英語本科畢業(yè)論文人體器官相關(guān)英語習(xí)語研究

1、(北京)china university of petroleum畢 業(yè) 論 文study on english idioms on human organs院系名稱： 外語系 專業(yè)名稱： 英 語 學(xué)生姓名： 學(xué) 號： 01061101 指導(dǎo)教師： 完成日期 2005年6月10日中國石油大學(xué)（北京）本科畢業(yè)論文 第v頁人體器官相關(guān)英語習(xí)語研究摘 要習(xí)語是人類語言文化的結(jié)晶,正確地使用會給我們的話語及寫作增添光彩。許多學(xué)者對此進行了深入研究。但是對于人體部位的習(xí)語研究卻很少。文章對英語習(xí)語的定義，特點與分類進行總結(jié)，找出一般規(guī)律；討論了英語中與人體器官相關(guān)的習(xí)語，詳細分析了習(xí)語的來源，涉及宗教，

2、神話，傳奇，寓言等方面；分析人體器官習(xí)語的特點，從修辭，變異，省略，等角度論述，找出共性與不同；不同的人體器官可以表達人類的不同感情，以高興，害怕，傷心等感情為例，說明人體器官習(xí)語的多樣化特點，指導(dǎo)人們的言行，；器官習(xí)語應(yīng)用廣泛，最后介紹了器官習(xí)語在文化交際中的應(yīng)用，并提出對此學(xué)習(xí)的方法；強調(diào)了研究英語中與人體器官有關(guān)習(xí)語的重要意義，并指出了該文的不足。關(guān)鍵詞：英語; 習(xí)語; 人體; 器官 study on english idioms on human organsabstractidioms or set phrases are important products of the lang

3、uage and culture of a society. proper use of them would add color to ones speech and writing. yet, few people have studied english idioms with respect to parts of human body. briefly, it introduces definitions of english idioms, their characteristics as well as their classification; it probes into t

4、he origins, how they are related to religions, myths, legends or fables; the history, the colloquial speech of common people, the literatures, and classical works.it explains the characteristics- the figurative meaning and variants; therefore, we find out the same and their differences in human-orga

5、n idioms.also it deals with the applications to cross-culture communication, and gives some suggestions to learners in learning course.we summarize the whole by reinforcing the significance of the thesis, pointing out lacks of theoretical foundations in the thesis, and hoping further study on englis

6、h human-organ idioms can make the study more complete.we draw a conclusion that different human-organ idioms express different emotions of human beings, i.e. happiness, unhappiness, fear, worry, anger, etc; we can see that human-organ idioms convey a diversification of emotions of human beings, it i

7、nstructs behaviors of human beings in their daily life. therefore, we should not expect to act exactly like a foreigner, but to guide ourselves to avoid cultural misunderstanding and conflicts. we should know the implicative and characteristics of idioms on human organs with the communicative behavi

8、ors, and to find where the misunderstanding and conflicts may lie as well as the ways to avoid them.key words: english; idiom; human; organcontents摘 要iabstractiichapter one idioms and language1.1 definitions of idioms1.2characteristics of idioms1.2.1 semantic unity.1.2.2 structural stability1.3class

9、ification of idioms1.3.1 idioms nominal in nature1.3.2 idioms adjectival in nature1.3.3 idioms verbal in nature1.3.4 idioms adverbial in nature1.3.5 sentence idiomschapter two origins of idioms on human organs82.1 idioms on human organs from religion92.2 idioms on human organs from myths, legends or

10、 fables122.3 idioms on human organs from great works14chapter three characteristics of idioms on human organs193.1 figurative meaning of idioms on human organs193.2 variants of idioms on human organs213.2.1 regular variants223.2.2 irregular variants223.2.3 elliptical or shortened forms233.2.4 synony

11、ms and antonyms24chapter four emotions in idioms on human organs344.1 human organ idioms related to happiness354.2human organ idioms related to unhappiness374.3idioms showing fear, worry, bitterness or something alike39chapter five applications of idioms on human organs44chapter six conclusion47ackn

12、owledgements49bibliography50chapter one idioms and language 第頁chapter one idioms and languageidioms consist of set phrases and short sentences, which are peculiar to the language and loaded with native culture and ideas. therefore idioms are colorful, forcible and thought-provoking. strictly speakin

13、g, idioms are expressions that are not readily understandable from their literal meanings of individual elements; for example, fly off the handle (became excessively angry) and put up with (tolerate). in a broad sense, idioms may include colloquialisms, catchphrases, slang expressions, proverbs, etc

14、. they form an important part of english vocabulary. this chapter will deal with idioms in terms of their definition, characteristics, and classification. 1.1 definitions of idiomsthis section presents definitions of english idioms according to three authorized english dictionaries with a brief anal

15、ysis about them.oxford advanced learners dictionary of current english (1979:428) defines an idiom as (1) language of a people or country; specific character of this, (2) (gram.) succession of words whose meaning is not obvious through knowledge of the individual meaning of the constituent words but

16、 must be learnt as a whole.longman dictionary of american english with chinese translation (1992:613) defines an idiom as: (1) a phrase which means something different from the meanings of the separate words. (2) the way of expression typical of a person or a people in their use of language.and webs

17、ters new world college dictionary (1996:670) defines an idiom as: (1) the language or dialect of a people, region, class, etc. (2) the usual way in which the words of a particular language are joined together to express thought, (3) a phrase, construction, or expression that is recognized as a unit

18、in the usage of a given language and either differs from the usual syntactic patterns or has a meaning that differs from the literal meaning of its parts taken together, (4) the style of expression characteristic of an individual,(5) a characteristic style, as in art or music.an idiom means a kind o

19、f a set phrase or the common people often quote sentence, like a stock expression. next come to the characteristics of idioms.1.2 characteristics of idiomsin the part, the characteristics of semantic unity and structural stability will be particularly explained.1.2.1 semantic unitybeing phrases or s

20、entences, idioms each consist of more than one word, but each is a semantic unity. though the various words, which make up the idiom, have their respective literal meanings, in the idiom they have lost their individual identity. however, their meanings are not often recognizable in the meaning of th

21、e whole idiom. likewise, the part of speech of each element is no longer important. quite often the idiom functions as one word, for instance, till the cows come home, which comprises a conjunction till, an article the, a noun cow, a verb come, and an adverb home, means “forever” and functions as an

22、 adverb, thus replaceable by the word forever. the same can be said of keep in mind (rememble), take off (imitate), like a breeze (easily), and so on.1.2.2 structural stabilityunlike free phrases, the structure of an idiom is to a large extent unchangeable. first, the constituents of idioms cannot b

23、e replaced. however lip service (support only in words, not in fact) is not to be changed into mouth service, kick the bucket (die) into kick the pail or strike the bucket; bury the hatchet (come to friendly or peaceful terms) into bury the ax, and so on.second, the word order cannot be inverted or

24、changed. for example, by twos or threes and tit for tat are not to be turned into by threes or twos or tat for tit. similarly, the lions share is not to be replaced by the share of the lion.third, the constituent of an idiom cannot be deleted or added, not even an article. for instance, out of the q

25、uestion means impossible. if the article the is deleted, the idiomatic will be lost and it will signify no question instead.1.3 classification of idiomsstudies on english idioms have provided a variety of criteria for classifying idioms. here, i prefer criterion of grammatical functions. knowledge o

26、f the grammatical functions of idioms will undoubtedly beneficial to learners. by this criterion, idioms may be classified into five groups.1.3.1 idioms nominal in natureidioms of this class have a noun as the key word in each and function as a noun in sentences,white elephant a+n (something useless

27、 and unwanted but big and costly)flesh and blood n+conj+n (relatives or family)1.3.2 idioms adjectival in naturethe idioms listed below function as adjectives but the constituents are not necessarily adjectives, e.g.up in the air adv+prep+n (uncertain)beyond the pale prep+n (beyond the limit of prop

28、er behavior)cut and dried a+a (already settled and unlikely to be changed)1.3.3 idioms verbal in naturethe structures of such idioms can be divided into phrasal verbs and verb phrases.phrasal verbs are idioms which are composed of a verb plus a prep and/or a particle, as look into, go on, put off, t

29、urn on, get away with, and so on. other verb phrases are such like:call it a day v+pron+n (decide or agree to stop either temporarily or for good)come back to earth v+adv+prep phrase(stop imagining or dreaming)make ends meet v+n+v (earn what it costs to live)1.3.4 idioms adverbial in naturetooth and

30、 nail n+n (with great violence and determination)in nothing flat prep+pron+n (in a very little time; soon)through thick and thin prep+a+a (through all difficulties and troubles)1.3.5 sentence idiomsall is not gold that glitters.kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.sentence idioms are mainly prov

31、erbs and sayings, including colloquialisms and catchphrases. this chapter can come to a conclusion that, an idiom must be well established and accepted through common practice. in general, no element in an idiom can be changed without destroying the sense as a whole. as we cannot say:” wash ones han

32、ds of something instead of “wash something of ones hands”. an idiom usually has an implied meaning. it cannot be interpreted only according to its literal meaning. as to play with somebodys nose may sound ridiculous but can be understood in a figurative sense“to mock or insult somebody”however, the

33、definitions and criteria mentioned above may not be as perfect as they should be. there are many scholars who still work on idioms. but this thesis will focus on idioms related to human organs.chapter two origins of idioms on human organs 第18頁chapter two origins of idioms on human organsin this chap

34、ter, the definitions and origins of idioms of part of human body idioms will be analyzed. it is believed that an analysis of definition and origin of body idiom can not only make idiom learners recognize systematically why and how a body idiom comes into use, but also help them use appropriately it

35、in daily life.by human-organ idioms in english, we mean the english idioms that are related to a part of human body, (e.g. eye, ear, hand, arm, etc.) or the part of human body, which is implied in the contexts. head: the head is thought to be the most important part of the human body，so a leader is

36、often compared to a head. the head is where the brain is located. it is naturally associated with ideas and intelligence.eye: the eyes are extremely precious to us. that is why we say" mind your eye! when reminding someone to be careful. not only human beings and animals have eyes, many things

37、also have" eyes"- the eyes of a ship, the eye of a needle, the eye of a typhoon, and so on.more examples, the cats got your tongue means you are very quiet; you dont speak; pulling ones leg means joking, teasing; to be all thumbs means to be clumsy, to be bad at doing something; to have a

38、chip on ones shoulder means to have an angry attitude; to put ones foot in ones mouth means to say something embarrassing; to keep ones nose to the grindstone means to continue working hard; by the skin of your teeth means to just make it.there are still many such vivid examples remained. however, t

39、he sources of idioms on human organs are various, and particular explanations will be given below.2.1 idioms on human organs from religionreligion is an important source of human-organ idioms. owning to different religions, english and chinese people use different figures in their own part of body i

40、dioms with religion allusions. here are some examples: apple of the eye which means favorite people, adams apple which means the projection at the front of the neck formed by the thyroid cartilage of the larynx, throat.since the sixteenth century, no other english works had so much influence on writ

41、ten and oral english as the bible did. legends, myths, figures, fables and maxims in the bible are known to all in european countries. when talking with each other or when writing something, people quote from the bible so often that many allusions enter daily life through long usage. for example, an

42、 eye for an eye, meaning a punishment, which hurts the criminal in the same way as he hurts someone else, is from the new testament: ye have heard that it hath ever said an eye for an eye. anda tooth for a tooth:but i say unto thee, that ye resist for evil: but whoevershall smite thee on thy right c

43、heek; turn to him the other also.wash ones hand of (something) means to refuse to have anything more to do with or to accept responsibility for. the original sentence is from the new testament: “when pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and wash

44、ed his hands before the multitude, saying, i am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it”.bow down ones ear means to listen respectfully. it is from the old testament:in thee, o lord, do i put my trust; let me never be ashamed:deliver me in thy righteousness.bow down thine ear to me;

45、deliver me speedily: be thoumy strong rock, for a house of defense to save me.for thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore forthy names sake lead me, and guide me. the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak: mans good intention is liable to be subdued by his frail (sensual) nature. it is from th

46、e old testament:and he (jesus) cometh onto the disciples, and findeth themasleep, and saith unto peter, what, could ye not watch with me one hour?watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.there are also some other human body idioms from th

47、e bible, such as eat ones own flesh lead by the nose shake the dust from ones feet end of all things is at hand lift up somebodys head pour out somebodys heart shoot out the lip smite somebody under the fifth rib have itching ears 2.2 idioms on human organs from myths, legends or fablesmyths are sto

48、ries by which ancient people interpreted the origin of the world, natural phenomena and public activities. there are lots of myths in ancient greek literary works. myths are not scientific, because in old days, productive forces were so limited that peoples ability to recognize the world was too poo

49、r. they wondered at the origins of the world, natural phenomena and some contradictions existing in their daily lives. so myths were gradually created.no matter what myths, or legends, or fables are, they are all the generalization and summary of principles, basic laws and cognition, which are gener

50、alized into one or two idioms. that is the reason why so many idioms with respect to parts of human body come from myths, legends and fables.greek mythology not only is the treasure house of ancient greek and roman literatures but also plays an important part in the development of the world civiliza

51、tion. moreover, ancient greek mythology makes english idioms richer. some names, places and allusions from myths have entered our daily life and become everyday expressions. here are some of parts of human body idioms from greek mythology:achilles heel means ones vulnerable or susceptible spot.webst

52、ers new world dictionary of american language explains this idiom as follows: achilles was a greek warrior and leader in the trojan war, who killed hector and was killed by paris with an arrow that struck his only vulnerable spot, his heel.sow dragons teeth means to create something or somebody that

53、 is a cause of disturbing, quarrelling, etc.the greek myth goes like this: cadmus, prince of phoenicia, swore to save his sister eropa carried away by zeus, yet it is proved to be a failure. enlightend by athena, he sowed a dragons teeth in the forest. but when the teeth changed into soldiers, they

54、swung their swords to kill cadmus.in the arms of morpheus means to sleep like a log. the greek myth goes as follows: morpheus, a god of dreamland, always transforms himself into the person a dreamer is dreaming at night, and tells the dreamer everything when he is asleep.2.3 idioms on human organs f

55、rom great worksnext to the bible, shakespeares works are the richest literary sources of english idioms. expressions from classical works are one of the main sources from which human body idioms are derived. the following human body idioms from shakespeares works are familiar to us:green-eyed monste

56、r means to be jealous. it is from othello, “be war, my lord of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock. the meat it feeds on”.a pound of flesh means to blackmail somebody or to racketeer somebody. it is from the merchant of venice: shylock this kindness will i show: - go with me to a

57、notary, seal me there your single bond; and, in a merry sport if you repay me not on such a day in such a place, such sum or sums as are exprest in the condition let the forfeit be nominated for an equal pound or your fair flesh to be cut off and taken in what part of your body pleaseth me.wear ones heart on ones sleeve means to express ones feelings overtly; to be very frankly. it is from othello as in “but i will wear my heart upon my sleeve/ for daws to peck at: i am no