1. Introduction
Language is a kind of tool for people to communicate with each other and is also a very important part of the culture. Different languages are restricted by various national cultures, reflecting their own cultural content. Color is closely related to our daily life with abundant culture connotation, which is a crucial object for language, culture and translation. “Color word” indicates the word which is used to stand for a kind of color. This definition is well known throughout the word, but “color words do not necessarily mean the same thing as colorful terms. Colorful English may appear as idioms or in figurative expressions, while color words are words which simply show different colors. Like the onomatopoeic word, a color word has little merit in itself. Only when it suggests the image of the original, or fortifies the sense in the version, it has value in translation.” (Xiao Junshi, P173, 1982) Obviously, as a part of words, color terms are used in writing to transmit information. In physics, it stands for the color reflected by objects.
Color words are used frequently in the translation of English and Chinese. We use some basic words to convey the meaning of the color words. Because of the differences of customs, culture, history, geography, etc, the "personality” becomes obvious.
2 Literature Review
2.1Research Background
A language not only expresses facts, ideas, or events which represent similar world knowledge by its people, but also reflects the people’s attitudes, beliefs, and world outlooks etc. People of different cultures structure the world around them differently, at least in the language they use to describe that world. Languages differ enormously from one another, and these differences are related to important differences in the customs and behaviors and other aspects of the cultures in which those language reside. In a word, language is a mirror of culture.
When we learn a new word we tend to look for its meaning in the word itself. Yet in addition to its dictionary meanings, the same word may stir up different associations in people, because of cultural differences. In our daily life, color words are the common illustrations of the cultural differences in language use. In Chinese and English cultures, color words are in the same way influenced by cultures, and used widely in people’s daily life.
2.2 Research Significance
As the differences between Eastern and Western cultures led to the understanding of the color words are not the same. Color words contain a lot of deep meaning, implies a different ethnic feelings. If we do not take into account the impact of cultural differences, we are difficult to understand the implicit meaning of color words. The significance of this thesis is to enable a better understanding of color words, in order to enhance communication skills, avoid conflict of cultures.
2.3 Previous Researches in the Field
Study of color words has long attracted linguists’ attention. The bright lights of the objective world and for humankind as a whole are the same, but the national language or in different books of different ages or different geographical dialects often be found to have different understanding about color words. This concentrated and fully prove that language is the result of human cognition to understand and express the objective world, different groups of people in cognitive understanding and expression of the world, due to the different natural environment, social life, and cultural traditions. Study of color words in different languages is between the similarities and differences. The same object can look at how the differences in cognitive terms showing similarities and differences between how the social and cultural differences and further expansion of the semantic differences, which for the cognitive linguistics, comparative linguistics and culture, linguistics, and on second language teaching of applied linguistics has an important significance.
21st century’s color words study should stress the originality on research based on the achievements of the previous scholars, domestic or abroad. The study should keep track of the latest development of color words, making breakthrough, upgrading the research quality.
2.4 My Evaluations and Comments
I write this thesis in order to make English learners have a better understanding of the cultural meaning of color words and enhance communication skills, avoid conflict in Western culture.
With the changing society, people have a view of things may have diametrically opposite point of view, how is the color of the word has become more authoritative to be a problem; how to get people to attach importance to the implied meaning of color words which may lead to cultural conflict is also a problem. As the color words in real life, the widely used, it is difficult in a paper summarizing, so how to form the color words of the formation of an effective system is a difficult. Possible problems also contain: (1) Limited availability of helpful data, especially the books or articles written by the native scholars; (2) Difficulty in the presentation of insightful ideas and the attainment in originality due to lack of the knowledge related.
The English language is developing constantly, keeping absorbing more color words. What is new in my thesis is that I try to focus my study on color words in modern English, making the research keep pace with the times, with the latest development in loanwords.
3 Methods
3.1 Materials Description
Investigation method is one of the most commonly scientific researches, it is purposeful, planned, and systematic and collect method that reality of the situation of the object and historical situation of the material. Literature study is based on a certain subject or research purposes and obtains information through the survey literature, in order to fully and correctly understands the issue as a way to study the subject.
3.2 Instruments
Investigation method uses a variety of methods to carry out the problem, make it planned and systematic. For surveys that get a lot of information for analysis, synthesis, comparison, induction, and obtained regular knowledge. Analysis their living environment, communication range, characters, and how they treat these emergency situations, based on the various aspects of the analysis of the characters and understanding in-depth the specific meaning of each image represents, combined with the social situation at that time, to show their own characteristics and to feel the emotion what the author wants to express and learn about the enlightenment in this novels.
4 Main Contents
4.1 General Description of the Study
Color is a objective phenomena, so people's awareness on color has something in common. People from different culture have their own way to communicate, to think and to behave. The words to express the colors are allocated different features and cultural connotation, which show great cultural differences.
My thesis will focus on the practice of the translation of English color words. In order to promote the development of the multi-cultural society and cross-cultural communication, it is significant to understand and grasp colour terms and their functions in the cultural transfer. This thesis, targeting at improving translation proficiency and promoting cross-cultural communication, makes a careful analysis of color terms, including the definition, the history in English and Chinese, the translation difficulties and the translation techniques.
4.2 Originality of the Research
The study on the translation of English color words has a long history. Many scholars have made deep research on the color words and generally form their own theories which have been accepted by the translation field. These researches includes the research on the basic color words, color words and color concepts, the translation and the pragmatic meaning of color words, the social and cultural connotation of color words, etc. These books or articles have given very detailed explanation on the color words. It is also mentioned in many books about translation. However, from all these books, most scholars’ emphases on the way of translate them.
Given to most of the books on the translation of English color words, the scholars have found out some common ways to translate these words.
The first is literal translation. We use this way when we can find the equivalent words in both the Chinese and the English. The second way is transliteration. That means when you want to translate, you have to understand the usage and its cultural connotation and know clearly the real meaning, symbolic meaning and deeper meaning. Meanwhile, you have to ignore the original meaning of the color words and translate the words according to the text.
These are the ways which we often use to translate the color words. When we translate, we can use the ways accordingly to make the best translation.
5. Time-table
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