A comparison between Chinese and English salutation from the cross-cultural perspective

Abstract

As one important part in speech communication, address form is considered as the first message conveyed from speakers to hearers in many situations. Address forms play a very important role in the social life. Different types of address forms can express rich emotional information and implied meaning. Through different address forms, the social relationships, social position and roles can also be reflected. The thesis endeavors to decode the differences and similarities from the perspective of the salutations of the two languages, by discussing respectively the underlying differences on culture, value and other levels. Based upon the plentiful examples extracted from daily life, this paper provides illuminating insights about Chinese and English salutation from the two cultures. Such research is a joyful delight for those working in the cross-cultural fields of the global village. © 2011 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.