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1.Introduction Timeview is people’s understanding and reaction toward time. It is shaped naturallythrough the long-period practice of human being and the long-period historical progress.It reflects the attitude of people toward time. At the same time, it alsoreflects the way that people deal with time and use time. 内容来自www.paper51.com Timeis a silent language, but it implies rich cultural connotations. Asanthropologist E.T. Hall (1959:20) said, “Time can speak. It is franker thanvoiced language. The information transmitted by time is so clear.” When Shakespeare(2000:165) wrote “the inaudible and noiseless foot of time,” he was puttinginto words what we all know but often overlooked. Although we cannot hold orsee time, we respond to it as if it had commanded over our lives. Because time issuch a personal phenomenon, all of us perceive and treat it in a manner thatexpresses our character. If we arrive thirty minutes late for an important appointmentand offer no apology, we send a certain message about ourselves. Tellingsomeone how guilty we feel about our belated arrival also sends a message. Theuse of time of one culture can also provide valuable clues that people of thatculture respond to time. In America, we often hear people saying, “Time is money.” All Chinesepeople know the Confucian proverb“Think three times before you act.” Both proverbs reflect how differently eachof these cultures perceives time. paper51.com Languageis an important part of culture. It is impossible to separate our use oflanguage from our culture. Language is a reflection of culture, and culture isa reflection of language (Samovar, Porter, Stefani, 2000:123). Proverbsare the cream of language. They are colorful and vivid. They offer an importantset of instructions for members to follow. As E.G. Seidensticker（1987：8） notes, “They saythings that people think important in ways that people remember. They expresscommon concerns.” As the proverb said, “Proverbs are so called because they proved.”Proverbs are the people’s wisdom, and they are the wisdom of ages. Nothing tellsus more about the cultures of a nation than its proverbs. There are hundreds ofthousands of proverbs in both English and Chinese languages. They have harmonioussounds and they are easy to read. They make a deep impression on readers. So itis possible to analyze the different time views by proverbs. http://www.paper51.com 2. The line-type time view and the round-type time view 内容来自论文无忧网 www.paper51.com Accordingto Guan Shijie (1995:285), the time view can be divided as the round-type timeview and the line-type time view. Americans belong to the line-type time view,while the Chinese people belong to the round-type time view. http://www.paper51.com
2.1 Americans’ line-typetime view http://www.paper51.com Accordingto Guan Shijie (1995:285), influenced by western traditional cultures, Americanssee time as a line. They think that time moves continuously. It is unidirectional.In their eyes, time is like a river, which cannot be called back again. Timeslips too easily through our fingers. paper51.com Becauseof the line-type time view, time is very precious to Americans. Time is alimited resource. Every minute should be used to do meaningful things. In some magazines,there are a number of articles that teach Americans how to use time efficientlyand teach them how to finish what one should do in the shortest time. It seemsthat they all want to organize their time better. Professionals carry a roundpocket planners-some in electronic form to keep track of appointment anddeadlines. People do their best to squeeze more time. Americans always raceagainst time. When facing equal chances, everyone understands that the way tosucceed is to save time. Benjamin Franklin has a profound respect for theconcept of time thrift. He tells everyone, “Time is money.” His another sayingalso expresses his view best, “Do you love life? Then do not waste time, forthat is the stuff life is made of.” Americans are always on the run. They arebusy going where they plan to go. In a shop, they hope shop assistant to servethem quickly. In crowded street, they would push others in elbow in order tosave time. They are not like the Chinese people who spend so much time in goingwindow-shopping aimlessly. http://www.paper51.com Thepace of life of Americans seems to be in a hurry, there is one more thing todo. In daily life, both fast-food restaurants and one-stop gas stations helpmost of us get things done quickly. We hear people saying, “Do not waste somuch time.” We are impatient when things take too long. When Americans meet friendson the street, to save time, they only say ‘hello’. Then they continue to dowhat they plan to do. Although sometimes they stop for chatting, after a few words,one may say, “Oh, dear, I am late. I have got to run.” on the other hand, somefoods also reflect their concept of saving time. Such as process food, breadmix, frozen food, instant coffee, and canned food. These foods can be eatenonly by simple process. They indeed can save much time. copyright paper51.com Theconcept of saving time of Americans can be reflected by following proverbs: copyright paper51.com
“Do not trifle away youtime.”（莫虚度光阴） 内容来自www.paper51.com “Heloses all who loses the moment.”（错过时间便错过一切） 内容来自论文无忧网 www.paper51.com “Losttime is never found again.”（时间一去不复回） paper51.com “Timeflies.” （光阴似箭） copyright paper51.com “Moneylost, little lost, time lost, everything lost.”（丢钱事小，失时事大） paper51.com
“Timeand tide wait for no man.”（光阴如流水，岁月不待人） 内容来自论文无忧网 www.paper51.com “Timecost cannot be won again.”（光阴一去不复返） 内容来自www.paper51.com
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