Allusive Idioms from Greek Myths and English Learning
Introduction
In my opinion, it is no exaggeration to say that Greek myths have exerted no small influence upon western culture. Especially those whose mother tongue is English familiar with the contents and stories of Greek mythology have been imperceptibly influenced by what they constantly read, see and hear about since they are very young. Hence allusive idioms from Greek myths have exerted great impact on the English language and literature. It is fairly important to make a full understanding of Greek myths for a foreign student in order to learn the language of English well. To prove this, I may as well, first of all, introduce some information about Greek myths in the next part. 2. Clearing the ground
2. 1 Defination of the term ¡°myth¡± First of all, I¡¯d like to define the meaning of the word ¡°myth¡±. The word itself comes from the Greek myths which originally meant speech or discourse but which later came to mean fable or legend. In this article the word ¡°myth¡± will be defined as a story of forgotten or vague origin, basically religious or supernatural in nature, which seeks to explain or rationalize one or more aspects of the world or a society. Furthermore, all myths are, at some stage, actually believed to be true by the peoples of the societies that used or originated the myth.
2. 2 Origin of Greek myths
Greek myths can be dated back to BC times. They originated in Europe near or around the Mediterranean Sea. They were especially concentrated in Greece and Italy. Myths are simply stories that are made up to explain something. A long time ago in Athens, Greece, people made up stories to explain the tribulations of life. These stories consisted of gods, heroes, and warriors. Years later the Greeks were conquered by the Romans. The new rulers were pleased with these stories so the Romans adopted them. They took the myths back to Italy, where the myths were well liked, except for one thing. The names were all Greek sounding. The Romans changed
In my opinion, it is no exaggeration to say that Greek myths have exerted no small influence upon western culture. Especially those whose mother tongue is English familiar with the contents and stories of Greek mythology have been imperceptibly influenced by what they constantly read, see and hear about since they are very young. Hence allusive idioms from Greek myths have exerted great impact on the English language and literature. It is fairly important to make a full understanding of Greek myths for a foreign student in order to learn the language of English well. To prove this, I may as well, first of all, introduce some information about Greek myths in the next part. 2. Clearing the ground
2. 1 Defination of the term ¡°myth¡± First of all, I¡¯d like to define the meaning of the word ¡°myth¡±. The word itself comes from the Greek myths which originally meant speech or discourse but which later came to mean fable or legend. In this article the word ¡°myth¡± will be defined as a story of forgotten or vague origin, basically religious or supernatural in nature, which seeks to explain or rationalize one or more aspects of the world or a society. Furthermore, all myths are, at some stage, actually believed to be true by the peoples of the societies that used or originated the myth.
2. 2 Origin of Greek myths
Greek myths can be dated back to BC times. They originated in Europe near or around the Mediterranean Sea. They were especially concentrated in Greece and Italy. Myths are simply stories that are made up to explain something. A long time ago in Athens, Greece, people made up stories to explain the tribulations of life. These stories consisted of gods, heroes, and warriors. Years later the Greeks were conquered by the Romans. The new rulers were pleased with these stories so the Romans adopted them. They took the myths back to Italy, where the myths were well liked, except for one thing. The names were all Greek sounding. The Romans changed
References: [1]Hunt, Cecil.Word Origins, the Romance of Language. New York: Philosophical Library, 1962. [2]Cliff¡¯s Notes, Mythology U.S.A.:1978. [3]Zlmmerman, J.E.Dictionary of Classical Mythology. NewYork: Harper & Row Publishers In., 1964. [4]Gwinn, R.P, Charles E. Swanson & Philip W. Goetz. Micropaedia, Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 1968. [5]Fon, Mincio. Common English Expression & the Stories Behind Them. HK: Wanli [6]ÌÕ½à Ñ¡Òë Ï£À°ÂÞÂíÉñ»°Ò»°Ùƪ[M] Öйú¶ÔÍâ·Òë³ö°æ¹«Ë¾ÉÌÎñÓ¡Êé¹Ý1989 [7]³ÂÀò£¬ Ï£À°Éñ»°×÷ΪӢÓï±³¾°ÖªÊ¶µÄÖØÒªµØλ[J] ÖÐÖÝ´óѧѧ±¨£¬ 2003£¨1£© [8]×ÞÑà ÂÛÏ£À°Éñ»°¶ÔÓ¢ÃÀÎÄѧµÄÓ°Ïì[J] ÉòÑô´óѧѧ±¨ 2002£¨3£© [9]Íõ×ôÁ¼ Å·ÖÞÎÄ»¯ÈëÃÅ[M] ÍâÓï½ÌѧÓëÑо¿³ö°æÉ磬2002