Unit 13 The Culture Content of Vocabulary One of the earliest word sets that a student will learn is colors. Later on the intermediate student learns that in English "yellow" signifies cowardice and "green" signifies "inexperience" and "jealousy". It is important to note that word connotations may not translate from country to country. Let's consider a few examples of the cultural content of vocabulary. The attitudes toward dogs vary from country to country. In some countries they are wild and dangerous; in other countries they are farmed and eaten. In many Western countries they are much-loved members of family. They are given names, and are referred to as "she" or "he", not "it". If students are reading a story about dogs, the significance of dogs in that culture should be understood. People of different nationalities respond to the phrase "hot day" differently. By and large, people from cold climates appreciate "a hot day", providing the temperature does not exceed 30 C. People from hot climates respond negatively, saying that "a hot day" means "hotter than usual" with temperature rising into the 40 C. Once in Britain "sandwiches" were considered an inadequate lunch. The quality was low and the freshness was questionable. But today supermarkets in Britain offer a wide range of sandwiches to their customers. So the status of a "sandwich lunch" has changed greatly in the past two decades. Understanding a vocabulary item involves three levels of understanding. First, a student must understand what the word "denotes", e.g. a table has a flat, not a sloping top, three or four legs, and so on. Second, a student must understand the connotations of a word or phase: "Come in and have a drink" is an expression of hospitality, not a guess that the guest must be thirsty. Finally, the student must understand the cultural links. To illustrate these three levels of understanding, let's take the word "tea". The word can denote different things: green tea in China, black tea in Turkey, in India a boiled tea-drink made from tea, sugar, milk and possibly cardamom (a spice). In Britain, it can also denote an evening meal, which is taken at around 6 pm. And what about the place of tea in British culture? First, there is "tea and sympathy". When someone says, "Come in and have a cup of tea," the implicit offer is "Come in and we can talk about whatever is bothering you." "Come to tea" may be an invitation to drink tea and eat biscuits and cakes at around 4:30 pm, or an invitation to join in the evening meal at around 6 pm. A tea break in British culture is a traditional break in the morning or afternoon when work may stop for a period of ten minutes. Thus it is difficult, if not impossible, to separate language from culture. Students need to look beyond the surface of the words and be aware of their cultural content.
中学生奥运会英语词汇:butterfly 蝶泳
初中英语 知识点梳理 关联词
中考英语语法学习专辑---名词篇
英语语法句子种类基础知识
中考英语语法讲解资料及练习:状语从句
中考英语语法学习专辑---代词
中考英语语法讲解资料及练习:There be句型与中考试题
中考英语总复习:单项选择训练之C
人大附中内部英语习题:完型填空
人大附中内部英语资料:50个重点句型练习
人大附中内部英语资料:基础词汇运用练习2
中考英语语法讲解资料及练习:考前指导
中考英语语法讲解资料及练习:时态2
英语资讯中常见的60个小词
集合名词分类用法详解
中考英语语法学习专辑---连词
语法讲解资料及练习:模拟考场
中考英语语法讲解资料及练习:句子种类1
中考英语总复习:单项选择训练之B
定语从句中关系代词的确定
中考英语语法讲解资料及练习:动词语态
中考英语必备:50个重点句型
中学生奥运会英语词汇:triathlon 铁人三项运动
人大附中内部英语资料:50个重点句型练习3
中考英语总复习:单项选择训练之C语法答案解析
中考英语语法讲解资料及练习:时态一
中考英语语法讲解资料及练习:被动语态复习
中考英语:形容词和副词的用法及练习
初中英语易混词复习
中考英语语法学习专辑---形容词副词
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