An Analysis of English Auspicious Numbers and Its Influencing Factors

【Abstract】In the cultural and historical development of human beings， numbers play a significant role， especially auspicious numbe rs， reflecting the culture of a nation. Due to the influence of religious beliefs， folklore and fairy tales， and socio-cultural factors， English auspicious numbers have its own unique connotation. This paper makes a study of English auspicious numbers and its influencing factors， in order to reduce pragmatic failures and ensure the smooth progress of cross-cultural communication.

【Key words】English; auspicious number; factor; cross-cultural communication

【作者簡介】曾文斯（1991-），女，漢族，吉林化工學(xué)院外國語學(xué)院，助教，碩士，研究方向：英語教學(xué)，英語翻譯，創(chuàng)新創(chuàng)業(yè)。

1. Introduction

As one of the most important elements of language， numbers originated from ancient times with the help of symbols. It is the result of development of human thinking， and the production of meeting communication need. Auspicious numbers are endowed with mysterious symbolic significance of happiness and fortune. Recently， it is becoming increasing necessary to master the culture of English-speaking countries in cross-cultural communication， including auspicious numbers.

2. English Auspicious Numbers

It is common to view Number 3 and Number 7 as auspicious numbers in English-speaking countries. Westerners see Number 3 as a symbol of holy and luck which can be used to present perfect harmony. Shakespeare， a famous English poet， playwright and actor， said in his drama： “All good things go by three.” In addition， people often use phrases containing Number 7. For instance， keeping a thing seven years and you will find a useful thing （things preserved for a long time， will become useful）， to be in the seventh heaven （very happy）.

3. Factors Influencing English Auspicious Numbers

3.1 Religious Beliefs

English auspicious numbers are obviously deeply influenced by Christianity. Christianity advocates that Trinity is the union of the Father， the Son and the Holy Spirit in one God. What’s more， in the views of Christians， God creates the world in 7 days. Virgin Mary has 7 sad things and 7 happy things. The Lord’s Prayer divides in 7 parts. From the Bible， there are 7 deadly sins（Gluttony， Greed， Sloth， Lust， Pride， Envy， Wrath and Sloth）.

3.2 Folklore and Fairy tales

Folklore and fairy tales， especially German and Greek stories， have a great influence on the development of English auspicious numbers. They have preference in using Number 3 and 7. Grimm’s Fairy Tales， the German folk literature， has a series of “Three” story， such as “The Three Brothers”， “Lucky Three”， “Three Languages”， “Three Feathers”， etc. The popular fairy tale—Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs— spread widely from generation to generation. In the Greek mythology， three brothers who are Zeus， Poseidon and Hades control the Greek world. In the western history， it existed Heptarchy （ancient 7 kingdoms）， and seven years’ war.

3.3 Socio-cultural Factors

With socio-cultural factors， it is generally seen that Number 3 and 7 in all aspects of western lives. Westerners believe the world consists of three parts—land， ocean and sky， and nature includes three contents— animal， plant and mineral. It’s a kind of traditional custom that westerners make three wishes on their birthdays. In modern society， many types of American Boeing air crafts are the “7X7”. A week has seven days. There are seven notes in the music. All the elements above can prove Number 3 and 7 are popular in the west.

4. Conclusion

It is obvious that auspicious numbers are not only numerals for counting， but also the common aspiration with unique connotation of ethnic culture. They convey people’s dreams for a better life through the auspicious symbols， which reflect in a variety of fields including economy， politics， religion， etc.

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