Model essay on graduation thesis of English majors

With the rapid development of human society, the development of English in different countries is naturally different, and even great changes have taken place under the influence of social politics, economy and culture. The following is a sample essay on undergraduate English that I have compiled for you. Welcome to read the reference!

Undergraduate English Thesis 1

Cultural differences between English and Chinese and idiom translation

A nation's language and culture are interdependent and inseparable. As the essence of language, idioms bear extremely rich cultural connotations, full of traces of human cultural activities, and precipitate a strong national culture. Due to the differences in natural environment, historical origin, religion, culture and customs, idioms carry different national cultural characteristics and cultural information, so the translation of English and Chinese idioms often encounters many difficulties. Translators should follow certain translation principles, find appropriate translation methods, preserve the unique flavor of the original text, and make readers clear about its meaning.

Keywords: translation methods of idioms with cultural differences

Idioms are closely related to the social customs, history and culture of this nation. A nation's values, traditional ideas and ways of thinking can all be reflected in idioms. Both English and Chinese have a long history, which contains a large number of idioms, which are vivid, elegant and implicit, giving people different feelings. However, if you don't understand the social culture in the language, you can't really master the language, let alone translate it accurately.

First, the meaning and source of idioms

1. 1 the meaning of idioms

Idioms are unique and fixed expressions formed in the process of language use. Idioms are fixed idioms, including idioms and proverbs. Idiom is an important rhetorical device in language, and it is also a concentrated expression of various rhetorical devices. Idioms are often set off by metaphors, with vivid images and strong national colors. They are rich in meaning and engage in association. It is often used in literary and artistic works and political articles.

1.2 the origin of idioms

First of all, the natural environment affects the formation and development of national culture. Our ancestors lived in the north temperate zone of Northeast Asia, with vast plains and mild climate, and gradually formed a self-sufficient agricultural economy, and believed that man and nature could live in harmony, so many idioms related to land and agriculture appeared. For example, "every Potter praises his own pot" means "the old lady sells melons, boasting", "the snow bodes well" and "the seedlings should be good, and the insects should be removed early" As Britain is an island country, its fishery and navigation industry play an important role, but it is affected by the weather all the year round. A large number of idioms related to nature have been formed. For example, in deep water, it is a metaphor for "getting into trouble"; Spending money like water is a metaphor for "spending money like water"; A missed opportunity is a metaphor for "missed opportunity".

Secondly, idioms come from fables, myths and legends. Legends and stories of ancient Greece have a far-reaching influence on English, and many idioms are derived from this and widely used. For example, the Greek fable "Kill the goose to get the egg" tells the story of a countryman who was eager to get rich, killed a goose that laid golden eggs, thinking that he could get all the gold he imagined at one time, and finally got nothing; In the17th century, because there was no drainage outlet in Britain, once it rained heavily, streets would flow into rivers. Many homeless stray cats and dogs were drowned and floated in the water. Residents believe that these bodies fell from the sky, and since then, it has been raining cats and dogs.

Thirdly, literary works and historical allusions are also one of the important sources of idioms. "Carving a boat for a sword" comes from "Lv Chunqiu? Check in. Talk of the devil, and he is sure to appear. "Speak of the devil and he will come" is from China's classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Another example is being caught by imaginary fears, which means "nervousness". Life is just an empty dream. "Life is like a dream" originated from the poem of American poet Longfellow. Achilles' heel literally translates as "Achilles' heel", which is usually used to mean "fatal weakness".

Finally, religion is one of the important sources of idioms. Don? Didn't you see the writing on the wall? Don't you see that disaster is coming? Written on the wall, meaning "unknown omen", from the Old Testament.

Second, the cultural differences between English and Chinese idioms

2. 1 Differences in customs and habits

In the traditional concept of China people, the dog is a humble animal. Often used as a metaphor for evil deeds, it has a derogatory meaning. For example, dogs fight against men, dogs are cruel and heartless, and dogs can't spit ivory out of their mouths. S's life is to "live a life worse than pigs and dogs". In western English-speaking countries, dogs are usually regarded as companions, symbols of loyalty and wisdom, and metaphors of human behavior. Such as "love me, love my dog"; You are so lucky. "You are the lucky one"; Everyone has his day. "Every man has his day"; Loyalty like a dog is used to express "loyalty".

Since ancient times, the dragon has been a symbol of good luck in the hearts of China people. In ancient times, dragons were often used to represent emperors and authorities. In China idioms, dragon generally means positive meaning. Such as "looking forward to one's son's success", "leaping like a dragon and leaping like a tiger", "taking advantage of the son-in-law". But the "dragon" in western mythology is mostly a beast with wings and claws, dragging a snake's long tail, covered in scales and breathing fire. Westerners think that dragons are cruel and tyrannical, which makes people feel terrible. It is often used to describe a fierce person, which has a derogatory meaning.

Due to different habits, different colors have different cultural connotations in Chinese and English. For example, in the traditional concept of China people, red symbolizes warmth, happiness and good luck. During Chinese New Year, red couplets will be posted and red envelopes will be distributed, while the idioms to express blessings to others are "thriving" and "making money into treasure". But in English-speaking countries, red is often associated with disasters, radicalism, violence, danger, bloodshed and other bad things, such as on red alert, which means "being on emergency alert"; Catch someone red-handed originally meant that when the murderer was caught, the criminal's hands were still stained with blood. Now the metaphor is "getting caught doing bad things"

2.2 differences in religious beliefs

Religion is an important part of human ideology and culture, and religious idioms often have strong religious and cultural characteristics. People in China believe in Buddhism and Taoism, while people in most English-speaking countries believe in _ _ _ _. This makes idioms have their own colors in both Chinese and English cultures. In Chinese, there are many idioms related to Buddhism, such as "I am lucky in my life", "I put down my butcher's knife to become a Buddha", "spotless", "cramming" and "six clean". The idioms in Taoism are: "One person gets the Tao", "Happiness is a curse, and misfortune is a blessing", "The Tao is one foot high, and the magic is ten feet high" and "a panacea". The Bible plays an important role in Christ, so a large number of idioms are related to it. For example, judas kiss "judas kiss"; An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth "tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye", from the Old Testament? Exodus; It is difficult for a clever woman to describe "impossible things" without rice; Asking for bread and getting a stone literally translates as wanting bread, but giving a stone, which is a metaphor of "getting what you want is not what you want" God is omnipotent in the hearts of westerners, and there are many idioms related to it. For example, God helps those who help them. "God helps those who help themselves"; God gives wealth to fools. "Fools are blessed with fools"; God cursed you. It means to curse a person.

Death is a terrible and mysterious word for human beings. In order to eliminate human anxiety and fear of death, various religions have explained death and described the world after death. Buddhism in China calls it "death", "returning to the truth", "becoming a Buddha", "sitting" and so on. Taoism pursues enlightenment and immortality, and the description of death is like "passing away", "feathering", "gaining enlightenment" and "coming back to light". In _ _ _ _ _, people think that man is made of clay by God in his own image. There is a saying called "return to dust/earth", which means that people will eventually return to dust, indicating death. "At the call of God" was called by God. Another example is "joining the angel choir", which means facing death with a positive attitude.

2.3 differences in the natural environment

The geographical environment between China and the West is very different, so there are a lot of idioms related to geographical environment in Chinese and English. Britain is located in the Western Hemisphere and China is located in the Eastern Hemisphere. Their attitude towards the wind is different from that of China people. The east wind we are talking about is a warm spring breeze, but in Britain it is a cold wind, which makes people feel uncomfortable. So biting the east wind is "biting the east wind". For the British, the west wind is the warm and genial wind in spring. The British poet Shelley wrote the world-famous ode to the west wind. In China, heat has different metaphors for the east wind. For example, "everything is ready, only the east wind is needed."

Britain is an island country, so the fishery is very developed, and there are countless idioms related to navigation in English. Such as: a drop in the ocean "a drop in the ocean", leave one? It struggled to survive on the surface of the water, but it was in serious trouble in deep water, and it was as fragile as water. China is vast in territory and abundant in natural resources, with many famous mountains and rivers, and there are many idioms related to agriculture and mountains. Such as "cut to the chase", "stay in the green hills, don't worry about burning firewood", "Xue Rui auspicious omen", "pick up sesame seeds and lose watermelon" and so on.

Because of different regions, there will be obvious differences in language. In Chinese, there are "you are not a hero until you reach the Great Wall" and "you don't know Mount Tai until you reach the Yellow River". In English, there is a big road leading to Rome, leaving without saying goodbye, transporting coal to Newcastle, which literally translates as sending coal to Newcastle, because Newcastle is rich in coal, which means "reinventing the wheel" and so on.

2.4 differences in historical allusions

Both China and Britain have a long history and profound cultural accumulation, and both languages have a large number of idioms derived from historical allusions. For example, the swan song English "swan song"; Castle in the air "Castle in the air" originated from myths and legends; Pandora? S box "Pandora's Box"; Cat? S paw comes from Aesop's fable, which means "the fool"; Meet one? Swarloo originated from Napoleon's waterloo defeat, which is a metaphor for "failure." In Chinese, there are some sayings, such as "losing one's reputation", "returning to Zhao in good condition", "being besieged on all sides", "pulling out seedlings to help others" and "trying to make a living".

Third, the main methods of English-Chinese idiom translation

3. 1 literal translation method

Some idioms in English are exactly or basically the same as those in Chinese. Just translate them. As easy as turning one? Hands are a piece of cake; Busy as a bee "busy as a bee"; Love money as one loves another? Life. "Love money like life"; Grind one? Use spears only before going into battle; New wine in old bottles. "New wine in old bottles"; Draw water with a sieve; The cat cries for the mouse. "Cats cry mice"; A stone fell into the sea; Golden age "golden age"; As clear as crystal literally translates as "as clear as crystal"; Proud as a peacock.

3.2 Free translation method

Due to cultural differences, some idioms can't be translated directly, and readers don't know enough about their original images. At this time, we can keep the meaning of the original text, abandon their original images and rhetoric, avoid the cultural background of the original text and adopt free translation. For example, to volunteer? S service "self-recommendation"; A fish out of water. "Very uncomfortable"; Can you? Without risk, you can't achieve your goal. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained"; "in a hurry" in a crazy hurry; Running the supply of goods "exhausted and fishing"; Believe that opportunity and luck "wait for the rabbit"; Leave one? ■ Work hard and "work hard"; Water under the bridge.

3.3 Supplementary methods

Sometimes, according to the needs of readers, in order to make the translation clearer and easier to understand and the text easier to understand, words that have no literal meaning but are included in the meaning of the original text will be added in combination with the needs of the context and the connotation of the original text. For example, the bull in the porcelain shop "The bull broke into the porcelain shop-making trouble at will/making trouble at every move"; Shed crocodile tears-crocodile tears; Judas kiss's "judas kiss, betrayal"; A blind man rode on a blind horse-plunged into disaster. Prepare for a quick process of "sharpening the knife and not cutting the wood by mistake". Pandora? S box "Pandora's box, the root of disaster".

Four. Concluding remarks

In short, idioms are often used by people. They are vivid and the essence of a national language. Idioms have their own cultural colors and convey their own cultural information. Different cultures have certain cultural differences, so the translation of idioms is more difficult. However, according to different methods, dealing with the relationship between form and content flexibly can make the translation reproduce the beauty of the original text, better promote cultural exchanges and spread cultural knowledge, and help human beings communicate their thoughts and feelings.

References:

[1] Fang Chuzhi. Basic course of English-Chinese translation [J]. Beijing: China Foreign Translation Publishing Company, 2005.

[2] Song Tianxi. A New Concept of Translation: A Practical Course of English-Chinese Translation [J]. Beijing: National Defense Industry Press, 2005.

[3] Liu Zhongde. Comparison and translation between English and Chinese [J]. Qingdao publishing house, 1988.

[4] Wang Dejun et al. Practical English-Chinese Translation Course [J]. Beijing: National Defense Industry Press, 2007.

Undergraduate English thesis II

On the differences between American English and British English

British English is influenced by American history and culture in the unique geographical environment of the United States, and with the prosperity of the country and the rapid improvement of its political status in the international community, it gradually produces regional variation and forms American English. Under the long-term influence of geographical environment, social politics, economy and culture in different countries, their development status is naturally different, even very different.

Keywords differences between American English and British English

Today, more than 300 years after the independence of the United States, many Americans (including those who have no British ancestry at all) still take British English as their mother tongue ―― in fact, British English can indeed be regarded as the foundation of all English; However, with the rapid development of human society, the development of English in different countries is naturally different, and even great changes have taken place under the influence of social politics, economy and culture. Therefore, although Britain, the United States and Britain are of the same origin, they have developed for about 400 years in a multi-ethnic immigrant country with a short history and a relatively isolated island country with more than 1500 years, which will naturally be more or less different. Generally speaking, American English is simple and applicable, with rich meanings and novel humor. Pure norms of British English. The specific differences between the two are reflected in the following aspects:

grammar

American English originated from British English, which entered early modern English in17th century. At that time, contemporary grammar became stable. For 400 years, American English and British English have been separated by the Atlantic Ocean. However, because grammar is an internal element of language, it is basically unaffected by changes in external physical geography and social environment, and the grammatical system of pronunciation will not be much different in a short time. On the other hand, modern means of transportation and communication make it possible for people in Britain and America to communicate with each other, and the slight grammatical differences between them have gradually disappeared. So accurately speaking, there is no essential difference between English and American English in grammar, but some grammatical forms appear in different frequencies and have no obvious rules. Common situations are as follows: 1. In the use of verbs, there are some differences when English and American people use the verb have. The American said, Do you have a pen? English people often say: Do you have a pen? There are also some verbs, such as burn, dream, learn, smell, spell, spill and spoil. Their past tense and past participle forms are regular in American English, and these verbs are more used as irregular verbs in British English. At the same time, some verbs, such as fit, quit, wet and dive, are regular verbs in British English, and these verbs are more used as irregular verbs in American English. In addition, the word must can be used to express positive speculation in American English, while negative speculation only exists in American English and cannot be abbreviated as must? T and British people generally use can? T or not; For example, used to, dare and need can be both notional verbs and modal verbs, but Americans like to use them as notional verbs, while British people prefer to use them as auxiliary verbs. 2. In the use of pronouns, which one do the British use? Americans and Americans sometimes use his to refer to different genders.

vocabulary

When it comes to the differences between English and American English vocabulary, different people have different understandings. In fact, since English and American English belong to the same language, the basic vocabulary they use to express people's lives is of course the same, and there is no independent vocabulary system between English and American English. Nevertheless, the differences between them due to different clients will naturally be reflected in the basic unit of language-vocabulary. Among them, the differences are mainly manifested in three forms: synonymous words, synonymous words and unique words: for example, Americans use sidewalk, while British people use sidewalk to express the same meaning; Sometimes, the same word or phrase has completely different meanings in Britain, America and Britain. For example, Americans take the meaning of "washing hands" and the British use it to express the meaning of "washing dishes". Unique words belong to a country's unique vocabulary, which is used to express a country's distinctive features such as social politics, life and culture. Since Britain and the United States have developed independently for nearly 400 years, their languages will naturally bear the imprint of their politics, economy, culture and life. For example, the word filibuster is only used in American English to refer to deliberate procrastination in the US Congress.

(3) Spelling

Americans are pragmatic. In their view, since language is a communication tool for human beings, it should be easy for people to use. Therefore, in the development of American English, a movement similar to China's simplification of Chinese characters appeared, in order to obtain a spelling form consistent with pronunciation and make the language they used simpler and more practical than before. The success of this movement has led to the deletion of some silent letters of some words in American English to some extent, which is also one of the most important reasons for the spelling difference between English and American English. This difference can be summarized as: 1. In American English, verbs that end in L but do not stress syllables are not double L, such as travel, signal, dial, equal and so on. But British English is not like this. 2. Many verbs ending in ze in American English, such as realize, organization, analyze, culture, memorize, recognize, etc., are often spelled as se.3 There are also several groups of common words whose spelling forms are simplified according to the pronunciation rules of American English, such as words ending in our, labour, favour, honour and colour, which are simplified to American English ending in or; The words originally spelled as centre and theatre have also been deformed in American English and become the same spelling with the same sound and shape. 4. Some words that are simplified more thoroughly, such as catalogue, dialogue, analogy, gram, program, kilogram, etc. , has been removed from the silent letters in American English and become catalog, dialog, analog, gram, program, kilmog.

pronounce

P.strevens, a British linguist, once pointed out in his book that the pronunciation differences between British English and American English are much more regular than the grammatical differences between them. This is equivalent to telling us that the biggest difference between English and American English lies in pronunciation. American English pronunciation is different from British English in two characteristics: first, in the category of most, cast, last and laugh, British English pronunciation /a:/ But American pronunciation/? /; Secondly, in British English, the R after vowels is silent, while in American English, the R is pronounced as long as it appears in spelling, which is why the rolled tongue sound "R" can become the most obvious feature of American sounds. These two pronunciation features exactly reflect the conservative side of American English, because they truly reproduce the pronunciation of these two words in Elizabethan times. To sum up, one of the most basic features of American English pronunciation is that it is highly consistent with spelling, and it is for this reason that more and more English learners are more willing to accept American English.

refer to

[1] Hou. British English and American English.

[2] The development of English and the comparison between Britain and America.5438+09951.

[3] Musmann. American background. World Book Publishing House (Beijing); 1995,2.

[4] Musmann. The background of English-speaking countries. World Book Publishing House (Beijing); 1995,2 .