A Comparative Study Of Numerical Cultural Connotations Between English And Chinese From The Angle Of Cultural Vacancy

Numerals are closely related to our life. We can not measure time, price, proportion, pay, victory or defeat, etc. without numerals. It is a common phenomenon of all languages. However, numerals not only take effects in calculation and other relevant aspects in mathematics, but also function as mysterious cultural signs sometimes. And thus a peculiar numerical culture comes into being. Numerical culture plays an important role in the development and communication of human culture and reflects distinctive cultural style of nationalities. Hence, numerals and numerical culture are a universal phenomenon. Besides, they cannot be ignored in the culture of human languages. Nevertheless, various connotative meanings are bestowed on various numerals by different nations owing to the discrepancies in historical backgrounds, social customs, religious culture, ideology, etc. between China and Western countries. That is the individual characteristics of numerical culture in every nationality of the world. The research concerning numerals has been made by many scholars, e.g. the study of numerical proverbs, the study of numerical idioms, the vagueness of numerals, etc. The writer attempts to classify and discuss numerical connotations between English and Chinese from the standpoint of cultural vacancy, and thus explores its influence on language learners.Vacancy is a major topic in the research on language and culture. The original meaning of vacancy is"blank"or"gap". The definition of vacancy in linguistics is that something, some phenomena or characters exist in only one culture, but not in another culture. In recent decades, lots of foreign scholars have applied the theory of vacancy to the research on cross-linguistic comparison. Vacancy is used to describe and reveal national discrepancies that exist in vocabulary, grammatical system of different languages and different cultures. The application of vacancy theory has exerted great theoretical value and practical significance on cross-cultural communication research, foreign language study and translation.In a word, after explorations for several decades, culturalists and linguists have gradually realized that cultural difference bring about vacancy. Scholars abroad and home hold different opinions about definition and classification of vacancy. In order to compare the numerical cultural connotations in a reasonable and all-round way, the thesis classifies vacancy into the following four types: complete vacancy, part vacancy, conflict vacancy and zero vacancy.Complete vacancy means that some numeral is given some connotative meanings in one culture, but in another culture, it has not the connotative meanings at all. The situation is called complete vacancy in the thesis. Part vacancy shows that some numeral is endowed with some cultural connotations in one culture, while in another culture, it only has part of the connotations, or with some different connotations simultaneously. Conflict vacancy, just as its name implies, one numeral has completely different connotative meanings or even opposite ones in the two cultures. Zero vacancy represents that one numeral has same or nearly same cultural connotations in the two cultures.The comparative study of numerical connotations in complete vacancy can deepen our understanding of the origins about the difference and the complete vacancy in connotative meanings. It can also further cultural instruction to language learning, and realize the combination of language learning and cultural learning. By comparison in terms of cultural vacancy, cultural meanings of the numerals in complete vacancy become more prominent, and easier to remember. Therefore, the comparison will assist language learners to avoid some negative effects caused by misconception of these numerals during intercommunication. At the same time, these numerals will win special attention in translation out of their particularity.The study concerning numerals in zero vacancy helps us to be aware of the nature that numerical culture and other languages or cultures have in common. The nature is that we can find universals in different languages or cultures, because the characteristic of universals is the essence and basis of all languages or cultures for human beings.It is of great significance to compare numerical cultural meanings between the two languages from the standpoint of part vacancy and conflict vacancy, no matter in language learning, intercultural communication or in translation. Because they are not simply identical or vacant in cultural connotations, but there are common points in differences, and different points in sameness, emphasis of our study about numerals should be put on the numerals of the two types. Only when we master the connotative meanings of the numerals between English and Chinese in these two types, we can say that we acquire the core of numerical connotations between the two languages.