A Study on Cultural Connotations Between Chinese and English Animal Words

As we know, language is a cultural carrier. Culture-loaded vocabulary plays an important role in a language. Different social backgrounds and national cultures have a great effect on the cultural connotations of vocabulary. Along with the development and progress of human society, animal words gradually have got their established connotations in all languages. Many animals have become a kind of symbol in people’s thinking and this symbol is reflected in the language. However, the connotations of animal words in one language do not necessarily coincide with those in another because of geographical environment, convention, history and religion in different cultures. This paper attempts to compare the similarities and differences of animal words, the causes for differences so that we can not only better master and use the animal words accurately, but also understand the eastern and western cultures, promoting the cross-cultural communication.Key words: animal words; cultural discrepancy; cultural connotation