A Comparative Study of the Meanings of Numbers in English and Chinese Cultures

本文主要目的係提供語文中的數字作為一種教學內涵，藉此引發學生學英文的興趣。數字被認為具有深、廣度討論的內涵；而數字的用途，不限於在物質世界測量的方便性。在許多傳統文化中，數字構成宇宙次序和結構，因而彼此有密切關係；在不同民俗文化中，人類對數字的符號與其所代表的意涵常感到困惑。本文架構，首先説明數字的意義並追溯其來源，分析迷信和神話對數字的聯想；然後提出一種教學法，讓學生瞭解數字在文化中的意義，及其進一步的應用。The main purpose of this paper is to provide an approach to teaching numbers in English class, so as to arouse the interest of students for learning English. Numbers are considered an appropriate topic, rich in depth and broad in usage. The use of numbers is more than a convenient measure of the physical world. In many traditions they are linked with cosmic principles that give order and structure to the universe. Human beings have been fascinated by the numerals which have been used as symbols to represent certain ideas within the folklore of every culture. The paper aims to (1) explain the general meanings of numbers, trace their origins, and analyze their superstitious or mythical associations, and (2) proposes an approach to teaching Chinese students how to understand the meanings of numbers and make further use of them