文化背景知识与大学生英语学习.docx

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1、文化背景知识与大学生英语学习论文分类号：H319 3 2013 届学士学位毕业论文 题目 ：文化背景学问与高校生英语学习 系别专业 ： 外国语学院英语研究方向： 英语学习学 学 生姓 名 名 ：学号： 2011010110指导老师姓名 ：指导老师职称：2013 年4 月 10 日 日 Cultural Background Knowledge and College Students English Study A Thesis Submitted to School of Foreign Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements f

2、or the Degree of Bachelor of ArtsWritten by：Supervised by：April 10, 2013 AcknowledgementsFirst and foremost, I appreciate my country who gives me a comfortable learning atmosphere. Second, I would like to show my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Miss Liu, who has helped me through all the stages

3、of the writing of this thesis. Without her inspiring instruction and patience, this thesis could not have reached its present form. I am also greatly indebted to all my teachers who have helped me to develop the fundamental and essential academic competence. My sincere appreciation also goes to all

4、my classmates, who offered me references and information on time. Last but not least, I want to thank all my friends, especially my five lovely roommates, for their encouragement and support.iAbstractIdioms are an important part of English language, also one of the required contents for college stud

5、ents in English study. And the generation and development of idioms are influenced deeply by the specific cultural background. For idioms contain rich cultural information, if college students can strengthen their cultural background knowledge during the process of learning English idioms, it would

6、be twice the result with half the effort. Cultural background knowledge includes history, tradition and other aspects. This paper discusses its influence on the idioms in terms of history, religion, geography, custom, literature and art to make the reader aware of the importance of cultural backgrou

7、nd knowledge to idioms learning Key words: English learning; idiom; cultural background; influence ii 摘要 习语是英语语言的重要组成部分，亦是高校生英语学习的必要内容之一。而习语的产生和发展深受特定的文化背景的影响，且习语本身亦能体现丰富的文化信息。所以，高校生在学习习语的过程中若能注意加强对其文化背景学问的学习将事半功倍。文化背景学问涉及历史、传统等诸多方面。本文将从历史背景、宗教信仰、地理环境、风俗习惯和文学艺术五个方面来探讨不同文化背景学问对英语习语的影响，从而使读者相识到文化背景学问在

8、习语学习中的重要性。关键 词: : 英语学习; 习语; 文化背景; 影响 iii ContentsAbstract . i 摘 摘要 .ii I. Introduction . 1 II. The Relationship between Language and Culture . 2 2.1 Language is the Carrier of Culture . 2 2.2 Language is the Reflection of Culture . 2 III. The Definition and Characteristics of English Idioms . 3 3.1

9、The Definition of English Idioms . 3 3.2 The Characteristics of English Idioms . 3 3.2.1The Integrity of English Idioms . 3 3.2.2 The Widespread Use of English Idioms . 3 3.2.3 The Institutionalization of English Idioms . 4 IV. The Influence of Cultural Background Knowledge on English Idioms . 5 4.1

10、 The Influence of Historical Events . 5 4.1.1 The Influences of Roman Conquest . 5 4.1.2 The Influence of Teutonic Conquest . 6 4.1.3 The Influence of Viking and Danish Invasion . 7 4.1.4 The Influence of Norman Conquest . 7 4.1.5 The Influence of Colonialism Time . 8 4.2 The Influence of Religion .

11、 9 4.3 The Influence of Geography . 10 4.4 The Influence of Custom . 11 4.5 The Influence of Literature . 12 V. Conclusion . 14 Bibliography . 错误! 未定义书签。Cultural Background Knowledge and College Students English Study 1 Cultural Background Knowledge and College Students English StudyI. IntroductionI

12、mputing a large number of new words and grammar is the chief method for primary and middle school students to learn English. However, as for the college students who majors in English, such kind of superficial way is far from enough and hard to satisfied their demand on knowledge. So I think if the

13、students firstly learn the English nations cultural and historical knowledge, the bottleneck will be much easier to break, and it will be much easier to reach a new height for them. Therefore, the students should put more emphasis on the cultural background knowledge learning. And idiom can be regar

14、d as one important part of language, which can reflect the national language culture best. Besides, it covers many fields including history, geography, religion, humanity and so on. So I will set idioms as an example to analyze the influence which cultural background knowledge learning exert on the

15、English idioms understanding in the aspects of history, religion and so on. There are certain differences between eastern and western cultures, if we can break through cultural barriers, try to experience and understand the unique charm of English culture, and deepen our understanding of their way o

16、f thinking and speaking, we college students will be full of passion in learning English and will be able to use it more naturally.宿州学院外国语学院 2013 届本科毕业论文2 II. The Relationship between Language and Culture 2.1 Language is the Carrier of Culture As has been noted, language is the carrier and spreading

17、 media of culture. A long and outstanding culture surely has the kind of language which is hard to understand, and culture will keep on developing language. Human knowledge and experience is recorded by language; customs and habits are also described by language. That is, language mirrors culture. T

18、he most important function of language is to reflect the life of human beings and social development. 2.2 Language is the Reflection of Culture In the process of English learning, the English countrys history, customs, religion, geography, literature, art and values can be regard as culture. 1Contac

19、t and understanding of the culture of the English-speaking countries is of benefit for students in the understanding and use of English to reduce the deviation of understanding caused by cultural differences. As we all know, language is closely related to culture and most of us think it is an import

20、ant part of culture. Culture always exerts some influences on language. In a language, the development of culture boosts the creation of new words and expressions. Some cultural factors such as historical stories, geography, customs, religion and literature are always posed some effects on the forma

21、tion of English idioms. We can know more about the cultural background knowledge by learning idioms, on the contrary, learning the cultural background behind idioms can help us to understand idioms well. In another word, language, especially idioms, are the reflection of culture.Cultural Background

22、Knowledge and College Students English Study 3 III. The Definition and Characteristics of English Idioms 3.1 The Definition of English Idioms Broadly speaking, English idioms include metaphorical phrases, colloquialism, proverbs and so on.2It is not easy for us to provide a clear definition for the

23、word idiom, because in different language environment it has different meanings. As far as Jennifer Seidl is concerned, an idiom is a number of words which, taken together, mean something different from the individual words of the idiom when they stand alone. But this paper has the mostly fine defin

24、ition, idiom is an expression established in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either in grammatical construction or in having a meaning that cannot be derived as a whole from the conjoined meanings of its elements. 3.2 The Characteristics of English Idioms 3.2.1The Integrity of Eng

25、lish Idioms The integrity of the idioms refers to idioms are used as a complete semantic units. Its various components are closely linked and indivisible. In another word, the meaning of an English idiom is not the superposition of each single word; it should be used as a whole instead of being spli

26、t into smaller elements. For example, pull ones socks up, it does not mean to bring ones socks, but means to cheer up. The integrity of English idioms means that many idioms reflect the national history and culture and the formation of literary allusions, and have established overall significance. F

27、or example: in the arms of Morpheus means that he or she is sleeping. It is because Morpheus is the god of sleep in Greek mythology. If someone lay in his arms; he is certainly in his sleep.3.2.2 The Widespread Use of English Idioms English idioms are widely used in English speaking countries, altho

28、ugh some of them have become clichés, and some of them even have lost their specific culture. Because they have become a special meaning in peoples lives, even today, people still often use English idioms. For example: break the record, cold war, love me, love宿州学院外国语学院 2013 届本科毕业论文4 my dog, w

29、here there is a will, there is a way, etc. Some famous scholars has translated many of them into other languages, and even become famous international idioms. 3.2.3 The Institutionalization of English Idioms The institutionalization of English idioms refers to the fact that its form, vocabulary and

30、structure is fixed, can not be changed. Even synonyms can not be replaced, or will be a far cry from the original meaning. For instance, by threes and twos can not substitute for by twos and threes; burn a hole in ones pocket, can not be changed to burn a hole in ones wallet; neither fish nor flesh

31、can not substitute for neither flesh nor fish, nor changed to neither donkey nor horse. Just as in China, you can not say 一塌糊涂 to 乱八七糟.Cultural Background Knowledge and College Students English Study 5 IV. The Influence of Cultural Background Knowledge on English Idioms 4.1 The Influence of Historic

32、al EventsAs we all know, the development of social history has a great influence on language. With the times changing, the old language will decline and the new language continue to produce. In the development process of the language, we can find the traces of history and culture in the idioms. Thin

33、king the development of human history, national migration, ethnic war, ethnic conquest and assimilation affect the national culture most. 4.1.1 The Influences of Roman Conquest In 55BC, the great Roman general Julius Caesar sailed across the English Channel with 10,000 men.3He wanted to find out whe

34、ther England can make a fine colony. Julius Caesar returned next year with a large army and defeated some of the Celts. The real Roman Conquest in Great Britain history was started in 43A.D. The Roman emperor Claudius invaded Britain again. This time, the Romans won the Celtic tribes easily, and com

35、pletely won the southern part of the island of Great Britain, including present-day England and Wales. With the military occupation, the Roman culture and customs gradually infiltrated Britain. Romans clothing, decorations, pottery and glassware soon in British became popular, social life began to a

36、ppear Romanization phenomenon. With the change of cultural trends, the language changed. Latin language spread rapidly in the Britain Island, especially the upper classes of society, the official language, legal language, the language of business, all using the Latin language. There are many idioms

37、related to Roman. For example: Do in Rome as the Romans do. Rome was not built in a day. All roads lead to Rome.宿州学院外国语学院 2013 届本科毕业论文6 Bear the palm means success. In ancient Rome, fighters who emerged from the arena victorious will gain palm sticks or palm leaves as a victory symbol. Therefore thi

38、s idiom emerged. For example: Joe bore the palm in all she attempted and was acknowledged supreme among his school students. 4It means Joe won every race and was recognized as the best student in the school. Worth ones salt means be competent. In Roman times, the salt is very precious, and the pay o

39、f the soldiers in the Roman army includes part of the salt, later the meaning changed into to purchase securities. The word later evolved connected to salary. And salt means wages was preserved in English idioms. Now if someone worth his salt, he is a competent employee. For instance: Any engineer w

40、orth his salt should know how that machine works. 5It means that any competent engineer should know how we can use the machine. In ancient Rome, some slaves were used as the gladiators to fight for slaveholders in the public areas. After contest, slaveholders will ask the audience how to dispose of

41、the defeated gladiators. If they thumb up, means put the loser release; if they thumb down, means kill the loser. Now people expressed satisfaction with thumbs up, and expressed opposition with thumbs down. For example: His plans have got the thumbs up from the company. It means the company is very

42、satisfied with his plans. When the play opened, the audience gave it the thumbs down. 6which means that the audiences evaluation of the play is very low. 4.1.2 The Influence of Teutonic Conquest In 449, three German Tribes, residing in the northwest of Europe, invaded the Great Britain. They were An

43、glos, Saxons and Jutes. They tide over the North Sea and make use of the waning in power of Roman who could care nothing but about them. They came into the Great Britain and met with fierce resistance of Celts, which made the conquest delayed one and a half centuries. At the end of 6 thcentury, the Celtics, the original residents, almost wiped out by their enemy. This was thought to be the most famous conquest in the history of Britain which was named Teutonic Conquest.Cultural Back