English Name and Its Culture [9]
论文作者:佚名论文属性:短文 essay登出时间:2009-04-15编辑:刘宝玲点击率:18920
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关键词:英语姓名文化习语English namecultureidioms
ypes of people’s behavior or events.
Some English names which are closely related with Christianity belong to this type. Adam is a typical example, there are many idioms which include Adam. Old Adam, refers to "the natural disposition evil"; “not know somebody from Adam” (Adam wasn’t born by woman, therefore he did not have the navel, and he was the person who is easiest to identify), this phrase refers to “does not know somebody completely”. Other similar examples include: “a Solomon” (a smart person), “David and Jonathan” (friends who share life and death with each other), “Judas’ kiss” (betrays the friends), and so on. All of these reflect to the influence of Christianity.
There are many names coming from literature which fall into this type. For example, Shylock is the character of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. He is a greed usurer, and by now, Shylock has become a symbol of usurer. Take a sentence for example, “His income derived from illicit activities bookmaking, gambling, shylocking, and questionable union activities”. John Bull is a character in John Arbuthnot’s The History of John Bull. In this book, John Bull is an obstinate man who likes to swash. But he is a very kind man. Writer took him as an irony of the role, which England played in Spanish throne inherit. From then on, people use John Bull to describe those Englishmen who are arrogant and obstinate.
There are also such names which are related to historical events. Such as John Hancock means “anyone’s signature”. Many people may not know this meaning. In fact, it came from a historical event. John Hancock (1737-1793) was actually the first person who signed his name on The Declaration of Independence. So, his name has this meaning from then on. For example, “put your John Hancock on this paper” means “put your signature on this paper”. And there are many phrases related to Wellington in English dictionary because of Duke Arthur Wellesley Wellington. Wellington was a commandant. In Waterloo, he commanded his army, and made a great victory. Now, such phrases include Wellington boots, Wellington Museum etc.. There are some other names like this. Such as Nero refers to a tyrant. John Wayne refers to a modern figure of a tough man.
5. Conclusion
“The human’s name is a part of human social culture. It has profound cultural connotation.”[12] On one hand, as a mirror of culture, its development is influenced by culture; on the other hand, it reflects profound culture vividly. As a matter of fact, English names mirror different aspects of English-speaking people’s culture which includes customs, beliefs, and so on. What’s more, some English names are no longer merely used as names. They are used idiomatically to refer to certain types of people or events. If we have a good understanding about English names and their cultural connotations, it will be great helpful for us to understand such usage.
All in all, English name is a miniature of culture. It is like an encyclopedia which records social history and life style of the western nation faithfully. As an English learner, we should comprehend English name, which is helpful for us to understand the western cultural context thoroughly when we study English. And the vice verse is also true.
Bibliography
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[2] 邱惠林,王安. 英美姓名文化漫谈[J]. 四川:四川大学学报,2004 P288
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