Abstract

The word “taboo” comes from Tonga, a language used by Tonga people who live in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean. The word “taboo” means that something needs extreme attention. Since ancient times, it is a common cultural phenomenon that exits in all nations around the world. Taboos are different in differences countries, even in different regions of the same country. Therefore, in order to enhance a more effective and successful intercultural communication, the author feels imperative to conduct a study on taboo.

    Based on Cooperative Principle and Politeness Principle, this paper made a contrastive analysis on Chinese and English taboos, trying to explore the similarities and differences of this ubiquitous phenomenon in the two cultures. It then explained the cultural causes of the difference, and finally put forward some suggestions to avoid the use of taboos in cross-cultural communication.

Key words: taboo, contrastive analysis, intercultural communication

CONTENTS

中文摘要

Abstract

Chapter Ⅰ Introduction-1

Chapter Ⅱ Literature Review-1

2.1 Previous studies on taboos-1

2.1.1 Previous studies abroad-2

2.1.2 Previous studies at home-2

2.2 Theoretical basis-2

2.2.1 Cooperative principle-3

2.2.2 Politeness principle-4

Chapter Ⅲ Comparative Analysis of Chinese and English Taboos and Cultural Roots behind Them-4

3.1 Similarities-5

3.1.1 Taboos on number-5

3.1.2 Taboos on sickness-6

3.1.3 Taboos on death-6

3.2 Differences-7

3.2.1 Taboos on addressing-7

3.2.2 Taboos on god-8

3.1.3 Taboos on privacy-9

Chapter Ⅳ Solutions to Avoid Taboo in Cross-cultural Communication-10

4.1 Learning the foreign culture-10

4.2 Use of euphemism-10

Chapter Ⅴ Conclusion-11

References-13