A Comparative Study Of Chinese And English Linduistic Taboos

The word "taboo" originates from "Tonga", a language used by the people of Tonga Island, which is in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean. It refers to persons, things and activities that are sacred, forbidden or should be paid much attention to. The phenomenon of taboo is not exclusive in Tonga, but widely exists in almost all cultures. People, things and activities that are tabooed should not be talked about or should be mentioned in a roundabout way. Those words and expressions related to social taboos are called linguistic taboos. Linguistic taboo is not only a linguistic phenomenon, but also a cultural phenomenon which reflects the value concepts and beliefs of certain culture.Nowadays, communication between people from different cultures becomes increasingly frequent and extensive. However, sometimes intercultural communication can be really challenging due to the various differences of cultures. Linguistic taboo is an important aspect among those differences. People from different cultures may do not all agree on what is or is not taboo in a certain context. A lack of knowledge about taboos or misuse of taboos can lead to misunderstandings or even conflicts. The result is communicative failure. It can be concluded that during the process of intercultural communication, taboos in different cultures and languages are one of the main factors which impede the success of communication. Therefore, it is quite necessary to do research about taboos. But due to the sensitive nature of taboo, records about taboo can hardly be found in authoritative documents. And noble linguists do not feel like to discuss about them.This paper aims to make a comparative study of Chinese and English linguistic taboos. Chapter one is the introduction of this study, including the general description of the study, the significance of the study as well as the purpose and layout of the thesis. Chapter two is the literature review. In this chapter, major studies in this field at both home and abroad are introduced. And the theoretical foundation of this thesis is also proposed, including Cooperative Principle, Politeness Principle, Face Theory and Indirect Speech Act Theory. Chapter three focuses on the definition, origins, features and functions of linguistic taboo. Chapter four is the most important part of this thesis. It makes a detailed comparison between Chinese and English taboos. Both the similarities and differences are highlighted. The similarities mainly lie in three aspects:religion and god, death and disease, vulgarities. And the differences mainly lie in five aspects:privacy, naming and addressing, number, color, animal. Then in Chapter five, some strategies of avoiding taboo are put forward. The last chapter, Chapter six is the conclusion of this study. It summarizes some major points of this study. The implications of this study for intercultural communication are discussed. And some limitations of this thesis are also mentioned. By doing this kind of study, it is hoped that people can pay more attention to this phenomenon, to know more about linguistic taboos as well as the value concepts and beliefs hidden behind them, thus to improve their communicative competence and reduce misunderstanding and conflicts in cross-cultural communication.