Lecture: Green Luck? Red Luck?
Intercultural Differences in Language from the Lens of Colour Related Expressions
对外汉语教学之——中英色彩文化与语义对比
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
6 pm, KWZ Room 0.603
Patrick Lai 賴志成 (Hong Kong Institute of Education)

A comparison between Chinese and English shows that differences in language usage can arise from cultural differences. The use of colour is a prime example. With colour being an objective phenomenon, the basic meaning of colour does not differ in the two languages. However, the same colour can carry different meanings and nuances at deeper levels of language use due to different historic backgrounds and traditions. Studying the rich contents of colour associated expressions helps facilitate understanding of intercultural differences. In this talk, the literature on comparative study of colour associated language will first be reviewed. Then the historical developments of colour associated expressions in both languages and cultures will be explored. The final part compares the contemporary use of colours in English and Chinese. The talk will also touch upon application of the Berlin and Kay Theory and the Barry McLaughlin Theory in this research field.

通过对比英汉两种语言中词的差异，可以证明若文化不同，遣词用字也会有很大的不同。两种语言中颜色的运用就是非常典型的例子。色彩作为一种客觀现象，在中英 文中，基本含义也没有很大的差别。但由于中英两种文化由于语言习惯、历史背景、传统风俗等方面的差异，引致在理解、应用相同颜色传递深层次的语意上有很大 的差别。了解和研究带有顏色的表达的真正意义和用法，以及这些跨文化的差异，对推動文化交流会有很大的帮助。

The lecture will be held in English!

Image: Patrick Lai