AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF METAPHOR CASES IN VIETNAMESE ONLINE NEWS HEADLINES

An article or a newsletter can attract readers or not precisely in its title. It can be said that the title of the article is the face, the eyes, the first element, the door for readers to access the text, which determines the fate of the article. It is the first, concise, most concise communication that helps readers make a decision to read or not to read the full text. No matter how good the content of the article is, but the title is not attr active, readers will easily skim it, even not read it. As a result, newspapers are increasingly interested in making headlines to catch readers attention. A press title can be written in a variety of ways, but in general, it needs to convey the spirit o f the article and pique readers interest. To put it another way, the title of the article not only encourages the reader to continue reading in order to acquire additional information, but it also plays a crucial role in demonstrating the informational co ntent that the article conveys. Rhetoric is an important tool that helps writers communicate their ideas more effectively. This is exactly why rhetorical devices, especially metaphors, are used a lot in newspaper headlines. In newspaper headlines, metaphors help create many different unique effects on readers. However, how to fully understand the message that the writer wants to convey to the reader through the article title containing metaphor is still a big problem for the press as well as the special language researchers’ special interest. For all of the above reasons, we decided to conduct research on the topic “An investigation into the use of metaphor in Vietnamese news headlines”.

NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF USINESS ENGLISH FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE

🙞✪🙜

LEXICOLOGY

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE USE OF METAPHOR CASES IN

VIETNAMESE ONLINE NEWS HEADLINES

Instructor: Phạm Thị Hương Giang

Class: Lexicology_03

Name of group: Group 3

Names of group members:

2.1.1: Definition of online news and headline news 4

in a variety of ways, but in general, it needs to convey the spirit of the article and pique readers' interest To put it another way, the title of the article not only encourages the reader to continue reading in order to acquire additional information, but it also plays a crucial role in demonstrating the informational content that the article conveys Rhetoric

is an important tool that helps writers communicate their ideas more effectively This is exactly why rhetorical devices, especially metaphors, are used a lot in newspaper headlines In newspaper headlines, metaphors help create many different unique effects

on readers However, how to fully understand the message that the writer wants to convey to the reader through the article title containing metaphor is still a big problem for the press as well as the special language researchers’ special interest

For all of the above reasons, we decided to conduct research on the topic “An investigation into the use of metaphor in Vietnamese news headlines”

1.2 Purposes of research

Based on the research questions, the study's aim is to respond to three research questions The goal entails identifying instances of metaphors used in headlines of Vietnamese online newspaper articles, comparing the frequency of each metaphor case, and assessing how effectively metaphor cases are utilized in headlines of Vietnamese online newspapers

● What is the effectiveness of the application of metaphors in formulating headlines

of Vietnamese online newspapers?

1.4 Research method

The study was carried out using qualitative and quantitative methods, including

5 steps as follows:

- Collect and synthesize Vietnamese online press titles

- Analyze the use of Metaphor on headlines in the Vietnamese online press

- Classification according to the correlation between the above analysis

- Provide a specific assessment table

- Summarize and draw conclusions

1.5 Scope of research

Geographical scope: This study is conducted in Vietnam

Time scope: The data and figures are collected from 2008 July to 2023 March Content scope: This study will observe and describe some common metaphors

seen in Vietnamese headline news Based on a cognitive perspective, the metaphorical expression will be analyzed from a semantic and lexical perspective The data for this study is derived from headlines gathered from Vietnamese online press

Based on survey statistics on headlines in the online newspaper, this article was conducted to clarify the role of metaphors in Vietnamese online article titles for all of the aforementioned reasons

1.6 Structure of research

The research comprises of 5 parts:

Chapter I: Introduction - illustrates the reasons for choosing the topic and mentions the rationale, the scope, the research questions, the research methods and the structure of the study

Chapter II: Theoretical review - deals with the concepts, features of news and headline news as well as the significance of headlines for online newspapers; then points out the definition, characteristics and type of metaphor and the significance of metaphor in online newspaper headlines

Chapter III: Finding and discussion - includes data analysis, major findings and discussion

Chapter IV: Recommendation - suggests practical recommendations

Chapter V: Conclusion - summarizes the findings and results of the study

At the end of the paper, the study listed the appendices and references

CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW

2.1 News and headline news

2.1.1: Definition of online news and headline news

- Online newspaper:

Understanding what constitutes an online newspaper is critical, as it enables readers to broaden their horizons in this area

Many definitions of an online newspaper in literature

According to Wikipedia, an online newspaper is the online version of a

newspaper, either a stand-alone publication or as an online version of a printed periodical

As defined by UNESCO, an online newspaper is the newspaper published only

on the internet, which is changed frequently according to periodicity or as required

An online newspaper is a type of written newspaper built in the form of a website and published on the Internet platform An online newspaper is published by electronic newsrooms, while newspaper readers rely on computers, personal devices such as tablets, mid-high-end mobile phones, etc., with an internet connection

An online newspaper, as opposed to a general website or electronic information site, updates news frequently, particularly publishing "instant news" or "breaking news." (Breakingnews) People all over the world can rapidly access news through electronic newspapers, regardless of location or time The growth of the electronic newspaper has altered reading habits and, to some extent, influenced the growth of the conventional paper newspaper

The term of this new form of media in English is called "Online newspaper" The popularity and convenience of using the word "Online" has led to the fact that in the world and in the country, this word is attached directly to the newspaper title, for example "News Online", "Tuoi Tre Online" to refer to the online version

- Headlines

In order to better understand the research topic, one more concept that we need

to understand is the knowledge of newspaper headlines

As defined by Wikipedia, title or headline is text that indicates the content or

nature of the article below it, usually by providing a brief summary of its content

As described in Oxford dictionary, the headline of a newspaper is printed in large

letters, especially at the top of the front page in a newspaper or the homepage on a news website

According to Hornby et al (2010), the title (headline, heading) is a short text,

printed in large font size at the top of the article to introduce the topic

The language of journalism is characterized as the language of information, facts, quantitative (but not qualitative) language The language in the newspaper headline is usually short and concise, but at the same time, it must convey the maximum amount of information within the limited scope of the newspaper The most important and basic function of the headline is to make a difference, to attract the reader's attention A good headline should meet the following criteria:

- Create curiosity (unique, strange, attractive),

- Provide information (directly or indirectly) about the content and topic of the article,

- Promising an answer to a current reader's question/ pressing/ question or a solution to a problem

The headline is the bridge between the press and the readers, the face of the article, the first impression that the journalist gives to the readers The success of the paper is partly due to its headline This is a fertile ground for journalists-linguists to unleash their creativity

2.1.2: Features of headline news

A newspaper headline is a brief synopsis of an article It is typically displayed in big letters above the newspaper Headings' grammar is frequently non-standard, and they can be difficult to understand The main features of the grammar of headlines are the use of a series of nouns and the use of ellipsis (leaving out words which are not necessary) We frequently omit articles (a/an, the) and verbs (particularly the word to be) Headlines often use the present simple, even when a past incident is mentioned in the report This is done to give the story a sense of urgency and drama Headlines often

use the to-infinitive form to refer to future events Headlines should be clear and specific, informing the reader what the story is about while also enticing them to read the article

2.1.3: Purpose of headlines

Headlines are becoming more and more important in the 4.0 era They not only pique the reader's interest, but they also function as a resource for search engines Nowadays, readers are just as likely to come across an article by reading a list of search engine results as by scanning a newspaper page

A headline's purpose is to introduce the subject you will be writing about, to entice people to read more, to encourage sharing, or to briefly describe something

A great headline can also achieve other goals, such as:

1 Help readers scan content and find information that they are looking for

2 Encourage readers to stay and read the newspaper

3 Indicate what type of content it is

4 Make readers curious

5 Summarize the main points of the article

6 Raise reader's awareness

7 Call for action

The goal and purpose of the headline will depend a lot on the type of headline you're using

2.1.4: The significant of headlines for online newspapers

The headline grabs the reader's attention and is closely related to the topic In modern newspapers, headlines are often written in concise form with many details of the full sentence omitted and almost all include verbs with lexical meanings

Thanks to its outstanding advantages compared to printed newspapers and traditional newspapers in general, online newspapers are increasingly interested, favored and accessed by the masses Therefore, journalists are more aware of the importance of headlines for Vietnamese and English online newspapers A headline with attractive form and content will effectively affect the psychology of readers and attract more visits than a headline that is not "invested" in terms of sentences and words It can be said that

whether an online newspaper attracts readers or not depends on the way the articles are titled, whether it is in Vietnamese or English In particular, the use of appropriate grammatical structure along with skillful and flexible use of words will create

extraordinary and attractive Vietnamese and English online newspaper headlines to

readers Metaphor is one of the most frequently used rhetorical devices to enhance the effect of expression and efficiency of spreading

2.2 Metaphor

2.2.1: Definition

In the past, metaphor was often considered a rhetorical measure in literature based on the similarities between the literal and figurative meanings of language However, recent studies state that metaphor is not only a way of expressing thoughts in language but also a method to reflect about things and phenomena around us; and so metaphor is used in disciplines other than literature such as science, technology or economics

The category of metaphor has been studied by many scientists in a long tradition There have been many definitions of it Each definition represents a view - a research

angle to metaphor In the simplest sense, “Metaphor is the transference of names based

on the association of similarity In other words, metaphor is a hidden comparison.”

The definition of "Metaphor" (according to Greek is metaphora, meaning transformation) as stated by Wikipedia, is a language used to directly compare seemingly unrelated subjects Thus a metaphor consists of a first subject and a second subject A metaphor is a rhetorical transference that describes the first subject as being like the second in some way The first subject is described briefly because of the explicit meaning and implicit meaning of the second subject are used to enhance the description

of the first subject

Metaphor, in the modern English dictionary of Longman Publishing, is defined

as “a way of describing something by comparing it with another having similar characteristics without using the word like or as (like or as)” For instance: "I don't think life is a bed of roses” In this example, the speaker wants to make an implicit comparison

between life and the carpet of roses When it comes to the carpet of roses, people will

think of what is beautiful and radiant Here the speaker wants to affirm that life is not only always smooth and full of good things like a carpet of roses However, the speaker does not use the word "like"

According to Dinh Trong Lac (99 Means and measures of Vietnamese rhetoric 1994), "ẩn dụ là sự định danh thứ hai mang ý nghĩa hình tượng, dựa trên sự tương đồng hay giống nhau (có tính chất hiện thực hoặc tưởng tượng ra) giữa khách thể (hoặc hiện tượng, hoạt động, tính chất) A được định danh với khách thể (hoặc hiện tượng, hoạt động, tính chất) B có tên gọi được chuyển sang dùng cho A" Thus, in essence, metaphor

is an implicit comparison, naming things and phenomena by the names of things or phenomena that have similarities with it In the aspect of comparison, the word comparison and the A side (the thing or phenomenon being compared) are hidden, only the B side (the thing or phenomenon being compared) is revealed, which is the object used to represent the comparison

In summary, metaphor is a phenomenon that has been studied very early, is a rhetorical measure (or method) that has been and is being used very popularly in language in general and literature in particular up to the present time in With its rich and expressive nature, metaphor makes words and expressions more polished, refined, containing many layers of subtle, beautiful and coquettish meanings

2.2.2: Characteristic features of metaphor

The transference may be based on similarity in:

- Shape:

The head of a cabbage

The teeth of a saw

- Position:

The foot of mountain

The bottom of my heart

- Function:

The key to the mystery

The head of the class

“ Tắt lửa tình, phòng the nguội lạnh" (VNExpress 1/12/2011)

The word “lửa" is not fire to heat up, it is metaphorical the relationship between husband and wife The word “nguội lạnh" is not the adjective to describe the coldness

of the room, instead “nguội lạnh" is metaphorical for the unhappy relationship

- Movement:

to worm; the caterpillar of a tank

- Colour:

orange, rose

“ Hành trình 2U ngập màu xanh tình nguyện" (VNExpress 2/12/2011)

The phrase “màu xanh tình nguyện" is metaphorical for young volunteers who

help people in difficulty all over the country

- Size:

elephantine

- Behavior or characters:

a fox; a snake

The names of human body parts are a great source for metaphor:

The nose of a car

The eyes glasses

The names of animals are used as metaphors:

She is a snake (An untrustworthy person)

He is a pig (A lazy person)

Expressions are based on names of animals:

Cold fish

Crocodile tears

Fat cat

Proper names are used as metaphors:

He is an Othello (a jealous person)

It is a Jumbo plane (a huge plane)

Metaphors can be derived from the transference of space connections on mental concepts:

to catch an idea

to take a hint

Metaphor is greatly utilized in literature for many purposes:

“The sun was a toddler insistently refusing to go to bed; It was past eight-thirty and still light.”

(John Green, The Fault in Our Stars)

In Vietnamese poetry, Nguyen Du was a typical poet who “beautified” his works with metaphor In “Kieu” for example, we can find a great number of metaphors:

“Êm đềm trướng rủ màn che Tường đông ong bướm đi về mặc ai.”

(Nguyễn Du, Truyện Kiều)

2.2.3: Classification of metaphor

Basically, English metaphors are classified into three types: Living metaphor, Faded metaphor and Dead metaphor

2.2.2.1: Living metaphor: when a word has an unusual metaphorical sense or the

metaphor is created and used by an individual:

“ ….It is the East, and Juliet is the sun … “

(Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet) Shakespeare compared Juliet with the sun to praise her beauty and brilliance Living metaphor is an indispensable figure of speech that poets and authors would like

to use

2.2.2.2: Faded (trite) metaphor: is one that has lost ít freshness due to long and

traditional use

An example of a faded metaphor:

- He was so exhausted that he fell asleep at his desk

"Fall asleep" is not used as a literal meaning : to drop out It means you start sleeping instead If “going to sleep” means you started to fall asleep intentionally, “get

to sleep” means you started to have trouble falling asleep, “fall asleep” usually means

you started sleeping by accident during the night or in an inappropriate situation like the one Hornby provided, sleeping on a desk

2.2.2.3: Dead metaphor: is a metaphor which is no longer felt as a metaphor because

the direct meaning of the word has been completely lost

An example of a dead metaphor would be "hang up the phone" Originally, “hang up the phone" meant to disconnect the phone by putting it in the receiver But now it only means “end a phone call"

2.2.4: The significant of metaphor in online newspaper headlines

Metaphor is a powerful tool in a journalist's toolkit Use good metaphors and readers will react on an instinctive and emotional level to the article Metaphor is a psychological as well as literary technique to help create understanding For a journalist, it's a way of using language to manipulate how readers respond Metaphor allows the journalist to control how the reader perceives what is written

Metaphors work to present a thing in a way that illuminates it (see, a metaphor about metaphor!) and a skilled journalist can use it to illustrate a character's point of view as well as illuminating the narrator's point of view Unlike comparison (i.e not 'like a'…'), which is a direct comparison, one effect of metaphor on readers is that it helps 'show, not say' Metaphor, which allows journalists to convey vivid images beyond the literal, creates images that are easier to understand and respond to than literal language

Metaphors in journalistic language express the individual creativity of each journalist in making headlines, so they often have a personal imprint Journalists use metaphor as a means of opposing stereotypes, to distract readers' attention but make a big impression

2.2.5: Metaphor versus other ways of meaning transference

2.2.5.1: Metaphor versus simile

Metaphor is different from simile Simile is a direct comparison between two

people or two things, as in the example “Cold as cucumber” (“lạnh như tiền”- in Vietnamese words) to compare someone's personality traits or “As cunning as a fox”,

“quiet as an oyster” Metaphor is an implicit comparison and its meaning is not easy to understand “To understand hidden meaning, it is necessary to rely on specific contexts”

(Lason, 1984)

2.2.5.2: Metaphor versus metonymy

As in the case of the contemporary theory of metaphor, Lakeoff and Johnson's

work entitled Metaphors We Live By gives the issue of the usage of metonymy Lakeoff

and Johnson defined metonymy as “using one entity to refer to another that is related to it” Following are some example:

- Timmy was a lion in the battle

a collection of metaphor - categorized The author analyzed Cosmopolitan magazines and found 6 categories of metaphor in Cosmopolitan to filter the information presented

in ads This study has managed to call attention to the importance of further research into the relationship between metaphors and the media, more specifically, to the usefulness of performing Critical Discourse Analysisof the metaphors that are presented

in the media

Huỳnh Trung Ngữ (2010) also carry out a study associated with Metaphor “An investigation into the linguistic features of metaphor uses in English and Vietnamese advertisement" The data for this research is taken from 500 advertisements both in

English and Vietnamese His study aims to understand more about metaphor and its use

in advertisement; to find out the differences and similarities in terms of semantic and lexical choice features of the metaphorical expression in English and Vietnamese In this study, he raised three research questions: “What are the semantic features of

metaphorical expressions used in English and Vietnamese Advertisement ?”; What are the lexical features of the metaphorical expressions used in English and Vietnamese Advertisement?”; “What are the similarities and differences in using metaphor in English and Vietnamese Advertisement ?” This study has managed to provide more knowledge and effective use of metaphor in advertisements, translation and communication

Lê Thị Thuỳ Dương (2018) also has a study about Metaphor “A study of conceptual metaphors used in English and Vietnamese cosmetic advertisement" The

data in this study was taken from websites of famous and reliable companies manufacturing those products in the US and Vietnam, about 497 samples in both languages are collected (227 in English and 270 in Vietnamese) The aim of this study

is to examine the conceptual metaphors used in English and Vietnamese cosmetic advertisements Her study has three research questions: “How are conceptual metaphors used in English cosmetic ?”; “ How are conceptual metaphors used in Vietnamese cosmetic advertisements?”; “What are similarities and differences between conceptual metaphors used in English and Vietnamese cosmetic advertisements?” In this study, there are various conceptual metaphors in English and Vietnamese cosmetic advertisements such as: SKINCARE IS WAR, SKIN IS PATIENT; SKIN IS LIGHT; HAIR IS PATIENT; HAIR CARE IS CULTIVATION; …

Those studies above are about metaphor but in different fields and all of them indicate that there are many Metaphors found in these fields Thanks to these previous studies that give the writers of this research information as references and learn more from these studies Although there are disparities between the previous studies and this one, these researches could provide readers an overview of word formation and the process of it in different fields

CHAPTER III: FINDING AND DISCUSSION

1 Finding

1.1 Cases of metaphors are used on Vietnamese online newspapers headlines

This section gives the explanation to the first research question about cases of metaphor used on headlines of Vietnamese online articles The researchers found 120 headlines with the use of metaphor and they are categorized in 7 metaphor cases including: movement, character/behavior, position, function, shape, size, color

1.1.1 Data analysis of Movement on online news headlines

No Headlines Metaphor Vietnamese

explanation

English explanation Topic

The corrugated iron construction occupies the roadway, causing people

to ride motorbikes on the narrow sidewalks

Society

2 Chứng khoán

chìm trong sắc đỏ chìm

Sắc đỏ bao trùm bảng giao dịch,

vô vọng như việc chìm xuống đáy biển

Red color covers the trading board, hopeless like sinking to the bottom of the sea

"Talent" goes abroad to work compared to

Society

máu con người chảy ra bên ngoài

human blood flowing outside

Sự thay đổi của vốn

The changing of capital

"Talent" goes abroad to work compared to human blood flowing outside

Chứng khoán có phiên giảm mạnh

Covid 19 là thách thức đối với kinh

tế Trung Quốc

Covid 19 is a challenge for China's economy

Economy

10 Sợ sa lưới pháp

luật, "thầy" bắt sa lưới

Chịu tội trước pháp luật

Conviction before the law Society

ma Cao Anh xin

Nhu cầu ở Trung Quốc tăng cao, nên nông sản ở Việt Nam có thể thu lợi nhuận

increasing, so agricultural products in Vietnam can be profitable

- Hạ nhiệt: Sức hấp dẫn của thị trường vàng giảm sút

- Quay đầu: Gold price reverses direction

- Hạ nhiệt: The attractiveness

of the gold market

để thực hiện giao dịch

Seizing the right market

opportunities and trends to make trades

The change of weather in the North

Weather

Loss of money compared to evaporation (leaving no trace)

Economy

17

Nỗi đau của

người mẹ già khi

con trai trượt dài

trong lầm lỡ

trượt dài

Việc liên tục mắc sai lầm không hối cải so sánh với quá trình trượt liên tục, không có điểm dừng theo đà được tạo ra bởi một sự việc ban đầu

Continually

unrepentant mistake compared to the continuous, unstoppable slippage created

by an initial event

The continuous increase of violence as the step up the ladder higher and higher

Politics

Table 1.1: Metaphor based on similarity in movement

The table illustrates that 20 words are applied on 18 headlines of 6 main news topics, namely Society, Economy, Tourism, Education, Weather, Politics To be more specific, Economic topic possesses 50% of total headlines formed by metaphor based

on similarity in movement (9 news headlines) Among the found headlines, weather and political topics, each only accounts for 6%, the smallest percentage of headlines metaphor based on similarity in movement All words applied movement metaphor above are verbs; thus, it implies that the majority of movement metaphor words would

be in word class: verb

1.1.2 Data analysis of Character/Behaviour on online news headlines

No Headlines Metaphor

Vietnamese explanation

English explanation Topic

Evil woman like devil Society

2

“Hiệp sĩ” bắt nóng

hai tên cướp giật

tuổi teen trên

đường ở TPHCM

hiệp sĩ

Người có sức mạnh và lòng hào hiệp, hay bênh vực kẻ yếu, cứu giúp người

A person who have strength and

magnanimity, defending and helping the weak

phải thành đầu tàu

kéo kinh tế-xã hội

Hà Giang tăng tốc

đầu tàu

Bộ phận hăng hái, tích cực,

có vai trò hướng dẫn, thúc đẩy các

bộ phận khác trong một phong trào

The enthusiastic, active part has

a role to guide and motivate other parts in a movement

The department has a central

Politics

nòng cốt cho những bộ phận khác trong một hệ thống

role, the core for other parts

Cơ sở cho sự phát triển các

sự việc sau này

Basis for the development

of future events

7

Cuộc đấu trí với tên

“cáo già” trốn lệnh

truy nã 17 năm

cáo già Người gian

xảo a shifty person Society

A fraud Economy

9 Gỡ khó cho 'đầu

tàu' kinh tế đầu tàu

vai trò hướng dẫn, thúc đẩy các bộ phận khác trong một phong trào, một cuộc vận động

The enthusiastic, active part has

a role to guide and motivate other parts in a movement

Economy

“con ong chăm chỉ”

của showbiz Việt

con ong chăm chỉ

Những người nghệ sĩ làm việc chăm chỉ như ong lấy mật

Artists work hard like bees

to honey

Entertain -ment

Teenagers, children are small, weak, need to be taken care of

Cô giáo quan tâm, chăm lo cho học sinh như con cái

Teachers care, take care of students like parents

Education

14 Những dòng sông

bị “bức tử” bức tử

bị dồn đến đường cùng,

ép chết

cornered, forced to death

Environ -ment

15 Vợ hiền lành bỗng

biến thành sư tử sư tử

Người ghê gớm, dữ tợn như dã thú

Horrible man, fierce as a wild beast

- Cáo già:

Người có nhiều mánh khoé

- Thỏ con:

-Cáo già: a shifty person -Thỏ con: a pure person

Society

Người ngây thơ, dễ bị lừa

Sold in large quantities, as fast as fire

The market has great attraction

20 Cuộc đua lãi suất

nóng hầm hập cuộc đua Sự cạnh tranh Competition Economy

21 Dân Mỹ đội mưa

“đón lõng” iPad 2 đón lõng

Phục kích, đón đường, chờ mua ipad

2

Ambush to buy ipad 2 Technology

The prices of all items have increased strongly like storm

Tourism

23 "Cơn bão” giá vé cơn bão Giá của các The prices of Tourism