A Contrastive Study Of Chinese And English Address Terms

Address terms are the words speakers use to designate the person they are talking to in communication and they are an indispensable part of human verbal communication. Chinese and English address terms bear great differences due to the huge cultural differences. In the thesis, a contrastive study of Chinese and English address terms is made and the cultural connotations behind them discussed.The thesis consists of five chapters plus an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction is about the research background, purpose of the research, goals of the research and the organization of the thesis. Chapter One is the definition and classification of address terms as well as the literature review by scholars at home and abroad. Chapter Two discusses the factors influencing the choice of address terms such as context, status, social role, motivation, emotion and attitude and other factors. Chapter Three deals with the cultural backgrounds which may play a role in Chinese and English address systems. The most influential factors are the patriarchal clan system and Confucianism in Chinese while in English they are individualism and equality. Chapter Four analyzes the similarities and differences between Chinese and English address terms with the focus on the latter. The differences lie in six categories in general: constituent order of address terms; usage of names; fictive kinship terms; post and rank address terms; popular address terms; and politeness principle. Chapter Five discusses the problems in cross-cultural activities such as communication, translation and teaching due to the differences between Chinese and English address terms and then puts forward some feasible suggestions. The conclusion summarizes the major achievements of the thesis and its limitations.The thesis gives a comprehensive comparison and contrast between Chinese and English address terms and reveals the reasons of the differences through contrastive study. It is also hoped that the thesis will be of some help to cross-cultural communication, translators, language teachers and those who concern with the investigation of address terms.