A Comparative Study On Cultural Connotations Of English And Chinese Basic Color Terms

We are living in a colorful world, and every aspect involves a variety of the colors. Now the color term, as a very important part in the language vocabulary system, is not only a description of the color that belongs to the inherent attributes of the object, but also is a reflection of the national culture in that area. Color terms can reflect human emotion and show the cultural and spiritual features of different regions and ethnic groups. Through the selection and usage of different color terms, the cultural differences on history, religion, tradition and customs, etc. can be reflected among different regions and ethnic groups. Therefore, the color term study has attracted more and more attention of scholars both at home and abroad.Based on the basic color term theory, the six basic color terms which are most commonly used and typical in both Chinese and English are determined and selected to carry on the analysis and research and they are red, white, black, yellow, blue, and green. Besides, it takes some former English suzerain African countries as the subject, does a questionnaire among the officials of the seventeen countries in the seminar, and collects data of the cultural connotations of the six basic color terms in the English variant in Africa. Then, the method of comparative study is used to make a comparison on between Chinese and this English variant. Finally, it analyzes and concludes the similarities and dissimilarities and seeks the major causes. There’s one point which needs to figure out. This thesis takes the seventeen former English suzerain African countries and China as a whole respectively and it analyzes the cultural connotation of the six basic color terms from the perspective of the mainstream culture. On the basis of this paper, it can be found that the commonness of the cultural connotations of basic color terms between China and the seventeen former English suzerain African countries is generally the result of cultural convergence as well as constant communication and culture blending, and the differences mainly result from different natural environments, religions, traditions and customs among different regions and ethnic groups.Today’s world is a tolerant, multicultural, and diversified world. As culture, politics, economy and communication, etc. are constantly strengthened among different ethnic groups and regions, more cultural perception and understanding is needed. There are a lot of color terms in English and Chinese, but due to different natural environments, religions, customs, traditions and histories, differences of many color terms reflect their respective different cultural and national characteristics. The relationship between our country and African countries has long been very friendly, nice and mutual assistant, and the communication becomes more frequent in recent years. In the process of our communication with African English-speaking countries, people have deeply realized that the different cultural connotations of basic color terms inevitably have became an obstacle in cross-cultural communication. Therefore, taking the seventeen former English suzerain African countries as the subject, the comparative analysis of the cultural connotation of Chinese and English color terms also has a very practical significance.