The Culture of English Names英语毕业论文.doc

The Culture of English Names一、 课题(论文)提纲0. 引言1. 英语姓氏的渊源及特点1.1英语赋名的渊源和特点1.2英语姓氏的渊源和特点1.3英语中间名的特点2. 文化对英语姓名的影响 2.1基督教对英语姓名的影响 2.2文学对英语姓名的影响 2.3英语历史对英语姓名的影响3. 英文姓名对文化的反映4. 总结二、内容摘要人的姓名是人类社会中最普遍的语言现象，是人类社会发展的历史产物。它同复杂的社会现象有着广泛而深刻的联系，从不同角度反映了人类社会发展的文明状况和社会习俗等情况。作为人类文化的一部分，姓名反映了一个国家的历史与文化，也反映了人们的信仰和追求。姓名文化是各民族文化沉淀的一个缩影，同样的，英语姓名的特征和发展也有其特定的社会背景和文化内涵，它同人们的宗教信仰和西方的历史等紧密联系在一起，它就像一本百科全书，忠实地记录了西方国家的社会历史和人文风貌。本文从英语姓名的基本结构特征和来源入手，通过宗教信仰，文学以及英国历史三个方面阐述英语姓名作为人类历史发展的产物有其特定的社会背景和文化内涵。总之，作为一个英语学习者，了解英语姓名有助于我们在学习英语的同时，跟深入地了解西方的文化背景，从而更好地领会其文化精髓。三、 参考文献1 邱惠林, 王安. 英美姓名文化漫谈J. 四川:四川大学学报2004,9 P512 李世荣. 英语姓名的文化阐释J. 延安教育学院学报,2002,3,P423 孙守玉,岳红丽. 英语姓名文化渊源浅探J.淄博学院学报,2001,9 P514 张昀霓. 浅谈英语人名的文化意蕴J 湖南第一师范学报,2004,12 P725 王振亚. 语言与文化M.北京:高等教育出版社,1999,4 P10-116 Michael Keene英著，张之潞 译. 基督教概况M.北京大学出版社，2005 7 胡春风. 宗教与社会M. 上海：上海科学出版社，2004 P2628 张从益. 从“God-Nature-Man”析英语民族姓名的文化内蕴J.大连外国语学院学报，1999，7 P239 沈之兴，张幼香. 西方文学史M. 广州：中山大学出版社，2000 P1110 马玉芳. 从英语姓氏的演变看英国社会的发展J.长春师范学院学报，2001，6 P61 P62The Culture of English Names Abstract: Peoples name is the most universal language phenomenon in each human society; it is also the historical product of human social development. It has widely and profound relation with the complex social phenomenon. It reflects the civilized condition and the social custom situation of human social development from different angles. English name is a part of human culture; it reflects national culture, which includes language, religious, historical events, and literature, etc. Personal name is the carrier and container of culture. Naming habits is a miniature of the national culture. Its characteristics and the development have close relation with people's religious belief, England's historical events, and so on. It likes an encyclopedia, which records social history and the life style of the western nations faithfully. This paper starts with the basic structures and origins of the English name. It expounds that English name, the product of human historical development, originates from specific social background and carries certain cultural connotation. If we have a good understanding about English names and their cultural connotations, it will be great helpful for us to understand such usages. All in all, as an English learner, we should comprehend English name culture, which is helpful for us to understand the western cultural context thoroughly. Key words:  English names; culture; influenceIntroduction Peoples name is one of the most universal language phenomenons in each human society. It is the specific symbol, which people use to distinguish themselves from other people. It is also the historical product of human social development. In several millenniums years of human history of civilization, along with historical vicissitude, people learned how to use names to identify different person when they communicated with other people. As a phenomenon of human society, “peoples name is a miniature of the national culture.” Culture is a concept that can be defined in different ways. Culture is investigated by scholars from several fields. Generally, culture has been interpreted in two senses, a broad sense and a narrow one. In its broad sense culture is the attributes of man. Culture in this sense may include at least the following components: materials, social institutions and organizations, knowledge, language, customs, and so on. And culture in its narrow sense can be defined as life way of a population. Peoples name is a language phenomenon, and language is an important part of human culture. Therefore, peoples name has close relation with human culture.  To be exact, different personal names reflect different culture because “peoples name is the carrier of its respective culture”. In short, on one hand, human culture influences peoples name; on the other hand, peoples name reflects human culture. This paper starts with the basic structure and origins of the English name. It expounds that English name, the product of human historical development, originates from specific social background and carries certain cultural connotation.1. The characteristics and origins of English name An English full name consists of a persons first name and last name. First name is also called Christian name, given name or baptismal name. Last name is also called family name or surname. Sometimes, there is a middle name between the first name and the last name, middle name is also called second name.1.1 The characteristics and origins of first name The first name is a personal name given by his or her parents at some point after the birth of the child. It is also called a persons forename or personal name. The first name is informal, which is usually used among family members or close friends and colleagues. If we say, “we are all on first-name terms with John”, it means we call him by his first name, which is a sign of a friendly informal relationship. Some common English given names are John, Robert, Thomas, William, Alice, and so on. The first name in English has many origins. But one of the most influential sources should be Christianity, because most English-speaking countries are Christian countries. In Christian countries, the Christian name is often used for the first name. Soon after a child is born, it is christened. That is, the child is given a Christian name at a Christian religious ceremony like baptism. In this Christian religious ceremony, someone is touched or covered with water to welcome them into the Christian faith and sometimes to officially name them. Traditionally, a child is given a Christian name by its godfather and godmother at baptism. So in Britain, a persons first name is also called a baptismal name. We may say the child was baptized or christened by the name of John or Mary. Parents often give their children names after the people in the Bible.Mythology and literature have also contributed many first names. Mythology is the fantastic story that is originated from certain famous people, historical events, historical sites and social custom. And mythology is a way used to explain the nature. It is also a miniature of national culture. In several thousands years, the whole western world was under the influence of Greek-Roman mythology. Classical Greek mythology provided names like Daphne, Phoebe, Cynthia, Hector, and Jason. Literature also did great contribution to English name. Take Shakespeare as an example, Shakespeare was a great master of the English language, and he was one of the greatest writers in the world. There are 37 of his plays have come down to us. Because of the great influence of Shakespeare in west, many people like to choose names from his works.In several millenniums years of human civilization, peoples lives have close relation with the natural environment. So, there are also many first names originated from animals and plants.Some first names originated from personal characteristics, such as Happy (originated the happy man), Smart (originated from the smart man), Fat (originated from the person who is fat), Coward (originated from the timid man), Beard (originated from people who has big beard). There are also some first names which have foreign origins, such first names as Ivan originated from Russian; Carlos from Spanish names; Albert, Adolph, Carl, and Karl from German names.1.2 The characteristics and origins of last name The last name is a persons family name or surname, which is common to all members of the family. It is formal and often used on official occasions or with people you do not know well. The first name can be used as an informal form of address. But the family name is often used with a form of address before it. Such as Mr. Brown, Mrs. Green, etc. Usually it cannot be used as a form of address alone. Many English surnames fall into the following categories: Some surnames originated from places where people were born or lived. This kind of surnames also called “local surnames”. Such as Atwater, Brook, Dale (meaning “valley”), Dunlop (meaning “muddy hill”), Fields, Goosey (meaning “goose island”), Sotheby (meaning “south in the village”), Westby (meaning “western farm). There are also many surnames of occupation in English such as: Baker, Barber, Bridger, Butcher, Carpenter, Clark / Clerk, Cook, Cooper, Fisher, Goldsmith, Hunter, Miller, Plummer, Priest, Smith, and Tailor.Many English surnames originated from patronymic names. Most of these names end with “son”. The structure is “fathers name or its variant +son”, such as Addison (son of Adam), Anderson (son of Andrew), Donaldson, Gibson, Jackson, and Wilson. What worth mentioning is that such patronymic surnames as Richardson, Robertson and Williamson were gradually shortened into Richards, Roberts and Williams respectively? So we know Richard, Robert and William are all first name, while Richards, Robins, Roberts, Samuels and Williams are all family names.There are also some surnames which are original nicknames. Most of which are personal descriptions or physical features: Armstrong, Bald, Ballard, Biggs, Grant, Little, Short, Small.1.3 The characteristics of English middle name Some English-speaking people have a middle name between their first name and last name. The middle name can be considered as the second of a persons given name or forename. With a middle name, a person can distinguish himself or herself from another person in the family who happens to have the same first name. Take George Bernard Show for example, Bernard is the middle name. Occasionally, a person may have two middle names. In the case of Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, who was the former British Prime Minster, Leonard and Spencer are his two middle names. A middle name can be given from the first name of a persons father or mother, or a close relative like the persons uncle or aunt. A middle name can also be given at random, for instance, after a famous person appearing in the newspaper or on television. From the above description, we can see that the choice of names in western has close relation with its culture. In the other words, English names and its culture are closely related. And the next chapter will focus on discussing this relationship.2. Cultural influences on English names As we have mentioned in the first chapter, language and culture are closely related towards each other. If we can have a better understanding about a culture, well know the connotation of its language better. And by understanding a language better, it can also promote our understanding of its culture. The same is true with English name and its culture. We are going to take a look at how English names have been influenced by its culture and how it helps to present certain aspects of English culture. 2.1Christianity and English name The English and Americans believe Christianity sincerely, which has profound influence on English name. “Christianity originated in Province Palestine in Roman. Its establishment was based on Jesus life, instruction, death and revival.” “It has long history about 2000 years, and it plays different roles in different social and political lives.” In the last period of Roman Empire, it spreads to the whole empire. “From the 3rd century A.D. Christianity became a noticeable social political force.” And it played an important role in different social and political lives. Christianitys great influence has permeated into many countries in the world, especially in these countries history, polity, economy, and peoples mind. Therefore, in most English-speaking counties, Christianity has been playing an extremely important role. From the middle and ancient times, the church then monopolized the entire society, and the Holy Bible became the primary armament of Christianity. Bible is not only the classical book of Christianity; it is also very influential in other aspects of western culture like literature, art, philosophy and history. The Holy Bible is the book which spreads broadly, and it is also a book has the most readers in the Western society. And it becomes the golden rule of life and the cultural cornerstone in the Western world. Because of the great influence of Bible, many English names originate from Bible or have close relation with it. Most of these names fall into the following categories: Names coming from the sages and the disciples names in the Bible. Therefore, more and more people selected the sages names in the Holy Bible to name themselves and their children. In order to express the irreverence to God, the Roman Catholicism stipulated that when the believer baptized, the first name must be selected from the Holy Bible. The feminine sages names also are popular first names such as, Mary (Jesus Christs mother), Ann (Marys mother), and Catherine (Peters wife). People also often like to select the sages names in the Old Testament such as Noah (the man who made the Noah and took each kind of animal into it), Abraham (the founder of Judaism), Sarah (Abrahams wife), etc. By the 17th century, all names appear in Holy Bible were used, and now, they are still very common. English name reflects the strong religious culture; it reflects people's values and ethics. Names paying tribute to God: Western people believe Christianity sincerely, and they believe God sincerely. The Holy Bible said that God created all things in the world; therefore they choose certain names to pay a tribute to God. Such as Timothy, Elizabeth (sacrifice which give to God), Dominic (belong to God).Names reflecting the believer's worship and Christian rules and regulations they followed: In the times of Puritan, the environment was bad and the life was difficult. Specially, those Puritans who arrived in America had to unite as one, work hard, and manage a household with diligence and thrift to survive. At that time, the names people selected reflected the believer's worship and rules and regulations they followed, such as Give-thanks, Prudence, Faint-Not, etc. In addition, there also were some names reflected the Christian virtues, which Christianity initiates to publicize, such as Grace, Charity, etc. All of these names were best choices of Puritans.2.2 Literature and English name tp:/www.uklunwen. Many people in English-speaking countries have been influenced by literature when they choose names for themselves or their children. Generally, the main task of literature is describing one or several figures to show the social condition to the readers. Many names from literature have specific meanings, and they are called “meaningful name”. Take Sharp and Amelia as examples. The two names came from Vanity Fair, which was written by William Makepeace Thackeray. Sharp is a treacherous and selfish woman, and Sharp means “acerbic