Connotations of flower words and phrases in english and vietnamese

THESIS CONNOTATIONS OF FLOWER WORDS AND PHRASES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE Nghĩa hàm ẩn của các từ và cụm từ chỉ hoa trong Tiếng Anh và Tiếng Việt BUI QUANG CHUNG Field: English Langu

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY

M.A THESIS

CONNOTATIONS OF FLOWER WORDS AND PHRASES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

(Nghĩa hàm ẩn của các từ và cụm từ chỉ hoa trong

Tiếng Anh và Tiếng Việt)

BUI QUANG CHUNG Field: English Language Code: 8.22.02.01

Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Hoang Tuyet Minh

Hanoi, 11/ 2020

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled CONNOTATIONS OF FLOWER WORDS AND PHRASES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Language Except where the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To complete this master's thesis, apart from my own efforts, there is the enthusiastic guidance of the teachers and lecturers, as well as the encouragement and support of family and friends during the time of studying and doing the master's thesis

First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Assoc Prof Dr Hoang Tuyet Minh, my supervisor, who has wholeheartedly helped and created the best conditions for me to complete this thesis Her advice and direction have helped me confidently conduct the research on new issues and solve the problem scientifically and comprehensively

In addition, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all the lecturers in the Faculty of English, Hanoi Open University who have been dedicated to conveying valuable knowledge, as well as supporting me throughout the process of learning, researching, and until the implementation of the thesis

Finally, from the bottom of my heart, I would like to extend my profound thankfulness to my family, colleagues, and friends for always trusting, following, supporting, and caring for me during the time when I studied, conducted the research, and implemented this master's thesis

2.4.2 Classification 25

FLOWER WORDS AND PHRASES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE 3.1 Connotations of flower words and phrases in English 27 3.1 Connotations of flower words and phrases in English 27

3.2 Connotations of flower words and phrases in Vietnamese 42

3.3.1 Flowers as a symbol of national flower 74

4.4.1 Implication for learning connotations of flower words and phrases 81

in English and Vietnamese

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research is to find out the similarities and differences between the connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese It helps learners learn English well and use them in daily communication, especially, in using connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese This research used qualitative and quantitative approaches The author uses quantitative method for collecting the data of flower names and their connotations Qualitative method is used

to describe connotations of flower words and phrases In addition, the author also uses contrastive and comparative analysis so as to make an investigation into the similarities and differences between connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese in terms of cultural cognition The data is collected mainly from the Internet and flower connotations in the book “The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History” The author focus on popular flowers collected on special occasions including 45 flowers in English and 25 flowers in Vietnamese The data were analyzed based on Nguyen Hoa (2004)’s framework of connotations and explained based on Tran Ngoc Them (1999)’s and Farzad Sharifian (2007)’s theories on culture The results of the research show that both the English and the Vietnamese use connotations of flower words and phrases on important occasions However, due to cultural differences, the English tend to use the connotations acknowledged based on the tales, myths and legends more frequently than the Vietnamese, who mainly use the connotations based on metaphor and metonymy of color meanings formed according to Yin and yang theory, or Feng Shui This study also suggests some implications for better using connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese

Keywords: connotations

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 2.1 Types of meaning (Leech,1977)

Table 3.1 Connotations of flowers used in important occasions in England

14

40 Table 3.2 Connotations of flowers used in important occasions in Viet

Figure 2.1 Meaning triangle (Zveginxhev,1957)

Figure 2.2 Meaning pyramid (Do Huu Chau,1998)

Figure 2.3 Types of semantic transference: Metaphor (Nguyen Hoa,2004)

3

3

12 Figure 2.4 Types of semantic transference: Metonymy (Nguyen Hoa,2004) 14

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

This chapter gives some overall information about the topic which has been chosen

to investigate by the author First, it describes a general background of the topic, the reason as well as the necessity of the study Then, the aims and objectives of the study are also clearly presented, and they are followed by three research questions, which will be answered in chapter 3 After that, this chapter provides a brief explanation of the method utilized during the research process, the scope, and the significance of the topic investigation Finally, it indicates the overall plan of the thesis and the way how

this paper is structured

Theoretically, connotations are very important in communication because connotations set the tone when writing and speaking, and clarify one’s intentions -they can elicit certain emotions or reactions or help to provide distinct impressions of things Conversely, choosing words with the wrong connotation can produce an undesired reaction or emotion and misrepresent one’s intentions Particularly, connotations are dealt with in some books such as Beatriz (2013), Kenny (2008), and Gibbs (1973) It is also possible to find some publications dealing with specific types

of connotations such as Said Faiq (2018)

In Vietnamese, the definition and types of connotations are dealt with every semantic book such as Nguyen Hoa (2004), Do Huu Chau (2005)

Practically, the author hopes to contribute a small part in studying and teaching connotations in English and Vietnamese, especially, connotations of flower words and phrases In the study, connotations of flower words and phrases are described in popular contexts and situations The author hopes that with the thesis, we can help Vietnamese learners study connotations of flower words and phrases more easily

There have been so far some studies and investigations into idioms concerning animals, plants, colors, or the connotation of the Vietnamese zodiac animals in English and Vietnamese idioms and proverbs Nevertheless, hardly any study of connotations of flower words and phrases have been carried out These are the reasons why the author would like to carry out this thesis titled “Connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese”

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study

This paper is aimed to help learners of English understand and use connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese effectively This paper is designed to aim at the following objectives:

 To identify connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese

 To make a comparison between connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese

 To give some implications for learners using connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese

1.4 Methods of the study

In this research, the mixed method approach including quantitative method and qualitative method is used The author uses quantitative method for collecting the data of flower names and their connotations Qualitative method is used to describe connotations of flower words and phrases In additions, the author also uses contrastive and comparative analysis so as to make an investigation into the similarities and differences between connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese in terms of cultural cognition

1.5 Scope of the study

Within the framework of the thesis, the author would like to put the focus on connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese In the thesis, the author use phrase definition that A phrase is a group (or pairing) of words in English A phrase can be short or long, but it does not include the subject-verb pairing necessary to make a clause

There are more than many words in English and Vietnamese related to flowers, but the focus of the research is on 49 popular flowers in England and 25 ones in Vietnam used on important occasions of both countries and focus the connotations of flower words and phrases in terms of cultural cognition

The data categories are on the Internet from websites of flowers

1.6 Significance of the study

- Theoretically, this study is hoped to provide contributions to studies linguistic unit become from cognitive semantic approach, which in turn can shed light on researches

in difficult other fields such as psychology, psycholinguistics and applied cultural linguistics

- Practically, this research is expected to help Vietnamese learns of English better understanding flower word and phrase connotations Moreover, it can contribute to teaching English literature in Vietnamese universities

1.7 Structure of the thesis

The graduation thesis is designed with 5 chapters, Chapter 1 introduces the rationale,

aims and objectives, scope of the study, research questions, methods, and significance

of the study, Chapter 2 presents an overview of meanings, components of word

meanings, denotation, connotation, as well as a brief of connotations of flower words

and phrases, names of flowers, Chapter 3 investigates the similarities and differences

between connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese in idioms of both languages and some literary works Additionally, the implications in effectively learning connotations of flower words and phrases in English and

Vietnamese are also presented in this chapter, and chapter 4 briefly summarizes the

conclusion of the study, the limitations of the study and proposes some suggestions for bettering the study as well as for better researches in the future References and Appendix come at the end of the study

Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter provides an overview of the theoretical background as well as relevant knowledge and summaries of previous research’s findings and conclusion associated with the theme of the research In other word, the review is to explain several related terms and definitions as to word meanings, denotations, connotations, cultural features, the relationship between language and culture, an overview of flowers, name

of flowers, and connotations of flowers These are frameworks of understanding connotations of flower words and phrases Besides, they are useful to analyze the similarities and differences of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese

2.1 Previous studies

- The studies of connotations:

In English, there are three relevant previous studies The first study is by Roni Kuswantoro (2002) that entitled “A Study on Connotative Meaning of Language Used in Scorpion’s Song” This research is aimed to show the interpretation of the connotations found in the song lyrics, the messages of the songs, and the contribution

of the connotations to the messages in Linkin Park’s song lyrics A Thousand Suns by using Leech’s Theory (1990) In the conclusion, He found more connotative meaning than denotative meaning, namely: Being, Cosmic, Energy, Substantiated, Terrestrial, Object, Living, Animate and Human in Scorpion’s Songs and he state that the messages conveyed in the songs are mostly motivating and persuasive

The second study is by Guimei He (2010) entitled “English and Chinese Cultural Connotation of Color Words in Comparison” This research discussed connotation of color words In short, the cultural connotation in the color words between Chinese and English languages is very abundant Here only three common colors are discussed The color phrases have a very strong rhetoric function They are the indispensable and important part in the intercultural communication Because there are many differences between the Chinese and American’s favorite colors So the phrases of different colors in the two different nations show the different meanings

The last study is by Elvira Sinta Hajar (2011), with her title “A Connotation in Comic

“Uncle in North of the Yukon”: A Barthes‟ Semiotics Analysis In her research, she

is used the qualitative descriptive analysis as the method of the research in analyzing the connotative meaning In her analysis, she found out the final result that shows the relation between the picture and the text of selected figures in describing the

connotation In addition, it also represents the meaning of verbal and nonverbal signs

on comics, so that, the reader could understand what the narrator meant In analyzing the data, how the words and pictures are combined in comics The difference of this research with writer research is in the theory used in the research And the corpus that she used is different from writer research so the result of this research will different with writer research

In Vietnamese, some researches on the connotation have been also conducted Nguyen Quoc Toan (2011) researched the connotation of the Vietnamese Zodiac animals in English and Vietnamese idioms and proverbs Bui Thi Phuong Thao (20011) studied proverbs related to plants in English and Vietnamese: a contrastive analysis and teaching implication Vo Tu Phuong (2016) conducted a research on the similarities and differences in the connotation of animal words in English and Vietnamese proverbs

From the above studies, it can be seen that up to now, there has been no research on comparing connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese

- The studies of flowers:

In the world, there are many authors interested in researching groups of words indicating colors; only the concept of beauty; a group of words about light and shadow, etc and there are some specific studies on the group of words indicating flowers under different angles

From a cultural perspective, a typical study of this angle is that of Huss et all (2017) with the theme "The meaning of Flowers: A Cultural and Perceptual Exploration of Ornamental Flowers" In this study, the authors investigated how different flowers (with different perceptions) are generalized in a culture They used a combination method to investigate the preferences of 150 subjects for four different types of flowers, exploiting why they chose those flowers The authors also investigated the object's perception of the concept of flowers in general and compared it with the circle representing the religion of the universe Since then, the authors turned to theories of psychology, perception, and culture through the use of concept maps (concept - map)

to approach cultural awareness of specific flowers The results of the study show that all four flowers are equally selected as the first choice so the author introduced the general concept of flowers that increases the calmness and happiness of humans The concept of flowers is ranked higher than the circle representing the religion of the

universe because flowers bring happiness and the symbolic circle only brings care Flowers are also ranked and distinguished according to the cultural significance of their various visual elements evoke in the Jewish country's cultural context The study results confirm that there is a mutual interaction between universal and specific cultural factors associated with flowers Besides, the results also show that a central concept of flower covers the specific cultural meanings of flowers

From a psychological perspective, Haviland-Jones et all (2005) studied a work of flowers "An Environmental Approach to Positive Emotion: Flowers", in which the authors performed three different studies and showed that flowers are a strong emotional contributor In the first study, the results show that flowers, when given to women, always made them a true smile The women who receive the flowers were reported to be in a more positive mood until three days later In the second study, a flower given to men or women in an elevator produced more positive social behaviors than any other stimulus In the third study, flowers were given to the elderly (over 55 years old), the results show that the elderly also have positive moods and improved memory It can be said that flowers have immediate or lasting effects on emotional response, mood, social behavior and even memory for both men and women Currently, there are very few theories in disciplines that can explain these findings The author also argues that flowers are very useful because they evolved to quickly generate positive emotions in humans

In Vietnam, at present, there are many research works on semantic vocabulary field

in general and words for flowers in particular The research works mainly in terms of semantics

In terms of semantics, studying the vocabulary field of plant names in Vietnamese, the author Cao Thi Thu (1995) has shown the identifiable and semantic features of the plant names in this field, which also mentions the word for flower

Cao Thi Thu also explored the ethnic characteristics of plant identification in Vietnamese and compared it with some languages such as English, Russian, and Kazakstan

Most recently, in the thesis “Semantics of words for flowers in Chinese (concerning Vietnamese)”, Le Thi Kim Dung (2019) has researched and clarified the semantic structure features and the method of meaning translation of flower words in Chinese compared with Vietnamese and found out similarities and semantic differences of

flower words in two languages, thereby highlighting cultural implications and cognitive features Chinese and Vietnamese people are shown through the meaning of this group of words

That is the reason why we choose a research topic comparing groups of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese for the thesis

2.2 An overview of word meaning

2.2.1 Definition of word meaning

In English, according to Lyons (2005), standard monolingual dictionaries of a language explain the meaning of words by providing them with metalinguistic definitions in which the object language is used as its own metalanguage The format

of these definitions will vary somewhat from dictionary to dictionary It will also vary from one class of words to another, especially in the case of so-called function words,

or lexically empty word-forms, such as prepositions (of in, etc.) or the definite and indefinite articles (the, a): it is notoriously difficult to devise satisfactory dictionary definitions for such forms, whose meaning; is primarily grammatical, rather than lexical Lyons also points out that traditional dictionary definitions can be seen as defining (in the case of words such as ‘dog’) two different, but complementary, aspects of lexical meaning: denotation and sense

The crucial difference between reference and denotation is that the denotation of an expression is invariant and utterance-independent: it is part of the meaning which the expression has in the language-system, independently of its use on particular occasions of utterance Reference, in contrast, is variable and utterance-dependent For example, the word ‘dog’ always denotes the same class of animals (or the defining property of the class), whereas the phrases ‘the dog’ or ‘my dog’ or ‘the dog that bit the postman’ will refer to different members of the class on different occasions of utterance Reference, as distinct from denotation, will be dealt with (as part of utterance-meaning) in a later chapter The important point to note, for the present, is that lexemes, as such, do not have the reference, but may be used as referring expressions or, more commonly, as components of referring expressions in particular contexts of utterance

Sense and denotation are not only interdependent: they are inversely related to one another The nature of this inverse relationship can be explained informally as follows: the larger the denotation, the smaller the sense, and conversely For example,

Word meaning

Thing

Concept Signal fuction

the denotation of ‘animal’ is larger than, and includes, that of ‘dog’ (all dogs are animals, but not all animal’s are dogs), but the sense of ‘animal' is less specific than, and is included in, that of ‘dog’

A comparable inverse relation is well recognized in traditional logic in terms of the difference between extension and intension Roughly speaking, the extension of a term, or expression, is the class of entities that it defines, and the intension is the defining property of the class

Zveginxhev (1957) show that meaning of word is the interference area as following chart:

Language system

Figure 1 Meaning triangle (Zveginxhev,1957)

In Vietnamese, according to Do Huu Chau (1998), word meaning is a composite, and the result of the factors and the impact between the factors makes word meaning Some of these factors are from outside language and the others are elements of language

Figure 2 Meaning pyramid (1998) Overcoming Stern's shortcomings, Do Huu Chau (2005) said that words including

Word meaning

forms and meanings are at the highest point of the pyramid and other factors are at the bottom The factors contributing to the meaning of the word in turn are things, understanding of thoughts (concepts), user factors (historical-social factors), signal functions, language system

The number of bottom peaks will increase depending on the number of additional factors detected The advantage of the pyramid model is that a surface separates the entities under consideration (from, the factors) from each other and also outlines the relationships between them (by the edges of the pyramid)

From the above different conceptions of meaning, we can generalize the meaning of the word as follows: The meaning of the word is the content that the expression includes understandings, common knowledge expressed in the process of turningthought into communication in the language of the speaker Both factors are from outside language and the others are elements of language make word meanings in which the decisive factors are language user, context and semiotics function At the same time, the spiritual cultural characteristics of native speakers are also revealed through meaning

2.2.2 Components of word meaning

In English, according to Leech (1977), there are seven types of meaning

Table 2.1 Types of meaning (Leech ,1977) Conceptual meaning or sense Logical, cognitive, or denotative

content Associative

Meaning

Connotative Meaning What is communicated by virtue

what language refers to Social Meaning What is communicated of the social

circumstances of language use Affective Meaning What is communicated through of

the feelings and attitudes of the speaker/writer

Reflected Meaning What is communicated through

association with another sense of the same expression

Collocative Meaning What is communicated through

association with words which tend

to occur in the environment of another word

Thematic Meaning What is communicated by the way

in which the message is organized in terms of order and emphasis

The first is conceptual meaning or sense, connotative meaning, social meaning, affective meaning, reflected meaning and collocative meaning include associative meaning The last is thematic meaning

In Vietnamese, according to Do Huu Chau (2005), the meaning of the word includes the following components: denotative meanings (denotations), significative meaning, connotative meaning (connotations) and grammatical meanings In which, the three components of denotations, significative meaning, connotations form the lexical meaning of words

- Denotations: The component of word meanings refers to things which is used in the world It evokes when we come into contact with it

- Significative meanings: the component of word meanings related to the understanding of denotations Things and phenomena in objective reality have properties that are reflected in thinking and form concepts Therefore, concepts are categories of thought formed from real knowledge These are essential signs of things and phenomena When those essential signs are reflected in the language, the meanings will be formed The set of meanings in the language is significative meanings

- Connotations: the meaning of the word is related to attitudes, emotions, and assessment The things and phenomena expressed in language are all perceived and experienced by humans

Types of semantic transference

To form and develop more word meanings, there are many types of semantic transference in language such as metaphor, metonymy, metonymy, sarcasm, understatement or illiteracy However, there are basically two types of semantic transference The one based on similarity is called metaphor, the other based on the relation of contiguity is named metonymy Hyperbole, irony is also given some brief treatment in this chapter The denotation of word-meaning can change in two ways:

broadening and narrowing Connotation, on the other hand, can change for the

“better”, i.e elevation, or for the worse, i.e degradation

a Metaphor

Metaphor, from the Greek for "transference", is the transference of meaning (name) from one object to another based on similarity between these two objects, i.e we call one object by the name of another because we compare these objects and find some common features between them Metaphors have traditionally been viewed as implicit comparisons What happens is that the meaning of word is extended on the basis of similarity In cognitive linguistics, according to Barcelona (2000: 3) metaphor is the cognitive mechanism whereby one experiential domain is partially mapped or projected onto a different experiential domain so that the second domain

is partially understood in terms of the first one Metaphor, as we shall see below, is a conceptual projection whereby one experiential domain is partially understood in terms of another experiential domain (the source) included in the same common experiential domain For example, we can liken something to something else on certain grounds For example, a cunning person is commonly referred to as a fox The following figure illustrates the process

Figure 2.3 Types of semantic transference: Metaphor (Nguyen Hoa, 2004) The transference may be based on similarity of:

- Shape E.g: head of a cabbage, crane bulb, the teeth of a saw

- Position E.g: the tail of procession, the foot of mountain

- Movement E.g: caterpillar of a tank, to worm

- Function E.g: finger of instrument, the key to the mystery

- Colour E.g: orange, rose

- Size E.g: midget, elephantine

Especially widely used are the metaphoric meaning of word denoting parts of human body, i.e the names of the parts of human body are transferred to other objects (the nose of a plane, the head of the school, the leg of the table)

It is clear that the human beings first of all got to know their own body and gave names to its parts Later in the process of cognition of the world they began comparing the surrounding objects with their own body and finding common features That is why parts of our body are used as metaphors

The names of animals are also often transferred to the human beings (A cunning person is a fox, a spiteful person is a snake, a rude person is a bear, a hard working person is a bee or a beaver) There are many expressions based on names of animals (bird's view, crocodile tears)

Another subgroup of metaphors comprises proper names transferred to common ones For instance, a jealous person is called an Othello, and an eloquent speaker is a Cicero

Thus, metaphor is hidden comparison, i.e if objects or phenomena are compared and common features are found we speak of metaphor Metaphors differ from comparisons only by one feature: in metaphors there is no formal element of comparison (as, like)

She is like a snake - comparison

She is a snake - metaphor

Metaphors may be:

- Living (poetic, individual) when a word is used in unusual meaning and metaphor

is felt as such (Peace is our fortress, Beauty is a flower which wrinkles will devour)

- Faded (trite) metaphor, metaphor, which lost its freshness because of long use and became habitual (dying capitalism, fruitful effort, golden youth, to fall in love)

- Dead metaphor - where metaphoric sense is not felt Dead metaphors are words which have lost their direct meaning and are used only figuratively (to ponder, capital, sarcasm)

To ponder, for instance, originally meant "to weigh", but it is used now only in the meaning "to meditate, to consider thoughtfully" There is a theory that all our words are dead metaphors

b Metonymy

There exists in any language a somewhat more complicated possibility for extending word meaning based on a quite different conceptual relation, not a similarity between the instances of the two categories but a strong association or contiguity of notions between them This is referred to as metonymic extension In other words, metonymy can be defined as the substitution of one word for another with which it is associated

Metonymy works by contiguity rather than similarity, i.e instead of the name of one object or notion we use the name of another because these objects are associated and closely related: "the kettle boils" instead of "the water in the kettle boils", "crown" instead of "monarchy", "The big apple" for "New York" Bill Clinton (the 42nd President of the United States) was once described by a reporter as a great president who could be bound for Rushmore, a mountain in South Dakota, the United States, where the rock has been cut into the shape of four US Presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt The following figure illustrates this process

Figure 2.4 Types of semantic transference: Metonymy Metaphor (Nguyen Hoa,

2004) According to standard tradition, metonymy is defined as "figure in which one word

is substituted for another on the basis of some material, causal, or conceptual relation Some substitution includes place-for-institution, thing-for-perception, or object-for- possessor, or part-for-whole, or place-for-event, and are exemplified below:

The White House objected to the plan

There goes my knee, (pain in the knee)

The crown was angry with the PM's proposal

We don't hire long hairs

Watergate strikes at the heart of the American political system

For Nunberg (1978, 1979), metonymy is a case of "deferred reference", in which a speaker uses a description of A and succeeds in referring to B Nunberg also regards metonymic uses as a kind of "local" word uses that are perceived as rational against

a system of beliefs that is available only to a sub-section of the community We can consider the example below: :

The white jersey was very nice

For those not involved in the situation, it would be difficult to identify or know who the white head was Obviously it is someone who was wearing the white head at the

time But when uttered in the context of a football match, the metonymic can be used

to identify a player who was wearing the white jersey at the time This use is justified only against a specific belief shared by those familiar with football (a sub-section of the community) Faucornnier (1985) also sees metonymy in similar terms, i.e as a sub type of deferred reference which is enabled by the establishment of links between objects "for psychological, cultural, or-locally pragmatic reasons" These links are captured by pragmatic mappings which Fauconnier calls "connectors" Deferred reference is determined by the more general identification principle Basically, this principle means that if two objects are linked by a pragmatic function, a description

of A may be used to identify B or vice versa.!

A subtype of metonymy is called synecdoche in which a whole is represented by naming one of its parts, or vice versa For example:

We all live under the same roof.,

I have three mouths to feed

She is wearing a fox

In this example, the roof as part of the house is used to refer to the whole house In the other example above, fox as a whole is used to refer to the part of it (the fur) Metonymy has been the subject of some related branches of linguistics In cognitive linguistics, for instance, it is seen as one of the basic characteristics of cognition It is common for people to take one well-understood or easy-to-perceive aspect of something and employ it to stand either for the thing as a whole or some other aspect

or part of it Sometimes, metonymy is seen as á specific kind of symbolism by which the most essential component of an object is abstracted to represent it For example,

if a person is well-known for his red hair, this feature "red hair" can lend itself to referring to the person who has red hair

That red hair is getting angry with his wife

In tradition, the following cases of metonymy are often presented

We use the name of the container instead of the thing contained E.g.: to drink a glass Names of parts of human body may be used as symbols E.g.: to have a good eye, kind heart, clever head

The concrete is used instead of abstract E.g.: from the cradle to the grave The materials are used for the things made of the materials E.g.: Canvass, glass

The name of the author is used for his works E.g.: Watts, Ampere, Volt, Picasso

Part is used for the whole and vice versa E.g.: Roof for house (we all live under the same roof), or when the whole is used for a part, (she is wearing a fox)

of language in a way that other types of meaning are not (which is not to say that conceptual meaning is the most important element of every act of linguistic communication)

In Vietnamese, Nguyen Hoa (2004) states that denotation is the ability of a word or expression to identify all the objects covered by a word e.g The word “computer” is used to denote a wide range of computing machines in different shapes and sizes, which may be called computers

2.2.4 Connotation

Like denotation, there are many different definitions of connotation

In English, Wilkins (1983) affirms that connotative meaning is additional to denotative meaning and needs to be related to it only in an indirect way It is altogether more concerned with the attitudes of the language user, his emotional reactions to the use of a word

Connotation is more complicated than denotation J N Hook (1989) states that besides the denotative meaning, a word sometimes has the emotional overtones or we call ‘connotative’ meaning The other important thing, whenever we are talking about connotation, is that the involvement of affective and emotive in our mind

In addition, J N Hook (1989) states that connotative meaning can be divided into two kinds, namely positive connotative (purr word) and negative connotative (snarl word) Besides the positive and negative connotative meaning, there is neutral that is most of them is jargon language

Here are the examples of positive and negative connotative meaning

Positive Connotation Neutral Negative Connotation

In Vietnamese, according to Nguyen Hoa (2004), Connotative meaning is the communicative value that an expression has by virtue of what it refers to, over and above its purely conceptual content This kind of meaning is rather unstable: that is, they vary considerably according to culture, historical period, and the experience of the individual There is variation according to dialect, time (language of the 18th

century), province (law), status (polite, colloquial, slang), modality (language of memoranda, lectures, jokes), singularity (the style of Dickens, the style of Hemingway)

Some, such as Holt Rinehart and Winston (an introduction to language; 205):

“Connotations arise as words become associated with a certain characteristic of the items to which they refer”

Nguyen Hoa (2004) points out that connotative meaning is open-ended in the same way as our knowledge and beliefs about the universe This kind of meaning may fall into one of situations: stylistic, affective, evaluative, and intensifying

- Stylistic meaning:

When associations at work concern the situation in which the word is uttered, the social circumstances (formal, familiar, colloquial…), the social relationships between the interlocutors (polite, rough), the type of purpose of communication (learned,

poetic, official), this connotation is stylistic E.g Horse vs steed, help vs assist

- Affective meaning (or emotional):

Affective meaning is acquired by the word as a result of its frequent use in contexts corresponding to emotional situations or because the referent conceptualized and

named in the denotative meaning is associated with emotions For example:

“beseech” means to ask eagerly and also anxiously

- Evaluative meaning:

Evaluative meaning expresses approval or disapproval e.g magic, witchcraft and sorcery In which the words “magic, sorcery” have positive meaning but “witchcraft”

has negative meaning

- Intensifying meaning:

which is expressive and emphatic E.g magnificent, gorgeous, splendid, superb, terribly, extremely In which the word “gorgeous, terribly” are expressive The words

“magnificent, splendid, superb, extremely” are emphatic

In short, the definition of word meaning and the theories of denotations and connotations mentioned above are used as theoretical frameworks of the study to investigate connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese

2.3 Cultural features

2.3.1 Culture definitions

Culture has many definitions, and it affects everything that people do in their society because of their ideas, values, attitudes, and normative or expected patterns of behavior According to Hall (1976) culture is not genetically inherited, and cannot exist on its own, but it is always shared by members of a society Hofstede (1980) defines culture as “the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group from another”, which is passed from generation to generation,

it is changing all the time because each generation adds something of its own before passing it on It is usual that one culture is taken for granted and assumed to be correct because it is the only one, or at least the first, to be learned

Kroeber & Kluckhohn in Adler (1997) say that culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiment in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i.e historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values; culture systems may, on the one hand, be considered as products of action, on the other, as conditional elements

of future action

T Schwartz in Avruch (1998) says that culture consists of the derivatives of experience, more or less organized, learned or created by the individuals of a population, including those images or encodement and their interpretations (meanings) transmitted from past generations, from contemporaries, or formed by

individuals themselves

Edward Tylor in Primitive Culture (1870), refers to a quality possessed by all people

in all social groups, who nevertheless can be arrayed on a development (evolutionary) continuum (in Lewis Henry Morgan’s scheme) from “savagery” through “barbarism”

to “civilization” It is worth quoting Tylor’s definition in its entirety; first because it becomes the foundational one for anthropology; and second because it partly explains why Kroeber and Kluckhohn found definitional fecundity by the early 1950s Tylor’s definition of culture is “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society”

Matsumoto (1996) defines culture as the set of attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors shared by a group of people, but different for each individual, communicated from one generation to the next

Spencer and Oatey (2008) say that culture is a fuzzy set of basic assumptions and values, orientations to life, beliefs, policies, procedures and behavior conventions that are shared by a group of people, and that influence (but do not determine) each member’s behavior and his/her interpretations of the ‘meaning’ of other people’s behavior

In Goodenough’s definition (1957), the term “culture'’ is Used in the sense that a person must know whatever so as to function in a particular society Culture may be described by some people as opera, fine art and so on as in the definition of Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (1992), culture is “refined understanding and appreciation of art, literature.” Culture, however, in our sense in relation to language

is the way we act, the context in which we exist, think, feel and relate to others As Edward Tylor, a famous British anthropologist, noted in his book “Primitive Culture" (1871), culture “is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law custom and any other capacities and habits acquired by man as a member

of society" Geertz (1973) claimed that culture “denotes a historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life."

To make it laconic and easier to understand, culture can be seen as "a set of widely

accepted behaviour patterns, fundamental assumptions and values as well as common experience" It is said to profoundly shape or strongly influence social structures, communication styles and even stipulate behaviour or etiquette of all people in a particular society Actually, it is culture that has an enormous influence on the way

we act and respond, the way we produce, send and normally interpret different kinds

of information Li (2005) noted that according to many cultural experts, culture has these four basic and noteworthy attenuates:

Firstly, culture is not a kind of biological and natural in heritage but is learnt or inherited socially and gradually Hudson (1980) concurred with this point, saying that culture should be taken as "socially acquired knowledge"

Secondly, culture does not ever belong to any individuals in particular Absolutely, it

is shared by all members of a community

In addition, as buttressed by Geertz (1973), culture is "a symbolic meaning system"

In that special system, language is one of the most crucial pairs which can be likened

as a key factor, playing the role of an essential medium to transmit much of culture Last but not least, culture is a “unified system", which means that the integral parts

of it arc closely related and linked to one another

To sum up, anthropologically, culture is the pattern, the norms of behavior, thinking and interpreting that all members in a social group frame, then learn and share It is

"what binds men together the ideas and the standards they have in common" (Benedict, 1934) More specifically, a group of people's culture may consist of many things, such as their beliefs, language, rules of demeanor or actions, art, dressing ways, ways of producing goods, methods of cooking food, religion and even economic systems Beyond doubt, culture is a remarkably special attribute of human society It’s one significant factor that helps to sharply distinguish one human group from the others as well as clearly differentiate human beings from other animals Therefore, culture is the know-how that a person must possess to get through the task of daily living; only for a few docs it requires a knowledge of some, or much, music, literature, anti the arts

According to Tran Ngoc Them, “Because culture is a human and natural product, the root source of all cultural differences is due to differences in natural conditions (geography - climate) and regulations (history - economy) " With such a viewpoint,

the author has found the influencing and dominant relationship between the aspects,

in order: natural conditions, survival environment - profession - life - psychology, concept with culture, in which, nature - environment is the starting point The two different natural environmental conditions of the West and the East have made two cultures with different characteristics

2.3.2 Characteristics of English and Vietnamese culture

There are, in no uncertain terms, lots of differences between British and Vietnamese cultures When it comes to culture, It’s of paramount importance to refer to nature Geographical features, as well as climatic conditions, play a crucial role in the formation and development of culture, including its form of economy, customs, values, and even political institutions Below are some major points that should be kept in mind when contrasting the cultural features between the two countries Situated in northwestern Europe, the United Kingdom (UK) includes the island of Great Britain, the North-Eastern part of the island of Ireland, and some other smaller islands England is widely known as the largest and also the most populous part of the island of (Great Britain Among many cultural regions, the English culture is considered to be archetypal and often used to refer to the culture of the whole country

As an island country, surrounded by sea, Britain generally has a varied, temperate climate It's hard to know exactly what the weather will be like from one day to another In Britain, much of the land is utilized for human habitation Actually, there are not remarkably high mountains or forests The navigable rivers, although quite short and not very large, have served a significant role in the transport system

Vietnam, on the other hand, is located in the South East of the Asian continent It’s the largest and also most populous of the three Indochinese countries Generally, Vietnam is characterized by a tropical monsoon type of climate Although about three-quarters of its area is mountains and hills Vietnam has vast and fertile plains with alluvial soil banked up by many rivers and seas which are utilized for agriculture

In Vietnam, there are many long and navigable rivers

Vietnam is a multi-ethnic country with about fifty-four distinct groups A majority of its population still live in rural areas and small villages In Britain, conversely, over 90% of the population now dwells in towns or cities

When comparing the two cultures, to other Europeans, the British people, especially the English, are widely known for their modesty, humor, and sportsmanship Besides,

some characteristics are believed to be conspicuous in British society: analytical and metaphysical thinking; being objective, rational and experimental; having principle, and individual respect The major and common religion in Britain is Christianity

Taking about Vietnamese, the Oriental cultures and values are notably different from those of the West Vietnam has an age-old and wonderfully heroic history Through the history of thousands of years, to protect their country as well as gain their independence and freedom Vietnamese people courageously and unyieldingly fought against lots of fierce enemies Because of the profound influence of Confucianism, proper form and appearance are very crucial to Vietnamese With its code of ethics and morals, Confucianism emphasizes the social hierarchy and accentuates the worship of ancestors As a matter of fact, Oriental culture, including that of Vietnam, has a dignified Yin-Yang philosophy, which highlights the perfect harmony between people with people as well as people which highlights the perfect harmony between people with people as well as people with nature In Vietnam Buddhism is the dominant religion besides some other ones Generally speaking, Vietnamese people are patriotic hard-working, faithful, intrepid, modest, and self-controlled In addition, some characteristics are believed to be conspicuous in Vietnamese society: general and dialectical thinking (relationship importance); respect for love; respect for virtue, respect for women; subjective, emotional and empirical; democratic, flexible, harmonious

To sum up, it is undeniable that the two countries, in general, do not share the same culture The dissimilarities are especially conspicuous when it comes to lifestyle and living conditions Through the division above, we can see a huge difference between Eastern and Western cultures in general and the English and the Vietnamese culture

in particular Between the two cultures, there are many opposing sides, for example,

in terms of cognition, the East, including Vietnam, is inclined to synthesize and dialectic (relational importance), subjective and emotional while the West or the English tend to be analytic and metaphysical, objective, rational and experimental

2.3.3 The relationship between language and culture

According to Kramsch (2000) language is the principal means whereby we conduct our social lives When It is used in communication, it is bound up with the culture in multiple and complex ways

Kramsch, one of the most important recent researchers within the field of language, culture and learning, says in her book language and culture (1998) that:

- language expresses cultural reality;

- language embodies cultural reality;

- language symbolizes cultural reality

Kramsch's presentation moves the view of the relationship between language and culture in a post-structuralist direction, even though she does not use this term in her book

The first point: “language expresses cultural reality" Kramsch explains in the following way: The words people utter refer to common experience They express facts, ideas, or events that are communicable because they refer to a Mock of knowledge about the world that other people share Words alto reflect their author's attitudes and beliefs, their point of view, as well as those of others In both cases, language expresses cultural reality

The second point: “language embodies cultural reality” she explains as follows: But members of a community or social group also create an experience through language They give meaning to it through the medium they choose to communicate with one another, for example, speaking on the telephone or face to face, writing a letter or sending an e-mail message, reading the newspaper, or interpreting a graph

or a chart How people use the spoken, written, or visual medium themselves creates meanings that arc understandably 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

The third point: “language symbolises cultural reality" is described as follows: Language is a system of signs that are seen as having itself a cultural value Speakers identify themselves and others through their use of language

J.A Fishman is probably the sociolinguist who has dealt most and for the longest time with the relationship between language and culture, especially in connection with the struggle for linguistic diversity as part of ethnic and ethnocultural diversity (Fishman, J.A., 1991) He has distinguished three "links" between language and culture:

- language as a part of the culture;

- language as an index of culture;

- language as symbolic of culture

Concerning the first point Fishman describes language as: "an inevitable part” “a major and crucial part” of culture, and "all those who seek fully to enter into and understand a given culture must, accordingly, master Its language", (e.g Fishman,

1996, which is an article in an encyclopedia of social science)

The second point: "language as an index of culture" Fishman describes as follows:

"The rule of language as an index of culture is a byproduct (al a more abstract level)

of its role as part of culture Languages reveal the ways of thinking or of organizing experience that are common in the associated cultures" a little further down, he talks about "culture-bound languages"

The third point: "language as symbolic of culture" Fishman explains as follows:

"Language movements and language conflicts utilize languages as symbols to mobilize populations to defend (or attack) and to foster (or reject) the cultures associated with them."

As can be seen Fishman is talking here about culture-bound language and about the fact that language and culture arc “intimately associated" with each other

In any culture or religion, language is much more than semantics, much more than what the written page or the spoken word can contain Language docs not end at the meaning or the use of words associated with a culture which represents beliefs, history, and the culture of their origin and they must be used accordingly

In conclusion, language and culture always exist together and reinforce each other The relationship between them is so inextricable that we could not understand and appreciate the one without the knowledge of the other

Farzad Sharifian (2007) state: "Culture of course does not only feed into the morphosyntactic component but also forms and informs all aspects of language content and structure Theories of language therefore need to take into account the role of cultural conceptualizations in carving and constructing all levels of language from lexicon to semantic and pragmatic meanings”

On the other hand, language is a factor in national culture Therefore, the similarities and differences in language show the similarities and differences in culture, including cognitive culture Nguyen Duc Ton states that "language is one of the most

characteristic elements of any culture" Therefore, the study of language cannot be separated from culture

As we have discussed above, culture has a significantly strong influence on language and language, certainly, acts as a mirror reflecting most of the culture

To sum up, the theories of culture mentioned above are used to explain the difference

of the flower connotations between in English and Vietnamese

According to their growth cycle, plants are classified as annuals, biennials, or perennials

- Annual plants are plants that complete their life cycle in one growing season Some examples of annuals include Petunias, Zinnias, Impatiens and most of the showy, long- blooming plants

- Perennials are plants that flower year after year Some perennials are short-lived and some are long-lived Some perennials include: Alliums, Asters, Lavendulas (Lavenders), Hydrangeas (Hortensias) and Chrysanthemums (Mums)

- There are also biennials, short-lived perennials that have a two-year life span They complete their entire life cycle in two years Examples of biennials: Alceas (Hollyhocks), Digitalis (Foxgloves) and Myosotis (Forget Me Not), depending on species

2.4.3 Connotations of flower words and phrases

Connotation of flower words and phrases can also be similar to symbolism as it hinges on culturally-accepted meanings For example, the connotation of a red rose

is love and passion, and if an author were to refer to a red rose while talking about a relationship, the reader would understand that this connotation and symbolism was at play Each flower symbolizes its meaning Some flowers represent love, hope, healing, loss, and good luck

2.4.4 Names of flowers

Cheralyn Darcey (2018) point out over 1000 flowers with names in English There are about 50 popular flower names such as Daisy, Rose, Iris, Narcissus, Orchid, Tulip, Sunflower, Cyclamen, Carnation, Poppy, Pansy, Violet, Mimosa, Daffodil, Lily, Hyacinth, Anemone, Gladiolus, Forget-me-not, Bluebell, Bougainvillea, Buttercup, Cactus flower, Camellia, Chrysanthemum, Cockscomb, Confederate rose, Crocus, Dahlia, Eglantine, Flamboyant, Foxglove, Geranium, Gerbera, Hibiscus, Honeysuckle, Hop, Jasmine, Lavender, Lilac, Lotus, Magnolia, Marigold, Morning-glory, Orange rose, Peony, Primrose, Snapdragon, Snowdrop, Tuberose, Apricot blossom, Cherry blossom, Dandelion, Moss rose, Shameplant, Hydrangea

According to Le Quang Long (2008), there are about 500 flowers with names in Vietnamese

In summary, the definitions, classification and names of flowers are mentioned above

to identify the flowers Based on it, the author collects the data for the study

2.5 Summary

In chapter 2, the thesis has reviewed and gave an overview of studies on flower words and phrases and connotations in the world and Vietnam Thereby, we find that there are no specific comparative studies on connotations of flower words and phrases in English and Vietnamese At the same time, chapter 2 also establishes a theoretical framework to serve as a basis for implementing the research contents of the thesis including theoretical issues such as word meanings, word components, denotations, connotations, semantic transferences, and some theories about English and Vietnamese culture

Chapter 3: : A COMPARISON BETWEEN CONNOTATIONS OF FLOWER

WORDS AND PHRASES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

The purpose of this chapter is to describe the connotations of flower words in English and Vietnamese Based on the characteristics, the author finds out the similarities and the differences between connotations of flower words and phrases in English and

Vietnamese

3.1 Connotations of flower words and phrases in English

3.1.1 Flower as a symbol of national flower

The rose has been England’s national flower since the War of the Roses (1455-1485)

It is the white rose of the House of York which lies at the center of the Tudor Rose, with the red rose of the House of Lancaster surrounding it The design was created especially to symbolise unity as well as mutual regard for the families towards each other The symbol of the Tudor Rose came about as a result of a marriage between Henry Tudor of the Tudor dynasty, and Elizabeth of York After this historical marriage, the War of Roses came to an end and the Tudor Rose symbol, which combined the white and red roses of the two houses, was created

Another connotation of the rose is related to power and wealth As we know, the rose has a deep bond with Queen Elizabeth I and it is also a part of the crest of Britain's kings and queens Roses are often grown in aristocratic families, the upper class in England as a symbol of prosperity, a sign of their class and social status

3.1.2 Symbol on important occasions

3.1.2.1 Symbol on weddings

There are many kinds of flower used in the wedding in the UK, but when it comes to choosing perfect wedding flowers, their connotations are considered and decide which is most appropriate for couple’s love story The meaning of flowers dates back

to the Victorian era when the ‘Language of Flowers’ was created as a romantic way for lovers to express themselves without the need for words The following flowers are the most popular wedding flowers used in the UK

a Roses

The classic wedding flower of the rose has different meanings when used in an arrangement, depending on the colour you pick White roses, a popular bouquet

choice, stand for purity, innocence, and youthfulness, while red roses represent love, passion, and beauty Light or dusty pink petals are said to mean admiration, gentleness, and grace and peach-colored blooms suggest sincerity and gratitude Roses also have a complex symbolism dependent upon how they are represented The gift of a singular red rose on a wedding day is, according to Victorian tradition, a depiction of utmost devotion, while two roses entwined together can be interpreted

as a floral illustration of marriage

The noble and elegant rose is the main character in the myths and legends that tell the story of its birth and origins Among these stories, the nicest one is the tale related to the goddess Aphrodite It is said that a strain of white roses was next to Aphrodite at the time of her birth in the sea, naked, amidst the waves and the foam The goddess pricked her heel on one of the rose thorns, and her blood trickled onto the white roses, turning them red

Another Greek myth recounts the origin of this flower, a common gift for conquering hearts or for decorating homes In this legend, the leading character is the goddess Chloris who, catching a glimpse of a beautiful lifeless nymph on the ground, fashioned the body into a rose Aphrodite bestowed the flower with beauty, joy, and seduction; Dionysus gave the flower its delicate fragrance; and Eros, the god of love, named it the queen of flowers

From that point forth, the rose has been the flower of love, beauty, passion, and the quintessential flower for brightening up the glum autumn days

b Peonies

Not only that but the flower itself represents romance and prosperity and is believed

to bring good fortune and happy marriage- what better choice for a wedding

The flower can have different meanings, depending on their color, and both meanings stem from ancient Greek mythology… In the first, legend has it that Paeon, the Greek physician of the Gods, was a student of the god of medicine Aesculapius When Paeon successfully used a peony root to heal Pluto, Aesculapius became jealous of his apprentice’s talents and tried to kill him To save the doctor, Pluto transformed Paeon into a peony, cementing one meaning of the beautiful bloom compassion However, in a darker myth, the peony is linked to a nymph called Paeonia The beautiful and attractive creature attracted the attention of Apollo When Paeonia realized that the Greek god Aphrodite was watching them, she became bashful and

blushed red In anger and jealousy, Aphrodite transformed the nymph into a red peony Today, a red peony symbolizes bashfulness and timidity

c Hydrangea

The trusty Hydrangea fell out of favour as a wedding flower for a long time, but as with all fashions, its bulbous sprays of tightly-packed blooms are starting to see a renaissance amongst wedding florists

Although the robust flowers of this plant were negatively viewed by Victorians, who associated them with frigidity and boasting, in their native Japan, they represent gratitude Legend has it that an emperor supposedly gave hydrangeas to a woman he loved as an apology for neglecting her when his duties as a ruler took up his attention Meaning ‘understanding’ the hydrangea is sure to be a good choice for couples embarking on a new chapter together

d Lily of the Valley

The delicate, bell-shaped flowers of Lily of the Valley signify ‘happiness’ and are considered one of the most traditional types of wedding flowers According to The Artistic Language of Flowers, Lily of the Valley symbolizes the return of happiness

e Stephanotis

Meaning ‘marital happiness’, the stephanotis flower is a traditional choice for brides, hence the nickname ‘wedding flower’ In modern, flower symbolism Stephanotis represents ‘good fortune’ and ‘the longing to travel’ The name is derived from Greek: ‘Stephanos' means crown and 'otos' means ear: the pistils in the flowers look

a bit like tiny ears Stephanotis is one of the most luxuriantly fragrant flowers in the world, hence its nickname of 'Fleur Parfum'

Some flowers have negatives associations, so you might want to stay clear of them

on your big day to avoid tempting fate The delicate blooms of Begonia have a decidedly darker meaning than you might think: they are said to symbolize a warning

to be cautious The Victorians often gifted begonias to symbolize dark, fanciful thoughts about the receiver Hyacinths might be beautiful, but they’re more likely to

be seen at a funeral than a wedding These statuesque blooms have been linked to the tragic myth of Hyacinthus in Greek mythology According to legend, Hyacinthus was

a lover of the god Apollo but was also admired by Zephyrus, the God of Wind The friendship between Apollo and Hyacinthus enraged Zephyrus, who used the wind to throw a discus Hyacinthus was playing with off course, hitting the mortal and killing

him From the spilled blood, sprang a hyacinth bloom The plant now symbolizes sincerity (on Hycinthus’ behalf), but also jealously and rashness

Traditional funeral flowers include lilies, carnations, gerberas and roses, as they symbolise eternal love, mourning, and joyful life

a Roses

Roses are probably the most popular type of flower to send on any occasion, including funerals; as buds, fully open, or in a wreath In the language of flowers, dark crimson roses traditionally signify mourning, while tea roses express eternal remembrance White roses are still associated with funerals

In the context of a funeral service, white roses symbolise purity, humility, and innocence, whereas red expresses love and respect and pink represents gratefulness

to the deceased

A yellow rose is often given by friends to denote their deep ties, while the traditional dark crimson rose suggests deep sorrow and grief A single rose in a bouquet is a particularly heartrending way to express abiding love for the deceased

b Lilies

Lilies are the most popular choice of flowers for funerals in the UK, as they have strong ties to views about life after death Lilies signify purity and luminosity When lilies are brought to a funeral, it is suggested that the deceased’s soul has been renewed to a state of innocence

White stargazer lilies, especially, symbolise ambition, sympathy and compassion Oriental lilies represent eternal life, and peace lilies suggest a rebirth following death

If you want to show your appreciation for the deceased one’s life, then consider Casablanca lilies, which symbolise positivity and celebration

c Daffodils

You may be wondering why colourful flowers such as daffodils are often a popular choice for funeral services Daffodils begin to bloom in the spring, and as a result, they are often affiliated with rebirth and new beginnings Sending daffodils to the family members and close friends of the person who has passed away is similar to sending a card with words of inspiration and encouragement It sends them the message that they will get through this difficult time, and eventually find happiness again after grieving the loss of a loved one

d Carnations

Sweet-scented carnations, which symbolise love, are also a popular choice of funeral flowers In the language of flowers pink carnations are supposed to mean “I will never forget you.”

The carnation is a symbolic and popular choice of flower for any funeral arrangement

or service, as it is typically known for representing love and affection for those who have passed away

White carnations Represent innocence, youth and purity An appropriate choice for the funeral of a child

Red carnations Similar to red roses, help to express strong, deep feelings of true love and aspiration It is an appropriate flower for a wife, husband or partner

e Rosemary

Fragrant rosemary is beautiful in a sympathy bouquet or coffin spray and can also make a lovely memorial gift for someone who has been bereaved to plant in their garden Rosemary is a very old symbol of remembrance and has been used in burial rites since ancient Rome

f Marigold

Marigolds have traditionally been associated with the sun and hope of new life or resurrection, but have also come to symbolise eternal devotion, grief and sorrow In Mexico marigolds feature strongly in Dia de los Muertos celebrations because of their

vivid colours that represent the light that guides the way for spirits returning home to visit their loved ones

g Passionflower

The beautiful passionflower is a more unusual feature in a sympathy flower bouquet

In the language of flowers, the passionflower symbolised mourning over the death of

a loved one “Passion” is a religious reference to Christ suffering on the cross; the flower was so-called by missionaries who discovered it and thought the filaments in the centre resembled a crown of thorns

h Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums represent innocence, and they are typically linked to children These flowers are often used in flower arrangements and floral tributes for the funerals of children and new-borns

The symbolic meaning of the Chrysanthemums has a lot to do with positivity By their mere appearance, they are a bright, cheerful looking flower This is precisely why they are easy to understand and why they are symbolic of uplifting themes and happiness

Nothing can make up for the loss of a loved one However, some things can lift one’s spirits and bring a little brightness into an atmosphere that is full of grief and sadness Some things, by their very presence, can have a comforting effect on people that are grieving They’re funeral flowers and by default, have a very gentle and calming demeanor about them

With their natural beauty, refreshing presence, and symbolic meanings, flowers are

an important tradition at funerals in the United Kingdom and throughout the world Different blooms can express a range of sentiments, so the flowers are chosen appropriately to show feelings of sympathy and loss

3.1.2.3 Symbol for get well soon

For centuries flowers have symbolized various meanings, depending on the variety and color of the bloom Here are a few of the more popular get-well flowers and the messages they symbolize Many of these blooms are featured in wellness and pure happiness

a Carnations