江　丽　陆　琳

1 Introduction

As a particular kind of language, allusion is indicating the distinctive features of culture. Allusion is defined as an indirect reference according to Oxford Concise Companion to the English Language. In English learning, allusion is very important. To get to know an allusion, we should explore the sources. There are mainly 4 sources, such as religion, literature, sports, historical events and so on.. The process of exploring the source of allusion would show the development of language and culture flavor.

2 Sources of allusion

What are the chief sources of allusions then? As one would expect, they would come mostly from what are either familiar to the majority of the people, on the one hand, or familiar to most educated people on the other. Those sources, therefore, can be chiefly divided into legends(containing religion factors),literature, sports and historical events or figures.

2.1Classical legends

A common source of allusion in English and American speech and writing is legends and mythology. Western literature and art as a whole, in fact, show the strong influence of Greek and Roman mythic stories. Moreover, they have permeated through every aspect of life such as politics, culture, language, journalism, religions, science technology, business and everyday life, etc. For example, Uranus, Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune, Venus, Mars, etc, are terms of stars originated from the names of gods and goddesses. Paris (the capital of France) is the name of the Prince of Troy in Greek mythic stories. So Greek and Roman mythology is the main source of English allusions. Below are some examples:

Herculean task: Hercules was a man of great strength. This allusion now means anything that is hard and difficult to carry out

Oedipus: Oedipus, without knowing it, killed his father and married his mother. A son's psychological attachment to his mother and jealousy of father is now called Oedipus complex.

Achilles' heel: a weak and vulnerable point of a person(organization, country, etc.) Because, in classical legends, Achilless heel couldnt touch the earth. In battle, it is his most serious weak-point.

2.2The Bible

Religions have played a very important role in the development of human history. It is especially true with the western societies .IIn the west, stories in the Bible are known to almost everybody. The figures, objects, events, even the animals and plants mentioned in the Bible can be cited as allusions. Eg:

1.Bush's decision to lay his party's holy tax grail on the table was not so much the product of an epiphany as it was incremental dawning that something must be done. (Gloria Borger) (Holy Grail: the cup or platter used by Jesus at the Last Supper, and by Josoph of Arimathea to collect drops of Jesus' blood at the Crucifixion; symbolized the truth and knowledge needed to achieve the experience of salvation. It became the quest for the knights. In this example, the tax policy of Bush government is compared to the Holy Grail.)

2.In the missile museum, 25miles south of Tucson, visitors take an hour's tour of Armageddon complete with sound effects. (Robb Deigh.)

(Armageddon: the site of the last great battle between the forces of good and evil.)

3.I read some of my poetry aloud to them, but it was casting pearls before swine. They obviously didn't understand a word of it and soon started yawning, looking at their watches and fidgeting in their chairs. (cast the pearls before the swine: originate from The New Testament，means offering good things to one incapable of appreciating them.)

Below are some common allusions from this source, apart from those already mentioned:

A. Allusions from the Old Testament

Cain: the son of Adam and Eve, he murdered his brother Abel because of jealousness. Now it is the other name of rebellion or faction.

The old Adam: the immoral, selfish side of human nature.

B. Allusions from the New Testament

Doubting Thomas: (Thomas, the disciple who doubted that Christ had risen from the dead, until he had seen for himself the marks of crucifixion on the risen Christ.) now it refers to the person who is suspicious.

The salt of the earth: (Jesus compared his disciples to the salt of the earth.) the elite of society.

Beat the air: to try in vain to do something;

C. Allusions from Christ's parables

The lost sheep: one who has strayed from the faith;

The eleventh hour: or just before a deadline, when the first shall be last, and the last first (said of those who repent at the last moment)

2.3Literature works

2.3.1Nursery rhymes

Nursery rhymes are handed down from generation to generation, with little change in their simple words or melodies. English nursery rhymes are known and sung not only in the home country, but also in the English-speaking countries of north America and South Africa. Children taught in English-stream schools in former British colonies also them. Here are some well-known examples:

1.Hey diddle, diddle

The cat and the fiddle,

The cow jumped over the moon;

The little dog laughed

To see such sport,

And the dish ran away with the spoon.

2.Rain, rain, go away,

Come again another day

These simple little ditties can be said to be part of the English cultural heritage. Some allusions that came from them still are being used today.

2.3.2Shakespeares works

Superfluous literary allusions can be found in many great writers works, especially in Shakespeares works. His marvelous status couldnt be replaced, because so many works of his have become classic literary pieces. Here are a list of allusions from his plays or novels:

Romeo and Juliet: from Shakespeare's play of the same name, a pair of young tragic lovers This phrase now is used to describe a pair of loyal and sad lovers.

Green-eyed monster: from Shakespeare's play Othello, the person who feels envy at others.

A Cleopatra: a woman of breathing beauty; from Shakespeares play Anthony and Cleopatra

2.3.3Other writers works

Other great writers like Dickens, Hardy, Ts Eliot, Melville, Sinclair lewis, and Falkar, etc. also contributes to the literary allusions. The followings are a few examples with literary allusions:

Micawber: (character in Dickens' David Copperfield) an in-corrigible optimist, even in the worst circumstances, fond of speaking in a circumlocutory way when excited

Catch-22: (from Joseph Heller's novel of the same name) self-contradictory rules or regulations; any situation which puts one in a dilemma.

2.4Sports

It is a meaningful human activity that also bred many allusions. Non-native English speakers often have trouble when they come across allusions to sports in English, unless they know the game which is alluded to. This is especially true of American English, which abounds with expressions from 2 sports games——baseball and American football——that originated in the U.S., but which are comparatively unknown in many other countries:

Baseball:

To not get to first base——to fail early or at the very beginning of an attempt; e.g., She attracted him at first sight and he made elaborate plans to court her, but he didnt even get to first base.

American football:

To carry the ball——to have the main responsibility for getting a certain task or job done; e.g., The negotiations are the key to the undertaking; wed better ask Mumford to carry the ball.

As above, just give 2 examples here. There are still many other sports being the sources of allusions.

3 Conclusion

Allusion, a kind of rhetorical devices, with great culture transmission power, is widely used in oral or written form. It is also a reflection of the rich cultural heritage of the people who speak the language.

But such allusions are not always easy to understand, and without understanding there can be little appreciation. So exploring the sources of allusion is very necessary. There are mainly 4 sources: legends (containing religion factors), literature, sports and contemporary events or figures. Knowing the sources of allusion will help us learning English language and culture.

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