The cultural meaning of words and teaching Chinese as a foreign language

The cultural meaning of words and teaching Chinese as a foreign language

Thesis keywords: Chinese; the cultural meaning of words; teaching Chinese vocabulary as a foreign language

Thesis abstract: Teaching Chinese as a foreign language The main goal is to improve the Chinese language use and communicative abilities of international students. The cultural meaning of words is a difficult and key point in teaching and communication. This article explains the cultural meaning of words and proposes relevant strategies for teaching the cultural meaning of Chinese vocabulary as a foreign language.

The language of a country or nation can usually reflect the cultural essence and way of thinking of that country or nation. When we learn a foreign language, understanding the culture of that country is of great help to language learning, and the same is true for Chinese. Among the various elements of the Chinese language, vocabulary directly reflects the changes in social life and the development of national culture, and is the most basic and active component. The cultural nature of language determines that words must carry rich and specific cultural connotations. Second language teaching mainly solves the problem of cultural differences and cultural conflicts in the meaning of words, as well as the interference of cultural differences in the meaning of words on cross-cultural communication, and ensures the smooth flow of information transmitted by words.

1. Cultural meaning of words

In cross-cultural communication, we usually divide the meaning of words into two categories: linguistic concept meaning (referred to as linguistic meaning) and cultural connotation meaning ( referred to as cultural meaning). Linguistic meaning refers to the reflection and summary of the general attributes or essence of objective things in people's minds. It is the dictionary meaning and is an objective meaning that is not affected by the subjective will and emotional color of the communicator. Cultural meaning is the meaning added to the meaning of language, which represents the communicative value in actual cross-cultural communication and the cultural characteristics of the information conveyed. The linguistic meaning of words reflects the characteristics of language and is restricted by language rules. It expresses the basic meaning of words, which is relatively fixed and does not vary from person to person. For example: words expressing natural phenomena, science and technology, daily necessities and other objective objects and phenomena fall into this category. Cultural meaning is the communicative meaning and psychological meaning that transcends linguistic meaning and reflects the subjective attitude, emotional color and intended message of the word user. People's subjective attitudes and emotions are restricted by the social systems, cultural traditions, living customs, behavioral norms, communication rules, ways of thinking and values ??of their native culture. Therefore, the most prominent manifestation of the cultural meaning of words is that different cultures have different background meanings, emotional colors and communicative values ????that people give to cultures, and are restricted by different communicative rules.

2. The correspondence between the meanings of Chinese and English words

1. The linguistic meanings correspond, and the cultural meanings also correspond

Such words mostly appear in referring to natural phenomena and Science and technology. For example: ?sun, moon, air? and ?sun,moon,air?; ?computer, television, science? and ?computer,television,science?. However, the "correspondence" here still mainly refers to the correspondence of linguistic meanings. When used in a certain context in a metaphorical sense, it cannot be said that there will definitely be complete or basic correspondence between different cultures.

2. There is no correspondence between the linguistic meaning and the cultural meaning.

These words are produced in a unique cultural background and reflect the unique material culture of a nation. They are called "national custom words" ?Or? Cultural words? It is difficult to find exact equivalents of national custom words in other languages, also known as "non-equivalent words". For example, "huabiao", "tai chi", "poverty alleviation", "decentralization", "harmonious society" in Chinese; "streak", "hippie" and "punk" in English.

3. The language meaning does not correspond, but the cultural meaning does.

Between two languages, sometimes there are different ways of expressing the same thing or phenomenon. For example, "dog days" correspond to "dog days", both referring to the hottest days of the year. The "Dog Days" in Chinese culture are determined based on the seasonal changes of the Chinese lunar calendar, generally referring to late July to early August. "Dog days" in English refer to the time when the "dog star" rises. These two statements fully reflect the differences in Chinese and British cultures and differences in national customs and habits.

4. Linguistic meanings correspond to cultural meanings.

Many words can be found in bilingual dictionaries with corresponding linguistic meanings, but the corresponding words in the dictionary reflect The cultural images or cultural concepts may not necessarily correspond to each other. Even when a statement in one language is translated into the equivalent word in another language, it will not provide any information or provide wrong information to the people in the target country. For example: "unit" and "unit". Chinese people often use "unit" to express their own or other people's work agencies, groups or departments. The Chinese-English dictionary translates "unit" into "unit". In cross-cultural communication, it is difficult for Westerners to understand its meaning. In fact, in China, "work units" are not only the place where individuals work, study and live, but also meet various needs, such as enjoying low-cost housing and medical insurance. After the reform and opening up, the role of "units" has been continuously reduced, but many functions of "units" still exist. In the foreseeable long period of time, the important role of "unit" in people's minds is still difficult to completely eliminate.

5. Correspondence of linguistic meanings, cultural meanings are different

As for the linguistic meanings of foreign language words, people who understand foreign languages ????generally understand it at a glance. Even if they do not understand, they can learn it by looking up Dictionaries can also tell. However, it is really difficult for people who do not understand the culture of the country to understand the cultural meaning and communicative value of words. For example, the linguistic meaning of the two words "tea break" and "coffee break" in English is very clear, but people who do not understand English culture simply cannot understand the cultural meaning of these words (a short pause from work in the middle of the morning or afternoon for a drink, a rest, something light to eat,ect). "Drinking tea" here also has extremely profound cultural meanings: first, the time is between lunch and dinner; second, the content includes not only tea, but also coffee and snacks; third, this way of drinking tea is a social way among housewives Commonly used methods, therefore, to understand the cultural meaning of such words, it is impossible to understand the cultural background and the customs of language users.

3. Teaching the cultural meaning of Chinese vocabulary as a foreign language

Differences in the cultural meaning of words are an important cause of cross-cultural communication barriers, so they must be taken seriously in teaching.

First of all, teachers of Chinese as a foreign language should conduct targeted teaching on the cultural background and meaning of words. Conflicts in cross-cultural communication almost occur with the beginning of language learning, but in the primary stage of teaching, a tolerant attitude is often adopted towards them. As the language learning of international students continues to deepen, it is required to pay equal attention to language and communication, and cultural knowledge is also gradually penetrated. Therefore, students should be guided to learn the cultural meaning of words to prevent communication misunderstandings.

After the teacher talks about the linguistic meaning of the word, he can use the environment to reveal the cultural information contained in the word. For example, when talking about the cultural significance of "dragon", it can be explained through the Chinese people's worship of "dragon". Most of the ancient imperial palaces were engraved with dragons: (1) symbolizing the Chinese nation; (2) symbolizing the emperor, etc. . Different from the "dragon" in English, in the Western world dragon is considered to be a behemoth full of domineering and aggressiveness. The image of "dragon" often causes foreigners who have little understanding of Chinese history and culture to make some unrealistic associations one-sidedly or arbitrarily. Therefore, through the specific use environment and contact with real life to reveal its cultural significance, students can better understand and apply it and avoid communicative conflicts.

Then, we must be careful when teaching words and phrases that are both here and there. When dealing with statements unique to Chinese culture in specific teaching and translation, we need to treat them differently: first, we must accurately transmit meaning and information, and second, we must avoid causing cultural misunderstandings or cultural conflicts for people with non-native cultural backgrounds when telling them. For those statements that are popular in contemporary society but only reflect Chinese culture, especially the characteristics of contemporary Chinese culture, we must try to avoid cultural misunderstandings and conflicts when teaching; for those statements that are popular in Chinese society but are not standardized, we must handle them appropriately and may not translate them into foreign languages. If it is necessary to translate, it is necessary to add background explanations and comments to eliminate cultural misunderstandings; for those slogans, slogans, public announcements and notices that are only targeted at Chinese people, there is no need to translate.

Language itself is a kind of culture, not only because it is a unique communication tool for human beings and a unique product of human society, but also because its basic unit, words, contains rich cultural connotations. For Chinese language learners, in order to truly master Chinese, they should and must understand the cultural connotations of Chinese and grasp the semantics deeply and comprehensively, especially the deep cultural meanings. Necessary cultural infiltration when teaching foreign students has become a foreign language. An important link in Chinese vocabulary teaching.

References:

[1] Bi Jiwan. Second language teaching and cross-cultural communication[M]. Beijing: Beijing Language and Culture University Press, 2009.

[2] Sun Dejin. Research on vocabulary and vocabulary teaching of Chinese as a foreign language[M]. Beijing: The Commercial Press, 2006.

[3] Chen Guoming. Cross-Cultural Communication [M]. Shanghai: East China Normal University Press, 2009.

[4]Gao Yan. Teaching Chinese vocabulary as a foreign language[M]. Shanghai: East China Normal University Press, 2008.

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