Study on the Differences of the Application of Colour Terms in Cross-cultural Communication 跨文化交际中颜色词运用差异研究 Class: 999Student: Supervisor: Chongqing UniversityJune, 2012Graduation Thesis of Chongqing University Table of Contents Table of Contents1 Introduction12 Different connotations of colours in the east and west32.1 The different connotations of red32.2 The different connotations of white42.3 The different connotations of black52.4 The different connotations of yellow53 The causes for these differences73.1 Association73.2 Environment83.3 Religion and belief93.4 Philosophy103.5 Other causes104 The influences of different connotations of colour terms114.1 Different colour preferences in different cultures115. Conclusion145.1 Major findings of the study145.2 Limitations and suggestions for further research15References16ivGraduate Thesis of Chongqing University Introduction 1 IntroductionWebster defines culture as “the values, beliefs, attitudes, customs and behaviours of a particular social, ethnic or age group” in the “Websters Third New International Dictionary” (p.382). Culture can have effects on everything around us. This applies to all areas of human life from personal relationships to conducting business abroad. When we interact with people from our native cultures, culture behaves as a framework of understanding. However, when we interact with people from different cultures, this framework will no longer work because of cross cultural differences. Therefore, we need smooth cross cultural commuciation, which can build up common frameworks for people of different cultures to communicate with each other more easily and smoothly to reach the final target of helping minimise the negative impression of differences cross cultures. Moreover, within an increasingly international and globalizational society, the former trading barriers between nations gradually graduated away in the contemporary age. Being aware of the substantial potential for expansion and profit the international markets provide, corporations in different countries have begun to take the initiative in participating in the international business and aiming at the high profit margins on foreign soil. Therefore, cross-cultural communication becomes more and more common and important. As a result, communication cross cultures needs to paid more attention and be carefully treated. However, due to the differences on geographic position, natural environment, history and other aspects, there are some significant differences between Chinese and English expression, which has great influences on cross cultural communication so that it can not be neglected. In other words, we need to give more concern on those cross-cultural differences in order to cut down the chance of misunderstanding each other, which will be quite beneficial to cross cultural communication.As is kown to us, colour is a key part of products, services, packaging, and logos and so on. Businessmen, advertisers and artists all agree that the influence of colour on the consumer can do help to promote the business process. Whats more, it is an effective means of creating and sustaining images for viewers. Studies also have shown how colour can grab and keep attention, can arouse the enthusiasm of potential customers, can stir up emotional responses, can affect an individuals viewpoint, can help people form attitudes, and can improve persuasiveness (Sable, Paul, Akcay & Okan, 2011). To a certain extent, colour is influential everywhere in the marketplace, from brand logo, image, signage, packaging, and even the product itself. To give an example, McDonald utilizes different colours on their different official websites in differnt countries to carry out a customised website strategy (Bortoli & Jess, 2001). To conclude, colour plays a vital role in cross cultural communication. It is also because of this reason that the thesis will take “colour” as a point of penetration to conduct the research.People entrust colours with all sorts of meaning containing positive ones and negative ones. The same kind of colour will have different significances, which may be positive or negative. Although every people will make the corresponding reflection in emotion to colour in sight, people of different cultures have a variety of unreasonable cognition on colours in respect that the various cultures lead to distinctions in thinking model, cognitive system, and belives and so on. As a result, this brings about distinct feelings and association about the same colour in different cultures. Therefore, it is very helpful for us to be familiar with or understand different meanings of colours within intercultural communication. With this help, i