Conjunctions in some english and vietnamese newletters a contrastive analysis m a thesis linguistics 60 22 15

GRADUATE STUDIESNGUYỄN THỊ HOÀNG HUẾ CONJUNCTIONS IN SOME ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE NEWSLETTERS: A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS PHÂN TÍCH ĐỐI CHIẾU LIÊN TỪ TRONG MỘT SỐ BỨC THƯ NGỎ TIẾNG ANH VÀ TIẾ

GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN THỊ HOÀNG HUẾ

CONJUNCTIONS IN SOME ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

NEWSLETTERS: A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS

(PHÂN TÍCH ĐỐI CHIẾU LIÊN TỪ TRONG MỘT SỐ BỨC THƯ

NGỎ TIẾNG ANH VÀ TIẾNG VIỆT)

M.A MINOR PROGRAM THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS CODE: 60.22.15

HA NOI- 2012

GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN THỊ HOÀNG HUẾ

CONJUNCTIONS IN SOME ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

NEWSLETTERS: A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS

(PHÂN TÍCH ĐỐI CHIẾU LIÊN TỪ TRONG MỘT SỐ BỨC THƯ

NGỎ TIẾNG ANH VÀ TIẾNG VIỆT)

M.A MINOR PROGRAM THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS CODE: 60.22.15

SUPERVISOR: PHẠM THỊ THANH THÙY, Ph.D

HA NOI- 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration ………

Acknowledgements ………

List of tables………

Abstract ………

Table of contents ………

PART 1: INTRODUCTION ……….

1 Rationale for the study ………

2 Aims of the study ………

3 Scope of the study ………

4 Methods of the study ………

5 Design of the study ………

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT………

CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND………

1.1 An overview of Newsletters………

1.1.1 Definitions of Newsletters………

1.1.2 Types of Newsletters………

1.1.3 Formats of Newsletters………

1.1.4 English and Vietnamese Marketing Newsletters………

1.2 English and Vietnamese Conjunctions………

1.2.1 English conjunctions………

1.2.1.1 Definitions of English conjunctions………

1.2.1.2 Classifications of English conjunctions………

1.2.2 Vietnamese conjunctions……….

1.2.2.1 Definitions of Vietnamese conjunctions………

1.2.2.2 Classifications of Vietnamese conjunctions…………

1.3 Related studies ………

1.4 Summary………

CHAPTER 2: CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF CONJUNCTIONS IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE MARKETING NEWSLETTERS……….

2.1 Introduction……….

2.2 Contrastive analysis of conjunctions in English and Vietnamese Marketing Newsletters………

2.2.1 Frequency of using conjunctions in English and Vietnamese Marketing Newsletters………

2.2.2 Similarities and Differences in conjunction usages in English and Vietnamese ………

2.2.2.1 Similarities………

2.2.2.2 Differences………

2.3 Summary………

PART 3: CONCLUSION………

1 Recapitulation………

2 Implications……… 36

2.1 Implications for EFL teaching and learning………

2.2 Implications for translating………

3 Contributions of the study………

4 Limitations of the study………

5 Suggestions for further research………

REFERENCES ……….………

APPENDICES

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale for the study

In the world of cooperation and development, English has become aninternational language and effective means of communication bringing nationsthroughout the world close together English is said to have played a very importantrole in the development of commerce, trade, education, technology, economics, etc

in almost every country especially in Vietnam’s integration into the world.Therefore, it is necessary to know how to use English correctly andcommunicatively In the process of learning English, having good knowledge ofEnglish grammar is of great importance, for one can express his/her ideas, feelings

or emotions not only by separated words but also by meaningful sentences formedgrammatically Thus, the importance of grammar is the researcher’s first reason forchoosing this topic

The second reason the writer chooses conjunctions to study is that whengrammar is under discussion, most people tend to appreciate the significances oftenses, aspects, voices, order of clause elements rather than conjunctions.Conjunctions, functioning as connectors and transition signals, actually play animportant role in linking sentences, paragraphs, or clauses each other Apart fromthis, thanks to conjunctions, various kinds of grammatical sentences are formedsuch as compound sentences and complex sentences

One more reason that has inspired the researcher to the topic is her deepinterest in English Commerce, especially in newsletters The fact is that, anewsletter is regarded as a form that many companies use to promote their products

It serves as a smaller version of the newspaper to create good relationships withcustomers, suppliers, and other stakeholders It goes without saying that newsletterscontribute towards the overall success of the business Newsletters are also known

as consultant letters, so they need to have the logic and coherence to attractcustomers Besides, conjunctions are seen as an essential means of linking so as to

increase the persuasion in newsletters Therefore, studying and finding thesimilarities and differences in conjunction usages in English and VietnameseNewsletters will be of great help to the writer in teaching economic students at Hoa

Lu University where the author is working

2 Aims of the study

The research firstly aims to study conjunctions used in English andVietnamese marketing newsletters and then explore the similarities and differencesbased on the syntactic and semantic features between them At the end of the study,some implications for teaching, learning and translation will be covered as usefulresources To fully achieve these aims, the study should answer the followingquestions:

1 How frequent are conjunctions in English and Vietnamese

Newsletters?

2 What are the similarities and differences in conjunction usages in English and Vietnamese Newsletters?

3 Scope of the study

Many topics relating to conjunctions as well as lots of types of newsletters indifferent fields need to be exploited For the feasibility of a minor M.A thesis, thewriter narrowed the scope of the paper The main focus is on the descriptive andcontrastive analysis of conjunction usages in English and Vietnamese marketingnewsletters with respect to the syntactic and semantic features

4 Methods of the study

The study has been carried out based on a combination of different methods,

among which the main method is contrastive analysis In fact, according to Carl

James (1980), contrastive analysis (CA) is defined as a linguistic enterprise aimed atproducing inverted two-valued typologies (a CA is always concerned with a pair oflanguages), and founded on the assumption that languages can be compared For thecontrastive analysis method, English is considered to be the target language andVietnamese - the source language - a means to contrast The author has taken 40

samples of both English and Vietnamese marketing newsletters (20 English and 20Vietnamese ones) to compare and contrast This method involves two steps:describing the syntactic and semantic features of conjunctions in English andVietnamese marketing newsletters, then comparing and contrasting to point out thesimilarities and differences between these two languages Together with thismethod, the writer also uses the quantitative method that is based on data toexamine conjunctions used in both English and Vietnamese Supporting techniquessuch as reference to the publication, consultation with the supervisor, discussionwith colleagues, and personal observations are also of great significance.

5 Design of the study

The study consists of three main parts organized as follows:

Part 1 entitles “INTRODUCTION” outlining the background of the study in

which a brief account of relevant information such as rationale, aims, scope,methods, and designs of the study will be presented

Part 2, the “DEVELOPMENT” is subdivided into two chapters Chapter 1

– Theoretical background, as its name suggests, covers a series of concepts about

English and Vietnamese conjunctions and an overview of newsletters The writeralso introduces some famous studies related to conjunctions as a source to develop

this thesis In Chapter 2, the researcher focuses on “Contrastive analysis of conjunctions in English and Vietnamese Marketing Newsletters” The author

analyzes and contrasts how to use conjunctions in English and Vietnamesemarketing newsletters based on the syntactic and semantic features to find out thesimilarities and differences in the two languages

Part 3, the CONCLUSION, is the last part of the study which summarizes

what has been done, what has not been covered, accompanied by suggestions forfurther study Some possible implications for language teaching, learning andtranslation are given at the end of this part with a view to providing a new insightinto a very important device of linking in English and Vietnamese

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

1.1 An overview of Newsletters

1.1.1 Definitions of Newsletters

According to Edward A Hamilton (1996) in the book “Newsletters Design”,

a newsletter is an ambiguous term It is defined as a condensed periodical used tocommunicate specialized editorial information He explains briefly that

“condensed” means it is shorter than the average newspaper or magazine and provides lots of information in limited space; “periodical” means it is published regularly; “specialized” means it focuses not on a broad subject area such as

finance, but on a subject-within-a-subject such as real estate finance, not onorganizations in general, but a specific organization

From the point of Nadeem Hussain’s views, in the article “Advantages and disadvantages of Newsletters” published on September 18 , 2008, a newsletter isth

defined as a form of advertising that is sent periodically It is considered as apopularly effective marketing tool, it provides relevant and updated information ofthe products or services of the organization for the existing clients or customers

In another persuasive definition written by Chuck Green (2002), anewsletter is one of the best ways to keep the company’s name in front of the eyes

of the clients, the associates, and others that may be in the company’s market target.And sending newsletters to customers is a common marketing strategy which canbring many benefits for the company

1.1.2.Types of Newsletters

In his book “Design it Yourself Newsletters” written by Chuck Green (2002),

he describes three basic types of Newsletters or models of newsletters including

Marketing Newsletters, Relationship Newsletters, and Expert Newsletters The

author also shows that each type of newsletter has its own characteristics

The first type is Marketing Newsletters They are commonly used by

businesses to promote a product or a kind of service It is also known as a company

newsletter The marketing newsletter tries to turn prospective customers into

patrons

The second type is Relationship Newsletters Some examples about this type

are club newsletters, employee newsletters, church newsletters, and school

newsletters They focus on the shared interests of the target audience or reinforcing

a relationship

The last type is Expert Newsletters This type can be very exclusive or be

paid These newsletters generally focus on a specific topic and the recipient is

someone who has specifically requested the information in the newsletters and is

willing to pay for the information

1.1.3 Formats of Newsletters

According to Janice Byer in the article “Newsletters are smart marketing”

published on August 12th, 2010, newsletters can be produced in several formats For

businesses, the most economical and most readily acceptable newsletter formats are

plain text emails, HTML emails, and HTML page on the website, PDF, and print

The author also shows that each newsletter format has its own advantages and

disadvantages and they are shown on the table below:

Endless possibilities for design

HTML

Room for lots of content & graphics

Do not need to send as emailWeb Page

attachmentCosts only your timeEndless possibilities for designRoom for lots of content & graphicsPDF

Can send only a text email with alink to the page

Readers can save to their computerand read at their leisure

Endless possibilities for designRoom for lots of content & graphics

Determining which model fits the types of newsletters to use and publish is

to depend on the user’s purposes Having the same opinion with Janice Byer, Ladan

Lashkari in the article “Newsletter Formats – How to easily choose the perfect

format for your newsletters”, published on January 19th, 2007 also gives three basic

formats of Newsletters They are HTML, plain text, and PDF She states that HTML

is a good format because it is more professional than plain text and easier to create

than PDF It allows extensive use of graphics and text links Using graphics and

product pictures in newsletters can really attract customers’ attention Plain text is

the easiest format to create, but it does not sound professional because no technical

knowledge and special software are required as well PDF is not used as commonly

as the two above newsletters formats It is quite difficult to produce because the

In comparison with English newsletters formats, the writer realizes thatHTML and PDF are the widely used formats in Vietnamese newsletters.

1.1.4 English and Vietnamese Marketing Newsletters

One of the biggest tasks of many business companies today is gaining andkeeping prospective customers Accordingly, most companies use marketingnewsletters as an effective way to promote their products and services, and Englishand Vietnamese companies are no exception

According to Nadeem Hussain (2008), marketing newsletter is a form ofadvertising that is sent periodically It is a document that notifies, reminds, advises,communicates and advertises about a business to its target audiences and customers

In addition, it is also a good way to build an effective connection with clients.Companies can motivate customers to buy their products through informativemarketing newsletters

Both English and Vietnamese marketing newsletters are being widely used

by many companies with a view to promoting their businesses However, there isstill a slight difference that English marketing newsletters content is often longerthan that in Vietnamese

1.2 English and Vietnamese Conjunctions

1.2.1 English conjunctions

1.2.1.1 Definitions of English conjunctions

Conjunction is a word rooted from two Latin oniunctio or coniunctions meaning “to join together” (Mc Arthur, 1992) English conjunctions are defined as

words which typically join sentences and elements within sentence” (Berk, 1999).According to him, we can always add one structure to another by joining two ormore elements with a conjunction

Rodney Huddleston (1944) defines conjunction as uninflected word that used

to connect clauses or sentences, or to coordinate words in the same clause Another

definition by Ann Cole Brown (1987), conjunction is a word that connectsindividual words or groups of words In fact, a conjunction literally means the act ofjoining or combination.

And in a word, it is worth viewing the most adequate definition by Richard

Mallery (1967) that “a conjunction is a word or a pair of words used either to connect words, phrases, clauses or sentences or to show how one sentence is related to another.” Many definitions of conjunctions are arrived at by other

grammarians However, they generally defined the concept of conjunction in thelight of emphasizing on its main function concerning the combination of words,clauses or sentences

1.2.1.2 Classification of English conjunctions

According to Chalker (1967), the word-class conjunction is a traditional one

which can be divided into coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.

Coordinating conjunctions join grammatically equal elements whereassubordinating conjunctions link a subordinate “dependent” clause to a main clause

Also, he points out conjunctions consist of single words (because, however, so), compound conjunctions (as long as, so that, surprising that, provided that) and correlative ones (both… and).

However, from many grammarians’ points of view such as Carol AnnBergman (1989), Ann Cole Brown (1987) and Quirk and Greenbaun (1973), English

conjunctions include coordinating conjunctions (or more simply coordinators), subordinating conjunctions (or subordinators) and correlative conjunctions

(correlatives)

In “Grammar, rhetoric, and composition” (Mallery, 1967), conjunctions can

be arranged into three principal groups: coordinating, correlative and subordinatingconjunctions With correlative and subordinator groups, the writer merely statestheir definition together with the list of words belonging to both groups However,

apart from common correlatives (both … and, either … or, neither … nor, not only

… but also) the writer recommends others: though … yet, whether … or, so …

as, if

… then, as … as.

Another research provided by Chalker (1967), conjunctions are traditionally

divided into coordinating and subordinating conjunctions According to him and, or, but, so, yet, for, neither … nor, either … or, both … and, not only … but also belong

to the coordinator group They are used to join two equal parts of the sentencewhereas the subordinating conjunctions are used to link a modifying clause to amain clause

To sum up, there are many different ideas about types of conjunctions Theauthor would like to take three types of conjunctions including coordinating,subordinating and correlatives into consideration as follows:

(i) Coordinating conjunctions

 Definitions and functions of coordinators

Based on Quirk’s viewpoint (1973), explicit indicators of coordination are

termed coordinating conjunctions And coordination is analyzed as the process of

joining units which are in equal status In other words, coordination involves thelinking of units which are constituents of the same level Virtually, the process ofconjoining equal status units must be attended by a coordinator which is a wordwhich joins elements that are grammatically equal (Chalker, 1967)

In “A reference English Grammar”, R.A Close (1975) stresses the

coordination of separate parts of clauses caused by coordinating conjunctions Aspecific explanation about separated parts of a clause shows that more than twoparts of the subject, object, etc can be further added Sometimes, coordinationprompts ambiguous meaning What is more, coordinators can join more than twoclauses in order to form a compound sentence

In terms of function, Michael Swan (1995) states that the basic function ofcoordinators to join pairs of clauses that are grammatically independent from eachother.

From Ann Cole Brown’s point of view, the function of coordinators is moreelaborative She gives three main functions: First of all, a coordinating conjunctionmay connect nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases and othersentence elements Each coordinating conjunction shows a different relationshipbetween the words that it connects Secondly, a coordinating conjunction mayconnect two of independent clauses which are groups of words that can stand bythemselves as complete sentences Thirdly, a conjunction helps to avoid repetition

by bringing separate items into one sentence

 Syntactic features of coordinators

Quirk and GreenBaum in “A University Grammar of English” (1973)

introduced six syntactic features of coordinators as follows:

d Ellipsis of subject

e Linking of

subordinate clauses

f Linking more

than two clauses

(Source: Quirk and GreenBaum in “A University Grammar of English” (1973))

 Kinds of coordinators

As a matter of fact, there have been classifications of coordinators For

instance, Collin Cobuild (1990) lists the most common coordinators: and, nor, but,

or, then, for Nevertheless, according to Oshima Alice and Hogue Ann, for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so are called FANBOYS in order to help learners easier to remember

these coordinators

In short, not all grammarians have been able to provide readers a consistentclassification of coordinators Therefore, the occurrence of various classifications isinevitable To be more precise and to understand coordinators more clearly, it islikely that Quirk’s classification of coordinating conjunctions (1973) should be

taken into account: and, or, but, for, yet, so with the functions as follows:

Coordinators

and but or

yet for

(ii) Subordinating conjunctions

 Definitions and functions of subordinators

Mallery (1967) gives a clear definition about subordinating conjunctions that

“subordinators are words being used to indicate that one element is subordinated to another in a sentence.”

According to Quirk and Greenbaum in “A University Grammar of English” (1973), “subordination is a non-symmetrical relation holding between two clauses

in such a way that one is a constituent or part of the other.” In other words, a

subordinate clause is always introduced by a subordinating conjunction Asubordinating conjunction connects elements in the sentence that are of unequalvalue

In terms of functions, subordinating conjunctions usually express relations oftime, reason, condition - consequence, concession and purpose They are presented

in the below table:

Kinds of subordinators

A list of subordinators is highly elaborated and distinguished between

simple, compound and correlative subordinators by Quirk (1973) They are three

major kinds of subordinators

a Simple subordinators

After, (al)though, as, because, before, if, once, since, that, until, when(ever),

how(ever), where(ever), whereas, whereby, whereupon, while, …

b Compound subordinators

Compound subordinators

with except that, in order that, for all

If … then, (al)though … yet, so … as, whether … or, the … the, more/less …

than, as … as, such … as, such … that, no sooner … than

In addition, borderline subordinators are mentioned and divided into three borderline categories: habitual combinations of subordinators (just as, if only), participle form (supposing…) and expression of time (directly, immediately …).

What is more, Quirk also suggests other indicators of subordinationsincluding wh-elements, subject-operator inversion, nominal clause with and withoutthat and comment clauses, besides the main subordinating conjunctions

As above-mentioned definitions, subordinators are identified as connectors

of unequal elements or an independent with a dependent clause to make a complexsentence Therefore, subordinating conjunctions usually come at the beginning of

the subordinate clause (e.g I went out, although it was snowing) or probably start the first clause of the sentence (e.g Because it rained like dogs and cats, he

couldn’t go out.)

(iii) Correlative conjunctions

A correlative conjunction consists of two or more words that work together

as a set Correlative coordinators’ function likes coordinating conjunctions becausethey connect words that perform equal functions in a sentence (Ann Cole Brown,1987)

Cobuild (1990) arrives at the definition of a correlative conjunction that acoordinating conjunction used in pairs in parallel contraction However, based onMallery’s definition (1967) that correlative conjunctions are those used in pairs or in

a series, the following list including the popular correlatives is given:

not only but also

though … yet

Whether … or

As one of the correlative pairs, “neither … nor” can be separated, that means neither and nor are used as single correlative conjunctions without being a

correlative pair

e.g She doesn’t love him Neither does he.

“I can’t remember his name” “Nor can I”

Being the English conjunction; thus, correlatives are to do with thecombination of clauses and elements And we can realize the most prevalentposition of correlatives which often appears right before the combined items In

other words, they are always placed in front of the first word group (e.g Either you apologize or I will never speak to you again.)

1.2.2 Vietnamese Conjunctions

1.2.2.1 Definitions of Vietnamese conjunctions

Vietnamese conjunction is an interesting topic that many Vietnamese

linguists have concerned about In the dictionary “Bách khoa Việt Nam, tập 2”

published in 2002, conjunctions serve as connectors which link words, phrases, andsentences to denote the significance of the relationships such as alternative, contrast,concession, etc

According to Hoàng Trung Thông (1998), conjunctions are words expressingthe grammatical relations used to join the components in sentences or in phrases.Conjunctions do not make sense in terms of vocabulary and grammar, especiallythey never keep functions as subject or predicate in a sentence

Having the same opinions with Hoàng Trung Thông, Nguyễn Hữu Quỳnh in

“Tiếng Việt hiện đại” (1994) also defines that conjunctions are words which refer to

the grammatical relations used to connect parts of sentences or the elements in thephrase

Another definition written by Hoàng Thế (1990) shows that conjunctions areconsidered as joiners to connect two clauses together and Nguyễn Lai (2006) alsoagrees that conjunctions are words with the function to adhere words having thesame syntax roles in sentences or to link the same functional components,sentences, paragraphs in which the conjunctions represent certain semantics’functions.

Although each author gives the different definition, their contents come to ahigh agreement It can be said that like English conjunctions, Vietnameseconjunctions are the glue to combine words, word phrases, paragraphs, sentences,etc The linguists really help readers to understand deeply about conjunctions Thefollowing part is detail classifications of Vietnamese conjunctions

1.2.2.2 Classifications of Vietnamese conjunctions

There are many ways of classifying Vietnamese conjunctions, but the onemostly applied is according to the parts of utterances that they link together Fromthe view of Diệp Quang Ban (1993), Vietnamese conjunctions are arranged into twoprincipal groups: subordinating and coordinating conjunctions Subordinatingconjunctions are used to combine subordinate constituents with super-ordinateconstituents, while coordinating conjunctions are used to link words, word phrases,and sentences

According to Nguyễn Lai (2006), like English conjunctions, Vietnameseconjunctions can also be categorized into two types: conjunctions connectingcoordinated clauses (coordinators) and conjunctions connecting dependent clauses(subordinators)

(i) Coordinators

Conjunctions that link coordinated clauses are: và (and), nhưng/ mà (but), hay/hoặc (or), vì vậy/ do vậy (so/ hence/ therefore, etc They are placed between the

two clauses

e.g Chợ họp giữa phố vãn từ lâu Người về hết và tiếng ồn ào cũng mất.

(Market in the city centre has disbanded for a long time Everyone comes back home

and noise is also lost.) (Cited in “Hai đứa trẻ” (1938) - Thạch Lam)

According to grammatical meanings, conjunctions of this type have threemain meanings or functions in sentences

The first function is conjunctions expressing listing, for instance,

coordinators “và”, “với”, “cùng” simply link clauses to indicate enumeration and

consecutive or simultaneous events

e.g Tôi đến nhà An nhiều lần và trở thành người thân của cả gia đình.

(I went to An’s house many times and became the intimate of the whole family)

(Cited in “Ngữ pháp tiếng Việt, tập 1” (1993) - Diệp Quang Ban)

The next function is conjunctions showing alternative “hay”, “hay là”,

“hoặc là”, “hoặc…hoặc…” An example of this type can be seen in:

e.g Ngoài ra, ông vẫn thường đi xếp hàng mua gạo hoặc nhu yếu phẩm.

(In addition, he often stands in a queue to buy rice or necessities.)

(Cited in “Giấc mơ ông lão vườn chim (1970) – Anh Đức)

The last function of conjunctions is that they are used to express contrast

such as “nhưng”, “song”, “còn”, for example “Hắn nghiến răng vào mà chửi cái đứa

đã đẻ ra Chí Phèo Nhưng mà biết đứa nào đã đẻ ra Chí Phèo?

(He gritted his teeth to verbal child that spawned Chi Pheo But know who has spawned

(ii) Subordinators

The other set of conjunctions is used to link dependent clauses, and there are

usually couple conjunctions to describe these relationships such as “tuy…nhưng…”,

“vì …nên…”, “do…nên…”, “bởi…nên…”, “dù…nhưng…”, “nếu…thì…”

In dependent clauses, there are four smaller types of relationships:

+ Conjunctions expressing reason: “vì…(cho) nên/ mà…”, “tại…(cho) nên/ mà…”, “do….(cho) nên/ mà…”, “nhờ…(cho) nên/ mà…”, “bởi…(cho) nên/ mà…”.

e.g Từ khóc như mưa bởi vì Từ chẳng còn biết trông cậy vào ai.

(Tu cried bitterly because she did not know whom she could rely on.)

(Cited in “Đời Thừa” (1943) – Nam Cao)

+ Conjunctions expressing condition-consequence: “nếu (như)…thì…”, “hễ (mà)…thì/ là…”, “giá (mà)…thì…”, “ví…thì…”, “nhỡ…thì…” These conjunctions

are used in conditional sentences

e.g Nếu thị không vào thì hắn vẫn cứ nghĩ vẩn vơ mãi.

(If she does not come, he still thinks miscellaneously.)

(Cited in “Chí Phèo” (1946) – Nam Cao)

+ Conjunctions expressing concession: “tuy…nhưng/ vẫn…”,

“dù…nhưng/

vẫn…”, “mặc dù…nhưng/ vẫn…”

e.g Tuy những tiếng quen thuộc ấy hôm nào chả có, nhưng hôm nay hắn

mới nghe thấy

(The familiar noise is always appeared every day, but today he hears that.)

(Cited in “Chí Phèo” (1946) – Nam Cao)

+ Conjunctions expressing purpose: “để…(thì)…”.

e.g Hắn tìm một người bạn thân để nói chuyện văn chương

(He is looking for a close friend in order to talk literature.)

(Cited in “Đời Thừa” (1943) – Nam Cao)

1.3 Related studies

As shown above, opinions about conjunctions, newsletters in general andEnglish and Vietnamese ones in particular are given by many different researchers.Closely related to this thesis, there are some researches In the Graduation Paper

named “A contrastive analysis of English coordinators “and/or/but” and Vietnamese equivalents” Le Thi Bich (2000) merely contrasted the typical coordinating conjunctions “and/ or/ but” in English and Vietnamese equivalents At

the end of the study, the author came to a conclusion that there are similarities and

differences of using the conjunctions “and/ or/ but” in English and in Vietnamese

equivalents based on semantic and syntactic perspective Another researchconcerning conjunctions by Nguyen Thanh Huong (2002) in her

graduation paper, she provided an overview of all kinds of English conjunctions.More importantly, in this paper, the author listed some difficulties faced byVietnamese learners in understanding and using conjunctions At the end of thegraduation paper, some suggested solutions to Vietnamese learners’ difficulties inlearning conjunctions were given as an effective source for learners.

1.4 Summary

In this chapter, by elaborating on the key terms, the researcher has brieflyreviewed the theoretical background of the study More importantly, the writerprovides an interesting insight into English and Vietnamese conjunctions andnewsletters As a matter of fact, there is a close relationship between marketingnewsletters and conjunctions Marketing newsletter is regarded as an effective way

to promote their products and services It is a form of advertising which attractscustomers; therefore, it requires logic and coherence Consequently, conjunctionsare used mostly in newsletters to gain this aim of newsletters

CHAPTER 2: CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF CONJUNCTIONS

IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE MARKETING NEWSLETTERS

2.1 Introduction

This chapter sets out to delve into providing a contrastive analysis ofconjunction usages in English and Vietnamese marketing newsletters The data usedfor analysis are extracted from forty samples of marketing newsletters in the twolanguages (including 20 in English and 20 in Vietnamese) to compare and contrast

The researcher collected the samples from the book “Oxford Handbook of Commercial Correspondence” published by Oxford University Press in 2003,

written by A Ashley and from reliable web addresses of English and Vietnamesecompanies or organizations They are sources that were accessible at the time ofconducting this research

The first step in the analysis the writer synthesizes the frequency ofoccurrence of conjunctions in English and Vietnamese marketing newsletters Then,the author lists a corpus of English and Vietnamese conjunctions in Appendices 1, 2,

3, and 4 Based on these data, the researcher compares to find out the similaritiesand differences in conjunction usages in terms of syntactic and semantic features inboth languages

2.2 Contrastive analysis of conjunctions in English and Vietnamese Marketing Newsletters

2.2.1 Frequency of using conjunctions in English and Vietnamese Marketing Newsletters

The first thing that the researcher would like to mention in the study is thefrequency of occurrence of conjunctions in English and Vietnamese marketingnewsletters

Table 2.1: English conjunctions in English marketing newsletters

1 Thai Son Tien Phong Company’s

Newsletter

Newsletter

Limited Company's Newsletter

Limited Company's Newsletter

Newsletter

16 T&C International Travel Newsletter

17 Anh Son Freight Services Newsletter

18 Khang Nghi Package Printing Limited