Abstract:As is known to all, in the communication between Chinese and the Western cultures, many people feel strongly the differences between the two cultures on many aspects, such as social life, politics, culture, religion, etc. Any ignorance of social customs and cultural values may not only cause communicative obstacles, but also likely bring about prejudice, offence, even hostility in cross-cultural communications. Thus, a successful cross-cultural communication requires us to break through the cultural barriers. Language and culture intertwine with each other tightly. Language is a part of culture and also the carrier of culture. Taboo, as a special linguistic phenomenon, universally exists in every culture all over the world. There is no denying the fact that taboos in different languages and cultures are of great difference and play a significant role in the success of cross-cultural communication. Therefore, it is imperative to explore the similarities and differences between taboos in Chinese and English cultures so as to avoid the improper use of taboo in cross-cultural communication. This paper deals with the contrast and comparison between Chinese and English taboos in the context of cross-cultural communication and discusses the proper ways to deal with relative taboo use in cross-cultural communication. 

 Key words: intercultural communication; culture; language; taboo

Contents

中文摘要

Abstract

Chapter 1 Introduction-1

Chapter 2 Review of Literature-3

2.1 Definition of Linguistic Taboo-3

2. 2 Categorization of Taboos-3

2.3 Taboos and Culture-4

Chapter 3 The Differences between English and Chinese Taboos-5

3. 1 Taboos on Privacy-5

3. 2 Taboos on Name and Appellation-6

3.3 Taboos on Religion-6

3. 4 Taboos on Color and Numbers-8

Chapter 4 The Similarities between English and Chinese Taboos-11

4.1Taboos on Sex and Sexism-11

4.2 Taboos on Death and Disease-12

4.3 Taboos on Age-12

Chapter 5 Conclusion-15

References-17

Acknowledgments-18