Task 5
一、Words for animals and plants usually have the same denotations in different languages, but very often have distinct connotations. For example, “dog” has quite different connotations in Chinese and English. gou(狗) is quite derogative in China: 狗急跳墙，狗仗人势，狼心狗肺，狗腿子，etc. But “dog” in the west is considered the best friend of man, which is well established in their cultures. So they feel disgusted at eating dog meat. In most cases dog is positive in its connotations. Examples are: “You lucky dog.” “Every dog has its day.” “Love me, love my dog.” “He worked like a dog.” “You can‟t teach old dog new tricks.”Find out the connotations of the following animals in both languages.
dragon, phoenix, owl, bat, peacock
dragon: In Chinese: it stands for king or emperor, it thus brings about such positive meanings as success and majesty(最高权威).
In English: it is a symbol of evil, a fierce monster（邪恶的怪物）that destroys and therefore must be destroyed.
phoenix :In Chinese: it stands for the king of bird, good luck but In English: it means rebuilt and reborn.
owl : In Chinese, owl means bad luck, Chinese people hate to run into it, especially at night, but in English, it stands for justice and wisdom.
Bat:In Chinese: it is a symbol of good fortune, well-being, happiness. But In English: is stands for ugly, sinister（邪恶的）, blood-sucking（吸血鬼）.
Peacock ：
3二、In China we address a stranger with an advanced age “Grandpa” or “Grandma”. Why do we do so since that stranger is not connected to us by blood? How does this
sound to an English ear?
The answer is that: In China when baby was born he will be taught many customs such as we address a stranger with an advanced age “Grandpa” or “Grandma”.This means you have a high quality. But this sound to an English ear complicated. They will address many strangers with ladies or gentlemen.
三、Read the case story (from Zanger, 1985) and
answer the questions below.
John, an American, was happy when his Saudi Arabian neighbor invited him to a party at his apartment, just down the hall in the same apartment building. After work, John made a special trip to the neighborhood liquor store to buy a bottle of his favorite white wine for the party.
When John got to the party, his host, Mazen, greeted him at the door in a friendly way. He put his arm around John‟s shoulders and said,
“Oh, John. I‟m so glad you could come.”
John answered, “How‟re you doing, Mazen? Looks like a great party. Here, I brought you some of my favorite wine.”
Mazen took the wine but said nothing about it. Then he said, “I‟d like you to meet my sister who came from Raid, my city, just two days ago.”
John reached out to shake Mazen‟s sister‟s hand, but she just stood there, and stopped smiling. John decided that she was probably shy. So he tried to be especially friendly to her. They had a nice conversation until Mazen ended it.
John wa s saying to Mazen‟s sister, “So, it looks like your brother is going to show you the town.” Because John was feeling very friendly to his host and his host‟s sister, her put one arm around each of them. Mazen suddenly looked very serious.
He stood up and took John by the arm and said, “Come over here and try some of our food.”
