Chinese-english And Temperature Sensation The Semantic Comparison Study

The Chinese and English temperature-sensation words (including the basic words and their extensions) are very systematic. Studying the similarities and differences between their semantic representations will help us understand the rules behind the semantic extension in both Chinese and English languages, casting new light on the interaction among cognition, cultures and languages, as well as on the cultural and ideological difference between China and western countries.This thesis, which takes semantic field as the basic unit for comparison and is based on the theories of cognitive linguistics, chaology, cultural linguistics and other relevant disciplines, makes an in-depth and macrocosm-to-microcosm analysis, dynamically and statically, of the semantic similarities and differences between the temperature-sensation words in Chinese and English. The study consists of two parts:one is to demonstrate the semantic similarities and differences between Chinese and English. Another is to explain the similarities and differences. The conclusions are as follow:(1) The temperature-sensation words in Chinese and English have both similarities and differences. Usually, they correspond to each other. There are a great number of similar semantic fields, for example, the semantic field of temperature, and temper. However, Chinese and English temperature—sensation words are sometimes very different semantically. Generally speaking, the difference between the"冷''(leng)-constructions in Chinese and the cold-constructions in English is relatively small, while the one between the"凉"(liang)-constructions in Chinese and the cool-constructions are most obvious. In the other two groups of words'热"(reconstructions and hot-constructions,"温/暖"(wen/nuan)-constructions and warm-constructions), the number of differences is in between, not too small nor too large. In the semantic extension of Chinese and English temperature-sensation words, there exists certain tendency, in which Chinese is more likely to extend the semantic field of temperature to the ones of attitude, environment, psychology or even the nature of medicines, while English to the ones of synaesthetic metaphor, e.g., extending firstly to the semantic fields of hearing, vision, taste and smell, and then to other semantic fields.In terms of semantic colors, words like"冷"(leng) and cold are more likely to be derogatory while words like warm are mostly commendatory. Most of the time, Chinese words such as"温"(wen) and"暖"(nuan) are used in neutral or commendatory context; Chinese words like re usually stand for interpersonal relationship, among which there are quite a few of commendatory, however, the English word hot is of complex meaning, thus being a neutral one. Chinese words like''凉"(liang) are often derogatory while in English the word cool are usually commendatory.(2)The explanation of the similarities and differences between the semantic representation of Chinese and English temperature-sensation words can be made dynamically and statically.Statically speaking, the explanation is based on three views which involve cognition, culture and language. From the view of cognition, the similarities can be explained by the fact that China and the Western countries are sharing common features and interlinking with each other, in both objective and subjective world where people are living with the alike physical and psychological systems. Nevertheless, China and the Western countries not only differ greatly with their own natural environments, but also with their own cultures and traditions. Thus, a good number of differences exist between semantic representation of Chinese and English temperature-sensation words. From the view of cultural psychology, Chinese people are inclined to think intuitively and introvertly, while Westerners are more used to the logical and extrovert modes of thinking. Such a difference in thought determines the differents way of using Chinese and English temperature-sensation words. From the view of philosophy, the oriental philosophy attach importance to the unity of mind and matter while the western philosophy to the contradiction. This is also a major reason for the semantic difference between Chinese and English temperature-sensation words. From the view of language, the number of syllables in both Chinese and English affect the formation of words. There is certain rule behind the semantic extension of words. A word's basic meaning can supervise its semantic extension, e.g, the basic meaning prescribes and indicates its extension. Furthermore, language contact will affect the semantic representation of words.Dynamically speaking, the Chaos Theory can explain the rules behind the semantic extension of temperature-sensation words in Chinese and English. According to the Chaos Theory, language is an open and complicated system of dynamics, whose development is the unity of the linear and the non linear, of order and disorder, and of certainty and randomness. Based on the Chaos Theory, the study of the temperature-sensation words in Chinese and English will lead to the discovery of the phenomenon of bifurcation, the chaotic sequence of semantic evolution and the reflection of the Butterfly Effect.