Differences between Chinese and English Cultures from the Perspective of Advertisements

【摘 要】廣告是為了某種特定的需要，通過(guò)一定形式的媒體，公開(kāi)而廣泛地向公眾傳遞信息的宣傳手段。廣告以語(yǔ)言為載體，其本身也是一種重要的社會(huì)用語(yǔ)和社會(huì)文化，是文化的組成部分，在一定程度上反映民族文化。語(yǔ)言和文化關(guān)系密切，相互依存。廣告作為一種文化產(chǎn)物，可以更直接地展示語(yǔ)言和文化之間的關(guān)系。本文從哲學(xué)系統(tǒng)、歷史、鄉(xiāng)土意識(shí)和心理行為這三個(gè)方面探討中英廣告體現(xiàn)的東西方文化差異，揭示廣告語(yǔ)中語(yǔ)言和文化的密切關(guān)系。

【關(guān)鍵詞】廣告；語(yǔ)言；文化；差異

【Abstract】Advertising is a form of communication used to encourage or persuade an audience （viewers， readers or listeners） to continue or take some new action by mess media. Advertisement is carried by language， and itself is an integrated part of culture. Language and culture exist interdependently. As a product of human culture， advertisement can reflect the interrelationship between culture and language. This paper will talk about the differences between Chinese and English advertisement from the aspect of different philosophical system， histories， hometown consciousness and psychological behavior， in order to reveal the relationship lies between culture and language.

【Key words】advertisement； language； culture； differences

In modern age， we find ourselves surrounded by various ads each day. In the world of advertising， all potential consumers are endlessly bombarded with all kinds of product or service information from various media including newspapers， magazines， televisions， radio， posters and Internet， etc.

The purpose of advertising is to promote sales and profits. Advertising is a form of communication used to encourage or persuade an audience （viewers， readers or listeners） to continue or take some new action. Most commonly， the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering， although political and ideological advertising is also common. The purpose of advertising may also be to reassure employees or shareholders that a company is viable or successful.

Ⅰ.Different Philosophical System

1.1 Different Values： Collectivism VS Individualism

Values are the defining expressions of culture. In advertising， it is strongly believed that the most effective advertisements are those best express and affirm core cultural values. What advertisers should do is to make the advertisements consistent with values of the targeted people. If not， they are likely to be rejected. Every nation has its own values or enduring beliefs. A set of contradictory one shared by a lot o countries is collectivism and individualism. Collectivism is any philosophic， political， economic， mystical or social outlook that emphasizes the interdependence of every human in some collective group and the priority of group goals over individual goals. Collectivism has been widely used to refer to a number of different political， economic and educational philosophies， ranging from communalism and democracy to totalitarian nationalism and organized altruistic religion. Influenced by collectivism， we Chinese people usually focus on community， society， or nation. We view the whole as being greater than the sum of its individual parts， and give priority to groups rights over individual rights. This is reflected in advertisements. For instances：

（1）接天下客，送萬(wàn)里情。（天津出租車(chē)廣告）

（2）情系中國(guó)結(jié)，聯(lián)通四海心。（聯(lián)通廣告）

（3）大家好才是真的好。（好迪化妝品廣告）

From these we can see in Chinese culture， selfless devotion， universal fraternity and benevolence are always advocated.

By comparison， western people are greatly influenced by individualism which stressed the moral worth of individual. They promote the exercise of one’s goals and desires and also value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one’s own interests， whether by society， family or any other group or institution. There are also some examples：

（1）Our personal service will appeal to your individual taste. （Lufthansa Airline）

（2）What’s mine is mine. （Volkswagen Seat Car）

（3）Feast your eyes. （Pond’s Cucumber Eye Treatment）

（4）Each owns a different WATERMAN pen. For while style is key， individuality is everything. （沃特曼鋼筆）

From these examples we can see in western culture self-achievement and self-satisfaction are encouraged. Individual initiative spirit and pursuit of personality are highly valued and appreciated.

1.2. Different Religious Beliefs

China is blessed with a long history of civilization. For thousands of years， she is deeply affected by Confucianism， Daoism， and Buddhism. Advertising language like “玉皇大帝”、“觀(guān)音菩薩”、“三頭六臂”、“借花獻(xiàn)佛”、“靈丹妙藥” are all related to religion. There’s a kind of tea called “鐵觀(guān)音”etc. But in some western countries， like the United States， believe in God. They even print “In God We Trust” on the surface of their money. The image of god or angel is frequently used in their advertisements：

（1）If god had meant us to fly， he would have given us Paramounts. （Paramount山地車(chē)）

（2）You do not have to be an angel to wear it. （perfume）

（3）Man invented time； Seiko perfected it. （Seiko手表）

When the third advertisement appeared in Malaysia， it was condemned by Muslims， for they thought it was God， not man， who invented time. So the advertisers had to change the words into “Man invented time-keeping； Seiko perfected it”. Another example is， as a national treasure of China， panda enjoys great popularity among us. Therefore， trademarks with “panda” are readily visible. But when exported， they are not popular in Muslim countries. It is because panda looks like pig， which is forbidden to eat by Muslims.

Thus different religious belief is a must to consider when talking about cultural differences.

1.3 Different Attitudes toward Nature： Unity VS Conflict

One of the fundamental differences between Chinese and western culture lies in the divergence in their attitude toward nature： one believe in unity， while the other in conflict. Chinese culture advocates the traditional Confucian principle “Unity of Heaven and Men” （天人合一） while the western culture is inclined to divide Heaven and men， asserting that nature is in opposition to human beings. Deeply influenced by the traditional Confucian doctrine “golden mean” （中庸之道）， Chinese people usually put great emphasis on the unity and integrity between nature and men， and also on the correspondence of objectivity and subjectivity so as to seek a harmonious ideal state in minds. As a result， moderation， peace-mindedness， love for nature， intimacy with nature are more frequently embodied in Chinese advertisements：

（1）銀河在天上，溫情灑人間。 （銀河裝潢有限公司）

（2）世紀(jì)綠洲，家景甲天下——讓花開(kāi)在你身邊，開(kāi)在你臉上，開(kāi)在你心里。（廣州保利花園）

（3）天一新村與綠葉為伍，與鳥(niǎo)雀為鄰，清新自然，學(xué)府為家。（廣州天一新村廣告語(yǔ)）

（4）取天上太陽(yáng)，用人間輝煌。（輝煌牌太陽(yáng)能）

In contrast， in western cultures people tend to believe that the universe should be divided into two different parts which is called “Dividedness between man and nature”. Therefore， western culture is concerned with the diversity and changeability of the world—on one hand it affirms the irresistible objectivity of rules for the normal running of the world， and on the other hand it pays more attention to self-improvement and self-achievement of individuals and encourages people’s personality， capability and strive spirit. Thus， the emphasis of personal effort and initiative spirit is frequently employed in English advertising languages. For example：

（1）Suzuki conquers boredom.

Life has always been what you made it. Excitement or just routine. And the line between freedom and feeling trapped can be as simple as wheels. Something like getting on a Suzuki and getting away. （Suzuki car）

（2）Engineer to move the human spirit. （Mercedes Benz）

（3）Olympus

No limits. There is little you can’t be with Olympus Zoom Lens Reflex series. The all-in-X cameras that won’t limit your creative ability. （Olympus cameral）

Ⅱ. Different Histories： Long-standing VS Newly-rising Culture

Chinese culture is famous for its time-honored history， with brilliant oriental civilization and excellent traditions. Chinese people take great pride in the old splendid civilization and their intelligent ancestors who have created such a great accomplishment. Correspondingly， products related with long history and old traditions are always regarded as valuable and reliable which is reflected in Chinese advertising languages. For example：

（1）傳奇品質(zhì)，百年張?jiān)！＃◤堅(jiān)Ｆ咸丫疲?/p>

（2）百年老字號(hào)，廣州皇上皇。（皇上皇臘腸）

（3）千古佳釀，萬(wàn)代留香，中華酒宗，汝陽(yáng)杜康。（杜康酒中華酒宗系列）

However， in western countries， the concern for future is the dominant cultural orientation， and most western people tend to believe that tomorrow will be better than today. In accordance with their enterprising spirit， western people usually pay more attention to change and progress in their daily life. Therefore， this conception is surely reflected in advertisements that make use of the word “new” in many case， since in western culture almost everything that is connected with the future seems to be valued and thus acceptable to the common people. There are several example：

（1）For me， the past is black and white， but the future is always colorful. （Hennessy）

（2）Kyocera

The challenge of the future creating a better world because tomorrow comes yesterday， today and tomorrow.

（3） A new moisture made from pure Johnson’s Baby Oil， swirled light and creamy. Try it. And strike it rich. New！ （Johnson）

Ⅲ. Different Hometown Consciousnesses： Tightly Knit Family Framework VS Loosely Knit Family Framework

China is one of the four countries with an ancient civilization. It lies in the rich land. So family is very important in their mind. Traditional ethnic ideas of China include honesty， swordsmanship， loyalty， filial piety. In China， people are asked to abide by the etiquette and to carry out benevolence and righteousness. Family-ethical kinship of generations is deeply rooted in everyone’s mind. For Chinese people， east or west， home is best. Hometown is highly evaluated and moving away from one’s hometown is discarded. There’s a famous advertisement： 千萬(wàn)里我追尋著你?？赘揖?，讓人想家。（孔府家酒）. The words arouse an intense feeling of homesickness in us. Similar examples are：

（1） 舒膚佳，促進(jìn)健康為全家。（舒膚佳）

（2） 高朋滿(mǎn)座喜相逢，酒逢知己古井貢。（古井貢酒）

（3） 有情有義喝郎泉。（郎酒）

Chinese traditional culture also embodies the consideration and respect for the aged. Respect for the old is a traditional virtual. There is an old saying in Chinese “百善孝為先”（filial respect for the old goes first in the virtue. ） In advertising， respect for the old is reflected by “正清制藥，關(guān)愛(ài)老人健康”，“孝敬爸媽?zhuān)稀住稹保巴ο匆聶C(jī)，獻(xiàn)給母親的愛(ài)”。

Compared with Chinese ethical and moral traditional culture， western people appreciate rational thinking. They are less settled because they often emigrate. Also they have an area of narrow， and they often flight. The concept of the family has become less important in their minds now. Thus， they do not have strong sense of family or parenthood. As a reflection， English advertisements usually focus on human sense and ration. Prominent personality and innovation are highly praised. What’s more， in the western culture， the word “old” is associated with concepts of being “outdated” and “useless”， and the words and phrases related to “age” are taboos. Since western people are afraid of being old， and the concept of the respect for the old is not as strong as that in the Chinese culture， such kind of advertisements is not often presented in English advertising.

Ⅳ. Conclusion

Advertising language is the core of an ad. Social culture influences even limits this kind of language and expression， meanwhile， the advertising language contains and reflects the social culture. The advertisement exists in a society which means philosophical concept， thinking mode， cultural psychology， moral caliber and cultural habits of a nation certainly have a great effect on the advertising lg. in fact， people tend to accept such message that arouse their sense of identity.

Cultural differences have become a non- ignorable factor in advertisement. In order to attract even stimulate potential customers； the advertisers make their efforts to produce creative and memorable works. As the integration of the world economy， it is an urgent task that advertisers should make clear of the features of each culture especially target culture.

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