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1、ACulturalApproachtoVerbalTaboosinEnglishandChineseAbstract:Taboohasbecomeacommonlyusedwordinanthropologyandthestudyoffolkcustom.Furthermore,ithasbeenanimportantfieldoflearning.AccordingtotheInternationalEnglishUsage,therearemainlysixtabooaspectsasfollows,religio
2、nandgod,sex,secretionsandexcretion,diseaseanddeath,socialstatus,andprivacyinvolvesage,weight,andincometec.ThisarticlewillmakeanalysisoftwooftheminEnglishandChineseindetailsinthefollowingpassages.A.ReligionandgodInEnglish-speakingcountries,mostpeoplebelieveChrist
3、ianityorCatholicism,sopeoplearestrictlyprohibitedfrommentioningGod’sname,Jehovah.InthethirdofTenCommandments,itsays“Thoushaltnotspeakmynameinvain.”Westernershaveastrongsenseofreligionandtheirthoughtsarerestrictedbyreligiousbeliefsandsuperstitiousconcepts.Theysta
4、ndinarmofGodsandfearofdevilsandbelievethatsomereligioustermsorwordshaveamysterioussupernaturalpower.Thus,suchreligioustermsorwordsas“Gods”,”JesusChrist”,“heaven”,“devils”,“hell”,“dam”etc.areonlymentionedintheseriousreligioussituations,otherwisetheyaretabooswords
5、.However,inthecourseofinterpersonalcommunication,itisinevitabletospeakof“God”sometimes,thenpeopleuse“All-wise”,theCreator”,“Kingsofkings”,“Lightofworld”etc.toreplaceGod.Therefore,peopleusuallysay“forgoodnesssake”or“forcryingoutloud”insteadof“forChrist’ssake”.InE
6、nglish,thereisanidiomsaying“speakofdevilsandheappears”,soordinarypeopleuse“theoldboy”“oldNick”“oldPoker”,“thegoodman”etctorefertoSatan.InChinese,therearealsosimilarreligiousverbaltaboos.PeopletendtousecomplimentaryaddresstocalltheGodstheyadmiresuchas“大帝”,“大圣”etc
7、.Whereastheytryvariousmeanstoavoidmentioningdevils.Ifapersonwantstocitegodashisorherwitnesswhilemakinghisorhervows,heorsheisinclinedtouse“天”(sky)suchas“上苍作证”,“对天发誓”.Besides,peoplealsoadd“爷”aftergods’namesuchas“老天爷”,“土地爷”,“阎王爷”,because“爷”isarespectfulformofaddres
8、singtheeldergenerationinChinese.B.DiseaseanddeathIntheopinionofmostpeople,thegreatesthappinessinlifeistobehealthy,sotheyusuallytryvariousmeanstoavoidmentioningnamesof
