英语论文

 

Thesis statement: The generation gap existing in Dong nationality region is very particular and complex, which will exist among Dong nationality for a long time.

 

I. Introduction

II. The ways of generation gap existing in Dong nationality region

A. The estrangement between generations

B. The differences in living style and living attitude between generations

1. Conservative and forward-looking

2. Cautious and casual

3. Out dated and fashionable

C. The different understandings in culture between generations

III. The reasons of generation gap in the Dong nationality region

A. The historical aspects

1. The changes of time

2. The changes of minority history

B. The disadvantages of living environment

IV. How to bridge the generation gap

A. More communications

B. More understanding and more tolerance

C. Speeding up the development of Dong nationality region

V. Conclusion

 

 

 

Abstract: The generation gap is a social phenomenon, existing in every aspect and area of the society，and it has a long history. As the society changes, most of the Dong nationality regions become opening up. People’s thinking and habits change with it, but do not change at the same speed nor to the same extent. Young people are less influenced by old ideas and habits, accepting the new things much more easily and quickly than the older people, which arouse many differences between them and hinder the communications between generations.

 

Key words: Generation gap Dong nationality regions Differences Communications Development

 

 

 

 

The Generation Gap in the Dong Nationality Region in Guizhou

 

1. Introduction

The development of language reflects the development of the society. For instance, the phrase “generation gap”, it first appeared in the presidential election in 1960 in America. At that time they used the “missile gap” to express the balance of missile power between America and Soviet Union was broken, the Soviet Union has been at an advantage. For this purpose, the “missile gap” means the distance of the missile weapon power of the two countries. After that several phrases like missile gap came out. Such as “news gap, production gap, culture gap, development gap, and communication gap.” All these phrases are expressing a certain situation in a certain place or field of the society. Obviously there are many differences in every aspect and area of our society. We can find the definition of “generation gap” in a dictionary, “Difference in attitude, or lack of understanding between younger people and older people.”(AS Hornby,2002:619) Besides , there still has another definition, “The differences between generations or there’s a wide gap between generations and hinder the communications in mind，emotions and life between the old and the young.”(梁实秋，2005：89) And the purpose of this paper is to investigate the generation gap between the young and the old in the Dong nationality region in the southeast of Guizhou. Because the generation gap there is very particular and complex, mainly in the estrangement between the young and the old, the differences in their living style and living attitude and the different understandings of culture. However, why does the generation gap exist? Can we find a way to bridge it? If we could do so, our life will become full of love and sun-shine!

 

2. The ways of generation gap existing in Dong nationality region

2.1 The estrangement between generations

There are so many differences between generations because each has a different background of culture and experience. To some extent generation gap has become a social problem. Many people think that generation gap is a modern phrase, but I have read an article（尚书﹒无逸）, there is a passage describing the behavior of the young in the ancient society . It is said “the common people, especially the young do not know how hard life is! They just enjoy themselves while their parents are working hard on the farmland, they contradict their parents every day, and say their parents are out-of-date and not knowing what times is?”(陈戌国,2002:262) Thus it can be seen that the generation gap has a much longer history than we thought, and yet we find it absolutely difficult to solve because there’s no way to smooth away these differences between generations. Especially in the Dong nationality region in the southeast of Guizhou . We can feel that in our daily life, most of our fathers and mothers like listening to revolutionary songs and folk songs, while we, the young boys and girls, love pop songs. When my father hears my brother’s rock music records, he must say, “Turn it off. It is terrible!” And when my brother sees my father watching revolutionary films, he will switch the channel immediately. and these often causes some troubles and arguments. To make matters worse , some parents and their children quarrel with each other just because of the generation gap. For instance, a farmer at his fifties , and he had never went to school , now he tries his best to earn money to send his daughter to school, but he only wants his daughter to study well and seldom communicate with her and treat her strictly. The only thing he cares about is the score she got in the final examination. If she failed in the examination he will feel very angry and says he will not send her to school next term, and his daughter is always complaining that the way he treats her is so strict, but she doesn’t want to understand her father and communicate with him, and she thinks that her father does not love her at all. Now they are not willing to sit face to face and communicate.