SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM SO SÁNH, đối CHIẾU câu điều KIỆN TIẾNG ANH và TIẾNG VIỆT

Limitation of the subject With a view to illustrating several problems that lead to such difficulties by means of using contrastive analysis, this assignment will present the conditional

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ……… TRƯỜNG ………

*****

A Contrastive Analysis on

Con ditional Sentences in English & Vietnamese

(SO SÁNH, ĐỐI CHIẾU CÂU ĐIỀU KIỆN TRONG TIẾNG VIỆT VÀ TIẾNG ANH)

By:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Part I: Introduction

• Rationale

• Limitation of the subject

• Method of studying the subject

4

Part II: Development

• What is Contrastive Analysis (CA)?

• Conditional Sentences

• Conditional Sentences in English

• Conditional Sentences in Vietnamese

• Similarities and Differences

• Typical Difficulties for Vietnamese Students

5 7 7 12 14 15

Part I: Introduction

A Rationale

Foreign languages have been introduced and taught in Vietnam for years Especially, English has become a very popular subject to be taught and paid further surveys and studies in all levels: from elementary to secondary schools to, further more, universities across the country

Due to various differences between the two countries in such as culture, geography, and race, there surely appear many differences in the languages of these two countries In the past years working as a teacher of English language, I have experienced some difficulties Vietnamese students have been facing with when they lean English such as tenses, pronunciation, questions, etc especially the conditional sentences

If students have studied conditional sentences, when they come across them in reading English they generally don't have problems of understanding, although they may still be misled by sentences which don't include if or one of the obvious conditional,

conjunctions such as as long as or supposing But the most difficulties for them are

including in recognizing conditional sentences, particularly if the order of clauses doesn't match the order in the Vietnamese language Additionally, they find it difficult to produce correct conditional sentences appropriate with what they want to express Vietnamese learners may also be misled by the use of past tenses to refer to present

time, and may understand that phrases like if I spoke Russian refer to the past.

B Limitation of the subject

With a view to illustrating several problems that lead to such difficulties by means of using contrastive analysis, this assignment will present the conditional sentences in English and in Vietnamese and then point out some typical difficulties for Vietnamese students so that my study will be useful for my teaching and students’ learning

C Method of studying the subject

In this assignment, my study is carried out on the principles of macro linguistics There are two main parts The first part focuses on theory on contrastive analysis, which is based on what I have obtained from the course on Contrastive Analysis performed And the second part will deal with Contrastive Analysis on the use of conditional sentences

and some difficulties that Vietnamese students often encounter with Also in my assignment, many reference books will be used as well as data collected from

Part II: Development

What is Contrastive Analysis (CA)?

“Contrastive Analysis is a linguistic enterprise aimed at producing inverted (i.e contrastive, not comparative), two - valued typologies (a CA is always concerned with a pair of languages), and founded on the assumption that languages can be compared”.

(Carl James, 1980:3)

From the above-mentioned definition, we can recognize that CA is a branch of

linguistics that deals with different languages “CA is as interested in the inherent genius of the language under its purview as it is in the comparability of languages Yet,

it is not concerned with classification, and, as the term contrastive implies, more interested in differences between languages than in their likenesses.” That is why CA is

very important for both teachers and students to have a full and complete grasp of the languages (English and Vietnamese) based on their similarities and differences

There is a branch of linguistics called 'Interlanguage Study', which is not concerned with languages in the conventional sense This branch of linguistics is interested in the emergence of these languages rather than in the finished product Now, CA belongs to Interlanguage Study as it is to be viewed as diachronic rather than synchronic in orientation However, the focus of interest is not on learning but on the process of text replacement: The process can be enacted inside a bilingual’s brain according to whether one’s interest is in human translation Also CA is one of the three branches of two-valued (two languages are involved) interlingual linguistics They are: Translation Theory, Error Analysis, and CA

Another important point that needs to be understood about CA is that it takes both microlinguistic and macrolinguistic approach Microlinguistics has seen as its goal the description of the linguistic code, without making reference to the uses to which the code is put or how messages carried by this code are modified by the contexts in which they occur Whereas, macrolinguistics is concerned with contextual determination of messages and their interpretation It has growing interest in semantics, sociolinguistics, discourse, analysis, speech-act theory and ethno-methodology In microlinguistics approach, CA utilizes parallel description and comparison of types or linguistic code in both languages For example, CA can be carried out on different levels of language such

as grammar, phonology, and lexicology or any comparable systems of the two languages

concerned On the other hand, in macrolinguistic approach, attention has shifted from the code to a process: the process of communication

There is a growing concern for macrolinguistics For in communication, besides the knowledge of, the code the communicating individual needs to have "sensitivity" or understanding of non-codal aspects That is, he must be able to identify the situational constraints to which speech-events are subject and produce utterances, which conform

to them These constraints are socio-cultural variables that in part determine the form of successful utterance There are six variables identified by Hymes, namely Setting, Participant, Purpose, Key, Content and Channel These variables can be used to characterize any particular speech event First, setting refers to the time and place of speech that determine its form Second, participants include such participant roles as addressor, speaker, addressee and audience Third, purpose refers to 'the application of communicative functions of language Some obvious purposes of speech acts are persuasion, command, advice, greeting etc Fourth, key is the label for "tone, manner or spirit" in which the speech act is performed For example, the advice can be issued in a friendly, flippant key or in a stern, distant key Fifth, content is the topic that codetermines the language forms selected Lastly, channel in verbal communication includes two primary types: speech and writing Even with the five variables kept constant a written message is likely to have a different form from an equivalent spoken one Those variables can be expressed in a simpler formula that determines a speaker's communicative competence: who says what to whom, where and when, how and why

In conclusion, CA is the interlanguage study or two-valued linguistics that provides general principles to contrast the usage as well as the use of a pair languages so that the speakers of such languages can use the language in both formally and functionally in an appropriate way to gain success in communication

A Conditional Sentences.

What are Conditional Sentences?

As the definition made by Martin Parrott, (2000), L.G Alexander 1992, and John Eastwood, (1994), a condition is something that has to be fulfilled before something else

can happen If, normally meaning 'provided that', is sometimes followed by ‘then’ If

‘then’ is not stated, it is implied If X happens, (then) Y follows:

e.g If the rain stops, we'll be able to go for a walk

In Vietnamese language, according to Diep Quang Ban and Hoang Trong Phien, conditional complex sentences express the relationship between conditions and results:

e.g Nếu mai trời nắng ráo, mình sẽ lai con đến nhà cậu chơi

B Conditional Sentences in English

Students are usually taught that conditional sentences in English consist of two clauses:

a main conditional clause containing a verb in a form with will or would and a subordinate clause that is introduced by if and that they are usually divided into three basic types referred to as The Zero Conditional, Type 1, Type 2, Type 3 and Mixed Type Each has its own variations.

I The Zero Conditional

As for John & Liz Soars (1996) and John Eastwood (1994), the tense of both If-clause and conditional clause of a conditional sentence is Present Simple

The Zero Conditional is used to express conditions that are always true, with automatic

or habitual results

- Flowers die if you don’t water them (John & Liz Soars 1996)

- If you heat iron, it expands (J Eastwood 1994)

- If you want to change money on Sundays you have to go to one of the big

railway stations (M Parrot 2000)

If, in these above cases, means when or whenever

II Type 1: (Real condition at present and future)

Type 1 conditional sentences are sometimes called the First or Future conditional Both

clauses refer to the future The verb in the if- clause is in a present tense

IF - clause Conditional clause

(main clause)

If + Present tenses Conditions to be satisfied

'shall/will' future likely outcome

Be If I am better tomorrow I will get up.

Have If I have a headache I will take an aspirin,

Simple present If she finishes early she will go home

Present progressive if he is standing in the rain he will catch cold

Present perfect if she has arrived at the

station

she will be here soon.

Present perfect

progressive

If he has been traveling all night

he will need a rest.

Modals: Can, must If I can afford it, I will buy it.

As L.G Alexander (1992) mentioned: Type 1 Conditionals describe what will or won't happen if we think a future event is probable, to ask/ talk about something that is quite possible:

- If the weather clears, we'll go for a walk.

- What will you do if you lose your job?

or to express aspects of persuasion such as persuading and negotiating and for giving warnings and making threats (M Parrott 2000)

Persuasion: I’ll take the children to the party if you collect them from school.

Warning: If you try to take a short cut, you'll get lost.

Threat: If you poke your brother again, I’ll thrash you.

Besides, other forms can be used in Type 1 Conditionals, such as:

If + present, imperative

We use an imperative rather than a future form of the verb in the conditional clause, for example to give advice or instructions

- If you go to the supermarket bring back a carton of milk please.

Should

Sometimes, should is used before the verb in the if-clause of Type I conditional

sentences Often this weakens the possibility, implying by any chance

- If you should find yourself at a loose end over the holiday, you'll always be welcome at our house.

We also sometimes use should in place of if, usually in more formal, written contexts.

For example, the following is part of an internal memo distributed to staff in a chain of stores:

- Should people complain about the quality of any goods, please refer them directly to the customer services department; or

- Should you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.

III Type 2 (Unreal Condition at present and future):

Type 2 conditional sentences are sometimes called the 'second', 'hypothetical' or 'unreal' conditional with the purpose of referring to or speculating about something that is (or that we perceive to be) impossible or 'contrary to fact' They can refer to the present or the future

1 Basic form of Type 2 conditionals

Past tenses conditions to be satisfied

→

'would/should' future likely outcome

other verbs If you took a taxi, you'd get there quicker

could If you could see me now you'd laugh your head off.

Type 2 conditionals talk about imaginary situations in the if-clause and speculate about their imaginary consequences in the main clause Though past tenses are used, the reference is not to past time (That is why this use of the past tense after if is often called

'the unreal past'.) By comparison, Type 1 conditionals' talk about things which will

possibly happen and consider their real consequences for the future

2 Variations of form are follows:

2.1 If I were you/if I were In your position' (Not *was*)

We often use these expressions to give advice:

- If I were you/in your position, I'd accept their offer

(This means: You should accept their offer.),

We can also use these expressions to refer to somebody else:

- If I were Jane/ in Jane’s position I'd walk out on him.

2.2 'If It were not for/Were It not for (Not *was*)

This expression explains why something has or hasn't happened:

- If it weren’t for your help, I would still be homeless.

In formal contexts, If it were not for can be expressed as Were it not for, with

the negative in full (Not Weren't):

- Were it not for your help, I would still be homeless.

• If it were not for and Were it not for are often followed by the fact that:

- Were it not for the fact that you helped me, I would be homeless.

IV Type 3: (Unreal conditional in the past)

1 Basic form of Type 2 conditionals

Past tenses conditions to be satisfied

→

'would/should' future likely outcome

be If I had been taller I would have joined the army

have If he had had any sense he'd leave home

past perfect If you took a taxi, I would have kept quiet about

that

past perfect

progressive

If I had been trying harder I would have succeeded

could If I could have stopped there wouldn’t have been an

accident

Type 3 conditionals assume something purely imaginary in the if-clause and consider

the imagined consequences in the main clause However, Type 3 conditionals refer to consequences which did not and could not (now) ever happen because they refer to

something that didn't happen in the past They are 'hypothetical conditions':

- If I had worked harder at school I'd have got a better job

- If I hadn't been wearing a raincoat I would have got wet

(referring to something possible: often expressing regret)

- If I had won the pools, life would have been much easier

(referring to an imaginary, hoped for situation in the past)

- If I had lived In the Stone Age I would have been a hunter.

(referring to a completely impossible situation)

We use Type 3 conditionals to speculate about a range of possibilities, from what might have been reasonably expected to what would have been completely impossible

2 Variations of form are follows:

2.1- 'If I had been you/in your position'

We often use these expressions to describe a course of action we would have followed in someone else's position:

- If I had been you/in your position, I'd have accepted their offer (This means:

You should have accepted their offer.)

We can also use these expressions to refer to somebody else:

If I had been Jane, I'd have walked out on him years ago.

2.2- If It hadn't been for'

We often use this expression to explain why something didn't happen in the past:

If it hadn't been for the rain, we would have had a good harvest.

2.3 If + past perfect + modal

- If he had known the facts, he could have told us what to do

Another modal can replace would in Type 3 conditionals, e.g when we feel that the imagined consequences were less likely, or when we are referring to ability, possibility, etc.:

- If he had been here yesterday, he could have told us (ability)

- If he had been here yesterday, he might hove told us (possibility)

- If he had received a present, he should have thanked her (duty)

V Type 4: Mixed conditional sentences

Things we did in the past may have present consequences, and equally these past events may be the result of timeless or present facts We often refer both to the present and the