Acknowledgments
In the process of composing this paper, I would like to extend my deepest and
sincerest gratitude to all teachers in the foreign language department of Beifang University of Nationalities, especially my supervisor, Mrs. Zhang. She is really a very responsible, knowledgeable and kind-hearted scholar. During the course of writing the thesis, she has provided me with a lot of extremely valuable suggestions and delicate instructions with patience. Her serious attitude towards work and students has influenced me with heart and soul. She read and corrected my mistakes of this paper again and again very carefully. Without her instruction and assistance, it would be definitely impossible for me to complete this paper.
Besides, I would also show my thanks to Mrs. Yang who in last semester was my
teacher of the course Guidance on Writing Graduating Paper. She supervised me to finish the first draft of this paper and also gave me some helpful advice.
At last, I would express my great appreciation to all my friends, especially my
three lovely roommates, for their encouragement and support.
摘 要
作为西方文化两大源头之一， 古希腊罗马神话不仅对世界文化社会，而且对语言也产生了深远的影响。在历经几千年的历史之后，古希腊罗马神话在当今世界文化遗产中仍然占有十分重要的地位。同时它还被众多学者视为提升文化修养和拓宽视野的必要因素。在英语中，以其为渊源的词汇广泛渗透到英语词汇的各个方面。因为语言是文化的一部分，所以大量的英语单词均来源于古希腊罗马神话。由于词汇是语言的根基，任何精通英语的人必定也掌握大量的词汇以及那种语言下的文化。如果不了解希腊罗马神话的话，要想抓住英语词汇的深层含义是很难的。本文主要通过分析希腊罗马神话的重要性和对源于古希腊罗马神话的英语词汇和习语等分类阐述，以求对其影响达到系统性的归纳总结。
关键词： 古希腊罗马神话， 英语词汇， 影响
Abstract
As one of the two origins of western culture, Greco-Roman Mythology has a profound and long-lasting influence not only on world culture and society but also on language. Having gone through thousands of years, it is still of great importance in the World Cultural Heritage. Meanwhile, it has been seen by many scholars as an essential part to improve their knowledge and broaden their horizons. Words originated from Greco-Roman Mythology can be found and applied in every aspect of English. The ancient Greco-Roman mythology, has made a very important impact on the western culture. Since language is a part of culture, there are many English words which originated from Greco-Roman mythology. As words are the basis of language, one who is proficient in English must have a huge vocabulary as well as a good understanding of culture of that language. Therefore, it is very hard to grasp the underlying meanings of the English words without an understanding of Greco-Roman mythology. This paper mainly explores the influence of Greco-Roman mythology on English vocabulary by elaborating the significance of Greco-Roman mythology and analyzing some English words and idioms derived from Greco-Roman mythology to reach the systematic elaboration on it.
Key words: Greek-Roman mythology, English vocabulary, impact;
Contents
Acknowl edgmen t ………………………………………………………………ⅰ 摘要 …………………………………………………………………………… ⅱ A b s t r a c t ……………………………………………………………………… ⅲ
Ⅰ. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………1
1.1. Significance of the Study ……………………………………………………1
1.2. Culture, Language and Vocabulary ………………………………………2 Ⅱ. Theoretical Analysis on Greco-Roman Mythology and English Vocabulary …3
2.1. A Brief Analysis on Greco-Roman Mythology ……………………………3
2.2. A Brief Analysis on Classification of English Vocabulary …………………3 Ⅲ. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on English Vocabulary ………………………5
3.1. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Morphemes ……………………………5
3.1.1. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Roots ……………………………5
3.1.2. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Affixes ……………………………6
3.2. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Borrowed Words ………………………7
3.2.1. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Common Words ……………………7
3.2.2. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Technical Terms ……………………8
3.3. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Idioms ……………………………………9
3.3.1. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Adjective Idioms ……………………9
3.3.2. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Nominal Idioms ……………………10
3.3.3. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Verbal Idioms ……………………12
3.3.4. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Prepositional Idioms ………………13 Ⅳ. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………14
Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………15
Ⅰ. Introduction
English, as the world language, is of great importance in the communication of human beings by performing its daily significance. For English learners, especially English majors, to expand their vocabulary through learning culture backgrounds might be a proficient way to reach a higher level of English.
1.1. Significance of the Study
With the popularization of English learning, China has a large number of English
learners. It is a great challenge for English majors to hunt jobs and stand out from the crowds. Thus English majors are supposed to be more demanding about their skills than others. As words are the basis of language, one who is proficient in English must have a huge vocabulary as well as a good understanding of culture of that language. Ancient Greco- Roman mythology, as one of the most important major sources of western culture, has made a great contribution to both culture and vocabulary in English. Therefore, the author intends to make a research on the relation of Greco-Roman myths and English vocabulary. The paper plans to describe the significance and present the impact of Greco-Roman myth on English words.
There are many similar researches on this thesis both in China and some foreign countries, yet after consulting a number of those papers about the subject on the line, the author finds that nearly all of them are fragmentary and not very systematic. These scholars just list a mass of words without describing the specific classification or content of the impact of Greco-Roman myth on vocabulary. In order to state the thesis efficiently in details, the paper focuses mainly on four parts, with an introduction as the start to demonstrate clearly significance of this study and respectively the definitions and relation of culture, language and vocabulary. Then the body, including part two and part three, theoretically analyzes and classifies specifically the impact of Greco-Roman myth on English vocabulary. And part four draws a conclusion clearly about the thesis of the whole paper.
1.2. Culture, Language and Vocabulary
According to the definition of Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, the term culture here refers to “the total pattern of beliefs, customs, institutions, and techniques that characterize the life of a human community”. However, language is an essential part of culture which plays an absolutely important role in it. Some social scientists even consider that culture would be impossible without language. In turn, language is influenced and shaped by culture; it can also reflect culture(Deng & Liu, 2008:3). Thus, in the hoping of mastering a language proficiently, one is supposed to know very well about the culture background.
V ocabulary, as the building block of a language, refers to the total number of all words in a language (Zhang, 2010:2). Besides, Liu Runqing, a professor of Linguistics in Beijing Foreign Studies University, pointed out that the three basic factors of language are sound, vocabulary and grammar; words are to language as bricks are to building. This indicates that vocabulary plays an important component of language. Meanwhile, it has been emphasized that “in the course of learning a language, without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed (Zhang, 2010:111).” Noting this significant improvement, the lexicologist McCarthy also signified that “no matter how well the student learns grammar, no matter how successfully he masters the sounds of a second Language, without words to express a wide range of meanings, communication in that language cannot happen in any meaningful way.” (Zhang, 2010:1)
Since vocabulary is the fundamental part of language and language is the carrier of culture, in order to master a language,English learners are supposed to endeavor to know the impact of a culture on its vocabulary.
Ⅱ. Theoretical Analysis on Greco-Roman Mythology and
Classification of English Vocabulary
2.1. A Brief Analysis of Greco-Roman Mythology
The ancient Greek and Roman Mythology, dating back to the ancient society, has made significant contributions to human’s language. In the beginning, the low level of productivity and lack of scientific knowledge caused people’s limitation of grasping the rules of nature. Greeks regarded mythology as a part of their history. They used myths and legends to explain everything of natural phenomena. They even considered it is the gods’ willing and power that had caused all these strange phenomenon in the nature. Thus many myths were created and transmitted from generation to generation. Listed as the world cultural heritage, the Greek and Roman mythology greatly has an extensive influence on the development of European civilization. Many poets chose it as their writing material when composing poems.
Furthermore, it left a sea of vivid expressions, especially some words and phrases in English.
2.2. A Brief Analysis on the Classification of English Vocabulary
English vocabulary, which means all the words and phrases in English language, can be divided into several different categories by various criteria. English vocabulary involves words and phrases.
To dig deep enough, words, according to the word structure, can be analyzed into
morphemes which are labeled root, stem, base and affix as minimal meaningful units (Zhang, 2004:50). After reading and consulting a number of books on this subject, the author finds that among these morphemes a lot of roots and affixes are derived from names of Gods (Goddesses) or other objects in the myths, which are to be analyzed and described in details. Besides, In terms of the origin, words can be classified into native words and loan words. As the oldest and most widely used language, English has borrowed from other cultures nearly eighty percent of its entire vocabulary, of which a majority come from Latin, French, Scandinavian and some other languages and cultures, and of which plenty are originated from Greek and Greco-Roman myths (Zhang, 2010:12). However, the borrowed words, been
classified by the level of usage by the author, can further be divided into common words and technical terms which are to be elaborated in the following parts.
According to Wikipedia, a phrase is any group of words as a single unit. A phrase can only consist of one word, but in this paper it is discussed as being formed of more than one word. As is known to all, in English vocabulary, phrases are the links of words to sentences. However, among them a substantial phrases are allusive idioms derived from Greco-Roman myths. According to grammatical function, these allusive phrase idioms, which will be put into elaboration, can be commonly divided into four types which are adjective idioms, nominal idioms, verbal idioms and prepositional idioms.
Acknowledgments
In the process of composing this paper, I would like to extend my deepest and
sincerest gratitude to all teachers in the foreign language department of Beifang University of Nationalities, especially my supervisor, Mrs. Zhang. She is really a very responsible, knowledgeable and kind-hearted scholar. During the course of writing the thesis, she has provided me with a lot of extremely valuable suggestions and delicate instructions with patience. Her serious attitude towards work and students has influenced me with heart and soul. She read and corrected my mistakes of this paper again and again very carefully. Without her instruction and assistance, it would be definitely impossible for me to complete this paper.
Besides, I would also show my thanks to Mrs. Yang who in last semester was my
teacher of the course Guidance on Writing Graduating Paper. She supervised me to finish the first draft of this paper and also gave me some helpful advice.
At last, I would express my great appreciation to all my friends, especially my
three lovely roommates, for their encouragement and support.
摘 要
作为西方文化两大源头之一， 古希腊罗马神话不仅对世界文化社会，而且对语言也产生了深远的影响。在历经几千年的历史之后，古希腊罗马神话在当今世界文化遗产中仍然占有十分重要的地位。同时它还被众多学者视为提升文化修养和拓宽视野的必要因素。在英语中，以其为渊源的词汇广泛渗透到英语词汇的各个方面。因为语言是文化的一部分，所以大量的英语单词均来源于古希腊罗马神话。由于词汇是语言的根基，任何精通英语的人必定也掌握大量的词汇以及那种语言下的文化。如果不了解希腊罗马神话的话，要想抓住英语词汇的深层含义是很难的。本文主要通过分析希腊罗马神话的重要性和对源于古希腊罗马神话的英语词汇和习语等分类阐述，以求对其影响达到系统性的归纳总结。
关键词： 古希腊罗马神话， 英语词汇， 影响
Abstract
As one of the two origins of western culture, Greco-Roman Mythology has a profound and long-lasting influence not only on world culture and society but also on language. Having gone through thousands of years, it is still of great importance in the World Cultural Heritage. Meanwhile, it has been seen by many scholars as an essential part to improve their knowledge and broaden their horizons. Words originated from Greco-Roman Mythology can be found and applied in every aspect of English. The ancient Greco-Roman mythology, has made a very important impact on the western culture. Since language is a part of culture, there are many English words which originated from Greco-Roman mythology. As words are the basis of language, one who is proficient in English must have a huge vocabulary as well as a good understanding of culture of that language. Therefore, it is very hard to grasp the underlying meanings of the English words without an understanding of Greco-Roman mythology. This paper mainly explores the influence of Greco-Roman mythology on English vocabulary by elaborating the significance of Greco-Roman mythology and analyzing some English words and idioms derived from Greco-Roman mythology to reach the systematic elaboration on it.
Key words: Greek-Roman mythology, English vocabulary, impact;
Contents
Acknowl edgmen t ………………………………………………………………ⅰ 摘要 …………………………………………………………………………… ⅱ A b s t r a c t ……………………………………………………………………… ⅲ
Ⅰ. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………1
1.1. Significance of the Study ……………………………………………………1
1.2. Culture, Language and Vocabulary ………………………………………2 Ⅱ. Theoretical Analysis on Greco-Roman Mythology and English Vocabulary …3
2.1. A Brief Analysis on Greco-Roman Mythology ……………………………3
2.2. A Brief Analysis on Classification of English Vocabulary …………………3 Ⅲ. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on English Vocabulary ………………………5
3.1. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Morphemes ……………………………5
3.1.1. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Roots ……………………………5
3.1.2. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Affixes ……………………………6
3.2. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Borrowed Words ………………………7
3.2.1. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Common Words ……………………7
3.2.2. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Technical Terms ……………………8
3.3. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Idioms ……………………………………9
3.3.1. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Adjective Idioms ……………………9
3.3.2. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Nominal Idioms ……………………10
3.3.3. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Verbal Idioms ……………………12
3.3.4. Impact of Greco-Roman Myths on Prepositional Idioms ………………13 Ⅳ. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………14
Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………15
Ⅰ. Introduction
English, as the world language, is of great importance in the communication of human beings by performing its daily significance. For English learners, especially English majors, to expand their vocabulary through learning culture backgrounds might be a proficient way to reach a higher level of English.
1.1. Significance of the Study
With the popularization of English learning, China has a large number of English
learners. It is a great challenge for English majors to hunt jobs and stand out from the crowds. Thus English majors are supposed to be more demanding about their skills than others. As words are the basis of language, one who is proficient in English must have a huge vocabulary as well as a good understanding of culture of that language. Ancient Greco- Roman mythology, as one of the most important major sources of western culture, has made a great contribution to both culture and vocabulary in English. Therefore, the author intends to make a research on the relation of Greco-Roman myths and English vocabulary. The paper plans to describe the significance and present the impact of Greco-Roman myth on English words.
There are many similar researches on this thesis both in China and some foreign countries, yet after consulting a number of those papers about the subject on the line, the author finds that nearly all of them are fragmentary and not very systematic. These scholars just list a mass of words without describing the specific classification or content of the impact of Greco-Roman myth on vocabulary. In order to state the thesis efficiently in details, the paper focuses mainly on four parts, with an introduction as the start to demonstrate clearly significance of this study and respectively the definitions and relation of culture, language and vocabulary. Then the body, including part two and part three, theoretically analyzes and classifies specifically the impact of Greco-Roman myth on English vocabulary. And part four draws a conclusion clearly about the thesis of the whole paper.
1.2. Culture, Language and Vocabulary
According to the definition of Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, the term culture here refers to “the total pattern of beliefs, customs, institutions, and techniques that characterize the life of a human community”. However, language is an essential part of culture which plays an absolutely important role in it. Some social scientists even consider that culture would be impossible without language. In turn, language is influenced and shaped by culture; it can also reflect culture(Deng & Liu, 2008:3). Thus, in the hoping of mastering a language proficiently, one is supposed to know very well about the culture background.
V ocabulary, as the building block of a language, refers to the total number of all words in a language (Zhang, 2010:2). Besides, Liu Runqing, a professor of Linguistics in Beijing Foreign Studies University, pointed out that the three basic factors of language are sound, vocabulary and grammar; words are to language as bricks are to building. This indicates that vocabulary plays an important component of language. Meanwhile, it has been emphasized that “in the course of learning a language, without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed (Zhang, 2010:111).” Noting this significant improvement, the lexicologist McCarthy also signified that “no matter how well the student learns grammar, no matter how successfully he masters the sounds of a second Language, without words to express a wide range of meanings, communication in that language cannot happen in any meaningful way.” (Zhang, 2010:1)
Since vocabulary is the fundamental part of language and language is the carrier of culture, in order to master a language,English learners are supposed to endeavor to know the impact of a culture on its vocabulary.
Ⅱ. Theoretical Analysis on Greco-Roman Mythology and
Classification of English Vocabulary
2.1. A Brief Analysis of Greco-Roman Mythology
The ancient Greek and Roman Mythology, dating back to the ancient society, has made significant contributions to human’s language. In the beginning, the low level of productivity and lack of scientific knowledge caused people’s limitation of grasping the rules of nature. Greeks regarded mythology as a part of their history. They used myths and legends to explain everything of natural phenomena. They even considered it is the gods’ willing and power that had caused all these strange phenomenon in the nature. Thus many myths were created and transmitted from generation to generation. Listed as the world cultural heritage, the Greek and Roman mythology greatly has an extensive influence on the development of European civilization. Many poets chose it as their writing material when composing poems.
Furthermore, it left a sea of vivid expressions, especially some words and phrases in English.
2.2. A Brief Analysis on the Classification of English Vocabulary
English vocabulary, which means all the words and phrases in English language, can be divided into several different categories by various criteria. English vocabulary involves words and phrases.
To dig deep enough, words, according to the word structure, can be analyzed into
morphemes which are labeled root, stem, base and affix as minimal meaningful units (Zhang, 2004:50). After reading and consulting a number of books on this subject, the author finds that among these morphemes a lot of roots and affixes are derived from names of Gods (Goddesses) or other objects in the myths, which are to be analyzed and described in details. Besides, In terms of the origin, words can be classified into native words and loan words. As the oldest and most widely used language, English has borrowed from other cultures nearly eighty percent of its entire vocabulary, of which a majority come from Latin, French, Scandinavian and some other languages and cultures, and of which plenty are originated from Greek and Greco-Roman myths (Zhang, 2010:12). However, the borrowed words, been
classified by the level of usage by the author, can further be divided into common words and technical terms which are to be elaborated in the following parts.
According to Wikipedia, a phrase is any group of words as a single unit. A phrase can only consist of one word, but in this paper it is discussed as being formed of more than one word. As is known to all, in English vocabulary, phrases are the links of words to sentences. However, among them a substantial phrases are allusive idioms derived from Greco-Roman myths. According to grammatical function, these allusive phrase idioms, which will be put into elaboration, can be commonly divided into four types which are adjective idioms, nominal idioms, verbal idioms and prepositional idioms.