从情景喜剧看中美文化差异—以《家有儿女》和《摩登家庭》为例

题目A ComparativeStudy ofCultural Differencesin Chineseand American Sitcoms从情景-Taking Home with Kids and Modern Family as examples喜剧看中美文化差异一以《家有儿女》和《摩登家庭》为例microcosmic and theory to application withincreasingly abundantresearch perspective.Scholars beginto studysitcoms from the viewsof feminism,cross-cultural communication,social and cultural values,social linguistics,mass culture and so on.What ismore,in termsofresearch contents,the studies have extendedfrom the analysis of humor in sitcoms to theexploration of gender relationshipsand femaleimages,researches on the discourse ofsitcoms,the contrastof Chinese and American culture reflected in sitcoms and so on.Studies onChinese sitcoms have alsodeveloped a lot in recent years.Thus,constantprogress has been madein thestudies onChinese andEnglish sitcomsboth inresearchperspective andcontent.However,these former studies alsohave someshortages.First,the researchmethodis single.Almost allthe researchis based on some specific sitcomsor the whole sitcomfamily.Although sitcoms are theresearch objectsand usuallyresemble real daily life,theycan notcompletely presentreal lifesituations.Thus,when scholarsstudy thediscourse orbehavior,the outputis limited.Besides,there isunbalance inresearch contentof studies onChinese and American sitcoms.It can be foundthat these studies mainlyfocus on thehumor in sitcoms frommany differentaspects whilefew ondiscourse interpretation andculture.As faras foreignstudies areconcerned,little attentionhasbeenpaid to the cultureembodiedin sitcoms,let alonethe comparisonbetween Chinese and American cultures.What ismore,although somedomestic scholarshave concentratedon culture in sitcomsandanalyzed the differences between Chinese and American culturesthrough contrastingChinese and American sitcoms,thesestudies are vagueand general.Most of them havenotexplored cultural causes of these differencessystematically.Thus,some suggestionsand solutionscan beprovided.First,more effectivestudymethods should be used to breakthe limitsof theexisting methods.For example,whenscholars studysome specificspeech actor peoplesbehavior atsomespecificsituation,realinterview orquestionnaire surveycan beusedtodeepen theresearch.Besides,moreconcrete andsystematic studiesshould bedone on the aspectof cultureinsitcomssincetodays worldis increasinglya meltingpot of cultures,which asksand urgespeople toattachhigh attentionto differentcultures.Last butnot least,more aspectsand pointsshouldbe concernedin futurestudiesoncultures reflected insitcoms.C.Purpose andmethodThese two sitcoms bearsimilarity anddifferences inmany aspects.They are bothabout familylife and the growthof kids.However,some valuesreflected on these twositcoms are entirelydifferent,like valueson childrens education,which can be wellused asmaterialsto contrastChinese and American cultures.Thus,this thesisis meantto contrastthese two worksto analyze the differences betweenChinese and American culture.As globalizationcontinues deepeningcurrently,cross-cultural communicationandunderstanding bearspecial significance.As a popular culturalgenre,sitcoms at home andabroadcan directlyreflect thedifferences betweenChinese and American cultures.Theresearch on the cultural differences shownby sitcomsis firstlyconducive to the betterunderstandingof the American cultures and canhelp peoplehave aright attitudetowardsthe natureand characteristicsof differentcultures.Consequently culturaldiversity andinclusivenesswill bepromoted.Secondly,it canlead usto abetter confidencein ourownculture anda rationalview of Chinese cultureand Americanculture.Finally,it canalsopromote cross-cultural communication in peoples daily life,such asinternationalcooperation inwork andso on.Especially for Chinese andEnglish languagelearners,theunderstanding of the cultureof differentcountries playsan importantrole inlanguagelearning.Thus,this thesisfocuses onChinese and American sitcomsin aview ofcultureand ismeant to analyze thesecultural differencesin thepoint ofcharacters.Characters insitcomsare actuallyproducts of the culturethey represent,so theycan reflect the culturebehindthem to the greatest extent.What theysay,what they do,what kind of viewsthey holdorwhat theychoose are the bestreflection of the culture.Thus,from thesettings,utterance,behaviors,personalities of the characters,their wayto getalone with others andsoon,twodifferent kindsofculturecanbefully andsystematically contrasted.Meanwhile,theanalysis of plots andcomedy elementswill alsobe concludedsince they are partsofcharacterization.IL Acomparative study of differencesin thesetwo sitcomsA.Chinese family education v.s.American family educationIn Chineseand Americanculture,people holddifferent views on family education,which canbe seenin Liu Mei andClaire.As atypical Chinesemother,Liu Meitakes careof the house.Besides working,she doesthe houseworkeveryday andconcerns about thegrowth ofher children in herway.Claire is a full-time housewifeafter shegave upthe jobforher family.Although theyhave manythings incommon,their philosophyfor childrenseducation and growthare distinct.Liu Meiholds the view that a good child shoulddo well in school and do what theyaretold by parents andteachers.In Home with Kids.LiuMeadores Xia Xue verymuch andalwaysshows offto herneighbors thatXia Xueis the top onestudent in the school.In herview,Xia Xueis atypical goodgirl sinceshe paysmuch attentionto herstudy andcanalways do wellin school.When XiaXue getsgood grades in exams,Liu Meiusually giveshermaterial rewardslike MP3episode23,which indicatesthat getting good grades inschool is a qualitydeserving beingrewarded inher eyes.However,her sonLiu Xing is anaughtyboy whoalmost takesfailing examsas amatter ofroutine.So Liu Mei alwaysasksLiu Xingto concentrateon hisstudy likesaying goback toyou roomand dothehomework”episode33,00:17:40in acommanding tonewhen Liu Xingisplaying games.Besides,because of the badacademic performanceof Liu Xing,Liu Meidoes nottrust himso that sheattributes LiuXings good gradesinone of his historyexam tohis cheatingin thetestepisode

26.What ismore,she expectsXia Yuto bea versatileboy andnot tolose atthestarting line.Thus,she sendsXia Yuto variousextracurricular classesto learnviolin,painting anddancing which Xia Yuis extremelyunwilling to take duringhis summerholidaysepisode

60.On thecontrary,Claire reckonsthatagoodchilddoes notmean highgrades,but tobehappy andoutgoing andget along well withothers.Her youngerdaughter Alexis anintelligentgirl whoalways getexcellent gradesin school,but Claireworries abouther a lotbecause Alexdoes notdowellin socialization.Alex hateswearing dressand takingpart inpartiesto playwith herpeers.At home,she can not getalong wellwith hersister andbrother,either.When itcomes toAlexs excellentacademic performance,Claire reckonsthatshe spendstoo muchtime andenergy onstudy andshe hopesAlex canpay moreattentionto other aspects oflife,not just to study.Different fromAlex,Claires eldestdaughterHaley doesreally badinschool.But Haleyisaconfident andoutgoing beautifulgirl.She likessocializing andcan getalong wellwithothers.Thus,even shehas pooracademic performance,Claire neverworries aboutit.Meanwhile,when itcomes toherlittle sonwho behavesabnormally sometimes,Claire says,“Of courseI wantLuke to besuccessful butI dontthink aparent canjust forcethat.I thinkyou justhave tohave faiththat the kidsgonna findhis ownway”episode7,00:06:

44.This distinctionactually shows the differentfamilyeducationphilosophies ofChineseand Americancultures.In Chinese culture,academic performancebears greatsignificancein childrensdevelopment and some Chinese parents eventake grades as theonly standard to value theability anddevelopment of their children.And theyhope theirkidswill growup in the waythey like and expect.However,in Americanculture,whatparents valuemore aretheir childrensinterpersonal communicationability,practicalability andfree andcomplete personalityLiang Xia,

243.They trusttheir kidsand respectthechoice of their kids.Instead ofcommanding,they worshipcommunication withkids inafriendly andequal way.B.Traditional patriarchalrole v.s.free personal choiceIn Chineseand Americanculture,peoples attitudetowards traditionalpatriarchalrole andfree personal choice aredistinct,which canbe seenin the three childrensgrandmother and grandfatherin Home with Kids,and Jay and his ex-wife in Modern Family.They alllove theirfamilies but their viewson patriarchalroles and personalchoicearedifferent.The grandparentsin Home with Kidsare typicaltraditional Chinese elders whospoiltheir grandchildrenand obey the rulesto berespectable onesof seniority.The grandfatherand the grandmotherare nota couple,for oneis LiuMeis father-in-law and the otheris XiaDonghaismother-in-law.The grandmotherspoils thethree kidsa lot.Every timethey arecondemnedby parentsafter makingtrouble,the grandmotherwould protectthem andasktheir parentsto forgivethem invirtue ofher seniority.For example,in episode18,the kidsbreakthe capof thevaluable porcelainwhichXia Donghai hasbought as a birthdaygift forthe grandmother.When hefinds it,he getsso angrythat hedetermines topunish the kids.Inorder to stop him,thegrandmothersmashes the whole porcelaininto piecesand askshim toforgivethe kidseven sheextremely cherishesit.When itcomes tothe grandfather,he ownsthe biggest patriarchalauthority as the oldestmale in the whole family.He livesby astrictmoral codeandisalso verystrict with his grandchildren.In episode31,the grandfathercomestotakecare of the kidssince LiuMei and Xia Donghaiarebothonabusiness trip.He turnsthe daily life of thekidsinto militarytraining andenforces themto obeyhim.In Modern Family,Jayand hisex-wife oftendo someunusual thingswhich are notappropriate for their agebut aretheir personalchoices.Jay isa62-year-old wealthybusinessman andmarries a hot beautifulwoman whocan evenbe his daughter giving herage afterhis divorcewithhisex-wife.Different from the grandfatherin Home with Kids,Jay lovesenjoying life,such asspending muchtime onvocation,sports andentertainment.Sometimes he is childishlikeakid.He oftenbickers withhis son-in-law,Phil,and evenhitsPhil bythe toyplane deliberatelywhen they are playingit episode

3.And many of hisconductsbecome laughingpoints in the sitcom.For example,he teacheshis stepsonManny howto wooa girlwith confidence,but hislesson does not workout atall episode

1.During hisbirthday vacation,heisonce stuckin ahammock because ofhisold bodyepisode

23.All of these presenta freeand cuteold manof60th age.Jays ex-wife is not ahousewife.She livesher ownlife andcontinues pursuingher love,not caringmuch abouther children.When sheknows Jayis goingto marryGloria,she comesto theirceremony,getting drunk and ruiningit in a grossway episode

3.Later,she wantsto apologizetoGloria andJay.But shefights withGloria again and theytwo makepeace immediately,which is totally ridiculousgivingherage.But shechooses tolive thisway and her choiceisrespected byherchildren.This distinctionof thesecharacters indicatesthe different viewson patriarchal rolesand personalchoice.In Chinese culture,people thinktheir behaviorsshouldbeappropriatefor theirage.For oldpeople,it is the moralcode to be honorableand respectable.They careabout family and children,giving prioritytothe benefits of the whole family not themselveswhen makingdecisions.However,in Americanculture,peoples agedoes notconstricttheir conducts.They concernabout theirright tochoose livingtheir ideallife withfreedom.Even beingold,they donot regardfamily as the topimportant thingbut stillpursue whattheylike.For them,their ownfeelings andbenefits arethe keyswhen makingdecisions.Ill•Cultural causesfor thesedifferencesA.Chinese values influenced by ConfucianismChinese valuesare greatly influenced byConfucianism.As acultural mainstreamideology,philosophy andreligious systemthat originatedin Chinaand spreadto othersurroundingeast Asiancountries inancient time,it wasfounded byConfucius551B.C.-479B.C.,a greatthinker andeducationist inlate Springand AutumnPeriod.Withbenevolence,forgiveness,sincerity andfilial pietyas thecore values,Confucianismemphasizes themoral cultivation of people,attaches importance to familyethics andadvocateseducation LuYouzhi,24-

26.As theessence andcore of Chinese traditionalculture,Confucianism hasa profoundimpact intodays Chinese values.First,filial pietyworshiped byConfucianism hasaffected Chinese familyrelationships.According toConfucianism,being filialto parentsistosupport,respect andlovethem ZhangJian,

76.But thiskindof respect alsomeans obedienceto someextent.Chinese parentssee obedienceof childrenasapart offilial dutytoday andutilize itas amoralconstraint toimpose their own ideason children.On theother hand,the ThreeCardinalGuides rulerguides subject,father guidesson andhusband guideswife alsointensifythe inequalityofthepower andstatus between parents and children.According totheThree CardinalGuides,children aresupposed toguided by parents,which means theyshould obey their parents.Thus,in terms of education,parents holdfirmly thedecision-making powerand playan leadingrole.This iswhy manychildren in China havetogo toextra-curricular coursestheydonot likebut askedbyparentsto likeXia Yuinepisode60of Homewith Kids.Confucian ethicshave alwayspaid attentionto thedistinctionbetween seniorityand inferiority,which is the rootcauseofthe stronghierarchyin Chinese culture Rao Jihong,

166.In addiction,this gradingof familystatus canbeevidenced bythe waychildren call their parents and honorificwords usedwhen talkingwithparents.Different fromAmerica,childrenin Chinese familynever calltheir parentsbytheir firstname butalways“mother”and“father or“mom anddad”.Second,the valueof participation in societyadvocated byConfucianism hasaffectedChinese education philosophy.As Confucianismencourages peopleengaging inpolitics atthattime,the imperial examination systemwas bornto bea wayof selectingtalent throughexaminationfor thestate andan approachto standout forindividuals.It takesgradesastheonlystandardtovaluetalent andif onegets famethrough it,his socialstatus wouldbehighly lifted,which meansgetting highgrades canlead toa successfullife ZhangHuijie,

13.Although gaokao,todays exam-oriented educationsystem in China,is quietdifferentfrom theancient imperialexamination system,it isinfluenced a lot bythe imperialexaminationsystem inmany aspects.Similarly,the evaluationcriterion ofChinese gaokaoremains the gradesof exams.Like theimperialexaminationsystem,gaokao formanyChinese studentsmeanstheonly chanceto turntheir destinyand standout.Meanwhile,fortheir parents,goodgradesin gaokaoequal tothe guaranteeof well-paid jobsand well-beinglife of their kids.Like LiuMei,she alwaysworries aboutthe futureof LiuXing sincehedoes extremelyworse inschoolandtends to be proudof XiaXue sinceshe isthetoponestudent inschool.Thus,todays Chineseparents careabouttheacademic performanceoftheir childrenalot.They reckonthat onlygettinggoodgradesingaokao cantheir childrenbesuccessful.So theyput muchmoney andefforts in their childrensstudy andjudge theirkidsby grades.Third,the cultureof proprietyemphasized byConfucianism hasinfluenced Chinesepeoplesconducts and choices.According toConfucianism,propriety shouldbe thecore ofgovernanceof astate.Confucianism believesthat everyoneshould strictlyabide bytherules ofpropriety,and behaveinanorderly manner.He orshe shouldnot see,hear,speak ordo anything improperto propriety.Everyone shouldfollow theappropriate etiquetteandmoral codesaccording totheir ownidentity LuoanShiyu,

68.For example,fathers andsonsare expectedto behavein accordancewith their own social norms.Affected bythis,elders intodays Chinese family emphasize their family responsibility,stress lawsand rules,obeythecode ofethics and try tomodel avenerable elderimage.Before doinganything,they wouldconsider ifit isappropriate for their agesand correspondingmoral codestheyshould follow.Meanwhile,Confucianism emphasizescollectivism andbelieves thatcollectiveinterests surpassindividual interests.When the two arein conflict,the individualinterestsshould makenecessary sacrificesto preservethe collectiveinterests RaoJihong,

164.Thus,elders inChinesefamilyusually careaboutfamilyand children,giving prioritytothebenefitsofthewholefamilynotthemselveswhen makingdecisions.And theywouldalso giveup theirown interestsor makecompromises inorder tomaintain theharmony ofthewholefamily.Like thegrandmother in Homewith Kids,who breaksup herbelovedporcelain,her birthdaygift fromXia Donghai,justtoease thetension betweenXia Donghaiand LiuXingepisode

18.B.American values influenced by IndividualismAmerican valuesare greatlyinfluenced by Individualism.It isoriginated fromRenaissancehumanism asthe ideologicalweapon forthe bourgeoisieto opposefeudalautocracy andasceticism.The coreof contemporarywestern individualismlies in therespect to individuals and their values,emphasis of individual freedomand rights,and fullplayofindividualcreativity andinitiative.LiliSong Xieli,460During the developmentof Americanculture,Individualism haspenetrated intopolitics,economy,culture,educationandother aspectsof Americansociety.Meanwhile,the independentstruggle andpioneering spirit ofindividualism havebecome oneofthemost vividnational spiritsofAmerican peopleandtheinternal drivingforce ofthedevelopmentof Americansociety.First,the respectto individualsstressed by Individualism hasaffected Americansrelationships.With thefocus onindividuals and their values,people wishtoberespected asindependentindividuals andtreated equallyas anyoneelse.Thus,as to family relationships,there isno stricthierarchy between parentsandchildren.Childrens personalinterests andchoicesare respectedbyparents,which isgreatlyinfluenced by individualism.Parents seechildrenas independentindividuals,not theirsubordinates.Family membersare allrespectedand haverights tospeak andmake decisionson theirown affairs.This egalitarianapproachtofamilyeducation alsogives Americanchildren theopportunity to expressthemselves andmake theirown decisions.It greatlycultivates childrenscharacter ofcriticalthinking,daring totry andpioneeringspirit,and alsobuild childrensself-confidence WangLiuhua,

88.Moreover,it isnormal forchildren tocalltheirparentsby theirfirst namesandtheirparents wouldnot feelingdisrespected andthis evenbecome afeatureof parent-child relationshiplike friends,which isprecisely becausethey believethateveryone isequal.And becauseof this,English hasno honorificforms.In addition,as tosocialrelationships,there isless formalityin interpersonalcommunicationin Americanculture.Acquaintances greeteach otherwith acommon“hello”,regardless ofseniority orstatusRaoJihong,

165.Second,the spirit of independentstruggle advocatedbyIndividualismhas influencedAmericaneducationphilosophy.Partly duetothehistorical traditionthat thefirst PuritansarrivedinAmericabuilt thewild landsinto vibrantcolonial areasthrough hard working,ithas become an important part of American individualismto pursuesuccess andwealth andthe realization ofself-worth throughdiligence andhard working.So,American parentspaymore attentiontothecultivationof childrens practicalability,survival abilityandindependent personality,instead ofblindly focusing on theirchildrens academicperformance.They believethat theultimate pursuitof educationisnotacademic excellence,butthe realization of childrens self-worth.This iswhy Alexis alwaysencouraged totakepart insocial activitiesand Luckis alwaysaccompanied byhis fatherto createnew toysorexplores somewherehe interestedin insteadof beingasked tofocus onstudy inModernFamily.Third,individual freedomand rightsemphasized byindividualism hasaffectedAmerican peoplesconducts andchoices.What individualismstresses isthat everyonehasthe freedomand rightto dowhatever they want to do andtobewhoever theywant tobe andthis is cannever forciblycompromised.As forpeoples behaviorsandchoices,what theyemphasizeisthesupremacy ofpersonal valueand aretend tofocus onhis orher ownfeeling,interests andneeds insteadof consideringthewholesociety.Thus,they alwaysput self-pursuing firstand refuseto changeor repressthemselves inorderto makethe groupharmonious.Instead,they advocatepersonality,uniqueness andself-fulfillment.Like Luke,though beinga littlebit strangeor differentfrom otherkids,hispersonality andnatural instinctsare respectedandhealways hasthe rightto dowhat hewantsto doeven it is quitedistinctive.Also,thisisthe reasonwhy evenelders in Americanfamily usuallydo someridiculous thingsnot properfortheirages inChinese peopleseyes.Without fixedroles toplay andrequirements tofollow,they justdowhattheywanttodo,like EmilyinModernFamily,an oldlady inher fiftieswho gotdrunkandmade ascene atherex-husbands weddingand fightwith herrival inlove later.IV.ConclusionsWith thedeepening ofglobalization,the culturalexchanges betweendifferentcountries areincreasingly frequent.Thus,the study onthedifferences betweendifferentcultures bearsmuch significanceand getsmore concernthan before.By comparingandcontrasting Homewith Kids and Modem Family,this thesistries tofind outdifferencesbetween Homewith Kidsand ModernFamily andexplore thecultural causesof thedifferences.The majorresults areas following two aspects:distinct familyeducationphilosophy anddifferentviewsonpatriarchalroles.In termsof familyeducation,Chineseparents emphasizegrades andacademicperformanceof childrenwhile Americanparentsmainly focusonthefull independentpersonality andpractical skillsofchildren.In termsofpatriarchal rolesand personalchoice,Chineseeldersemphasizetheir familyresponsibility,stress lawsand rules,obeythecode ofethics andtry tomodel venerableelder images,whilethe eldersin theAmerican familiesattach moreimportancetofree personalchoice andgivepriority totheirowninterests.Cultural causesfor thesedifferences areChinese valuesinfluenced byConfucianismand American valuesinfluenced byIndividualism.Affected byConfucianism,the culturesoffilial piety,participationinsociety andpropriety haveformed theunique characteristicsofChineseculture.On thecontrary,affected byAbstractChineseandAmerican sitcomsaredeeply lovedby audienceas theyvividly showpeoplesdaily life.While bearingmany similarities,they alsoreflect hugedifferencesbetween cultures.By comparingHomewith Kidsand ModemFamily,this thesisaims toanalyzethedifferences reflectedin thesetwo sitcoms andexplore thecultural causesofthese differences.The firstchapter mainlyintroduces thetwo sitcoms,Homewith Kidsand ModernFamily,literature reviewandthepurpose andmethod ofthis thesis.The secondchaptermakes acomparative analysis ofthedifferencesreflectedinHomewith Kidsand ModernFamily,which aremainly summarizedin thefollowingtwoaspects:first,Chinese andAmerican familyeducationphilosophies are different.Second,the viewsof patriarchalrolesandpersonalchoice inChineseandAmericanculturesaredifferent.The thirdchapterexplores theculturalcausesofthesedifferences andholds the view thatChinese valuesinfluencedbyConfucianismandAmericanvaluesinfluencedbyIndividualismarethekeys.The forthchapter isthe conclusionofthewhole thesis.Key Words:sitcoms,culturaldifferences,Confucianism,IndividualismIndividualism,the valuesofrespecttoindividuals,their freedomandtheirrights aswell asthespiritofhardworkinghave shapedthe vividfeatures of Americanculture.Different fromformerstudiesdone from the perspective ofplots,this thesisturnsthe perspectiveto characters,focusingoncharacters andextend tootheraspectsfromcharacters,since characters are actuallythe outcomesof cultures.However,there arealso somelimitations ofthis thesis.First of all,even sitcomspresentpeoplesdailylife,theyarenot peoples realdailylife.Thus,the studyon culturaldifferencesbasedon these sitcomscannotcompletely reflecttherealsituation ofeveryone.The resultsbear representativesignificance butnot absoluteand universal.Besides,thedifferences this thesis selectsand analyzesarenotenough sincethere arealotofdifferences reflectedonthesetwositcoms.Last butnot least,most oftheanalysisis basedonpersonal interpretationand perceptions.Due tothe limitationoftheauthors knowledge,expressive abilityand evenpersonal prejudice,thisthesisalso hasits limitation.Bibliography

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1.Later,the trendof adoptingbroadcastprograms toTV sitcomsswept theUnited States,which createda newform oftelevision artandstarted thehistory of TV sitcoms.Today,sitcoms havebecome oneofthethree majortypesofTV dramas,competing withsoap operas and melodramas.When itcomes toChinesesitcom,it hasgrown fromemergence toprosperity sincethe riseof sitcomsinChina inthe early1990s.Nowadays,it hasbecomeanimportantpartof ChinesemainstreamTVdramaand beenfavoredbyan increasingnumber ofChinese people.Sitcoms arecreated withseveral features.First,the sceneis settobefixed,and theplotis limitedtoa few fixedscenes;Second,the charactersare fixed.Although variouskindsof peoplecanbeinterwoven,the maincharactersarebasically determined;Third,thecomedy formis fixed.Whether itaims tomake peoplethink ormake themmove totears,the humorouscomedy natureremainsthebasic andthe main.Wu Di,2What ismore,thecontent of sitcoms usuallystem frompeoplesrealdailylife,reflecting thecurrent socialandcultural phenomenon.This thesistakes twoclassic andpopular ChineseandAmerican sitcoms,Home withKidsseason1and ModemFamily season1asexamplesto contrastthedifferences ofChineseandAmericanculture.The followingisthebrief introductiontothem.HomewithK泌season1was filmedin2004and premiered on BeijingTV Stationof China in2005andbecameapopularfamily sitcomamong Chineseaudiences at thattime.It presentsa storyofa rebuilt Chinesefamily ina humorousway.XiaDonghaioncegoes toAmerica foraccompanying hisex-wife whoplans onworking therefor severalyears.After divorcing,he comesback toChina withhis seven-year-old son,Xia Yutoreunite withhisdaughterXiaXuewho livesinChinawith hergrandfather.Later,he getsmarriedwith LiuMei,a headnurse whoalso hasdivorced andlives withher son.All thestorieshappen insuchaspecial family.Both thefather XiaDonghai andthe motherLiuMei arecaring andkind.They careabout theirchildrens growthand hopeto raisehappyand successfulchildren withtheir loveand wisdom.Meanwhile,although theirblood tieandage aredifferent,thethree children getalongwellwith eachother.This sitcomreflectsthe conflicts and problemsbetweenparentsandchildrenand howthey learn to understandandtolerate eachother to solve theseproblems.Like families in reallife,itisinevitable tohaveconflicts betweenfamily members,but familylove makesthem realizethat harmonyisthebiggesthappiness ofthewholefamily,which isalso seenas oneofthecoreideologies ofChineseculture.Meanwhile,it reflectstherealsocial situationofChinainthe early21th century.Forexample,a family with threechildren canhardly existinChinaatthattime dueto one-childpolicy.However,only afamilywith multiple memberscan bringout moresparks andcontradictionsamong thecharacters andpresent thereal familyconflictsandcontradictionsin adramatic waytothegreatestextent.Thus,arebuiltfamily becomesthe originalsetting.Moreover,manyofthe conflictsintheplay are actually epitomesofChinesefamilys dailylife.For example,LiuMeiandXiaDonghai*seducationoftheirnaughty son,LiuXing,isexactly themode ofloving fatherand strictmother thatmany familieswould havethen andevennow.ModernFamily,an Americansitcom narratedand filmedintheform ofmockumentary,premieredonSeptember23,2009on ABC,and haswon fiveconsecutiveEmmy Awardsfor outstandingcomedy series.ModernFamilyseason1tells astory aboutthreedifferent Americanfamilies andtheir dailylife.The familiesare:an ordinaryparentsand theirthreechildren,a gaycouple withtheir adopteddaughter fromVietnam anda62-year-old manandhissecond wife,ahotColombian exoticbeauty,and her11-year-oldson.And themost amazingthing isthat theyareactuallyone bigfamily.These threefamiliesall havetheirowntroubles toface andsolve,which stemfrom eithermisunderstandingand distrustbetweenparentsandchildrenorthecrash ofdifferent cultureandbelief.However,family memberslearntocomprehend andtolerate eachotherandstaytogether tosolve problemsgradually throughconstant communicationsheart toheart.This sitcomalso presentsthe situationofAmericanfamiliesintheearly21st century,withmultiplefamily modes,culturesandconflicts.Then howtosolvethese contradictionshasbecome oneofthemost importanttasks forAmerican people,which alsostrengthensthe inclusivenessand opennessofAmericanculture.These twositcomsaresimilar inmany ways.First ofall,theyareboth familysitcoms,with family members asthe maincharacters,family environmentasthemain scenesandfamily conflictsasthemain plots.Besides,they bothreflecttheconflicts betweenfamilymembers andthe processof conflictresolution,thus conveyingthe themeof familyharmony.While thereare manysimilarities betweenthetwoshows,they alsoreflect hugedifferences.This thesiswill focusonthesedifferences andcultural rootsbehind themtoanalyze.B.Literature reviewFirst,afewabroad studieson sitcomsare doneinrecentyears.Many ofthe studiesfocusonthe humor insitcoms.For example,Marianne Eve2018studies theassociationbetween impolitenessandtheexpression ofhumor inseveral English-Irish sitcoms.Shegets theconclusion thatimpoliteness isubiquitous insitcomsandimpoliteness threateningfreedomandpersonalcharacteristics ispreferred bypeople.Jean Sebastien2018holdsthe viewthatthe humor stemfrom thedelicate combinationofgender and racein MohawkGirls.She thinksthis sitcomshowstheissues ofgenderandrace,which canprovideborrowings conducivetostopthe whitesocietys relentlessoppression onFirst Nations.Alharthi2016studies the humor andstrategy oftheAmericansitcom Seinfeldfrom theview of subtitle,which hasenriched thestudyonsubtitle inthe Arabworld.The studyanalyzes the subtitlestrategy thatArab translatorsuse assolutions tothe linguisticandcultural challengeswhen translatingthehumor inthe sitcomSeinfeld.Besides these,a fewstudieson sitcomsare donefrom otherperspectives.For example,Jack SimmonsandLeigh E.Rich2013doananalysisofgender relationsand femaleimages from theperspective offeminism.They thinksitcomshavenot changedconventional narrativemodethat presentingunder theviewofmale characters,although todaysfemale charactersaremodified tokeep pacewith changingsocialnorms.Kadiri2017conducts acorpus-based identityconstruction researchontheBBC sitcomCitizen Khan.The studyfinds that thereisarelationship betweenPakistani andtheirfamilyidentity.Also,Pakistaniculture effectsthe dynamicswithin households.Magdalena Bildand AlenaKacmarova2014analyzetheposition ofthe tonicstress andinterpret thespeakers communicativeintentioninthesitcom Friends.They find the genreofthepreset textdoesnotnecessarilyinfluence themere realizationof soundand pragmaticreading.Meanwhile,many scholarsathomehave madesubstantial researchon sitcoms.Theirstudies canbe categorizedfromthefollowing threeaspects intermsofthe content.First,study isdone onthehumor ofsitcoms.Ru Yuan2016makes acomparison onthehumorofChineseandAmerican sitcoms fromthe perspective ofAmerican Englishhumor and Chinesedialect humor,American racialhumorandChinese regionalhumor.Taking thesitcom Friendsasanexample,Huang Jiao2014studies the lack ofhumorcaused byuntranslatability froma cognitiveview.She discussesthe factorsofuntranslatability ofEnglish humorfrom aspectsof languageand culturerespectively andtriesto putforward somecompensation strategiesto reducethelackofhumor.Gu Feirong,Lu Junwenand MeiJingxue2017interpret thehumorinAmericansitcomsfrom across-cultural perspective.They interpret thehumorphenomenon thatis difficultforChinese peopleto understandinAmericansitcoms,help readersunderstand therelevantcultural knowledgebehind it,andtryto eliminatethe cross-cultural understandingbarriersin Americanhumor.Second,studies aredone ondiscourse ofsitcoms.Taking HomewithKidsas anexample,Cen Lu2016conducts acomparative studyon request speech actof ChineseandAmerican familymembers.Under theguiding ofrequestspeechact theory,the studyanalyzeshow requestspeech actsofChineseandAmericanfamilymembersresemble anddifferfrom eachother.She alsoexplores thecauses fromtheviewof language,social andculture.Zhou Fangyu2018studies theconflict discourseof HomewithKidsfromtheperspectiveof linguisticadaptation theory.The studyfindsthatChinese peopletalk toothersinamore indirectway andtend toavoid conflictswhile Americanpeople stressindependencesothatconflicts areeasier tobe triggered.Liu LiqunandLiuLihua2016interpretthediscourseofthesitcomLove Apartmentfromtheperspectiveofmass culture.The studygets theconclusion thatsitcoms userelaxed andappropriate standardsin theintegrationof virtualand realityto shapethe postmodernsubject ofmass culture,showingthe fast-paced lifestyleand superficialaesthetic tasteof postmodernsubject.Last,studiesaredone onthe culturereflectedinsitcoms.Yu Baoru2017makes acomparativestudyofthe sitcomsFriends andMy OwnSwordsman tofindthedifferencesof ChineseandAmericansitcomsfromtheperspectiveof socialandculturalvalues.Shethinks thereare cleardifferences betweenChinesecultureandAmericancultureinterms oftheattitudes towardslove,money andpersonal independence.And ithas profoundpracticalsignificance forthe cross-cultural communicationbetween ChinaandtheUnitedStates toanalyze thesedifferences.Taking HomewithKidsandModemFamily asexamples,Liang Xia2017analyzesthedifferencesbetweenChineseandAmericanfamily9s viewson educationofchildren.She holdstheviewthat someproblems areexistinginChinesefamilyeducationandsomeoftheAmericanfamilyeducation canprovidelessons forChineseparents.Huang Hongye2016takes severalclassic Americansitcomslike Friendsasexamplestoanalyzethe communicationframework ofculturalvalues ofAmericansitcoms.He alsogives suggestionforChineseyoungsters ontheirattitudes towardsthese Americanvalues.These formerstudieshavemade greatprogressandachievements.First ofall,theyhave undergonea developmentfrom singleto diverse,macroscopic to。