The Culture of English Names一、 課題(論文)提綱0. 引言1. 英語姓氏的淵源及特點1.1英語賦名的淵源和特點1.2英語姓氏的淵源和特點1.3英語中間名的特點2. 文化對英語姓名的影響 2.1基督教對英語姓名的影響 2.2文學對英語姓名的影響 2.3英語歷史對英語姓名的影響3. 英文姓名對文化的反映4. 總結二、內(nèi)容摘要人的姓名是人類社會中最普遍的語言現(xiàn)象，是人類社會發(fā)展的歷史產(chǎn)物。它同復雜的社會現(xiàn)象有著廣泛而深刻的聯(lián)系，從不同角度反映了人類社會發(fā)展的文明狀況和社會習俗等情況。作為人類文化的一部分，姓名反映了一個國家的歷史與文化，也反映了人們的信仰和追求。姓名文化是各民族文化沉淀的一個縮影，同樣的，英語姓名的特征和發(fā)展也有其特定的社會背景和文化內(nèi)涵，它同人們的宗教信仰和西方的歷史等緊密聯(lián)系在一起，它就像一本百科全書，忠實地記錄了西方國家的社會歷史和人文風貌。本文從英語姓名的基本結構特征和來源入手，通過宗教信仰，文學以及英國歷史三個方面闡述英語姓名作為人類歷史發(fā)展的產(chǎn)物有其特定的社會背景和文化內(nèi)涵?？傊?，作為一個英語學習者，了解英語姓名有助于我們在學習英語的同時，跟深入地了解西方的文化背景，從而更好地領會其文化精髓。三、 參考文獻1 邱惠林, 王安. 英美姓名文化漫談J. 四川:四川大學學報2004,9 P512 李世榮. 英語姓名的文化闡釋J. 延安教育學院學報,2002,3,P423 孫守玉,岳紅麗. 英語姓名文化淵源淺探J.淄博學院學報,2001,9 P514 張昀霓. 淺談英語人名的文化意蘊J 湖南第一師范學報,2004,12 P725 王振亞. 語言與文化M.北京:高等教育出版社,1999,4 P10-116 Michael Keene英著，張之潞 譯. 基督教概況M.北京大學出版社，2005 7 胡春風. 宗教與社會M. 上海：上?？茖W出版社，2004 P2628 張從益. 從“God-Nature-Man”析英語民族姓名的文化內(nèi)蘊J.大連外國語學院學報，1999，7 P239 沈之興，張幼香. 西方文學史M. 廣州：中山大學出版社，2000 P1110 馬玉芳. 從英語姓氏的演變看英國社會的發(fā)展J.長春師范學院學報，2001，6 P61 P62The Culture of English Names Abstract: Peoples name is the most universal language phenomenon in each human society; it is also the historical product of human social development. It has widely and profound relation with the complex social phenomenon. It reflects the civilized condition and the social custom situation of human social development from different angles. English name is a part of human culture; it reflects national culture, which includes language, religious, historical events, and literature, etc. Personal name is the carrier and container of culture. Naming habits is a miniature of the national culture. Its characteristics and the development have close relation with peoples religious belief, Englands historical events, and so on. It likes an encyclopedia, which records social history and the life style of the western nations faithfully. This paper starts with the basic structures and origins of the English name. It expounds that English name, the product of human historical development, originates from specific social background and carries certain cultural connotation. If we have a good understanding about English names and their cultural connotations, it will be great helpful for us to understand such usages. All in all, as an English learner, we should comprehend English name culture, which is helpful for us to understand the western cultural context thoroughly. Key words: English names; culture; influenceIntroduction Peoples name is one of the most universal language phenomenons in each human society. It is the specific symbol, which people use to distinguish themselves from other people. It is also the historical product of human social development. In several millenniums years of human history of civilization, along with historical vicissitude, people learned how to use names to identify different person when they communicated with other people. As a phenomenon of human society, “peoples name is a miniature of the national culture.” Culture is a concept that can be defined in different ways. Culture is investigated by scholars from several fields. Generally, culture has been interpreted in two senses, a broad sense and a narrow one. In its broad sense culture is the attributes of man. Culture in this sense may include at least the following components: materials, social institutions and organizations, knowledge, language, customs, and so on. And culture in its narrow sense can be defined as life way of a population. Peoples name is a language phenomenon, and language is an important part of human culture. Therefore, peoples name has close relation with human culture. To be exact, different personal names reflect different culture because “peoples name is the carrier of its respective culture”. In short, on one hand, human culture influences peoples name; on the other hand, peoples name reflects human culture. This paper starts with the basic structure and origins of the English name. It expounds that English name, the product of human historical development, originates from specific social background and carries certain cultural connotation.1. The characteristics and origins of English name An English full name consists of a persons first name and last name. First name is also called Christian name, given name or baptismal name. Last name is also called family name or surname. Sometimes, there is a middle name between the first name and the last name, middle name is also called second name.1.1 The characteristics and origins of first name The first name is a personal name given by his or her parents at some point after the birth of the child. It is also called a persons forename or personal name. The first name is informal, which is usually used among family members or close friends and colleagues. If we say, “we are all on first-name terms with John”, it means we call him by his first name, which is a sign of a friendly informal relationship. Some common English given names are John, Robert, Thomas, William, Alice, and so on. The first name in English has many origins. But one of the most influential sources should be Christianity, because most English-speaking countries are Christian countries. In Christian countries, the Christian name is often used for the first name. Soon after a child is born, it is christened. That is, the child is given a Christian name at a Christian religious ceremony like baptism. In this Christian religious ceremony, someone is touched or covered with water to welcome them into the Christian faith and sometimes to officially name them. Traditionally, a child is given a Christian name by its godfather and godmother at baptism. So in Britain, a persons first name is also called a baptismal name. We may say the child was baptized or christened by the name of John or Mary. Parents often give their children names after the people in the Bible.Mythology and literature have also contributed many first names. Mythology is the fantastic story that is originated from certain famous people, historical events, historical sites and social custom. And mythology is a way used to explain the nature. It is also a miniature of national culture. In several thousands years, the whole western world was under the influence of Greek-Roman mythology. Classical Greek mythology provided names like Daphne, Phoebe, Cynthia, Hector, and Jason. Literature also did great contribution to English name. Take Shakespeare as an example, Shakespeare was a great master of the English language, and he was one of the greatest writers in the world. There are 37 of his plays have come down to us. Because of the great influence of Shakespeare in west, many people like to choose names from his works.In several millenniums years of human civilization, peoples lives have close relation with the natural environment. So, there are also many first names originated from animals and plants.Some first names originated from personal characteristics, such as Happy (originated the happy man), Smart (originated from the smart man), Fat (originated from the person who is fat), Coward (originated from the timid man), Beard (originated from people who has big beard). There are also some first names which have foreign origins, such first names as Ivan originated from Russian; Carlos from Spanish names; Albert, Adolph, Carl, and Karl from German names.1.2 The characteristics and origins of last name The last name is a persons family name or surname, which is common to all members of the family. It is formal and often used on official occasions or with people you do not know well. The first name can be used as an informal form of address. But the family name is often used with a form of address before it. Such as Mr. Brown, Mrs. Green, etc. Usually it cannot be used as a form of address alone. Many English surnames fall into the following categories: Some surnames originated from places where people were born or lived. This kind of surnames also called “l(fā)ocal surnames”. Such as Atwater, Brook, Dale (meaning “valley”), Dunlop (meaning “muddy hill”), Fields, Goosey (meaning “goose island”), Sotheby (meaning “south in the village”), Westby (meaning “western farm). There are also many surnames of occupation in English such as: Baker, Barber, Bridger, Butcher, Carpenter, Clark / Clerk, Cook, Cooper, Fisher, Goldsmith, Hunter, Miller, Plummer, Priest, Smith, and Tailor.Many English surnames originated from patronymic names. Most of these names end with “son”. The structure is “fathers name or its variant +son”, such as Addison (son of Adam), Anderson (son of Andrew), Donaldson, Gibson, Jackson, and Wilson. What worth mentioning is that such patronymic surnames as Richardson, Robertson and Williamson were gradually shortened into Richards, Roberts and Williams respectively? So we know Richard, Robert and William are all first name, while Richards, Robins, Roberts, Samuels and Williams are all family names.There are also some surnames which are original nicknames. Most of which are personal descriptions or physical features: Armstrong, Bald, Ballard, Biggs, Grant, Little, Short, Small.1.3 The characteristics of English middle name Some English-speaking people have a middle name between their first name and last name. The middle name can be considered as the second of a persons given name or forename. With a middle name, a person can distinguish himself or herself from another person in the family who happens to have the same first name. Take George Bernard Show for example, Bernard is the middle name. Occasionally, a person may have two middle names. In the case of Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, who was the former British Prime Minster, Leonard and Spencer are his two middle names. A middle name can be given from the first name of a persons father or mother, or a close relative like the persons uncle or aunt. A middle name can also be given at random, for instance, after a famous person appearing in the newspaper or on television. From the above description, we can see that the choice of names in western has close relation with its culture. In the other words, English names and its culture are closely related. And the next chapter will focus on discussing this relationship.2. Cultural influences on English names As we have mentioned in the first chapter, language and culture are closely related towards each other. If we can have a better understanding about a culture, well know the connotation of its language better. And by understanding a language better, it can also promote our understanding of its culture. The same is true with English name and its culture. We are going to take a look at how English names have been influenced by its culture and how it helps to present certain aspects of English culture. 2.1Christianity and English name The English and Americans believe Christianity sincerely, which has profound influence on English name. “Christianity originated in Province Palestine in Roman. Its establishment was based on Jesus life, instruction, death and revival.” “It has long history about 2000 years, and it plays different roles in different social and political lives.” In the last period of Roman Empire, it spreads to the whole empire. “From the 3rd century A.D. Christianity became a noticeable social political force.” And it played an important role in different social and political lives. Christianitys great influence has permeated into many countries in the world, especially in these countries history, polity, economy, and peoples mind. Therefore, in most English-speaking counties, Christianity has been playing an extremely important role. From the middle and ancient times, the church then monopolized the entire society, and the Holy Bible became the primary armament of Christianity. Bible is not only the classical book of Christianity; it is also very influential in other aspects of western culture like literature, art, philosophy and history. The Holy Bible is the book which spreads broadly, and it is also a book has the most readers in the Western society. And it becomes the golden rule of life and the cultural cornerstone in the Western world. Because of the great influence of Bible, many English names originate from Bible or have close relation with it. Most of these names fall into the following categories: Names coming from the sages and the disciples names in the Bible. Therefore, more and more people selected the sages names in the Holy Bible to name themselves and their children. In order to express the irreverence to God, the Roman Catholicism stipulated that when the believer baptized, the first name must be selected from the Holy Bible. The feminine sages names also are popular first names such as, Mary (Jesus Christs mother), Ann (Marys mother), and Catherine (Peters wife). People also often like to select the sages names in the Old Testament such as Noah (the man who made the Noah and took each kind of animal into it), Abraham (the founder of Judaism), Sarah (Abrahams wife), etc. By the 17th century, all names appear in Holy Bible were used, and now, they are still very common. English name reflects the strong religious culture; it reflects peoples values and ethics. Names paying tribute to God: Western people believe Christianity sincerely, and they believe God sincerely. The Holy Bible said that God created all things in the world; therefore they choose certain names to pay a tribute to God. Such as Timothy, Elizabeth (sacrifice which give to God), Dominic (belong to God).Names reflecting the believers worship and Christian rules and regulations they followed: In the times of Puritan, the environment was bad and the life was difficult. Specially, those Puritans who arrived in America had to unite as one, work hard, and manage a household with diligence and thrift to survive. At that time, the names people selected reflected the believers worship and rules and regulations they followed, such as Give-thanks, Prudence, Faint-Not, etc. In addition, there also were some names reflected the Christian virtues, which Christianity initiates to publicize, such as Grace, Charity, etc. All of these names were best choices of Puritans.2.2 Literature and English name 【http:/www.uklunwen. Many people in English-speaking countries have been influenced by literature when they choose names for themselves or their children. Generally, the main task of literature is describing one or several figures to show the social condition to the readers. Many names from literature have specific meanings, and they are called “meaningful name”. Take Sharp and Amelia as examples. The two names came from Vanity Fair, which was written by William Makepeace Thackeray. Sharp is a treacherous and selfish woman, and Sharp means “acerbic”. Amelia is a hard-working and kind girl, and Amelia means “hard-working”. Today, such names coming from literature as Juliet from Romeo and Juliet, Carrie from Sister Carrie, Hester from Scarlet Latter, etc. These names are very popular.2.3 English history and English name Besides religious and literary influence, historical events also play an important role in the naming habit in English-speaking countries. To some extent, English name is the product of English history. In this part, we are going to take a look at a certain aspect of English history-foreign invasions and its influence on English names. England is an island country. It has experienced invasion by other countries many times. As early as in 1000 B.C., Celts from Europe continent invaded this island. Later it developed to the culture of Scotland, Ireland and the Welsh. In the 1st century B.C., the ancient Rome invaded this island, and brought the civilization of Latin and the ancient times to the island. And the invasion of Anglo-Saxons let to the formation of ancient English. In the 11th century B.C. there was the biggest scale of invasion. The Norman who spoke French conquered the entire England, and unified this country. So many invasions help to form the England multi- national culture, and English name reflects this characteristic: there are many English names which were brought into usage due to invasion by different peoples. And those names beginning with Mac or Mc are usually Scottish surnames. For instance, McArthur, MacDonald, or McMillan may well be the surname of a Scot or of a person whose ancestor was from Scotland. Actually, “Mac” is the Gaelic for “son of”. So, MacDonald originally had the meaning of “the son of Donald”, just like the surname Donaldson that originally had the meaning of “the son of Donald”. Most of Scotlands surname originated from Norman language, and they often have the relations with the landholder or rulers surname. This reflects the attached status of Scotland to the mainland and the way of surviving at that time. For instance, Leslie, Murray and some other names are all from the place names, which somebody owned, and those who take such names as their surnames are those who depend on this land. 3. The reflection of English name as to its culture From the above analysis, we can see certain aspects of culture deeply influence English names. But thats only half the story. As a matter of fact, if we take a worm-eye view, we can also have a better understanding on cultural development by looking at names. Open the classical book of Christianity: Holy Bible, we can see that, humanitys first ancestor Adam, Eve, and other disciples or the characters in the Holy Bible only have given names but not surnames. Actually, far before the 5th century A.D., the English society had a quite long history when people didnt not have surname. In the 5th century, Englishs ancestor arrived in the British island for the first time. They constructed a tribal society according to their own wish and way. People in each tribe made a name for their own in order to distinguish themselves from other tribes people. Each big family formed a community according to the blood relationship. And they lived in different villages. At that time, the productivity force level was quite low; the power that the people controlled the nature and transformed the natural was extremely weak. And when people faced hunger and bad environment, they needed to work hard to survive so they worshiped the hero and the military force. And English names mirrored these psychological needs vividly. At that time, the subjects of many names had relationship with the theme of war. After English fully suffered the chaos caused by war, people longed for peace and stability. Therefore, the subjects of names changed at this time. Names such as God (good), Firth (peace), etc. emerged and became popular at that time. “In 1066 A.D., the Normandy conquered England, and this is an important turning point of English culture.” And this event promoted Englands feudalism advancement. And that is also the time when surnames had great development. The production of English surname is a product of English social development. It was the aristocrat class who first started using surnames. “Surname was the mark of their family property, and it was bequeathed to their descendant with other property.” Afterwards, the ordinary common people also followed suit; they chose their own surname. Thereupon the people all had their own surnames gradually. After the Norman conquered the English for several dozens of years, English society had the earth-shaking change. As a result of the population growth and the commercial development, English society changed a lot. At the same time, because of the encouragement of the Kings preferential policy, large quantities of skilled artisans arrived in England. The population of the emplo