2.2 Research on Culture-loaded Expressions

2.2.1 The Definition of Culture-loaded Expressions

Language is an important communicative tool and a culture carrier. It is a unique cultural product of a nation so it contains historical background and cultural meaning. Culture-loaded expressions are thus used to reflect these cultural phenomenon (Bao Huinan, 2007). Besides, according to Liao Qiyi (2000:230), culture-loaded expressions are words, phrases and idioms that symbolize some specific objects in one culture. These vocabularies reflect an unique model of activity which is accumulated during the process of history and with that, one nation can differ from another. In Hu Wenzhong (1999) ’s view, he pided words into culture-loaded words and non culture-loaded words. The former ones are full of specific national cultural information and of profound national culture. Culture-loaded words are also called vocabulary blanks which are used to describe the phenomenon that the cultural information contained in the source language could not find corresponding words in target language to express it. (He Weiwei, 2009)

From the above definitions, it can be seen that culture-loaded word is a concept which refers to a word that contains cultural connotation and reflects the culture of a nation.