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1.Introduction http://www.paper51.com LinguistClair Cramsch remarked that “Language expresses cultural reality; languageembodies cultural reality; language symbolizes cultural reality” (qtd. in WangYing 2). Thus, language learning can be improved by learning the culture of itsnative speakers, and culture can be better understood through languagelearning. As Halliday has pointed out, language as a social semiotic system andan instrument of social interaction can’t be separated from culture (qtd. inWang Ying 2). paper51.com Lacking biblical knowledgemay cause misunderstanding or difficulty in understanding the followingquotations which provide examples of biblical allusions in famous speeches. Forexample, in Barack Obama’s 2009 inaugural addresses he said, “We remain a youngnation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childishthings.” This was quoted from 1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I spokelike a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became anadult, I put an end to childish ways.” Another example is Abraham Lincoln’s acceptancespeech for the Republican nomination for the United States senate fromIllinois. Referring to Matthew 12:25, “Every kingdom divided against itself islaid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand,” Lincoln said,“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannotendure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to bedissolved; I do not expect the house to fall; but I do expect that it willcease to be divided.” http://www.paper51.com Thisthesis begins with analyzing the relationships among culture, language, andcommunication. Then the author points out that the Holy Bible is an essentialpart of Western culture and that it has had much influence on Western politics,education, values, ethics and customs. In Western countries, biblical influenceon Western culture is ubiquitous; even though a person may not be a Christian,he or she is unknowingly influenced by the Bible and Christian traditions. Forexample, people in some Western countries kiss each other to show love andrespect. This custom can be traced back to 1 Peter 5:14 which remindsChristians to “greet one another with a kiss of love.” So the thesis nextdetails how biblical language has influenced English language in its dailyexpressions, allusions, idioms, and proverbs and so on. Discussion about theinfluence of the Bible on Western culture and the influence of the biblicallanguage on English language are the main bodies of this thesis. As languagelearners, students should pay attention to the Bible’s impact upon the Englishlanguage and Western culture. 内容来自www.paper51.com This whole thesis aims toarouse people’s awareness of the impact of the Bible on the English language,in the hope that the proposed ideas can be of some help to the improvement anddevelopment of English learners’ understanding of Western culture and all-roundlanguage competence. copyright paper51.com paper51.com |