Abstract

With the increasing of the international cultural communication, taboos are found to play an important role in it. Especially in the communication process between Chinese and English, the influence caused by taboos has been more prominent. What’s taboo? What are the features of taboos? What are the similarities and differences between Chinese and English taboos? How to avoid the cultural conflicts caused by taboos? This thesis is designed to answer these questions. By comparing the taboos in Chinese and English, this thesis will reflect the cultural similarities and differences. In the end, some suggestions on avoiding such cultural conflicts will be given.

Key words: Taboos;cultural conflicts;origin;measure

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Literature Review-1

3. The Features of Taboos-2

3.1 Universality-2

3.2 Nationality-3

3.3Time Characteristics-4

3.4 Implicativeness-4

4.A Comparison of Taboos Between China and English-speaking countries-5

4.1 Taboos on Number-6

4.2 Taboos on Religion -7

4.3 Taboos on Race-8

4.4 Taboos on Sex and Obscene Words-9

4.5 Taboos on Privacy -10

5.Causes of Taboos in Chinese and English-11

5.1 History-11

5.2 Geography-12

5.3 Values-12

6. Suggestions on Avoiding Cultural Conflicts Caused by Taboos-13

6.1 Developing an Awareness of Cross-cultural Communication-13

6.2 Cultivating an Awareness of Cultural Equality-14

6.3 Accumulating Cultural Knowledge-14

6.4 Communicating with Different People-15

7. Conclusion-15