| Language and culture are closely related. Language is an important non-material component of culture, embodying features considered significant to culture. As a mirror of culture, language is inevitably influenced and shaped by culture. Therefore, address forms, an indispensable part of language, are culture-loaded. Due to the deep disparities between the Chinese and western cultures, it is not surprising that the two address systems have obvious divergences.Since no language can be learned in a cultural vacuum, the thesis attempts to make a comparative study of the Chinese and western cultures that serve as a background for the analysis of their respective address forms. Through a detailed description of the factors shaping the Chinese and western cultures, their distinct features and the impacts on interpersonal relationships, the thesis explores the different cultural values set by the Chinese and westerners on the factors influencing the choices and applications of address terms. On the basis of this cultural analysis, Chinese and English address forms are studied and compared in a systematic way, which proves that culture exerts great influence on language and that language reflects culture in turn.The thesis points out that address terms are culturally specific. So it is very... |
