A Comparative Study Of The Cultural Connotations Of English And Chinese Botanic Terms

In every culture and throughout time, plants have been central to the human experience. They support our lives and help us create our civilization. At the same time, their distinctive appearance and habits have always been an inspiration to our imagination. Human beings have been assigning symbolic meanings to plants from the beginning of human civilization. These symbolic meanings eventually have been recognized as inherent connotations of botanic terms passed down as a part of language and culture. With the globalization of the world economy and wide use of the Internet, intercultural communication has become more and more important. Due to cultural differences, people from different cultural backgrounds often have misunderstanding during intercultural communication. With plants being an indispensable part of human life, the cultural connotations of botanic terms are something that we will certainly deal with during cross-cultural communication. Therefore from the perspective of intercultural communication, this thesis tries to make a comparative analysis on the cultural connotations of botanic terms in Chinese and English in an attempt to learn their similarities and differences as well as their influence on intercultural communication.Language is the carrier of culture. Language is the most important medium through which people make communication and express themselves. Culture has a significant effect on the form and meaning of language. Language is the principle means of recording and spreading culture. Culture is the main source of meanings and connotations of language. Different nations have distinctive vocabularies for their unique world views, customs, history traditions, etc. Many words have peculiar connotations in one language that can not be found in another language.Owing to cultural differences, the cultural connotations of botanic terms in different languages are’ various with distinctive ethnic features. Therefore, it is highly possible to cause misunderstanding and communicative failure during cross-cultural communication. Starting with the definition of culture and language as well as the relationship between culture and language, this thesis discusses the cultural connotations of words as the theoretical base for analyzing and comparing the cultural connotations of botanic terms in Chinese and English.This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter one is a brief introduction of the significance of the study, the objective of the thesis,as well as the structure of the thesis.Chapter two provides the theories and researches that are related to this study. Some concepts including culture, language and cultural connotation are introduced. The relationship between culture and language, as well as the relationship between intercultural communication and the cultural connotations of botanic terms are also discussed. In addition, this chapter summarizes the updated research status of the cultural connotations of botanic terms.Chapter three gives a comprehensive analysis on the cultural connotations of botanic terms in English and Chinese. First, the comparison of the cultural connotations of botanic terms is carried out from four perspectives:same botanic terms with similar cultural connotations; same botanic terms with different cultural connotations; botanic terms with cultural connotations peculiar in Chinese and botanic terms with cultural connotations peculiar in English. Second, two different folk customs in Chinese and Western culture are introduced as supplement to show the practical usage of the cultural connotations of botanic terms in Chinese and Western culture.Chapter four lists the probable cultural factors that cause the differences between the cultural connotations of botanic terms in Chinese and English, including natural environment, thinking patterns, aesthetic psychology, literary works, mythology, historical legends and religious beliefs.Chapter five draws a conclusion to the thesis, summarizing the major findings and the limitations of the thesis, as well as some suggestions for further study.There are both similarities and differences between the cultural connotations of botanic terms in Chinese and English. By having a profound comparative study on the cultural connotations of botanic terms in English and Chinese, this thesis will help us deepen our understanding of the differences between Chinese and Western cultures, which leads to the improvement of our ability of intercultural communication. It will also promote the intercultural communication between China and Western countries and the dissemination of Chinese culture.