【文章內(nèi)容簡介】 ome of these terms do not distinguish between the elder and the younger. For example, brother can not only refer to the elder brother, but also the younger one, so does sister. Take another case for instance。 grandfather can not only refer to father’s father, but also mother’s father, and so does grandmother. Furthermore, certain terms are used to mark different relationships. For example, the term uncle is used to designate at least five relations, both consanguineous and inlaw, namely, father’s elder or younger brother, mother’s brother, father’s sister’s husband and mother’s sister’s husband. Besides, a typical instance of English kinship term cousin for addressing sons and daughters of parents’ brothers and sisters, no matter one’s cousin is a male or a female, or whether he or she is a paternal or maternal relation, or a consanguineous or inlaw one. While in Chinese, there are at least 8 kinship terms in this case, biao ge (older son of one’s mother’s brother), biao di (younger son of one’s mother’s brother), biao jie (older daughter of one’s mother’s brother), biao mei (younger daughter of one’s mother’s brother), tang ge (older son of one’s father’s brother), tang di (younger son of one’s father’s brother), tang jie (older daughter of one’s father’s brother), tangmei (younger daughter of one’s father’s brother). The generalization of kinship terms in Chinese and EnglishThe generalization of kinship terms refers to addressing nonkins or strangers by kinship terms. Tanaka(1977) points out, “In many societies some lexically identical terms are applied not only to formally recognized fictive kin (. blood brothers, godparents, etc.), but to other nonkin as well, and sometimes not egocentrically at all…The existence of such a phenomenon, if recognized, is rather casually interpreted as a selfevident case of the ‘metaphorical’ or ‘fictive’ extension of the egocentric kinship ideology to wider social areas”(). In social munication, some of the kinship terms in the Chinese language can apply to any person according to the person’s sex and relative age. Actually kinship terminology is often employed to address nonkins or strangers. This phenomenon exists in both Chinese and English kinship systems, with different characteristics. The Chinese kinship terms are more often and widely used to address people who are very obviously not kin by any criteria in the daily life. Some of the kinship terms in the Chinese language can apply to any person according to the person’s gender and relative age. On the one hand, the difference between “close” and “distant” is taken as a serious case in Chinese traditional culture. The order from close to distant is: directly related relatives to collateral relatives. In addition, choosing address forms is attached important in “Respect Rule”. Children may address nonkinship relatives “l(fā)ao ye ye (big grandpa)”, “l(fā)ao nai nai(big grandma)”, “shu shu(father’s little brother)” and “a yi(mother’s little sister)”. This generalization phenomenon indicates that interpersonal relation net of Han Nation has the function of promoting group cohesion and deepening people’s emotion. A middle aged man traveling in unfamiliar places and asking for directions, would adderess an old man as da ye (big grandpa) or da bo, da shu (big uncle), a man of the same age as da ge (big elder brother), a woman of the sam age as da jie or da sao (big elder sister), a child as xiao di di (little younger brother) or xiao mei mei (little younger sister). For a child, all the old men are grandpas, and all the old women grandmas, all the middle aged men and women uncles and aunts, all the children older than him/her elder brothers and elder sisters. According to Baker (1979), using these terms is “not merely a politeness,” but also carries “the expectation of mensurate respectful treatment” (p. 163.). In particular, kinship terms are frequently used to address even strangers to initiate verbal munication for the purpose of shortening the social distance and showing politeness and respect. Addressing others by kinship terms helps one gain pliance.On the other hand, in English terms like “uncle” and “aunt” can be used to designate nonkin relationships, as when children are sometimes taught to use them for close friends of their parents’. In English, there are only few terms, which can be applied in this way. (Qiu Yanping, 2002)Chinese language has much more kinship terms than the English language and there exist great differences between the two kinship systems. Then some questions are raised. Why does the Chinese language have so many kinship terms? Are there any reasons for Chinese people to consider seriously all those consanguineous, inlaw, lineal and collateral relations? Can we find some natural links between this aspect of language and culture? Yotsukura (1977) states, “Language and culture are fused as denotation and connotation of words. Thus, when linguists try to analyze language, they cannot neglect to refer to the culture behind language. Analyzing language requires analyzing culture”. (p. 270). The kinship system in a certain society is dominated by its culture and in turn reflects its cultural reality. As it should be, behind the kinship terms in the Chinese languages, there must be some relevant influential factors of Chinese culture. The same is true with the kinship systems in English language. 3. Cultural connotation of kinship terms in Chinese and English There are seven different cultural connotations of kinship terms in Chinese and English, the family structure, blood relationship, patriarchy concept, social stratum concept, cultural adoption and courtesy principle. Family structureThere is a known saying in China: “The more sons one has, the more happiness one enjoys”, “bearing up children with the aim to guard against troubles in one’s late year”, “of three kinds of