordingtoournationalconnotations,wewouldmisunderstandtheinformation,leadingtofailureofcommunication.Itissuggestedthatweshouldadoptacomparisonmethodtodeepentheunderstandingandmemoryofanimalwords.Itiscommonthatthedifferentconnotationsmayresultinfailureofinterculturalcommunication.Thecomparisonmethodisagoodwayofhelpingpeopletoaccuratelymemorizeandunderstandanimalwords.Moreover,weshouldcultivateourhistoricalawarenessandculturalawarenessduringtheprocessofinterculturalcommunication.ItissuggestedthatweshouldattachimportancetothehistoryandcultureoftheEnglish-speakingcountries.Thereisnodoubtthatunderstandingofalanguageisaccompaniedbytheunderstandingofhistoryandcultureofthislanguageandtheconnotationscanbeaffectedbythehistoryandcultureofalanguage.Therefore,weshouldenrichourknowledgeofdifferenthistoriesandculturesasmuchaspossibleandmakecleartheculturaldifferencesbetweenEnglishandChinese.Allthesemethodswillbebeneficialtointerculturalcommunication.6.ConclusionThroughthecomparisonoftheconno