Features of set expressions containing words “black” and “white” in english and “đen” and “trắng” in vietnamese from the cultural perspectives

The aim of this paper is to point out the similarities and differences between English culture and Vietnamese culture in using set expressions containing words black and white.. This stu

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY

M.A THESIS

FEATURE OF SET EXPRESSIONS CONTAINING WORDS

“BLACK” AND “WHITE” IN ENGLISH AND “ĐEN” AND

“TRẮNG” IN VIETNAMESE FROM THE CULTURAL

PERSPECTIVES

(ĐẶC ĐIỂM CỦA NHỮNG CỤM TỪ CỐ ĐỊNH CÓ CHỨA TỪ “BLACK”

VÀ “WHITE” TRONG TIẾNG ANH VÀ “ĐEN” VÀ “TRẮNG” TRONG

TIẾNG VIỆT NHÌN TỪ GÓC ĐỘ VĂN HÓA)

VŨ THỊ BÌNH

Hanoi, 2016

Back hard cover

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY

M.A THESIS

FEATURE OF SET EXPRESSIONS CONTAINING WORDS

“BLACK” AND “WHITE” IN ENGLISH AND “ĐEN” AND

“TRẮNG” IN VIETNAMESE FROM THE CULTURAL

PERSPECTIVES

(ĐẶC ĐIỂM CỦA NHỮNG CỤM TỪ CỐ ĐỊNH CÓ CHỨA TỪ “BLACK”

VÀ “WHITE” TRONG TIẾNG ANH VÀ “ĐEN” VÀ “TRẮNG” TRONG

TIẾNG VIỆT NHÌN TỪ GÓC ĐỘ VĂN HÓA)

2.3.3 The relationship between language and culture 21

2.4.5 Đen and trắng in Vietnamese culture 34

4.1 Cultural features of set expressions containing words black and

4.2 Cultural features of set expressions containing words đen and

51

4.3 A comparison cultural features of set expressions containing words

61

4.4 Implications and suggestions for teaching and learning set

expressions containing words black and white

64

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report

entitled FEATURES OF SET EXPRESSIONS CONTAINING WORDS

“BLACK” AND “WHITE” IN ENGLISH AND “ĐEN” AND “TRẮNG” IN

fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Language Except where the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis

Hanoi, 2016

Vũ Thị Bình

Approved by SUPERVISOR

Assoc Prof Dr Hoàng Tuyết Minh

Date:………

A special word of thanks goes to my friends and many others, without whose support and encouragement it would never have been possible for me to have this thesis accomplished

Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my family, my husband for the sacrifice they have devoted to the fulfillment of this academic work

ABSTRACT

Language and culture are intimately connected to each other Language generally reflects culture and vice versa, culture has a strong influence on language Two countries with different cultures will surely have many dissimilarities in language and that does not except idioms, especially idioms of comparison, which play a crucial part in language The aim of this paper is to point out the similarities and differences between English culture and Vietnamese culture in using set expressions containing words black and white This study helps to strongly corroborate the inextricable and dialectical relationship between culture and language, ameliorate knowledge of idioms proverbs that contains words black and white and enhance cultural understanding of Vietnamese culture and English culture to a great extent Two basic colours black and white denote meaning different things They represent feelings, people, countries, cultures; as a result, different cultures have different interpretations of black and white colors Language users should be aware of this to avoid misunderstanding and cultural crash when communicating and using black and white in idioms and proverbs This study compares and points out the differences, similarities in using idioms and proverbs containing words black and white in English culture and Vietnamese culture, then focuses on its implication and suggestions for teaching and learning set expressions

containing words black and white

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

Nowadays, the globalization has been changing and developing very quickly; therefore, communication with high requirements has become an urgent than ever more Among which English is the most popular and flexible language in the world However, in spite of the fact that English has been the most common one, there stand challenges existing for foreign learners to overcome Those difficulties derived from special factors such as culture, context or even speaker’s implication They affect to foreign learners’ understanding as much as possible

In studying English, especially for the Vietnamese, it is really a shortcoming if we do not take into consideration of set expressions in English, especially set expressions contaning words colour English expressions are not only

a part of language, but also one of the components creating traditional culture of each nation Through expressions, we can learn more clearly and deeply about English people, their country as well as their culture As we know, because of specific characteristics of culture, so each colour English expression has its own features It lies in the fact that, colours have taken an important role in the living

and each colour also has its own meaning

Colors are always interesting and challenging topic for linguists to explore, color results from the way in which things reflect light It not only makes us see but also makes us feel and think Colors also vary in the way that appears to reflect

specific cultural differences, especially with white and black color They are two

opposite colors, and the most basic color in the color table It is clear that set

expressions related to black and white have a variety of meanings that make

foreigners learning Vietnamese meet many difficulties and they are not sure how to

make similarities and differences when using set expressions related to black and

help learners of English and Vietnamese to understand them effectively in order to achieve their communication goals So far, many relevant studies on colors in English and Vietnamese have been carried out However, researches on cross-

cultural with set expressions containing words black and white in English and

Vietnamese have not been done

For these reasons, we decided to choose the topic “Features of set

expressions containing words “black” and “white” in English and “đen” and

1.2 Aims of the study

This study is aimed at investigating cultural features of set expressions

containing words black and white in English and cultural features of set expressions containing words đen and trắng inVietnamese At the same time, the study also

helps Vietnamese learners learn English better and supplies them with a deeper

understanding of set expressions containing words black and white, đen and trắng

in particular in terms of their cultural features

1.3 Objectives of the study

- Identify and describe cultural features of set expressions containing words

- Find out the similarities and differences in English culture and Vietnamese

culture in using set expressions containing words black and white

- Supply some suggested implications forteaching and learning how to use

set expressions containing words black and white in English, đen and trắng

Vietnamese

1.4 Scope of the study

Words denoting color is a very large topic, so this study only focuses on set

expressions containing words black and white in English and đen and trắng

Vietnamese to find out their features from the cultural perspectives

Set expression includes fixed phrases, sentences, proverbs and idioms which

contain words black and white in both languages, English and Vietnamese But in

this study, we only study scope of set expression to be idioms and proverbs

Amount set expressions containing words black and white in English and đen, trắng in Vietnamese that we have found and researched on this study with

178 set expessions in English and 277 set expessions in Vietnamese About scope corpus sources, our study has based on the following documents:

- Từ điển thành ngữ - tục ngữ Việt Nam (Nguyễn Lân, 1993)

- Từ điển thành ngữ tiếng Việt phổ thông (Nguyễn Như Ý, 2002)

- Tuyển chọn thành ngữ tục ngữ Việt Nam (Du Yên, 2004)

- Thành ngữ trong tiếng Anh (Lê Thành Tâm, Lê Ngọc Phương Tâm, 2004)

- Oxford dictionary of English idioms (Cowie A.P, Mackin R, Mc Caig

I.R, 1994)

- English idioms in use (Michael McCarthy, Felicity O&Dell, 2003)

This study focuses mainly on the cultural perspectives in English and Vietnamese equally Comparison and contrasting cultural features are to point out

the similarities and differences between English culture in using set expressions

containing words black and white and Vietnamese culture in using set expressions containing words đen and trắng

1.5 Significance of the study

- Theoretically, the study supplies a deeper understanding of set expressions

containing words black and white in English, đen and trắng in Vietnamese in

particular in terms of their cultural features

- Practically, the study points out the similarities and differences about the

cultural features of set expressions containing words black and white to learners to

improve their usage of language skills when using set expressions containing words

1.6 Design of the study

The thesis consists of five chapters as below:

Chapter 1, Introductions, presents the overview of the thesis including

rationale, aims, objectives, scope, research methods, significance, well as the organization of the study

Chapter 2, Literature review, overviews the previous studies and buils up

the theoretical background in the study

Chapter 3, Methodology, focuses on presenting research questions, research

procedure, data collection, as well as methods of analysis

Chapter 4, Findings and discussion, points out the cultural features in using

set expressions containing words black and white in English and Vietnamese;

discusses and shows the similarities and differences in English culture and

Vietnamese culture in using set expression containing word black and white as

well as the influence of culture in using colors; provides some suggestions for further research and gives implications on teaching and learning set expressions

containing words black and white

Chapter 5, Conclusions, summaries the major findings recorded during the

making of the thesis presents the limitations of the study

References and Appendix come at the end of the study

Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 History of the study

In English, there have been many authors carrying out studies on color, culture

in using of colors However, their approaches are different in some ways

Kay and McDaniel (1978) presents the existence of biologically based semantic universals about color terms Wierzbicka (1996) and Goddard (1998) maintain that visual and environmental things should be referred to as common reference points for color meanings Guimei He (2009) mentions the cultural connotation in the color words between Chinese and English languages is very abundant Francis M Adams and Charles E Osgood (2011), also studies the affective meanings of color in cross cultural It is also another study, Huei-ling Lai and Shu-chen Lu (2012), mentions and shows the similarities and variations in the

meaning extensions of black and white, and further to find the cultural factors

behind them but it only mentions in in Taiwanese Languages Hui-Chih Yu (2014), shows the differences and similarities of symbolic meanings of colour in English and Chinese in his study

In Vietnamese, there have also been many authors carrying out studies on color, culture in using of colors, set experession such as: Trương Thanh Ngọc (2003), she mentions semantic features of word denoting colors in English and Vietnamese: black, white, green, red, yellow, blue, brown, grey, orange, pink and purple However, in other study by Nguyễn Mai Diệu Khoa (2003), she focuses her attention on the study of metaphoric meaning of words denoting colour which includes six main colours Nguyễn Thị Diệu Hảo (2005) finds that people tend to use idioms denoting colour words in daily communication Lê Thị Thanh Thủy

(2009), points out connotation meanings of white, red, blue in both languges English and Vietnamese Phan Lê Thị Huyền (2011) bases on new trend with

contrastive analysis on both semantic and pragmatic features of the adjective Black

in English and Đen in Vietnamese in compound words, collocation and idiomatic

phrases Bùi Thị Thanh Hiền (2011), studies the metaphor related to Red in English and Vietnamese in her study Phạm Thị Kim Chuyên (2012), shows similarities and differences of semantic features of the word Green in English and Xanh (lá cây) in Vietnamese

However, there has not been so far a study on cultural perspectives of two

colors black and white in English and Vietnamese Therefore, it is necessary to do a

research on this matter to hit the target

2.2 Concepts of set expressions

2.2.1 Definition of set expressions

As many languages English and Vietnamese, set expressions are own phrases and sentences that used daily in communication, in speech as well as in writing Set expressions required of fixed phrases, sentences, idioms and proverbs

According to Nguyễn Hòa (2001), Set expressions are word-groups consisting of two or more words whose combinations are integrated as a

specialized meaning of the whole such as to see the red light, to give one a big

hand, …etc

Set expressions have been sometimes called word equivalents, and they have been postulated that the vocabulary of a language consists of words and word equivalents (word group), similar to word in so far as they are not created in speech but introduced into the act of communication ready-made If substitution is only

pronominal, or restricted to a few synonyms for one of the only, or impossible, i.e

If the elements of the phrase are always the same and make a fixed context for each other, the word-group is a set expression

In this study, set expressions include proverbs and idioms

2.2.2 Types of set expressions

2.2.2.1 Idioms

According to in English, Hornby (1995) states in his Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary that an idiom is “a phrase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit” In Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2006), Hornby changes the definition a little bit, noting that an idiom is “a group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words”

J Seidl and W McMordie (1998) concept "An idioms can be defined as a number of words which, when taken together, have a different meaning from the individual meanings of each "

The number of idioms in English is considerable Some interesting examples

are: It was for the birds (means: It’s is really meaningless and uninteresting), or to

For the Vietnamese, it also carries the same basic point English particular idioms and idiomatic language of the world in general Hồ Lê (1976) refers an idiom is a word combination which has stable structure and figurative meaning and

is used to describe an image, a phenomenon, a characteristic, or a state Đái Xuân

Ninh (1978) defines an idiom is a set expression whose constituents lose their independence to some extend and combine into a rather complete and stable units

According to Nguyễn Thiện Giáp (1985), Idiom is a phrase whose meaning it

is not made up of the meaning of the words composing it Even if the meaning of all words which can not yet guess idiom meaning of that phrase Idioms with completeness of meaning but secluded nature of the elements in the structure, so it activities in question as equivalent to an individual from

Hoàng Văn Thành (1997), idiom is a combination of fixed and sustainability

of the morphology, structure, complete and polished on the meaning to be widely used in daily communication, especially in the oral

To build a foundational definition for the study, we base on the above features as well as our own observation, then apply the following definition as the mafor concept for our research working: An idiom is a fixed phrase which has integrity of meaning, making a complete referential unit whose meaning is different from the total meanings of its components, it is non-literal and works as a single

word or a phrase We also possess a lot of idioms such as: Nghèo rớt mùng tơi;

Chọc gậy bánh xe; cao chạy xa bay; ném đá dấu tay; cao chạy xa bay ,

There are many different definitions of idioms but we can find some similarities between them After survey and study, we found idioms have some common features the following:

- An idiom is a multiword expression Individual components of an idiom can often be inflected in the same way individual words in a phrase can be inflected This inflection usually follows the same pattern of inflection as the

idiom's literal counterpart For example: have a bee in one's bonnet = feeling

anxiously

- An idiom behaves as a single semantic unit

- It tends to have some measure of internal cohesion such that a literal

counterpart that is made up of a single word can often replace it, for example: kick

- It resists interruption by other words whether they are semantically

compatible or not, for example: do a bunk = do a bunk with sb or be sulky as a

bear = be as sulky as a bear

- It resists reordering of its component parts, for example: let the cat out of

- An idiom has a non-productive syntactic structure Only single particular lexemes can collocate in an idiomatic Substituting other words from the same generic lexical relation set will destroy the idiomatic meaning of the expression, for

example: eat one's words = eat one's sentence

- It is syntactic anomalous It has unusual grammatical structure, for

example: by and large

2.2.2.2 Proverbs

According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (Hornby, 2006) has given a definition proverb is a well-known phrase or sentence that gives advice or

says something that is generally true, for example: Waste not, want not

Or according to Linda and Roger Flavell (1993), proverb is a concise sentence, often metaphorical or alliterative in form, which is held to express some truth ascertained by experience or observation and familiar to all

Paul Hermadi and Francis Steen (1999) make it clearly by considering proverbs brief, memorable, and intuitively convincing formulations of socially sanctioned advice The concept of proverb is, however, a bit different in Vietnamese

Alan Dundes (1978) standing on the concept defined structure: A proverb is

a traditional propositional statement consisting of at least one descriptive element, a descriptive element consisting of a topic and a comment

However, in Vietnamese, the concept of proverb is a bit different Vietnamese dictionary defines proverb as short statements, often expressed with rhythm, which sum up knowledge, life experience and moral lessons of people According to Phạm Văn Bình (1993), A proverb is a complete sentence expressing

an idea of comment, of experience, of morality, of justice or of criticism draw from the human life

Vũ Ngọc Phan (2000), particularly considered a proverb as a complete

saying expressing one idea of comment, experience, morality, justice or criticism

Nguyễn Thái Hòa (2009) was conceived: A proverb is the mouthpiece formed in everyday speech Those are the words but units exist in the memories of the community as a unit of language

For example: Ngọt mật chết ruồi, con có cha như nhà có nóc, phép vua thua

lệ làng, no nên bụt, đói ra ma,…

In short, in the opinion of many researchers, although few short way, proverb

is also a sentence express a full meaning, the meaning of the proverb is that a combination of each of its constituent The meaning of the proverb may be a

comment, an experience, a moral, or a word of advice, a word of judgment, criticism

We also can indicate some following common features of proverb according

to Obeng (1996):

- Proverbs are passed down through time with little change in form

- Proverbs are often used metaphorically and it is understanding their metaphorical nature that we can unravel their meaning

For example: a stitch in time saves nine, don't count your chickens before

- Proverbs often make use of grammatical and theoretical devices that help

to make them memorable, including alliteration, rhyme, parallel structure, repetition of key words or phrases, and strong imagery

2.3 Cultural and language

2.3.1 Definition of culture

Culture is an integral part of every society It is a learned pattern of behavior and ways in which a person lives his or her life Culture is essential for the existence of a society, because it blinds people together In the explicit sense of the term, culture constitutes the music, food, art and literature of a society However, these are only the products of culture followed by the society and cannot be defined

as culture Various definitions of cultures have been given by scholars from

different points of view

The term “culture” derives from the Latin cultura The original meaning is

agriculture, referring to the practice of tilling the soil, growing crops and raising animals

Until 1871, in his enormously influential and classic book PrimitiveCulture

,British anthropologist Edward Taylor became the first to give a full definition of culture which is widely quoted: “Culture…is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, custom and any other capacities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.”

In book “Intercultural communication” Nguyễn Quang also claims that:

Culture is a shared background (for example, national, ethnic, religious) resulting from a common language and communication style, customs, beliefs, attitudes, and values.” The nature of culture is aptly compared to an iceberg, most

of which is hidden under water Just as an iceberg has a visible section above the waterline, and a larger, invisible section below the waterline, culture has some aspects that are observable such as literature, gestures, foods and eating habits and others that can onlybe suspected, existing only in the realms of thought, feeling, and belief “Like the iceberg most of the influence of culture on an individual cannot beseen The part of culture that is exposed is not always that which creates ross-cultural difficulties; the hidden aspects of culture have

(Nguyễn Quang, 1996)

In 2000, a Japanese anthropologist, Matsumoto, delivered another definition

of culture as many characteristics of a group of people, including attitudes, behaviors, customs and values that are transmitted from one generation to the next His point is supported by Edward T Hall, who wrote that “culture is a way of life

of a people, the sum of their learned behavior patterns, attitudes, and materials

things” In this definition, he mentioned three elements of human life; they are: learned behavior patterns (referring to what people do), attitudes (referring to what they think and believe), and material things (referring to their property)

UNESCO also provides a definition of culture in which it is noted that

Culture comprises the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or socialgroup It includes not only the arts and letters, but also modes of life, thefundamental rights of the human being, value systems, traditions and beliefs.

Taking a glimpse at all the definitions above, we can see that culture is studied from various perspectives Some treated culture superficially as aset of specific artifacts, man-made environment, patterns of social organization and overt forms of behavior Others treated culture in a more abstract way as the shared knowledge of members of social communities like world views, value orientations, norms, manners, customs, preferred styles of thinking and arguing

Being taken as “socially acquired knowledge” (Hudson, 1980) culture is classified by some scholars into cultural knowledge information and cultural communication information The former refers to the factual information which does not exert a direct influence on the cross-cultural communication, including

a nations history, geography and so on The later points to the socio-pragmatic rules

in daily communication which entail notonly ways of greeting, thanking, apologizing and addressing, but alsoattention to taboos, euphemism, modesty and polite formula in use, and soforth

Culture is something that a person learns from his family and surroundings, and is not ingrained in him from birth It does not have any biological connection because even if a person is brought up in a culture different from that in which he was born, he imbibes the culture of the society where he grows up It is also not a

hidden fact that some people feel the need to follow the beliefs and traditions of their own culture, even though they might be not subscribing to certain ideologies within

Culture is a complex tool which every individual has to learn to survive in a society It is the means through which people interact with others in the society It acts in a subconscious way and whatever we see and perceive, seems to be normal and natural Sometimes, other societies and people seem to be a little odd because they have a different culture from ours We must remember that every society has a distinct culture that forms the backbone of the society Culture does not remain stagnant; on the other hand, it is evolving constantly and is in fact somewhat influenced by the other cultures and societies Every society has a different culture, where people share a specific language, traditions, behavior, perceptions and beliefs Culture gives them an identity that makes them unique and different from people of other cultures When people of different cultures migrate and settle in another society, the culture of that society becomes the dominant culture and those

of the immigrants form the subculture of the community Usually, people who settle in other nations imbibe the new culture; while at the same time strive to preserve their own Although every society has a specific culture, there are certain elements of culture that are universal They are known as cultural universals, in which there are certain behavioral traits and patterns that are shared by all cultures around the world For instance, classifying relations based on blood relations and marriage, differentiating between good and bad, having some form of art, use of jewelry, classifying people according to gender and age, etc., are common in all cultures of the world Some people believe that humans are the only living beings who have a culture Nevertheless, there is a group of people who believe in the existence of culture even in animals It is said that animals have certain social rules that they teach their young ones as a medium for survival

Culture is necessary to establish an order and discipline in the society It is not only a means of communication between people, but also creates a feeling of belonging and togetherness among people in the society

2.3.2 Characteristics of culture

Culture, argued by many anthropologists, most notably Clifford Geertz (1973), is a symbolic meaning system It is semiotic system in which symbols function to communicate meaning from one mind to another Cultural symbols encode a connection between a signifying form and asignaled meaning From the standpoint of contemporary cultural anthropologists, culture is characterized by the following four basic features:

- Culture is a kind of social inheritance instead of biological heritage

- Culture is shared by the whole community, not belonging to anyparticular individual

- Culture is a symbolic meaning system in which language is one of the most important ones

- Culture is a unified system, the integral parts of which are closelyrelated to one another.Above are four principal features of culture

Added to this, culture ingeneral has some more important characteristics as following:

Culture is not innate; it is learned

According to Porter and Samovar (1993), culture is learned; it means that when we are born we are “culturally clean” human beings Right after that, we start receiving cultural information from our family that will teach us how to behave For example, a Vietnamese child is taught how to greet older people

immediately when he or she begins learning to speak Welearn the language, the social norms, and adopt our own culture‟s values and beliefs first and foremost from our parents and grandparents In other words, our culture learning proceeds through interaction, observation, and imitation We start to learn the culture when

we are very young, and this process seemsto never finish

Culture is transmissible

“Culture is described as a very large pool of information passed alongfrom generation to generation, composed of “learned programs” for actionand understanding” (RGD Andrade, 1981) The symbols of a culture enableus to pass

on the content and patterns of a culture We can spread our culture through the spoken words or written scripts Vietnamese folklore, is a kind of culture vocally handed down to present from the past We also can use nonverbal actions as symbols, for example, showing others that we usually shake hands to greet one another The portability of symbols allows us to package and store them as well as transmits them The mind, books, pictures, films, video, and so on, enables

a culture to preserve what is important and worthy of transmission “Each individual, regardless of his or her generation, is heir to a massive “library of information” that has been collected in anticipation of his or her entry into the culture” (RG D Andrade,1981)

According to Dr Curt Watke (2003), this characteristic is important to allstudents of intercultural communication for two reasons First, it reminds usthat a culture selects to tell each succeeding generation is a reflection of what that culture deems important Second, the notion of selectivity also suggests that cultures tend

to separate one group from another If one cultureselects work as an end (Japan), while another emphasize work as a means toan end (Mexico), so we have a cultural separation

Culture is not static

Culture is not static but it keeps on changing over time All cultural knowledge does not perpetually accumulate At the same time that new cultural traits are added, some old ones are lost because they are no longer useful One cultural trait that is changed will have an impact on other traits because they are functionally inter connected As a result, there commonly is a resistance to major changes For example, many men in North Americaand Europe resisted the increase in economic and political opportunities for women over the last century because of the far ranging consequences It inevitably changed the nature of marriage, the family, and the lives of all men It also significantly altered the workplace as well as the legal system and the decisions made by the governments

One more point to notice is that culture influences people’s beliefs, attitudes and values Cultures throughout the world share many similarities, but are marked

by considerable differences For example, while people of all cultures experiences happiness, how this feeling is expressed varies from one culture to the next One more example that can be observed is whereas table manner or eating etiquette exists in every culture, it is never the same but very unique and distinctive It can

be calculated that only one third of the world population uses tableware to eat, another third uses chopsticks, and the rest enjoys their meals with their own fingers

Even in the same country, these differences are still so apparent With just a look at the South and the North of Vietnam, we can see such differences in eating practices While Northerners consider the act of inviting the others, especially older people, before meals nearly a must which shows the respect, Southerners tend to bemore easy-going and they seldom or never practise this action

Also, according to Porter, Samovar and McDaniel (2007) points out five characteristics of culture as follows:

Firstly, culture is obtained from people’s birth to the end of their life through learning which means that it is learned but not innate Learning here is understood both formal and informal Informal learning normally takes place through interaction, observation, and imitation The formal learning of culture is far more structured and often left to the institutions of the culture such as schools and churches Because culture influences you from the instant you are born, you are rarely aware of many of the messages that it sends Therefore, studying is considered as an essential process in one person whole life

Secondly, culture is shared The means of transmitting the culture can take a variety forms (proverbs, stories, art) and can have numerous carriers (family, peers, church, schools, media), but the key elements of culture (values, ideas, perception) must be shared by other members of the culture

Thirdly, culture is transmitted from generation to generation If a culture is

to endure, it must make certain that its crucial messages and elements are not only shared, but they also must be passed on to future generations In this way, the past becomes the present and helps prepare for the future Fourthly, culture is based

on symbols While cultural symbols can take a host of forms, encompassing gestures, dress, objects, flags, or religious icons, “the most important symbolic

aspect of culture is language using words to represent objects and ideas.” (Haviland, Prins, Walrath and McBride, 2005)

Fifthly, culture is dynamic Culture does not exist in a vacuum, because of

“other waters continually flowing in” they are subject to change

These changes are related to people everyday lives including dress, food, transportation, entertainment, housing, and the like are normally compatible with the existing values of the culture However, values associated with such things as ethics and moral, work and leisure, definitions and freedom, the importance of the past, religious practices, the pace of life, and attitudes toward gender and age are

so deeply embedded in a culture that they persist generation to generation

Finally, culture is an integrated system In reality, culture functions as an integrated whole In fact, it has been said that if you touch one part of a culture you touch all that culture The interrelationship of these various parts is so important that Haviland states, “All aspects of culture must be reasonably well integrated in order to function properly”

In brief, culture begins at birth and continues throughout life Culture exists

in even the minor or unexpected things in most respects of daily life The integration of culture makes it a stable unity and lasts everlastingly

2.3.3 The relationship between language and culture

Language and culture are cogently recapped to have an inextricable and dialectical relationship Brown (1994) proposed that “language is a part of a culture and a culture is a part of a language, the two are intricately interwoven so that one cannot separate the two without losing the significance of either language or culture” Kramsch (2000) also proclaimed, “language is the principle means

whereby we conduct our social lives When it is used in contexts of

communication, it is bound up with culture in multiple and complex ways.”

To state it another way, culture and language, at all times, go hand in hand with each other Language can be regarded as an essential and vital part of culture,

as Li (2005) emphasized “without language, culture would not be possible” It is the indispensable vehicle for transmitting a large amount of culture On the other hand, culture, as the whole of human’s ways of living as well as a set of values, demeanors and patterns of perception, has become extremely crucial to language, having a great impact on the formation and development of language Learning a language, whether it is a first, second or foreign one, usually appears to be an onerous task that entails the learning of a new culture Language acquiring and culture learning always occur concurrently There are hardly any altercations about that

In short, we can understand that, language is a part of culture and reflects culture while culture determines the meaning and the use of language Thus we need to confirm that they are closely interrelated Culture has a significantly strong influence on language which on its part, faithfully acts as a mirror reflecting most

of culture They are closely and naturally interwoven Because of that, if two countries have different cultures, there will be a plenty of dissimilarities in the languages, indisputably and engrossingly This, for instant, happens when English and Vietnamese are taken into account However, it should be kept in mind that in reality, no culture is completely isolated and separately unique People of various cultures can sometimes share the same ways of thinking and viewing in some matters “There are important resemblances that stem in part from diffusion and in part from the fact that all cultures are built around biological, psychological and social characteristics common to all mankind” (Li, 2005, p 26) Universal concepts and similar points among cultures certainly reflect in languages That is to say,

between two different languages, English and Vietnamese for example, we can find some concepts or cases that are coincidentally similar or even the same

2.3.4 Characteristics of English culture

Western culture, English culture is a typical cultural nomad original culture Living environment in the West is cold, dry climate make up the vast grasslands, vegetation growth difficult, suitable for herd livestock That’s why in the west breeds mainly sheep In England and the West, livestock breeding is mainly up to the nomadic people they do not respect nature, aspiring to conquer nature In community organizations is seriously powerful, respected individual roles, the behavior occurs on the principle

According to David Marsland (1995), three primary English cultural values and characteristics are freedom, the work ethic (i.e., the commitment to hard work) and the family

Freedom

Freedom is the most fundamental element It is construed as the capacity of individual men and women to make rational decisions as autonomous moral agents about their own best interests

Work and the work ethic

It is assumed that work is man’s normal and natural mode and arena of individual creativity, self-expression, and competitive achievement (Rand, 1994)

In free societies, this arena is liberated from arbitrary authoritarian interference, and scope for creativity, self-expression, and achievement is thus maximized Work is also traditionally regarded as a fundamental characteristic of the free

society and of liberal culture Individuals are encouraged to work hard, freely make their economic choicefor the pursuit of their own material life

The family

English culture put an emphasis on the crucial role played by properly functioning families in civilizing children’s natural barbarity, and in socializing them to the disciplines and ambitions of the world of work (Dennis, 1993) The family is where morals are learned and also where the necessary psychological in frastructure of freedom is laid down (DavidMarsland, 1995) Therefore, children are always encouraged by their parentsto lead their independent lives when they are still young

2.3.5 Characteristics of Vietnamese culture

Vietnam located in the South East of the Asian continent It’s the largest and also most populous of the three Indochinese countries Generally, Vietnam is characterized by tropical monsoon type of climate Although about three quarters

of its area are mountains and hills, Vietnam has vast and fertile plains with alluvial soil banked up by many rivers and seas which are utilized for agriculture

In Vietnam, there are many long and navigable rivers The dense network of rivers, lakes, streams and ponds is considered as the assets of this country

According to Trần Ngọc Thêm (1995), the culture of Vietnam is primarily based on wet rice production In Vietnam, agriculture has always been of great importance in the economy There are a plenty of agriculture products, such as rice, fruits, ground - nut trees, vegetables, various husbandry products and industrial trees Vietnamese people usually raise and breed buffaloes, pigs, poultry,

East Asia culture and Vietnamese culture is the culture of agricultural origin

Living environment in the east is hot, rainy, wet, monsoon, creating long wide river with fertile plains, rivers and canals, suitable for cultivation so that the people of the east particularly Vietnamses loves rice plant Agricultural culture and rice cultivation, human lives mainly settlements, so they respect value nature and respect the emotional, ethical, respected women

Vietnamese cultural characteristics describe abstract ideas about what

Vietnamese society believes to be good, right, and desirable Vietnamese cultural

values and characteristics emphasize the importance of family and community “Its core values, which embrace the principles of confucianism, are harmony, duty and

honor, respect, education and allegiance to the family” (Shapiro M E, 2004) Also, according to Hunt P C (2002), these values and characteristics are represented as

the following:

Harmony

To achieve harmony, one must observe moderation and avoid extremes in communication, daily life activities, consumption of food anddrink, and social interaction to ensure physical safety and adhere to the moral imperative of keeping one’s dignity unimpaired

Duty and honor

Individuals have the ultimate duty to carry out with the utmost dignityin all circumstances so as not to bring shame to oneself and the family The duties and roles of each family member are well defined They govern the actions of the individual and are the sacrifices one makes to one’s family For example, the role

of parents is to raise and educate children, instill them with moral values The children’s duty is to obey their parents and never to question their authority or teaching

Respect

This is the guiding principle of all relationships It is conveyed through language and demeanor At home, one is expected to show respect to parents and family members Outside the home, it is shown to elderly people, teachers, and other authority figures By showing respect to others, individuals indicate their expectation that they will also be treated with there spect

Education

Education, valued more than material wealth and success, is the pillar of the culture and begins at home An uneducated rich person is regarded as inferior to a learned person who is poor In the traditional social system, the scholar is at the top

of the social hierarchy, followed by the farmer, theartisan, and the tradesman

Family

Traditionally, children were taught to forsake and make sacrifices to ensure the family’s welfare and harmony Allegiance to one’s family was absolute and included fulfilling one’s responsibilities and proper conduct (i.e., modesty, self-control, moderation) Traditionally, the father has been responsible for the well being of family members and the ultimate decision maker and provider Grandparents and elder relatives within the household often share authority with the father Hierarchy of authority also exists among siblings The oldest son of the family has the most authority and it ishis duty to look after the siblings if the parents are deceased Familial dutiesand obligations extend to the extended family and beyond Ancestor worship, for example, is a form of filial piety and children are responsible for the maintenance of the ancestral tombs and pay homage to ancestors spirit at home

2.4 Concepts of color

2.4.1 Colors in language

According to Berlin and Kay (1969), The researchers found that there were eleven basic colour terms common to the world’s languages, and perhaps more importantly, that these terms appear in languages in a fixed sequence The order of appearance of the colours can be expressed as follows:

Figure 1: Order of appearance of the basic color terms (Berlin/Kay 1969:4)

Berlin and Kay (1969), shows that all of languages have at least two colors They are always black and white If a language has three colours, the one added is red; if a fourth is added, it will be either green or yellow; when a fifth is added, it will then include both green and yellow; the sixth added is blue; the seventh added

is brown; and if an eighth or more terms are added, it or they will be purple, pink, orange, or gray

In fact, English has a self contained set of eleven words that can be described

as basic colour words, such as black, white, red, yellow, green, blue, brown, pink, orange, purple and gray In Vietnam, there are nine words denoting color such as đen, trắng, đỏ, vàng, xanh, nâu, hông, tím và xám All of two languages English and Vietnamese have both black and white colors to be basic colors

2.4.2 Colors in culture

Brent Berlin and Paul Kay (1969), argues that these differences can be organized into a coherent hierarchy, and that there are a limited number of universal "basic color terms" which begin to be used by individual cultures in a relatively fixed order They based their analysis on a comparison of color words in

98 languages (20 in more detail) around the world

Berlin and Kay (1969) once address the relationship between color lexicons and cultural and technological development as follows: “ Color lexicons with few terms tend to occur in association with relatively simple cultures and simple technologies, while color lexicons with many terms tend to occur in association with complex cultures and complex technologies”

In other words, the number of color lexicons proportionally indicates the complexity of cultural and technological developments From our data analysis, it

has the widest distributions of black and white Each different culture will use

The symbolism of color in different cultures tends to have the common identification of color names through cultural exchange Jung (1964) defined symbols “ terms, names, or even pictures that may be familiar in daily life, yet that possess Light enters the eye and hits the retina, where it is absorbed by rod and cone cells These cells transmit the signals that light triggers via the optic nerve, directly to the visual centre at the back of the brain: color is truly “ in the mind of the beholder” See Alison Cole (1993), specific connotations in addition to their convention and obvious meanings They imply something vague, hidden, and unknown to us” Fontana (1994), building on the work of Jung, pointed out that certain kinds of symbolism constitute a universal language The images and their meanings occur in similar forms and carry similar power across cultures and

centuries The symbolism that makes up this language in Jung’s theory is “the natural expression of inner psychological forces” However, Jung’s ideas on symbolism go only part of the way in accounting for the rich and varied symbolic vocabularies of different cultures

2.4.3 The meaning of color black and white

The meaning of color black

The black color is the absence of color Black is a mysterious color that is

typically associated with the unknown or the negative The color black represents

strength, seriousness, power, and authority Black is a formal, elegant, and prestigious color Authoritative and powerful, the color black can evoke strong emotions and too much black can be overwhelming

Moreover, black is the symbol of grief The color black can be serious, professional, and conventional, but black can also represent the mysterious, sexy, and sophisticated Black is a visually slimming color for clothing and like other dark colors, in interior design, black can make a room appear to shrink in size The color

boosting confidence in appearance, increasing the sense of potential and possibility,

or producing feelings of emptiness, gloom, or sadness

In Western countries black is the color of mourning, death, and sadness

Black often represents the emotions and actions of rebellion in teenagers and youth

The color black can represent both the positive and the negative As the opposite of

white, movies, books, print media, and television typically depict the good guy in

white and the bad guy in black In more recent times, the good guy is shown in

black to create mystery around the character’s identity

The meaning of color white

Opposite of black is white, white an inherently positive color, is associated

with purity, virginity, innocence, light, goodness, heaven, safety, brilliance, illumination, understanding, cleanliness, faith, beginnings, sterility, spirituality, possibility, humility, sincerity, protection, softness, and perfection

The color white can represent a successful beginning Besides, white depicts faith and purity As the opposite of black, movies, books, print media, and television typically depict the good guy in white and the bad guy in black The color of snow, white is often used to represent coolness and simplicity White’s

association with cleanliness and sterility is often seen in hospitals, medical centers, and laboratories to communicate safety The color white is also associated with low-fat foods and dairy products

To the human eye, white is a bright and brilliant color that can cause headaches

In cases of extremely bright light, the color white can even be blinding

Throughout the western countries white is the traditional color worn by

brides, to signify purity, innocence, and virginity In eastern countries, the color

royalty or of religious figures, as angels are typically depicted as wearing white or having a white glow A white picket fence surrounds a safe and happy home

The color white affects the mind and body by aiding in mental clarity,

promoting feelings of fresh beginnings and renewal, assisting in cleansing, clearing obstacles and clutter, and encouraging the purification of thoughts and actions

2.4.4. Black and white in English culture

In English, white symbolizes purity, elegance and frank When the young get married, the bride wears the snow-white wedding dress This tradition begins from the Victoria Ages, at that time the white wedding dress was in the most popular era Since Queen Victorian who wore a beautiful white wedding dress married her sweetheart, the white wedding dress swept the whole world Even now, it remains

the most popular for the brides, because it is a symbol of purity and fidelity Before the Victorian Age, the brides’ wedding dress did not attach much importance to the

colors White is a symbol of celebration and it emphasizes the connotation of the sanctity and loyalty And from 1850 to 1900, white is a symbol of wealth At the

beginning of this century, white represents the significance of purity and happiness

At this point, it is higher than any other kind of colors The white is the color which

is full of future and happiness And there are many examples about the

commendatory meaning of white, such as white knight, it means the winner of the politician or the business; white lie, it is the lie of good will which is said not to make people embarrassed; a white day (a lucky day); days marked with a white

princess is called the Snow white, she is the symbol of innocence, beauty and

smart So it is clear that the Westerners regard the white as their favorite color and use its connotation widely in various aspects of life

In English, white often stands for the hope, peace, happiness and light, but

it also has the derogatory connotation in Western culture, such as white feather,

it means the fright and the timid, this meaning is traced back to the cockfight game in ancient times Because the Westerners think that the cock with white feathers at its tail is not brave and timid ones, afterwards, this meaning is used

widely and accepted widely, such as white flag is the symbol of failure or surrender; white trash is used to despise the poor white people All of these examples are the derogatory connotation of white in Western countries

In Western culture, the black color is the sign of the darkness In the Bible, the black stands for the devil, the evil, the pain and the misfortune In the classic ballet Swan Lake, the black swan stands for the hatred or the enmity In the figure

of speech, the usage of black always gives people the feeling of terror, which can

be seen in the following examples: the black art (enchantment); black and blue (full of bruises); black day (unlucky day); black dog (unhappy); a black look (an angry look; glare at somebody); in a black mood (in low spirits); black sheep (evil member of the herd); a black villain, (the hooligan); black ingratitude (a person who is ungrateful and leave one’s benefactor in the lurch); black words is the unlucky words which can make others angry; a black letter day is the ominous day for a person; black mail usually means the kidnapper extorts money from victims;

evil, indignant characteristics in Western culture Black not only symbolizes the

death, evil and disaster, at the same time, it also has the connotation of sobriety and

stateliness, black suit and the black dress are both the favorite traditional clothes for the Westerners On serious occasions, the celebrities all like the black clothes; all the members of the symphony orchestra are all in black suit to show the respect to the audience; in the service industry, the black suit is the ones for the high-grade managers; black-ball is the serious ball which is different with the optional Disco The most distinct example about the commendatory meaning of black is shown by the black people in America In the past time, the black slaves which were cadged

to America are called Negro With the success of the battle of antiracism, the black people choose the word black to stand for themselves Black is beautiful has become the modern slogan And in the black’s culture, all kinds of things which are related to the black people have get the black word

2.4.5 Đen and trắng in Vietnamese culture

In Vietnam, white colour represents puriry, innocence, pure and what is the

most valuable in the minds of the people of Vietnam So, how many Vietnamese still memorize the folk :

A white lotus flower is a reflection of the people of Vietnam from ancient to

say about himself : simple , gentle , bright but also very noble , fresh and beautiful than all the beauty in life

Vietnam is a tropical country with the most days of the year as pouring hot fire So, right from the days not know anything about radiation, with his experience, people have been exploring Vietnam white to soo the away the summer

afternoon Saw a white shirt is shown soo the the heart, the sun chang chang with

what seemed lost There 's that artist Tô Ngọc Vân painted oil painting "Girl and Lilies" wonderful Only a young woman with long dress pale, tilted his head to the

first half of the last century, with Áo Dài, Áo Bà Ba of ladies by Hà Đông silk with

cool white; or the Áo The, Vest of gentleman, they made from silk fabric, the Hội

An white fabric was high rank White color also represents the mourning, sadness; the white mourning scarfs, white mourning clothes…