《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词4500》13 The Culture Content of Vocabulary

　　Unit 13
The Culture Content of Vocabulary
One of the earliest word sets that a student will learn is colors. Later on the intermediate student learns that in English "yellow" signifies cowardice¹ and "green" signifies "inexperience" and "jealousy²". It is important to note that word connotations may not translate from country to country. Let's consider a few examples of the cultural content of vocabulary.
The attitudes toward dogs vary from country to country. In some countries they are wild and dangerous; in other countries they are farmed and eaten. In many Western countries they are much-loved members of family. They are given names, and are referred to as "she" or "he", not "it". If students are reading a story about dogs, the significance of dogs in that culture should be understood.
People of different nationalities respond to the phrase "hot day" differently. By and large, people from cold climates appreciate "a hot day", providing the temperature does not exceed 30 C. People from hot climates respond negatively, saying that "a hot day" means "hotter than usual" with temperature rising into the 40 C.
Once in Britain "sandwiches" were considered an inadequate³ lunch. The quality was low and the freshness was questionable⁴. But today supermarkets in Britain offer a wide range of sandwiches to their customers. So the status of a "sandwich lunch" has changed greatly in the past two decades.
Understanding a vocabulary item involves three levels of understanding. First, a student must understand what the word "denotes", e.g. a table has a flat, not a sloping top, three or four legs, and so on. Second, a student must understand the connotations of a word or phase: "Come in and have a drink" is an expression of hospitality, not a guess that the guest must be thirsty. Finally, the student must understand the cultural links.
To illustrate⁵ these three levels of understanding, let's take the word "tea". The word can denote different things: green tea in China, black tea in Turkey, in India a boiled tea-drink made from tea, sugar, milk and possibly cardamom (a spice). In Britain, it can also denote an evening meal, which is taken at around 6 pm.
And what about the place of tea in British culture? First, there is "tea and sympathy". When someone says, "Come in and have a cup of tea," the implicit⁶ offer is "Come in and we can talk about whatever is bothering you." "Come to tea" may be an invitation to drink tea and eat biscuits and cakes at around 4:30 pm, or an invitation to join in the evening meal at around 6 pm. A tea break in British culture is a traditional break in the morning or afternoon when work may stop for a period of ten minutes.
Thus it is difficult, if not impossible, to separate language from culture. Students need to look beyond the surface of the words and be aware of their cultural content.

1 cowardice   

n.胆小，怯懦

参考例句：

• His cowardice reflects on his character.他的胆怯对他的性格带来不良影响。
• His refusal to help simply pinpointed his cowardice.他拒绝帮助正显示他的胆小。

2 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

3 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

4 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

5 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

6 implicit   

a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的

参考例句：

• A soldier must give implicit obedience to his officers. 士兵必须绝对服从他的长官。
• Her silence gave implicit consent. 她的沉默表示默许。