On the differences between english and chinese animal words cultural connotations

Abstract

A social language could reflect culture which is correspondent and its manners show in the contents of words and vocabulary. The same to the animal words what contains rich and profound cultural customs of various nationalities and reflects the philosophical and cultural mentality of all ethnic groups profoundly. In the course of the development of human history, animals keep in touch with human beings. Many animals yet have been being human beings’ pets and friends. Many animals have formed a certain symbol in the minds of people, and are embodied in the language. Animal words are also forming a specific meaning in these processes. There are abundant words in English and Chinese with large number of animals as a metaphor. The cultural diversity of all nations around the world causes people to have different emotional attitudes towards animals in the different cultures, thus, the meaning of animal vocabulary is different in different cultures. It’s helpful to improve the communicative competence of English for the understanding of the cultural connotations of English and Chinese. To promote English learning and intercultural communication is of great practical significance.