A Comparative Study Of The Chinese And English Interpersonal Appellation Systems

The interpersonal appellation system (lAS) is one of the most talked-about areas in the fields of socio-linguistics and cross-cultural communication studies in recent years. The present thesis attempts to make a comparative study of the Chinese and English appellation systems within two inter-related contexts: culture and situation.This thesis consists of five chapters in addition to an introduction and a conclusion.The introduction is about the scope of the study, the approach and organization of the thesis. The thesis mainly deals with three types of appellations: kinship terminology (KT), social appellations and personal pronouns. Two types of settings are identified for the analysis: socio-cultural setting and pragmatic setting.Chapter One gives a general description of the development of the western and Chinese societies, civilizations, the most distinctive features of their cultures, and their impact on the interpersonal appellation systems, which serve to meet the specific social and cultural needs of the Chinese and the western (i.e. the British and American) peoples.Chapter Two compares the western and Chinese families, kinship system, which serve as a background for the analysis of the Chinese and English kinship terminology. The Chinese KT is characterized by its descriptiveness and patrilineal-orientation, while the English KT by generality and egalitarian-orientation.Chapter Three is a comparative analysis of the social appellations from both the socio-cultural and pragmatic points of view. Culturally, social appellations reflect the socio-cultural conditions of the society; pragmatically, people in a specific society tend to take specific factors into consideration when they make their choices of addresses in various specific situations.Chapter Four is a pragmatic study of the Chinese and English personal pronouns. Marked usage and different tendencies in using personal pronouns in some special situations are also discussed.Chapter Five is a pragmatic study of various forms of address in the Chinese and English languages. In specific situations (field. tenor and mode), people choose to use different forms of address to realize the meaning potentials, taking customs, traditions, and other cultural elements into consideration.In the conclusion, it is pointed out that lAS is "socio-culturally specific" and 'situationally sensitive." As cross-cultural communication is increasing with each passing day, there are more and more problems in the choice of appropriate addresses. A comparative study in this area may enhance people's awareness and understanding of other cultures as ~vell as of their own, thereby facilitating communication among peoples of different cultures.