Color Words with Their Emotional Functions
in English and Chinese
Abstract: This thesis probes basic color words in English and Chinese. It proves that those color words have strong emotional functions, that is, they help language users to express their emotions. It shows why color words are favorite choices for expressing feelings. Further, since people in different cultures use color words differently, It reveals how cultural factors influence the use of those words from the perspective of cultural similarities and differences. The thesis tries to explore color terms from three aspects of daily use of those terms, theories and cultural factors, which can be rarely found in previous studies.
Key words: color words, emotional functions, cultural factors
Contents
Abstract 1
摘 要 1
1 Introduction 3
1.1 Literature review 3
1.2 Revelations 3
2 Color terms and their emotional functions in English and Chinese 4
2.1 RED 4
2.2 GREEN 5
2.3 WHITE 6
2.4 BLACK 7
2.5 YELLOW 8
2.6 BLUE 9
3 Acquisition of colors terms 9
3.1 The definition of thought 9
3.2 Relationship between color terms and thought 10
3.3 Acquisition of color terms 11
3.4 Similarities and differences in acquisition of color terms 12
3.4.1 Similarities in the acquisition of color terms 12
3.4.2 Differences in the acquisition of color terms 13
4 Cultural Factors in English and Chinese Color Terms 14
4.1 The definition of culture 14
4.2 The impact of ways of life on color terms 15
4.3 The impact of historical and literary traditions on color terms 15
4.4 The impact of religion and politics on color terms 17
4.5 The impact of perception on color terms 18
5 Conclusions 19
References: 19
Acknowledgements 20
