The Influences of Differences between Chinese and Western Cultures on Polite Language
[Abstract] Language is the most important communication tool for human beings. And in it is loaded the profound national cultural connotation. Since mankind headed into the era of civilization, polite language has been highly valued in each culture, community and group. On one hand, polite language is an indication of being elegant and civilized, and on the other hand, it is helpful to establish and maintain a good relationship between people. As an observable phenomenon, politeness is something superficial and is recognized as a norm in all societies. People in every culture are trying to be polite when communicating. Furthermore, politeness is culture-specific to some extent and a reflection of specific cultural values in the language. Due to the influence of cultural value orientations, the actual manifestations of politeness and the standards for its judgment differ substantially from culture to culture. Therefore, misunderstandings or even breakdown may occur if the cultural differences of politeness are neglected in cross-cultural communication. This thesis aims to make a contrastive study on polite language between Chinese and the West in cultural perspectives and the points that people should be aware of in communication between different cultural groups.
[Key Words] polite language; cultural trait; cultural value; cross-cultural communication; cultural difference
中西文化差异对礼貌用语的影响
【摘 要】 语言是人类最重要的交际工具。语言负载着深厚的民族文化内涵。自人类进入文明时代，礼貌用语就被各文化社团及学者所广为重视。一方面，它是社会文明和进步的象征；另一方面，它又能帮助人们建立和维持良好的人际关系。作为一种可观察得到的社会现象，礼貌是一种表面现象，是由所有社会所认同的一种规范。人们在交流时，都会努力做到礼貌。同时，礼貌具有文化特性，是特定文化价值在语言中的折射。由于文化价值的影响，表示礼貌的方式方法，以及人们用以判断礼貌的标准也会有所不同。因此在跨文化交际中，会出现一些误解，这些误解常常会导致交际失误乃至失败。本文试图从文化角度来对比中西礼貌用语的用法，阐述文化差异对语言的巨大影响以及人们在不同文化之间的交流上要注意的问题。
【关键词】 礼貌用语；文化特性；文化价值；跨文化交际；文化差异
