A sutdy of idioms denoting speed in english and vietnamese from socio cultural perspective

Comparison between Idioms Denoting Speed in English and Vietnamese in terms of Semantic Features... ABSTRACT This paper is one of very few researches in the world that studies semantic a

VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Nguyễn Hải Thu

A STUDY OF IDIOMS DENOTING SPEED IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE FROM SOCIO-

VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Nguyễn Hải Thu

A STUDY OF IDIOMS DENOTING SPEED IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE FROM SOCIO-

DECLARATION BY AUTHOR

I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled A study of idioms denoting speed in English and Vietnamese from socio-cultural perspective submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Linguistics Except where the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis

Author’s Signature

Nguyên Hải Thu

Approved by SUPERVISOR

Assoc Prof Dr Hoàng Tuyết Minh

Date:………

A special word of thanks goes to my best friends and my colleagues, 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 their sacrifice contributing to the fulfillment of this academic work

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page number

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 8

2.2.3.3 Hyperbole 16

CHAPTER 3: SYNTACTIC FEATURES OF IDIOMS

DENOTING SPEED IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

31

3.1 Syntactic Features of Idioms Denoting Speed in English and

Vietnamese in term of Phrase Structures

31

3.1.1 Idioms Denoting Speed with Noun Structures 31 3.1.2 Idioms Denoting Speed with Verb Phrase Structures 31 3.1.3 Idioms Denoting Speed with Adjective Phrase

Vietnamese in terms of Syntactic Features

39

CHAPTER 4: SEMANTIC FEATURES OF IDIOMS

DENOTING SPEED IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

4.3 Comparison between Idioms Denoting Speed in English and

Vietnamese in terms of Semantic Features

ABSTRACT

This paper is one of very few researches in the world that studies semantic and syntactic features of English and Vietnamese idioms denoting speed from socio-cultural perspective Both qualitative and quantitative analysis were used to study 180 idioms in English and 180 idioms in Vietnamese together with numerous numbers of examples taken out from 70 linguistics books, 30 dictionaries, 22 short stories and 15 Internet sources The methods show that idioms denoting speed have some similarities and differences in terms of syntactic features and semantic features from a socio-cultural perspective This paper also gives the implications for the teaching and learning of idioms as well as for further studies

Table 4.1: Frequency of Semantic Fields of English and Vietnamese

Idioms Denoting Speed

51

Table 4.2: Frequency of Figurative Meaning in English and

Vietnamese Idioms Denoting Speed

52

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

This initial chapter presents the rationale of the study, along with the aims, objectives, and the scope of the whole assignment Above all, it is in this chapter that the research questions are demonstrated to work as clear guidelines for the paper

1.1 Rationale

English is considered the key for international understanding and world regulation, under the phenomena called globalization As the English language and globalization walk side by side, towards the goal of communication, business and politics, ways around the world has been made simpler than ever In other words, English has become today a basic need for any professional in any major area

The internationalization of manpower has made nations adopt English

as the official language of the world, and Vietnam is no different Vietnamese learners of English are seeking and applying various learning techniques in order to master the language, opening the doors for both personal and professional development However, while there are standardized exams to score and measure level of English proficiency such as IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC and so on, little is there any official study on Vietnamese learners’ actual ability to communicate in English, also known as communicative competence

Communicative competence in a language is the ability to interpret the underlying meaning of a message, understand cultural references, use strategies to keep communication from breaking down, and apply the rules of

grammar of the language (Savignon, 1997) As an English teacher who has much interest in underlining various learning methods for Vietnamese students, this is a great opportunity for me to carry out a study on this subject,

by focusing on just one amongst many obstacles Vietnamese learners of English have yet overcome: how to understand and use English idioms in communication

This paper in particular would study and analyze some syntactic and semantic features of idioms denoting speed in English and Vietnamese in the hope that the result can help Vietnamese Learners of English improve their understanding of idioms and apply idioms in communication Moreover, the investigation hopes to provide learners with background knowledge about cultural aspects related to the idioms they are approaching as well as serve as

an initial effort and a premise for further in-depth studies benefiting Vietnamese learners of English

1.2 Aims of the Study

Through researching and finding out the typical syntactic and semantic features of English speed idioms in English and Vietnamese, this study will support English learners with better understanding of their structures and meanings, which will serve as a bridge to understand underlining socio-cultural factors As a result, learners will be able to use idioms effectively in daily communication

To achieve these targets, some specific objectives have been put forward as the following: Firstly, describing, analyzing, idioms denoting speed in English and Vietnamese in terms of syntactic and semantic features Secondly, pointing out the similarities and differences of these English idioms containing nouns, adjectives, verbs that are related to speed and their

Vietnamese equivalents in terms of syntactic and semantic features Finally, suggesting some ideas for teaching and learning idioms denoting speed

- What are the similarities and differences between idioms denoting speed

in English and Vietnamese in terms of syntactic, semantic features and socio-cultural perspectives?

- What are the implications for teaching and learning English idioms denoting speed in English and Vietnamese?

1.4 Scope of the Study

In the framework of the study, the thesis only focuses on idioms denoting speed in English and Vietnamese in terms of syntactic and semantic features This study includes idioms which contain all nouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs expressing speed and which are related to speed The data are taken from from 70 linguistics books, 30 dictionaries, 22 short stories and

15 Internet sources

While completing this thesis, all speed idioms are collected and being under consideration before being used Hopefully, the outcomes will have a certain contribution to the communication development for Vietnamese language learners

1.5 Significance of the Study

Theoretically, the study provides a detailed view on idioms denoting speed in English and Vietnamese in terms of syntactic and semantic features The findings then serve as a foundation other researches on idioms in English and Vietnamese under socio-cultural perspectives

Practically, the results of the study provide valuable implications for efficiently teaching and learning English as a foreign language in Vietnam in general, and teaching and learning idioms denoting speed in particular

1.6 Methodology

1.6.1 Research Methods

The main research methods used are description and contrastive analysis which include four techniques namely description, data collection, comparison and analysis Firstly, the descriptive approach is applied to come

to the nature of syntactic and semantic features of idioms denoting speed in English and Vietnamese Secondly, data collecting procedures are employed

to list the idioms denoting speed in English and Vietnamese that contain the word speed or speed-related concept Thirdly, the comparison is used in the contrast of the syntactic and semantic features to explain and summarize the differences and similarities between them Last but not least, analytical technique is exploited to generalize the conclusions and implications in teaching and learning idioms denoting speed in English and Vietnamese

1.6.2 Research Procedure

The research procedure includes three major steps Firstly, 70 linguistics books, 30 dictionaries, 22 short stories and 15 Internet sources are

selected and scanned to find idioms that contain the word speed or related meaning and concepts Secondly, selected samples in each language are categorized based on sentactic and semantic features perspectively This step is done seperately for samples of each language in order to find out categorical patterns Lastly, the study compared findings of both language to examine the similarities, differences and their relationships with socio-culture

speed-1.6.3 Data Collection

The study is required to guarantee the following criteria:

- Data selected are idioms

- Selected idioms denotes speed

- The sources from which the chosen samples are picked up are major dictionaries, idioms dictionaries, published books on idiomatic expressions and major listing of idioms on the Web

This research paper is restricted to English and Vietnamese idioms denoting speed As a result, there are 180 English idioms denoting speed and

180 Vietnamese idioms denoting speed from many different sources

1.6.4 Data Analysis

After being collected, idioms in the two languages are selected and grouped to be independently observed All idioms are analyzed, classified in order to meet the need of analysis Data analysis is done in terms of syntax and semantics

Syntactically, the analysis and classification are mainly based on the different structural categories of idioms such as: noun phrases, verbs phrases,

this steps are summarized in statistical tables By examining the distribution rates of each type in English and Vietnamese, the researcher would look for the special characteristics for each of them, generalize the results so as to have

a complete overview about the structure of idioms in English and Vietnamese Next, the obtained data in the two languages are synthesized and compared in detail to sort out the similar and different features between them Then the research results are comprehensively analyzed in order to find out possible explanations for these similarities and differences

Semantically, the classification is carried out on the basis typical features of idioms in both languages

The syntactic and semantic features of idioms denoting speed in English and Vietnamese were studied to provide a detailed view on how similar or different they are compared to each other Similarities and differences of idioms in English and Vietnamese in general are consequences

of those between two cultures for language items that are closely in connection with culture Through these findings, the study helps us to identify methods to be implied in teaching and learning English idioms in general and English idioms denoting speed in particular

1.7 Structure of the Study

The paper revolves around four central chapters

Except for the first chapter, being the introduction to the thesis, detailing the aims, the scope, and the research methods, chapters 2 and 3 provide general theoretical background for the study

Chapter 2 looks at the literature review to discuss their contributions to English and Vietnamese socio-culture Roles and functions of idiomatic

expressions is proposed at the end of the chapter to serve as the theoretical departure point for the analytical procedures in the second half of the thesis

Chapter 3 is the first analytical chapter, in which idioms denoting speed are studied in terms of syntactic features The sample data are broken down into phrasal structure (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, and prepositional phrase structure), parallel structure and comparative structure The chapter concludes with the syntactic comparison between idioms denoting speed in English and Vietnamse from socio-cultural perspective

Chapter 4 is the second analytical chapter, studying idioms denoting speed in terms of semantic features In this chapter, sample data of each language are divided into idioms containing the word speed or speed-related concepts, and idioms that have figurative meaning related to speed or speed concept The chapter concludes with the semantic comparison between idioms denoting speed in English and Vietnamse from socio-cultural perspective

Chapter 5 concludes the thesis and explores the possibilities for upgrading existing corpus tools to better support speed-related idiomatic expression studies in the future

References come at the end of the study

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Previous Studies

As can be seen, English idioms considerably play an important role in linguistic source of all nations in the world That is one of the reasons leading

to many studies on English idioms in terms of psychological and cultural factors However, very few of those studies narrows down the scope of the study to a particular type of idioms such as water-related, weather-related…

or idioms under the lights of various fields of language, including syntactic, semantic and translation, etc Therefore, this causes some difficulties for the author in the process of researching materials

As a social phenomenon, language is composed of words and word units or multi-word (lexical) items (Lewis, 1993), with the latter encompassing idioms and collocations as the two main categories (Grant & Bauer, 2004) In a widely-held view, idioms are believed to constitute a highly problematic area for second/foreign language (L2) learners (Cooper, 1998; Irujo, 1986; Lattey, 1986; Moon, 1998; Sparado, 2013) because even when knowing the meanings of the individual words within a phrase, its overall meaning is often almost impossible to comprehend unless the idiom has been learned or heard before Some people recognize the necessity of integrating idioms into the language curriculum along with other aspects of learning a language Others adhere to the idea that acquisition of idioms occurs incidentally as part of the general process of language and world knowledge development This is the controversy the current thesis attempting

multi-to address

Idioms have become an interest of a great number of researchers in the world in different languages In English, we can mention Dixon, R.J (1971)

with Essential Idioms in English”; Seidl, J and McMordie, W (1988) with

“English Idioms and How to Use Them”, McCarthy, M (2002) with “English Idioms in Use”, Ammer, C (1997) with “The American Heritage Dictionary

of Idioms”, etc

The dictionary also explains the meanings of idioms in full sentences and clarifies them by examples In “NTC’s English Idioms Dictionary”, Spears and Kirkpatrick (1993) focus on the meaning, usage and appropriate contexts for each idiomatic phrase They also provide definitions and two or more examples to clarify each idiom Besides, in “Oxford Idioms Dictionary for Learners of English” of Parkinson and Francis (2006), there is a wide range of idioms, from expressions used in business and newspapers to very up-to-date informal English and slang expressions The dictionary also gives specific information on vocabulary or grammar of the idioms Especially, it has more notes on the origins of idioms, notes to help with difficult vocabulary, study pages, exercises and cartoons to aid learning and add interest “Oxford Dictionary of Idioms” by Siefring, J (2004) provides learners with updated idioms including clear explanations in typical contexts

It can be said that “Thành Ngữ Tiếng Việt” of Nguyễn Lực and Lương Văn

Đang (1978) is one of the earliest books about idioms in Vietnam After that, it is

the appearance of “Từ Điển Thành Ngữ và Tục Ngữ Việt Nam” by Nguyễn Lân (1994), Hoàng Văn Hành (2008) “Thành Ngữ Học Tiếng Việt”, etc

The above findings serve as framework of this study, which is the premise for the future research on teaching and learning idioms effectively and efficiently to Vietnamese learners of English

2.2 Theoretical Background

In this part, I would like to mention some concepts and the uses of the theory of syntactics and semantics that help us find out the similarities and differences off syntactic and semantic features of English speed-related idioms and the Vietnamese equivalents

Syntactics is the grammar, structure or order of the elements in a language statement It applies to computer languages as well as to natural languages Usually, we think of syntactics as “word arrangement” However, syntactics is also reached in some languages such as Latin by inflectional case endings In computer languages, syntactics can be extremely firm as in the case of most assemble languages or less rigid in language that make use of

“keyword” parameters that can be stated in any order

Syntactics is also a set of rules in a language It dictates how word from different parts of speech being put together in order to convey a complete thought In this research, syntactics is used to convey the denotation of speed idioms in order to explain rules for grammatical organization of words indicating speed in sentences

In terms of semantics, John Isaeed (1997) suggested that semantics is the study of meaning communicated through language It can be seen that whereas syntactics is the grammar, structure or organization of the components in a language statement, semantics is the meaning of these elements Semantics has a long history of researching as well as many controversies about its definition but the word “semantics” made it earliest entry into the Old English Dictionary only in 1890s

In the book “Semantics” (1990) written by Palmer, he defines that semantically, idioms are single unit, but not a single grammatical unit like a

word He also points out some restrictions in syntactic features and notes that the problem of idioms is involved with the much wider issue of word formation, by which what would appear to be new and more complex lexemes can be formed from single ones Cruse (1987) in “Lexical semantics” mentions that an idiom may be briefly characterised as a lexcical complex which is semantically complex According to him, most idioms are homophonous with grammatically well-formed transparent expressions Besides, he makes the conception of idioms in his book more clearly by distinguishing idioms, collections and “dead” metaphor

2.2.1 Definitions of Idioms

Idioms are treated as figures of speech, which are defined in the Collins

English Dictionary (2006) as “an expression such as a simile, in which words

do not have their literal meaning, but are categorized as multi-word expressions that act in the text as units”

Collins Cobuild Dictionary of the English Language (2005) illustrates:

“an idiom is a group of words, which, when, they are used together in a particular combination, have different meaning from the one they would have

if you took the meaning of all individual words in the group”

Longman Idioms Dictionary (1998) defines them as “a sequence of

words which has a different meaning as a group from the meaning it would have if you understand each word separately” Accordingly, idioms should

not be broken up into their elements because they are sometimes referred to as

a fixed expression (Cowie and Mackin, 1975; viii cited in Balfaqeeh, 2009)

According to McMordiew (1983), “we can say that an idiom is a

number of words which (when they are) taken together, mean something different from the individual words of the idiom when they stand alone”

(McMordiew, 1983, p 4)

On the other hand, Moon (1998) in her book, A Corpus-Based

Approach, defines idiom as “an ambiguous term, used in conflicting ways” In

lay or general use, idiom has two main meanings First, idiom is a particular means of expressing something in language, music, art, and so on, which characterizes a person or group; secondly, an idiom is a particular lexical collocation or phrasal lexeme, peculiar to a language (Moon, 1998, p 3)

Most of the scholars quote that idioms in most of the cases show no flexibility to change in form and grammar In this case, Baker (1992) states

that, some idioms even allow “no variation in form under normal

circumstances” and that a translator can not do any of the following with an

idiom: a) Change the order of the words in it; b) Delete a word from it; c) Add

a word to it; d) Replace a word with another; and finally e) Change its grammatical structure

The definition of idioms in Vietnamese is given out in “Kể Chuyện

Thành Ngữ, Tục Ngữ” by Hoàng Văn Hành (2002, p 25): “idioms are some

set expressions that are stable in their forms and structures”, complete and

figurative in their meaning, used widely in daily communication

Mai Ngọc Chừ, Vũ Đức Nghiệu and Hoàng Trọng Phiến in Cơ Sở

Ngôn Ngữ Học Tiếng Việt (1997, p 153-165) affirm: “idioms are groups of

words which are syntactically restricted and have a particular meaning Their meaning are often imaginative and figurative” (Thành ngữ là cụm từ cố định, hoàn chỉnh về cấu trúc và ý nghĩa Nghĩa của chúng có tính hình tượng và gợi cảm)

Sharing the same idea with Mai Ngọc Chừ, Vũ Đức Nghiệu and Hoàng

Trọng Phiến, Hoàng Văn Hành (2002) state that “idioms are set expressions

which are stable in morph-structure, complete and figurative in meaning, used widely in communication” (Thành ngữ là một loại tổ hợp từ cố định,

bền vững về hình thái cấu trúc, hoàn chỉnh, bóng bẩy về ý nghĩa, được sử dụng rộng rãi trong giao tiếp thường ngày)

Lê Bá Hán, Trần Đình Sử, Nguyễn Khắc Phi (2007, p 142) notify that

“idiom is a fixed phrase used as a word not to express a complete idea but a concept Meaning of an idiom is not the combination of its constituents.” (Thành ngữ là cụm từ cố định, bền vững, có tính nguyên khối về ngữ nghĩa không nhằm diển đạt trọn một ý mà nhằm thể hiện một quan niệm dưới một hình thức sinh động, hàm súc (…) Ý nghĩa của thành ngữ không phải là tổng

số nghĩa của các thành tố cấu thành nó.)

It is worth to note that studying the language of a certain nation seems

to be inadequate if attention is only paid to the characteristic of idioms without reviewing them in relation to proverbs Idioms have been defined as fixed expressions whose meaning cannot be worked out by combining the literal meaning of its individual words Proverbs, however, have been defined

differently as “a short well-known sentence or phrase that gives advice or

says something is generally true in life.” (Oxford Student’s dictionary of English, 2001)

It is also worth noticing that a proverb is not merely the language but one of the most substantial contributions to the folk culture of each country People can perceive that nation’s lands, people and humanity tradition through the treasure of proverbs of a nation

In summary, although there are many different angles in expression the

definition of the word idiom, most linguists and researchers have the same view that an idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning cannot be taken as a

combination of the meaning of its constituents

2.2.2 Syntactic Features of Idioms

As an idiom is a set-expression, the components in idioms can neither

be added nor substituted They cannot be changed or varied in the way literal expressions are normally varied, whether in speech or in writing Moreover, when an idiom is used in a complete sentence, it is hardly possible to change

it into passive Let us consider such an idiom: to eat humble pie which means

to say and show that one is sorry for a mistake that he/she made in the

sentence She had to eat humble pie when Harry, who she said would never

have any success, won first prize It would be unnatural to say Humble pie was eaten by her It is also noticeable that one cannot make other changes

without losing the idiomatic meaning Almost all idiomatic phrases fail in one way or another to permit the usual grammatical operations which literal phrases usually do This relates to the grammatical fixity of idioms

It is clear that, an idiom is a fixed group of words The constituent

components of an idiom cannot generally be changed, replaced, interrupted, modified or omitted by other words If there are any attempts to change one of the individual parts of idiomatic expressions, the idiomatic meaning of the phrase will be lost with only the literal meaning retained Moreover, idioms have many grammatical restrictions The restrictions in idioms’ grammar can

be illustrated through nouns and verbs The noun’s number as a grammatical category must be kept in original form but the tense of verb is changeable

The idiom break the record (which means move very fast) still preserve its

idiomatic meaning in broke the record, but not break the records However,

syntactic restriction differs from idioms to idioms

An idiom can have a regular structure, an irregular or even a grammatically incorrect structure It is also syntactically anomalous It has an

unusual grammatical structure, like by and large, to and fro, long time no see

The structural variations of idioms cannot be predicted

It is necessary to take a look at some more exceptions to this kind of fixed behaviour in both English and Vietnamese idioms Several fixed idioms cannot be changed in any part (except the tense of the verb) For example, to paint the town red, to fight shy of something, to get down to business Others allow a different number of variants For example, in the English idioms,

quick as a wink/ quick as a bunny/ quick as a flash/ quick as a dog can lick a dish; at a snail’s pace/ at a snail’s gallop, etc In the Vietnamese idioms, lò

dò như cò ăn đêm/ lò dò như cò phải bão/ lò dò như cò bắt tép refer to one

sense Here are some more examples about Vietnamese idioms denoting

speed which are relatively fixed Lật mặt như trở bàn tay means the same as

Lật lọng như trở bàn tay

Over and above, idioms may take many different forms or structures

Some idioms are noun phrases such as crocodile tears, child’s play, a new

man, forty winks (a short sleep during the day) and the storm in the teacup In

terms of structure, an idiom can have a regular structure, an irregular or even

a grammatically incorrect structure

For the first type, they have common forms but there is no connection between the meaning of each component and that of the whole unit Typical

examples of idioms with regular structure are not difficult to find: the

green-eyed monster (a feeling of anger or unhappiness because somebody, you like

or love is showing interest in somebody else), a pipe dream (a hope, believe, plan and so on that will probably not come true), poetic justice (a punishment

or reward that is deserved) The meaning of idioms in this group cannot be

perceived without having been learnt already

The second group takes into account ones which have unconventional forms but their meaning can be worked out through the meaning of individual words That is to say the meaning of the whole unit sometimes can be

perceived through the meaning of its components Take I am good friends

with him as a typical illustration; since the idiom is irregular and illogical in

terms of grammatical structure According to the rule of language, I is singular and therefore friend must be singular, too However, in this case, the idiom does not need to obey grammatical rule to make sense I am good

friends with him can still be interpreted that I am a friend of his

In the last group, grammatically incorrect, both its form and meaning are irregular The structure is grammatically inaccurate and the meaning is not precisely expressed by gathering the meaning of each member-word Such

idioms as “Be up to no good” (doing or planning something wrong or

dishonest), to go through thick and thin” (in spite of all the difficulties and problems; in good and bad times) illustrate grammatical irregularity The

structure of the idioms can be written as “Verb + preposition + adjective” In English, normally a structure like this is acknowledged once in a blue moon since adjectives never come after prepositions individually As an idiom, however, the case is accepted

To sum up, in terms of syntactic feature, firstly, an idiom is a set – expression That is, one cannot make any changes without losing the idiomatic meaning Secondly, idioms may take many different forms or structure Idioms can be in form of noun phrases, verb phrases, preposition phrases and so forth In connection with structure, an idiom can have a regular structure, an irregular or even a grammatically incorrect structure

2.2.3 Semantic features of idioms

Idiom is an expression whose meaning is not compositional- that is, whose meaning does not follow from the meaning of the individual words of which it is composed The meanings of some idioms are very clear but others are too difficult to guess because they have no association with the original

meaning of the individual words For example, the English phrase to kick the

bucket means to die A listener knowing the meaning of kick and bucket will

not thereby be able to predict that the expression can mean to die

Semantically, idioms generally have connotative meaning through the transfer of meaning like comparison, metaphor, metonymy, hyperbole and so

on The connotative meaning is a basic characteristic of idioms that helps investigate if a certain phrase is idiomatic or not It is almost impossible to guess the meaning of an idiom through the denotative meaning of the component parts However, not all idioms have unpredictable meanings

It is undoubted that meaning is the most important factor when talking about semantic feature of idioms Figurative meaning is the basic characteristic of idioms for it helps to decide whether a fixed expression is an idiom or not As Vinogradow imaginatively expressed, the meaning of an

idiom is “the special chemical mixture” of the meaning of all components, which is completely new in quality Here is an idiom to exemplify: “to take

one’s medicine” (to accept something unpleasant, for instance, punishment,

without protesting or complaining) It can not be understood based on the component words of the idiom for their meaning is far from the same as that

of the set phrase Henceforth, it is important to understand idioms metaphorically rather than literally

However, according to Kunin (2006), the meaning of an idiom is either partly or completely different from the meaning of all components In case of any partial difference, their figurative meaning is not different from the literal

one The partly different ones are such as from door to door, give and take,

cry for the moon, etc The meaning of these idioms can be guessed from the

meaning of their components

Another semantic feature of idioms is that idioms can convey positive, neutral, or negative meanings Some idioms have a positive meaning such as

a fair godmother (a person who helps you unexpectedly when you most need

help), the fruit(s) of something (the good result of an activity or a situation),

be (all) plain sailing (be simple and free from trouble) Examples of idioms

with neutral meaning include take a/the hint (understand what somebody wants you to do, even though they tell you in an indirect way), in somebody’s

shoes (be in somebody’s position), bring something home to somebody (make

somebody realize how important, difficult or serious something is) Typical

examples of idioms with negative meanings are monkey business (dishonest

or silly behavior), a mummy’s boy (a boy or man who is thought to be too weak because he is influenced and controlled by his mother), a fair-weathered

friend (somebody who is only a friend when it is pleasant for them, and stops

being a friend when you are in trouble) Idioms with positive meanings have been proved to make up the largest number In short, idioms can be motivated, partially – motivated and non – motivated Also, idioms can convey positive, neutral, or negative meanings

Figurative meaning is found in the use of metaphor, simile, hyperbole and so on of idioms

2.2.3.1 Metaphor

There have been numerous linguistic definitions of metaphor They see the transference of meaning from A to B based on association of similarity of these two objects:

“Metaphor is the transference of meaning (name) from one object to

another, based on similarity between two objects” (Lakoff, 1987)

“A metaphor consists of a comparison between two dissimilar notions

where one notion is to be understood in terms of the other notion” (Ellis, 2005)

There are also some definitions of metaphor in Vietnamese:

According to Đỗ Hữu Châu (1962, p 54), “metaphor is a way of

naming one object by another object based on the similarity of prosperities”

(Ẩn dụ là cách gọi tên một sự vật này bằng một sự vật khác, giữa chúng có mối quan hệ tương đồng”.)

Hoàng Phê (1998) defines metaphor as “metaphor is a way of using

words based on the hidden comparison” (phép dùng từ ngữ dựa trên sự so

sánh ngầm)

Let’s consider the following example:

"Ôi chiều buồn sao nắng quá mong manh

Môi tái nhợt nào cười mà héo vậy" (Huy Cận)

In this example, nắng does not have the literal meaning of sunlight but symbolizes the human in the funeral

2.2.3.2 Simile

In the viewpoint of Hornby (2005, p 1422), “simile is defined as a word

or phrase that compares something to something else, using the words like or as”

In the American Heritage College Dictionary (Heritage, 1997, p.1270),

the author states that simile “is a figure of speech in which two essentially

unlike things is explicitly compared, usually by means of like or as”

We have to a make a distinction between ordinary comparison and simile Comparison and simile represent two different processes Comparison means weighing two objects belonging to one class of things with the purpose

of establishing the degree of their sameness or difference To use a simile is used to characterize one object by bringing it into contact with another object belonging to an entirely different class of things Comparison takes into consideration all the properties of the two objects, stressing the one that is compared Simile excludes all the properties of the two objects except one which is made common to them (Galperine, 1977, p.167)

Let’s consider the example:

167)

In the first example, boy and mother belong to the same class of objects

– human beings – so this is not a simile but an ordinary comparison

However, the second one is an example of simile because she and swan belong to two different classes of object and the character gracefully indicates one of the features of swan

2.2.3.3 Hyperbole

Hyperbole, which is also called overstatement, is “language that is

deliberately and obviously exaggerated for effect” (Crowther, 1995, p 586)

In Vietnamese, according to Đinh Trọng Lạc, and Nguyễn Thái Hòa

(1997, p.46) hyperbole is “the usage of words or phrases to multiply the

qualities of a mentioned object Hyperbole’s nature, motivation and purpose

do not blow up or distort the truth to trick the reader or listener It is to emphasize the nature of the mentioned object, to create a strong impression

on readers” (Việc dùng từ ngữ hoặc cách diển đạt để nhân lên gấp nhiều lần

những thuộc tính của khách thể hoặc hiện tượng nhằm mục đích làm nổi bật bản chất của đối tượng cần miêu tả, gây ấn tượng đặc biệt mạnh mẽ) For example:

The bag weighed a ton

In this example, hyperbole is used to make a point that the bag was very heavy although it is not probable that it would actually weigh a ton

2.3 Idioms Denoting Speed

To ensure the consistency for the rest of the thesis, a working definitions

of speed, speed-related concepts and idioms denoting speed needed to be defined them from other types of multiword units

2.3.1 Speed and Speed-related Concepts

Due to many reasons, the study would present a comparative analysis

tha studied the word speed under selective definitions, in which both

languages share somewhat the same understanding of the word in the most literal sense After various look-ups and cross-outs of complete differences,

two definitions were drawn as the base for the further development of the

study

According to Collins COBUILD Dictionary of the English Language,

on CD-ROM (2006), Speed is defined as: 1-The rate at which something

moves or travels 2-The rate at which something happens or is done (= pace) 3-Very fast movement or travel

In the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (2012), Speed is:

Rate of movement/Action: 1-The rate at which somebody/something moves or travels 2-the rate at which something happens or is done 3-The quality of being quick or rapid 4-The speed of light/ sound travels 5-A gear

In English-english Mdict (2002), Speed is: 1-Distance travelled per

unit time (Synonym: velocity) 2-A rate (usually rapid) at which something happens (Synonym: swiftness, fastness) 3-Changing location rapidly (Synonym: hurrying, hastening)

In accordance with the above definitions, as is commonly understood, speed is a ratio of distance and time or achieving a goal within a period of time Idioms Denoting Speed in this thesis relates to velocity, quickness, hurrying or hastening and slowness of someone/ something in English, for

example, quick as the flash, at a snail’s pace, at a rate of knots, hand over

fist, pressed for time etc; and tốc độ, sự nhanh nhẹn, vội vàng, chậm chạp in

Vietnamese, as in nhanh như chớp, ba chân tám cẳng, đủng đỉnh như chĩnh

trôi sông, lật đật như quai sa vật vải, etc

Speed as the rate of motion or operation (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Số hoá tra từ Vietnamese Dictionary, Cồ Việt

Dictionary)

Speed as the act or state of moving swiftly, to dispatch with celerity (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Số hoá tra từ Vietnamese

Dictionary, Cồ Việt Dictionary)

2.3.2 Idioms Denoting Speed

Idioms Denoting Speed selected in this thesis relates to velocity,

quickness, hurrying or hastening and slowness of someone/ something in

English, and tốc độ, sự nhanh nhẹn, vội vàng, chậm chạp in Vietnamese

Idioms can either directly contain one of the above words or implied any of the mentioned meanings

2.4 Socio-culture

2.4.1 Definitions

Psychologists use many different approaches that work together to understand and explain human behavior According to Marvin Harris (1968), the socio-culture is one approach to understanding why humans behave the way they do The socio-culture seeks to understand human behavior and personality development by examining the rules of the social groups and subgroups in which the individual is a member These rules are often unwritten guidelines that direct a person's actions

2.4.2 Factors and Influences

Vereshagn and Кastamarov (1990) have been recognized as language founders, in their book title "Language and culture," and argued that though people speak a common language, they may not properly understand each other due to intercultural differences Since similarities and differences of

between two cultures for language items that are closely in connection with culture Therefore, it is reasonable to take glimpse at some outstanding cultural factors first

In a broad sense, talking about culture, it is of necessity to talk about the nature, and after all, culture is a mirror of the nature, in which it is being adjusted by human beings to satisfy their demands in all aspects of life

Original cultural identities of a nation are naturally rooted from historical conditions It is essential to refer to their geographical features as they play a significant role in the formation and growth of the culture; its own form of the economy, political institution, customs and so on Culture, first and foremost, is a respond to a community with challenges of geo – climatic condition, then a respond to that of socio – historical condition

Here is a table to demonstrate contrast cultural features of Vietnam and Britain

Table 2.1: Contrast cultural features of Vietnam and Britain

Climate Tropical monsoon type of

climate

Varied, temperate climate

Land Alluvial soil that is banked up

by rivers and sea Three quarters of the area are hill and mountain, however, Vietnam has large and rich plains which are used for agriculture

Notable lack of extremes There are not really high mountains, large rivers, plains or forests Much of the land is used for

human habitation

Rivers Dense network of rivers,

streams, lakes and ponds There

Quite short but their easy navigability has made

are long and navigable rivers them an important part of

the inland transport network

Agriculture Has always been the

cornerstone of the economy

Main agricultural products are rice, ground – nut trees,

fruits and vegetables, husbandry products and industrial trees Agriculture is linked with aquaculture

Does not play the most important part in the economy The main agriculture products are cereals, dairying of beef cattle, poultry meat, eggs, etc

Husbandry Pigs, buffaloes, poultry and so

Cereal and meat are staple in the meals They like

drinking coffee They use knife and folks in stead of chopsticks

Population Over 60% of the population

still lives off the land and many more lead a rural life in small villages Consists of 54 ethnic minorities

Over 90% of the population lives in towns or cities Less than 3% of the working population is employed in agriculture

It is axiomatic that the language has a social nature and the main function of language is its instrumental role in communication between

individuals In addition, language is a tool for understanding the world, this means that language is not only a tool for informing but also it has the potential to provide information on the reflected person’s environment, and maintain records Considering the relationship between socio-culture and language in language learning, it can be said that socio-culture has its own language - our socio-culture by the architecture, painting, music, dance, and literature speaks

By using this tool, people can have ideas about how the environment under the impact of socio-culture is expressed, interpreted, and spoken Teaching experience in the past years shows that the university students after graduation, had gained a wide knowledge of linguistics, but while speaking (real communication) they are unable to communicate well This is due to the factors beyond the language in the socio-culture Socio-culture not only reflects the real world around humans and their living conditions, but a nation's social consciousness means thinking, lifestyle, traditions, value systems, and world views Теr-Мinasova (2000) states that language as a coating material for socio-culture, in vocabulary, grammar rules, idioms, proverbs and interpretation, folklore, literature, science, in written and oral discourse, cultural values are maintained

2.4.3 In Relation to Language

Idioms as a special form of language that carry amount of cultural information, such as history, geography, religion, custom, thinking pattern and so on Therefore, they are closely related to the culture, especially idioms have an inseparable relationship of social customs Language and culture interact with each other and shape each other Consequently, we can know much about social custom culture through studying idioms and in turn get

better understanding of idioms by learning the cultural background behind them For example:

It would not be far from the truth to say that “a society’s language” is

an aspect of its culture The relation of language to culture is that of part to whole “Many of the properties of language… are also the properties of culture in general” as shown by Hudson (1986) Sharing this view, Kramsch,

C (1998) in Language and Culture mentions the inseparable relationship of language and cultures through the three ways: expressing cultural reality, embodying cultural reality, symbolizing cultural reality

To begin with, “the words people utter refer to common experience They express facts, ideas or events that are communicable because they refer

to a stock of knowledge about the world that other people share Words also reflect their authors’ attitudes, and beliefs, their point of view, which are also those of others In both cases, language expresses cultural reality”

Kramsch, C (1998) states that “… the way in which people use the spoken, written, or visual medium itself creates meanings that are understandable to the group they belong to, for example, through a speaker’s tone of voice, accent, conversational style, gestures and facial expressions Through all its verbal and non-verbal aspects, language embodies cultural reality”

Kramsch, C (1998) also defines “Language is a system of signs that is seen as having itself a cultural value Speakers identify themselves and others through their use of language; they view their language as a symbol of their social identity The prohibition of its use is often perceived by its speakers as

a rejection of their social group and their culture Thus we can say that language symbolizes cultural reality” It is clear that language and culture are

closely integrated and interdependent during their whole development processes The understanding of a culture and its people can be enhanced by the knowledge of their language and vice versa The implications of language are completely entwined in culture

Let’s take a brief look into the relationship between social fashion and English idioms The social fashion is a traditional habit or a trend is popular

in a period of time in society; it includes living habit, etiquette, tradition, behavior standards, and method of social communication and so on Every person lives in the atmosphere of social fashion and traditional habit, and this atmosphere influences their daily life Meanwhile, these influences reflect the

language; especially they reflect the English idioms Take off one’s hat to

someone (which means pay one’s respect to someone) can be explained by the

fact that long ago, when the English people were in the social occasion and showed the respect to someone, they took off their hat For this reason, take off one’s hat to someone extends the meaning to show the respect to someone

Idioms and other idiomatic expressions are so pervasive throughout the English language that to ignore them is to miss out on a large percentage of the phrasal interpretations and nuances Idioms cause your mind to shift from the reality of your situation to the abstract thought of the analogy or concept they reference They keep your mind stimulated and focused They provide an outlet for expressive communication and a way for different people to say the

same thing but with different circumstantial allusions Sweating like a horse has a different connotation than sweating bullets One implies sweat as a

result of hard work (horse) and the other implies sweat as a result of fear (bullets) They both mean the same physical thing (you're sweating profusely) but they offer a different reason for the described action Here's a short

missive exemplifying the same message with and without idioms The idioms make the message more succinct, provocative and energetic

One can see that the translation without the idioms is much longer and more cumbersome to read/comprehend than the version with the idioms Understanding the use of idioms goes a long way to help you understand others meanings and form meanings of your own that impart various imagery

to your audience In short, idioms are the cat's meow

Meanwhile, Vietnamese people use idioms to express something that other words do not express as clearly or as cleverly They often use an image

or a symbol to describe something as clearly as possible and thus make their

point as effectively as possible For example, Đứng núi này trông núi nọ is

used to indicate that the things a person does not have always seem more appealing than the things he or she does have In cases such this, idioms tend

to be informal and are best used in spoken rather than written Vietnamese In short, they make Vietnamese more expressive and more efficient

Another great example is how all Vietnamese people are proud of the

tradition of Con Rồng cháu Tiên (Dragon’s children and Fairy’s grandchildren) and the legend of Lạc Long Quân- Âu Cơ For a long time,

Vietnamese people have always considered the dragon as a symbol for

greatness and nobleness That’s why Vietnamese people have the idiom Con

Rồng cháu Tiên Without the knowledge of the legend, one cannot catch the

idiom’s sense It is very clear that culture and language are shaping each other It is impossible to separate the two One knows the culture for the sake

of understanding the hiding meaning of idioms

2.5 Summary

This chapter has studied the theoretical background of the study, which are the syntactic and semantic features of idioms, and the definition of speed and speed-related concepts Besides, the basic socio-cultural factors were also defined All of these findings are used as the framework for the analysis in next chapters