Luận văn unmarked plural nouns in english and theis difficulties for the 1st year students at the faculty of tourism honoi university of culture

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES POST-GRADUATE DEPARTMENT NGUYÊN THANH TÂM UNMARKED PLURAL NOUNS IN ENGLISIT AND THEIR DIFFICULTIES FOR THE 1°" YEAR STU

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES POST-GRADUATE DEPARTMENT

NGUYÊN THANH TÂM

UNMARKED PLURAL NOUNS IN ENGLISIT AND

THEIR DIFFICULTIES FOR THE 1°" YEAR STUDENTS

AT THE FACULTY OF TOURISM, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF CULTURE

(Danh từ số nhiều không có dấu hiệu nhận dạng trong tiếng Anh và

những khó khăn của sinh viên năm thứ nhất khoa Du Lich

Đại học Văn hóa Hà Nội)

M.A MINOR THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS

CODE: 60.22.15

HANOT 2011

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, POST-GRADUATE DEPARTMENT

NGUYEN THANH TAM

UNMARKED PLURAL NOUNS IN ENGLISH AND

THEIR DIFFICULTIES FOR THE 1°" YEAR

STUDENTS AT THE FACULTY OF TOURISM,

HANOI UNIVERSITY OF CULTURE

(Danh từ số nhiều không có dấu hiệu nhận dạng trong tiếng Anh và

những khó khăn của sinh viên năm thứ nhất khoa Du Lịch

Dai hoc Van hoa Hã Nội)

M.A MENOR THESIS

FLELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS CODE: 60.22.15

SUPERVISOR: DAO THI THU TRANG, M.A

HÀ NỘT- 2011

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Certificate of originality af study project report - - i

Abstract

Table of contents

‘The subjects

‘The instruments

"the procedures

Data analysis

5 Design of the study

Chapter 1- Liferature Revi€W cà nh nho nhu Hoang ưưn 5

1.1 Deñnifion of English RONH6 ocn nnthhnhn re cuổ

1.2.3.1 Deñmitien The "¬—

1.3.1.2 Classification of nouns in terms of number

1.3.2 Case

1.3.2.1 Kinds and choice of genitives

1.3.2.3 Genitive meanings

1.3.3 Gender

Chapter 2- Granunatical features of plural nouns in English

2.1 Definition

2.2 Classification

2.2.1 Marked phural nouns

2.2.1.1 Definition

2.2.1.2 Classification

(a) Invatiables (b) Vatiables

2.2.2 Unmarked plural nouns

2221 Definition cuoi

2.2.2.2 Classification

(4) Unmarked plural nouns which are always used with phiral verbs

(b) Unmarked plural nouns which refer to groups of people

things

(c) Unmarked plural nouns whi

(8) hvarisblo nouns which can be 2.2.2.3, Subjsct-Viarb agraament

Chapter 3- Fimdings

3.1 Dala analysis results

3.1.1 The mid-term test

3.1.2 The students’ questionnaires 3.1.3 The teachers’ interview

3.2.1 No inflectional distinction with singular form

3.2.2 Subject-Verb agrecment Chapter 4 Some suggested solutions

4.1 Towards the students

are farmed by “the ingular or plurals

4.1.1 Using dictionary

4.1.2 Scif-aceess materials

4.1.3, Making a vocabulary notebook 4.1.4, Group work

4.2 Towards the leachers,

4.2.1 Using effective teaching techniques

2.2 Using vocabulary consolidation as warm-up activities

4.2.3 Guiding studonts” home revision und give then fecdback

PART [LE CONCLUSION

1 Summary of the study

2 Limitation of the study

3 Suggestion for further study,

References

Appendixes

38

38 S39 3D 4L

L

PART I- INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

Learning to master a language is a Jengthy and etfortfid process including both learning the language knowledge: grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, etc and language skills: reading, speaking, writing and Tistoring As the final aitn of leaning language in gencral and leaming English in particular is communicative, vocabulary is one of the most essential goals to achieve

However, how to lcam a language, especially its vocabulary cfiectively is really a problem

‘At Hanoi University of Culture (HUC), the 1 year students at the Faculty of Towism often report to have a lot of difficulties in fearning vocabulary, especially the number calogory Surprisingly, a number of plural nouns in English have no plural cndings (unmarked plural nouns) This is a big problem for studemts because they cannot realize these nouns as plural by their forms It arises even more challenges for students when they

oflen make mistakes in making the subjec! and the verb of the sentence agree

Up to now, no study on this matter has been earied out at HUC Therefore, the situation encouraged the author to do a research on ‘Unmarked plural nouns in English and their aifficuities for the 1” year students at the Faculty of Tourism, Hanoi University of Culture’ It is the author’s hope that this study will be really useful for both teachers and students in teaching and learning vocabulary in general and unmarked plural nouns in particular

2 Aims of he stuily

- to provide learners with grammatical features of unmarked plural nouns in English

+ lo specify difficulties whieh unmarked plural nouns in English cause to the I* year students at the Faculty of Tourism, HUC

- to suggest some solutions for students to overcome the difficulties in their using unmarked plural nouns in English

3 Scope of the study

This study is limited to provide Jeamers with grammatical features of unmarked plural nouns in English such as definition classification, agreement with verbs, some usage notes, cic, More importantly, it trics to serve the purpose of finding out the difficulties in using wunarked plural nouns in English faced by the 1* year students at the Faculty of

‘Yourism, HUC and seeking for possible solutions to the problems

4 Methodology

2

‘the theoretical background in this study is based on the theoretical ftameworks by different linguists, The presentation af these linguisis* theory is lo give the readers features

of plural nouns and especially grammatical features of unmarked plural nouns in English, Additionally, in order to find out the difficulties of unmarked plural nouns in English for

the 1 year students at the Faculty of Tourism, TTUC, this sludy adopts quantitative and

qualitative methods, Below is a desoription of the subjects, the instruments, and procedures for the study

4.2 The subjects

There are two types of subjects participating in the study The first type is the 1* year students at the Faculty of Tourism, LUC, and the later is the teachers who have been working with these students for years

4.2, The instruments

In order to ensure the validity and reliability of the study, different tools were used, namely written test, questionnaires, and interview

Anstrument 1, The mid-term test was uscd as a tool to investigate the difficultics of

‘unmarked plural nouns in English which the 1" year students have to encounter in their

vocabulary learning

Jnstrument 2: Survey questionnaires on the 1* year students were employed to find out what difficulties unmarked plural nouns in English cause to them in their vocabulary Jeaming, what teaching methods used by their teachers they would enjoy, and what they have done to improve their knowledge of unmarked plural nouns in English, (sce appendix ))

instrument 3: An interview was organized with 10 teachers who are teaching English to the 1* ycar students af the Faculty of Tourist al HUC to find out whal leaching methods they are using when dealing with unmarked plural nouns in English, what difficulties they find from their students in their learning unmarked plural nouns in English, and some

xccomunendations made by them (sce appendix 2)

43, The procedures

4.3.1 The mid-term test

43.2 Questionnaires

43.3 Interviews

44, Data analysis

As above mentioned, the dala for this study is collected by the mid-term tests, students”

questionnaires, and teachers’ interview With ihe mid-term tesls, students’ acquisition of

3 unmarked plural nouns in Lnglish can be accurately assessed Information provided from students’ questiormaires will be categorized, (abulated and converted to percentages for the

convenience of analysis Moreover, information collected during teachers’ interview is

added to assist interpretation

5 Design of the study

This study is divided into three main parts:

Part I: introduction

Part I: Development

Part IT: Conclu:

4 PART I- DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1-LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter, an overview of English nouns is examined to help leamers get general ideas

about the matier studied ‘This part consists of 3 sections: (t) definition of inglish nouns, (2) classification of English nouns, and (3) grammatical calzgories of English nouns

1.1 Definition of English nouns

In Gerald’s view (2001), nouns denote both concrete objects and abstract entities

Tran (2008:15) defines a noun as ‘¢ werd used io name person, thing, animal or ubsiract

concept’

From my point of view, ‘'ran’s concept of English nouns is more concrete ‘I'herefore, the definition of English nouns by Tran (2008) is mentioned in this paper

1.2 Classification of English nouns

Let’s look at the diagram to see the classification of English nouns in T'ran’s point of view

Nouns

(unique reference) (generic/specific reference)

man, boy, people water, ail, independence

num, hoy, water peace, wear, independence

‘The two types of nouns (proper nouns and common nouns) wiil be discussed hereafter

1.3.1 Lroper nouns

1.2.4.1 Definition of proper nouns

According to Collins (1992:448), names of people, places, organizations, institutions,

ships, magacines, hooks, plays, paintings, and other umique things are proper nouns For

example: Mozart, Romeo and Juliet, the President of the United States, the Seine, etc

1.2

Classification of proper nouns

(a) Personal names: Tom, John, Mr Smith, Bill Clinton, Sir Jones, ate

(b) Geographical names (including names of continents, countrics, countics, states, citics, towns, lakes and mountains): America, Brazil, Arkansas, Boston, Silver Lake, Mount Everest, the Nile, ate

(c) Names of institutions or organizations: Landon University, FAQ, UNICER, ete

§ (8) Name | common noun: Park Lane, Kennedv Airport, etc

(¢) Calendar items: Janzary, Monday, Christmas, etc

1.2.2, Cammon nouns

1.2.2.1 Definition of common nouns

If proper nouns usually refer to usrique individuals, places or events in the calendar, all other nouns are common nouns

1.2.2.2 Classification of common nouns

According ta Tran (2008:16), the most important classification ef common nouns is the distinction between (a) count and (b) non-count nouns

1.3 Grammatical categories

Grammatical calcgoties of nouns ean bz another aspect whieh necds to be mentioned wher dealing with nouns Accordingly, grammatical categorics of nouns consist of number, cass and gender

1.3.1 Number

1.3.1.1, Definition

Regarding ‘Iran's view (2008), number is the grammatical category that divides count nouns into singular und plaral

1.3.1.2 Classification of nouns in terms of number

‘fran (2008/17) classifies nouns in terms of rmmber into invariables and variables which can be seen clearly through the below diagrams

1.3.2 Case

1.3.2.1 Kinds and choice of genitives

Quirk (1987) and ‘Iran (2008) state that there are 2 genitives: ‘s genitives and of - genitives 1.3.2.2 Genitive meanings

1.3.3, Gender

Gerald (2001:38) states that nouns in English are not in themselves aither masculine or faninine They do nel have grarumuatical gender, though they may refer to mule or female people or anirnals

CHAPTER 2- GRAMMATICAL FEATURES OF PLURAL NOUNS IN ENGLISH This chapter covers the following issucs of English plural nouns: (1) definition, (2) classification, For the purpose of this sludy which focuses un grammatical features of unmarked plural nouns in English, the other grammatical features of plural nouns, such as spelling rutes, pronunciation, rues of plurality making, agreement with verbs, etc will be discussed in other studics

2.1 Definition

Naturally, he concepl of plural nouns is based on thal of plural Thal is ‘plural nowne refer

to more than one person or thing or consist of different kinds of people or things.’

(English Language Dictionary)

2.2, Classification

From the author’s point of view, plural nouns in English can be classified into 2 major groups: marked plural nouns and unmarked plural nouns ‘The first group consists of regular plural nouns (have -s ending) and irrogniar plural nowns which Iuive markers lo bố sealized, such as voicing, -en ending, vowel change, ete, The later consists of nouns which

‘have no plural endings or have same forms with singular nouns or in other words, they are not realized as plural by their farms

2.2.1 Marked plural nouns

2.2.1.1, Definition

As aforementioned, marked plural nouns can he understood as nouns which have characteristics to be casily noticed, such as —s cndings, -cn endings, voicing, vowel changes or markers of foreign plural In other words, people can notice marked plural nouns based on their forms

2.2.1.2, Classification

(a) Invariables

( Sununation plurals

(2) Pheralia tantums

@) Variables

() Regutar

(ii) Irreguiar

voicing (P40)

+ mutation

+ en ending

+ foreign plural

2.2.2 Unmarked plural nouns

2.1

Definition

Unmarked pheral nouns can be understood as noms that have no plural endings (-s ending,-en ending) They also have no vaicing, no vawel changes or no rules to change into plural like foreign nouns

7

In other words, unmarked plural nouns are nouns that cannot be realised as plural by their forms

2.2.2.2, Classification

(@) Unmarked plural nouns which are always used with plural verbs

Cautle, people and police ave plural words with no singular, They are invariable phurat

ones

(®) Unmarked plural nouns which refer to groups af people or things

These nouns are variable ones (e.g° family, team, crew) They can be changed into plural

‘by just adding ‘s’ to the end (e.g: families, teams, crews)

(Q Unmarked plural nouns which are formed by ‘the + adjective’

(1) the + adjective

Adjectives like the following arc used aller ‘the’ Lo represent a group as a whole such as

the blind, the deaf, the dead, the rich, the poor, the young, the old, the unemployed, etc

(il) the + adjectives of nationality

We use ‘the’ with adjectives of nationality fo mean ‘the people of that country’

(@ Invariable nouns which can be singular or plural

‘These nouns are names of certain creatures like fish, sheep, deer ete They have the same spoken and written form in both singular and plural Thus, we can say ‘a fish’ or ‘those fish