Topic contrast of English and Vietnamese idioms related to animal in cultures

Idioms, proverbs and sayings are important elements of a language. From them, language learners can enrich their knowledge in cultural studies and linguistics. The author of this piece of work would like to explore a very small part of this area. This thesis concerns a study of a selected group of Vietnamese and English animal idioms that only involve the structure “as…as…”. The theoretical part focuses on specific features of idioms, structural patterns and other related terms. The use of animals in those idioms are analyzed, explained, and compared. Finally, contrast and comparison between animals in different cultures are to show the effects of culture on language.

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Hochiminh City – 2019

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GRADUATION THESIS

Major

English Language

Topic

Instructor

Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A

A contrast of English and Vietnamese idioms

related to animal in cultures

Student

Pham Gia Han

ID: 97011501042

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DECLARATION

I am PHAM GIA HAN hereby declare that the work presented in this Graduation Thesis is

uniquely prepared by me

I also confirm that, the thesis paper is only prepared for my university requirements not for any other purpose It might not be used with the interest of the opposite party of the corporation

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PHAM GIA HAN

ID: 97011501042

Course: 8

Class: 15DTA

Major in English Language

The Saigon International University

Date submitted: ………

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study would not be completed without the involving of many encouragement and valuable assistances I am grateful for great supports from every one during the graduation thesis process

Foremost, I would like to acknowledgement and express my appreciation to the Saigon International University, where I am able to study in a professional and international environment, as well as all the teachers and staff who work in the school for giving eagerness and carefulness to lead all the students to their dreams

Second, I express my sincere gratitude my thesis instructor from the bottom of my heart for continuous supporting, encouraging, cheering and steering me into the right direction when

I ran into a troubled spot She has helped me overcome the difficult time during the thesis process

In addition, because of limited knowledge, shortcomings and mistakes cannot be avoided,

so I received a lot of useful comments, questions, and guidance from other teachers in the Faculty of Foreign Language in order to improve the paper

My sincere thank also goes to Mr Nguyen Nhut Linh and Ms Nguyen Do Hong Nhien of the International Education Institute – Vietnam National University for offering me the summer internship opportunities in their group and leading me working on diverse exciting projects Also, I am thankful for insightful comments from other members of the institute

Finally, I must express my very profound gratitude to my parents and friends for providing

me with unfailing support, continuous encouragement, precious sources and experiences throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing this thesis This accomplishment would not have been possible without them

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I am indebted to all for giving me inspiration and energy so as to accomplish this paper Thank you once again

Pham Gia Han

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REVIEWER’S COMMENTS

Final grade awarded: ………

REVIEWER : ………

SIGNED : ………

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PANEL’S COMMENTS

PANEL: ………

SIGNED: ………

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ABSTRACT

Idioms, proverbs and sayings are important elements of a language From them, language learners can enrich their knowledge in cultural studies and linguistics The author of this piece of work would like to explore a very small part of this area This thesis concerns a study of a selected group of Vietnamese and English animal idioms that only involve the structure “as…as…” The theoretical part focuses on specific features of idioms, structural

patterns and other related terms The use of animals in those idioms are analyzed, explained,

and compared Finally, contrast and comparison between animals in different cultures are to show the effects of culture on language

Key terms: Idiom, animal, denotation, connotation, culture, language, figurative speech, simile

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Table of Contents

LIST OF FIGURES

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT OF THESIS 1

1.1 RATIONALE 2

1.2 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY 2

1.3 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY 3

1.4 METHOD OF STUDY 3

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS 4

PART 1: DEFINITIONS OF TERMINOLOGY 5

2.1 IDIOM 5

2.1.1 WHAT IS IDIOM? 5

2.1.2 IDIOMS RELATED TO ANIMAL 7

2.1.3 FEATURES OF “AS…AS…” 8

2.1.3.1 Function 8

2.1.3.2 Meaning 8

2.1.3.2.1 Denotation and Connotation 9

2.1.3.2.2 Literal meaning and Figurative meaning 10

2.2 METAPHOR AND SIMILE 10

2.3 PROVERB 12

2.4 CLICHÉS 13

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2.5 SAYINGS 14

2.6 COLLOCATION 15

PART 2: THEORY FRAMEWORK AND SUMMARY 17

PART 3: RESEARCH QUESTIONS 19

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY 20

3.1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH METHODS 21

3.1.1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 21

3.1.2 RESEARCH METHODS 21

3.2 PROCEDURES 22

3.3 DATA ANALYSIS 23

3.4 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 23

CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 24

PART 1: THE DENOTATION MEANING OF ANIMAL IMAGES 25

4.1 OXEN 25

4.2 COWS 25

4.3 WATER BUFFALOS 26

4.4 PIGS 26

4.5 HORSES 27

4.6 DONKEYS AND MULES 28

4.7 SHEEP 28

4.8 GOATS 29

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PART 2:ANIMAL IDIOMS VIEWED FROM CULTURAL IDENTITIES 30

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 39

REFERENCES 42

APPENDIX 49

LIST OF FIGURES

1 Figure 2.1 – Lamb and rabbit (Page 8)

2 Figure 2.2 – It is raining cats and dogs (Page 11)

3 Figure 2.3 – A dog's dew claw (Page 13)

4 Figure 2.4 – Good and bad hooves (Page 13)

5 Figure 4.1 – Oxen (Page 25)

6 Figure 4.2 – Cow (Page 25)

7 Figure 4.3 – Asiatic water buffalo (Page 26)

8 Figure 4.4 – A Pig (Page 26)

9 Figure 4.5 Majestic Herd of Horses (Page 27)

10 Figure 4.1 Differentiate Between a Donkey, Horse, and a Mule (Page 28)

11 Figure 4.2 A sheep (Page 28)

12 Figure 4.3 Sheep and goat (Page 29)

13 Figure 4.9 A water buffalo is plowing (Page 30)

14 Figure 4.10 22nd SEA games mascot (Page 31)

15 Figure 4.11 Phu Dong Thien Vuong - Thanh Giong (Page 32)

16 Figure 4.12 A Paper Horse (Page 34)

17 Figure 4.13 The Syrian or Fat-tailed sheep (Page 37)

18 Figure 4.14 Tranh dan gian Đong Ho - Bit mat bat de (Page 37)

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT OF THESIS

A contrast of English and Vietnamese idioms related to animal in cultures 2

1.1 RATIONALE

The current study focuses on idioms to emphasize that culture greatly effects on language, especially idioms In native English speaking countries, idiomatic expressions are widely used by speakers of different age groups and social status Idiom becomes an important part

of communication and frequently occurs in almost any type of texts

In fact, native speakers often use idioms for they create proficiency in speaking and writing Also, using idioms shows understanding, familiarity, pride, and admiration for their cultural heritage However, non-native speakers usually have a hard time in understanding idioms which usually must be taken as a multi-word combination, but word-by-word meanings often do not make sense Moreover, an idiom meaning usually has two layers In addition to the literal meaning, idioms sometimes also convey figurative meaning which depends on occasions and situations

If learners of English and translators who work with Vietnamese and English overcome this difficulty, they will become successful language users and enrich knowledge in cultural differences as well

1.2 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

Idioms share a deep connection between words and culture of a specific language Different languages give different sights, thoughts, and points of view They are built of different situations which demonstrate behavior, social traits, habits, or tradition in a country Throughout the process of learning languages, one might find himself or herself enjoy the culture, the country, and the personal character

As we all know, idioms involve many themes and categories Due to limited time and resources, I only wish to explore and research only idioms related to animals In particular,

A contrast of English and Vietnamese idioms related to animal in cultures 3

animals related language use proves that animals play an important role in culture and language such as buffalos in Vietnam or horses in England Thus, the paper will focus on categorizing and bringing out the differences and similarities in structures, meanings, and usage of animal idioms Therefore, not only English learners will have some benefits from this dissertation, but also the readers and translators gain benefits in using and interpreting idioms

1.3 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The main focus of this paper is only on idioms related to animal There are over 95 different animals appear in Vietnamese idioms (Do, 2017) Therefore, due to the time limitation and sources in Vietnam of this thesis, I only did my study on animal idioms which has the structure “as…as…”, and the animals are the cattle that accommodate in Vietnam and Britain In particular, there are nine animals including horses, water buffalos, sheep, oxen, cows, pigs, goats, mules and donkeys

1.4 METHOD OF STUDY

The paper engaged with quality method Desk research, statistics, comparisons, and contrast are research tools to observe the idioms with the structure “as…as…” By looking through these idioms, the data is recorded to analyze structures, usage and meanings of English and Vietnamese idioms which related to the images and meanings of animals Also, the job of clarifying the similarities and dissimilarities between English and Vietnamese idioms due to differences in cultures, environment, geography, and beliefs will be given

CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS

A contrast of English and Vietnamese idioms related to animal in cultures 5

PART 1: DEFINITIONS OF TERMINOLOGY

2.1.1 WHAT IS IDIOM?

Understanding the relationship between idioms, language and culture, English learner can easily understand how idioms are formed and used

Language is a very important communication system which helps people to convey the ideas

of an individual or a group Through many historical events and improvements, the language system is created and used to connect people In a community, language stands as a tool which gives everyone same understanding and allows people to express themselves through

spoken language and written language “The Concise Dictionary of Linguistics” (2007)

defines it as “the phenomenon” of speaking and writing communication in a humanity society (p 215) Also, an English anthropologist regarded as the founder of cultural anthropology – Sir Edward Burnett Tylor – believed language is the biggest part in human social life and behavior (Crystal, D., & Robins, R H., 2019) There are global language like English, but there are also dialects which are only used by a group of people in a specific area

The term idiom is a special form of language and carries a great deal of knowledge known

as culture Then, what does culture have to do with idioms? In “Cultures and Organizations:

Software of the mind”, Hofstede (1997) stated “culture” as the following:

“the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes,

meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of

the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in

the course of generations through individual and group striving” (as cited in

“Culture”, N.d)

A contrast of English and Vietnamese idioms related to animal in cultures 6

According to “Tu Đien Tieng Viet”, Nguyen Ton Nhan and Phu Van Han (2018), culture is

“those spiritual and physical values that human created to satisfy their spiritual life” (p.776)

As we can see, idiom is a special form of language and reflects culture of a country Below are some definitions of the term’s structure in English and Vietnamese

In his book “Idiomatic Creativity”, Langlotz (2006) defined idioms as “colourful linguistic

spectrum of expressions” Understanding idioms marks as a challenge to the people who study the behaviour of language from the definitions to the categorizing them (p.2)

Idiom is also defined as “a set expression in which two or more words are syntactically related, but with a meaning like that of a single lexical unit” (The Concise Oxford Dictionary

of Linguistics, 2nd edition, 2007, p 183)

Another description for the term is by Hornby (2010) that every idiom has a different meaning for the situations, the conditions, and the people (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary for Current Language, 8th edition, p 744)

According to Merriam Webster Online Dictionary (2019), the term “idiom” means a number

of words, which are put into a fixed order, have a description different from the description that is understood word by word

In Vietnamese, Hoang (2004) defined “idiom” as “set expressions which are stable in their morph – structure, complete and figurative in their meaning, used widely in daily communication, especially in speech (Ke Chuyen Thanh Ngu, Tuc Ngu, p.24)

Another linguist - Ha (2016) - stated in “So tay thanh ngu, tuc ngu Tieng Viet – dung cho

hoc sinh” idioms are “a fixed combination with complete and durable structure” (p.43)

In “Tu đien Tieng Viet”, professor Hoang (2017) believes idiom is “the set of fixed words,

which is used, cannot be explained simply by the meaning of the words that make it up” (p.1210)

A contrast of English and Vietnamese idioms related to animal in cultures 7

From these definitions, a general definition can be made as follows Idioms are a complex combination of words which have to be understood as a whole not word by word Its structure cannot be pulled apart or replaced by any other words Also, all of them will have two side meanings which depend on the situations and conditions Idioms, language and cultures have a close relation Also, idioms reflect culture of a country Last but not least, its meaning brings the biggest challenge to the foreign learners to translate and to understand

2.1.2 IDIOMS RELATED TO ANIMAL

Animal idioms or idioms related to animals can be understood as idioms which contain one

or many animals in them Besides human body parts, animals might be the next popular category due to the closest connection to human life Through the animal images, idioms demonstrate behaviors, social traits, certain habits of humans or tradition in a country For

example, the phrase “as strong as a lion” shows that a person who has a fit body and

physical strength Also, he does not easily give up because of hardness and difficulties

In “Tap chi Ngon ngu va doi song”, Do (2017, p 3-9) has researched over 4,500 Vietnamese

idioms In her researching process, she found 95 different animals and put them into three categories such as animals that are closed to human life, wild animals, and those belong to the myth and spiritual world