Đặc trưng ngữ nghĩa và văn hoá của lớp từ chỉ 12 con giáp của người việt trong tiếng anh và tiếng việt

Vinh universityforeign languages Department=====    ===== trÇn thÞ huÖ Semantic and cultural features of the class of words denoting 12 vietnamese zodiac animals in english and vie

Vinh universityforeign languages Department

=====    =====

trÇn thÞ huÖ

Semantic and cultural features of the class

of words denoting 12 vietnamese zodiac

animals

in english and vietnamese

(Đặc trưng ngữ nghĩa và văn hóa của lớp từ chỉ 12 con giáp của người Việt trong Tiếng Anh và Tiếng Việt)

Vinh universityforeign languages Department

=====    =====

Semantic and cultural features of the class

of words denoting 12 vietnamese zodiac

animals

in english and vietnamese

(Đặc trưng ngữ nghĩa và văn hóa của lớp từ chỉ 12 con giáp của người Việt trong Tiếng Anh và Tiếng Việt)

to thank all the teachers of Foreign Languages Department for lending me necessarymaterials and encouraging me a lot to complete this thesis.

Secondly, I am greatful to Master of Arts Phan Thi Van Huong for her usefuladvices from the early stages of the study

Thirdly, I would also like to thank my parents and classmates for their help andencouragement during the process of writing this graduation thesis

Vinh, May 2007

Tran Thi Hue

Table of contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i

TABLE OF CONTENTS ii

ABBREVIATIONS iii

PART A INTRODUCTION 1

1 Reasons for Choosing the Subject 1

2 Aims of the Study 2

3 Objectives of the Study 2

4 Methods of the Study 3

5 Design of the Study 3

PART B CONTENTS 4

CHAPTER I THEORETICAL PRELIMINARIES 4

1.1 Word 4

1.2 Word Meaning 5

1.3 Transference of Meaning 6

1.4 Influence of Culture on understanding Word Meaning 9

1.5 Contrastive Analysis on Language 10

CHAPTER II THE CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF CLASS OF WORDS DENOTING 12 ANIMALS OF VIETNAMESE ZODIAC SIGNS ON SEMANTIC TRANSFERENCE AND CULTURAL FEATURES 12

2.1 The Features of Semantics Transference 12

2.1.1 Quantitative Features 12

2.1.1.1 In English 13

2.1.1.2 In Vietnamese 17

2.1.2 Qualitative Features 23

2.2 Cultural Features of Words denoting 12 Vietnamese Zodiac Animals 24

2.2.1 The Reasons of Choosing 12 animals symbolizing 12 year cycle in the Orient 24

2.2.2 Ways of Choosing 12 Zodiac Animals 29

2.2.3 Comparison of Ways of View of the Orient (through Japanese) and the Occident .31

CHAPTER III SUGGESTED EXERCISES 38

PART C CONCLUSION 43

REFERENCES 44

APPENDIX 45

Et ceteraIdiomInformalSlang

PART A INTRODUCTION

1 Reasons for Choosing the Subject

In the course of global integration, English has become the vital device forcommunication in all fields It is considered a bridge that brings people from differentcountries closer As a result, English is being taught and learned widely in Vietnam.During the course of learning English, we have chance to deal with many aspects ofEnglish language In that, I am really fond of its semantic field and cultural featuressince these play an important role in the process of learning a language

Semantics is the study of meaning in language It discusses the types ofmeaning, the change and development of meaning and so on Polysemantic words aregeneral and specific phenomenon of many languages in the world Polysemy is aproperty of single words and it refers to the situation whether the same word has two ormore different meanings I am really interested in studying different meanings of thesame word, especially the meaning of words denoting twelve animals in Vietnamesezodiac signs in English and Vietnamese We can not deny that this class of words isvery familiar to Vietnamese people and it has certain position in Vietnamesesuperstition life Therefore studying the transference of meaning and its cultural featuresthrough this class of words attract me much

Choosing two languages, English and Vietnamese to make a contrastive analysishas scientific base on linguistics and culture England and Vietnam have their ownculture, human race, geography and history Moreover, I would like to examine and findout some relationships between two languages to support for teaching and learningEnglish and Vietnamese Teaching a language as a foreign language, first of all, needs

to teach the way of speaking and thinking as the native speakers of that language Forexample, an English man will answer when being asked question like "where are yougoing" by a Vietnamese people but it is only greeting of Vietnamese people and notneed to be answered So by understanding the native way, we can avoid suchmisunderstanding situations And in here, understanding the meaning and culturalmeaning of these words is very helpful for learners when they learn the second languageand want to find out all fields of that language

Finally, to my knowledge, noone has studied this subject

2 Aims of the Study

This study aims at finding out the similarities and differences on aspect ofsemantic transference through class of words denoting 12 animals in Vietnamese zodiacsigns in English and Vietnamese, and on aspect of cultural features between the Orientand the Occident towards these animals This study, to some extend, describes nationalcultural features reflected in the semantic transference of this class of words

It provides materials, a big part of basic knowledge on semantic transference ofEnglish and Vietnamese words to help teaching and learning English and Vietnamese aswell I hope the results of this study will help the readers have a clearer understandingabout the mechanism of semantic transference and about the cultural features of thesewords Moreover, I also hope that suggested exercises provided will contribute inteaching and learning semantics in general and the transference of meaning in particular

in two languages

Last but not least, this study aims at providing the similarities and differencesbetween the Orient and the Occident's views towards these animals

3 Objectives of the Study

I pay attention to words denoting 12 animals in Vietnamese zodiac signs inEnglish and Vietnamese

This investigation is limited to the class of words denoting twelve Vietnamesezodiac animals in Vietnamese and its equivalence in English that has the semantictransference reflected in two dictionaries: “Oxford advanced learner’s dictionary -Oxford University Press, 2000” and “ Từ điển Tiếng Việt - Hoàng Phê (chủ biên) – Nhàxuất bản khoa học xã hội, Trung tâm từ điển học, 1994”

We only study the polysemantic words having primary meaning denoting twelveVietnamese zodiac animals We do not pay attention to words having derived meaningdenoting twelve Vietnamese zodiac animals and to the phenomenon of conversion

4 Methods of the Study

- Analytic and systematic methods

- Contrastive method

- Statistic method

5 Design of the Study

Part A Introduction

1 Reasons for Choosing the Subject

2 Aims of the Study

3 Objectives of the Study

4 Methods of the Study

5 Design of the Study

Part B Contents

Chapter I Theoretical Preliminaries

Chapter II The Contrastive Analysis of Class of Words denoting 12 Animals ofVietnamese Zodiac Signs on Semantic Transference and Cultural FeaturesChapter II Suggested Exercises

Part C Conclusion

References

Appendix

PART B CONTENTS

CHAPTER I THEORETICAL PRELIMINARIES

1.1 Word

The term “word” appears to be a simple concept but in fact, it is extremely

difficult to define Within the scope of linguistics the word has been definedsyntactically, semantically, phonologically and by combining various approaches For

instance, it has been syntactically defined as “the minimum sentence” by Haslet and much later by L.Bloomfield as “a minimum free form” E.sapir (quoted in Arnord

(1986) in references ) takes into consideration the syntactic and semantic aspects when

he calls the word “one of the smallest completely satisfying bits of isolated meaning,into which the sentence resolves itself” He also points out one more, very importantcharacteristic of the word, its indivisibility “it can't be cut into without a disturbance ofmeaning” In Truong, Hoang Tat (1993), Palmer noted that a word is marked if not by

‘spaces’ or ‘pauses’, at least by some features of the sound system of the language The

definition seems to be the most satisfactory is that the word is the fundamental unit oflanguage It is a dialectical unity of form and content The content or meaning of theword is not identical to notion, but it may reflect human notion, and in this sense may beconsidered as the form of their existence

In Antrushina (1985), Linguists have found the nature of the word:

First, the word is a unit of speech which, as such, serves the purposes of human communication Thus, the word can be defined as a unit of communication.

Second, the word can be perceived as the total of the sounds which comprise it Third, the word, viewed structurally, possesses several characteristics.

The modern approach to word studies is based on distinguishing between theexternal and the internal structures of the words By external of the word they mean itsmorphological structure The internal structure of the word, or its meaning, is nowadayscommonly referred to as the word's semantic structure This is certainly the word's mainaspect Words can serve the purposes of communication solely due to their meanings sounderstanding the shades of meanings of the word is very important for learners of thatlanguage to communicate successfully

1.2 Word Meaning

Words are regarded as the smallest indivisible meaningful units of a languagewhich can operate independently It is generally agreed that the words, phrases andsentences of language have meanings and sentences are made up of words (phrases) andthat the meaning of a sentence is the function of the meanings of the words (phrases) ofwhich it is made up Dealt with the meaning of word, people have been arguing about

the term “meaning” The question “what is the meaning?” is one of those questions

which are easier to ask than to answer The linguistic science at present is not able toput forward a definition of meaning which can conclusive It might be argued, however,that there is an essential, though indirect connection between what people mean orintend, and what the words that they use are conventionally held to mean We can seemany types of word meaning according to different divisions It is common knowledgethat the word of a language are traditionally classified into full and empty words Emptywords are defined in terms of their syntactic function rather than semantically (or lexicalmeaning) They do not express a notion or concept but show grammatical meaning Fullwords, however, show lexical meaning That is the realization of concept or emotion

when we hear or see the word "motorbike", for example, our concept is realized and the

picture of a motorbike occurs to our mind Therefore this realization is called lexicalmeaning We subscribe to the view that every word combines a lexical meaning and agrammatical meaning They do not exist separately but always go together to make upthe meaning of a word

Relating to lexical meaning , a word comprises of two types of meaning : thedenotation meaning (denotation) and the connotation meaning (connotation)

Denotation by definition is the ability of a word to identify all those things orobjects that are correctly covered by that word These objects, which are diverse inreality, do share certain features relevant enough to be identified as covered by a word

For example, the word “elephant” is used to denote the largest land animal now living, with two curved tusks, thick skin and a long trunk Or "bear" refers to a large heavy wild animal with thick fur, which may be called "bear" This is the particular concept

associated with the word in question In short, the denotation meaning indicates orpoints out things, concepts, etc

Connotation of a word conveys certain affective or evaluative associations.Connotation arises as words become associated with certain characteristics of the items

to which they refer Connotation show us how things, concepts are indicated.Connotation is the communicative value an expression has by virtue of what it refers to,

over and above its purely conceptual content For example, "dog" in Arabic culture has

negative connotation of dirt and inferiority but in British culture, it has positiveconnotation of friendship and loyalty Connotation can be seen as an additionalmeaning to denotation

1.3 Transference of Meaning

It is generally known that most words convey several concepts and thus possessthe corresponding number of meanings A word having several meanings is calledpolysemantic and the ability of words to have more than one meaning is described bythe term polysemy It should be noted that the wealth of expressive resources of alanguage largely depends on the degree to which polysemy has developed in thelanguage The number of sound combinations that human speech organs can produce islimited Therefore at a certain stage of language development the product on of newwords by morphological means becomes limited, and polysemy becomes increasinglyimportant in providing the means for enriching the vocabulary The semantic structure

of a word is treated as a system of meanings For example, the semantic structure of thenoun "fox" could be roughly presented by this scheme:

Fox, noun

A wild animal of

the dog family

Its skin and fur used to make coats

A person who is clever andable to get what he wants

by influencing or deceivingothers

The above scheme suggests that meaning (I) holds a kind of dominance over theother meanings conveying the concept in the most general way whereas meanings (II),(III) are associated with special circumstances, aspects and instances of the samephenomenon

It has been mentioned that the systems of meanings of polysemantic wordsevolve gradually Polysemy is the situation in which a word acquires new meanings andbecomes polysemantic The process of development of a new meaning (or a change ofmeaning) is traditionally termed transference It is very important to note that in anycases of semantic change It is not the meaning but the word that is being transferredfrom one referent onto another The result of such a transference is the appearance of anew meaning

There are basically two types of semantic transference for most languages:metaphor and metonymy

Metaphor is the transference of meaning (name) from one object to anotherbased on similarity between these two objects, that is we call one object by the name ofanother because we compare these objects and find some common features betweenthem For example, a dangerous and hidden person is commonly referred to as a snake.The association that lies behind this development of meaning is the similarity ofbehavior or characters

Metaphors have traditionally been viewed as implicit or hidden comparison Anew meaning appears as a result of associating two objects, phenomena, qualities, etcdue to their outward similarity

Metaphoric transference of meaning can be based on the similarity:

- The similarity of shape:

The head of a cabbage The teeth of a saw

- The similarity of size:

Midget (extremely small as a midget) Elephantine (as big a an elephant)

- The similarity of position:

The arms of an arm-chair

- The similarity of movement:

The caterpillar of a tank

To worn

- The similarity of function:

Key to success

- The similarity of colour:

Orange hat / light / agent Rose clouds at dawn

- The similarity of quality, characters:

Lion Bee

Metonymy is the transference of name based on the association of contiguity.The association is based upon subtle psychological links between different objects andphenomena, sometimes traced and identified with much difficulty The name of onething is changed for that of another to which it is related 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 oneobject or notion we use the name of another because these objects are associated and

closely related: "crown" instead of "monarchy", "The big apple" for "New York"

There are various types of metonymical relations:

- Names of containers are used instead of the things contained:

To drink a glass

- Names of parts of human body may be used as symbols:

To have a good eye

- The concrete is used instead of abstract:

The White house decided to spend more money on mic.

- The materials are used for the things made of the materials:

Canvass, Glass

- The name of the author is used for his works:

Watts, Ampere

- Part is used for the whole and vice verse:

We all live under the same roof.

She is wearing a fox.

- An object is used instead of the user:

The saxophone has the flu today.

Sometimes the process of transference may result in a considerable change inrange of meaning For instance, from a wide range of meaning a word now has a narrow

one That is narrowing of meaning For example, the word “queen” meant “wife” but

now refers to only a king’s wife As opposed to narrowing of meaning, English

vocabulary has undergone broadening of meaning as well “Boot – legger”, for example, would mean “an illegal dealer in liquor” but now refers to any illegal dealers

1.4 Influence of Culture on understanding Word Meaning

There are various definitions of culture which reflect different theoreticalconcepts about what culture is, what should be studied in the quest for culturalunderstanding and the methodology that is most appropriate Bilingual and secondlanguage educators most frequently conceive of culture in the categories of ideas,behaviors, or products which are shared by members of a given group Behavioriststreat culture as observable actions and /or events Functionalists focus on the underlyingstructure or rules which govern and explain observable events Awareness of culturalbehaviors and underlying rules help people predict or at least anticipate how others aregoing to act and why

In Robinson (1985), the effects of cultural experience on perception and learningare expressed in four ways:

1 Content: the content that will be familiar to a learner, which in turn affects the mental operations learners perform about the content.

2 Organization: what the learners will select to perceive, how the material will be interpreted and how it will be organized.

3 Input modes: the modes that are familiar to the learners in putting or presenting information.

4 Response modes: the modes that are familiar to the learners in responding to the material.

Notion of culture as something which is shared and learning which isindividually are generally known and accepted by most educators By combiningconcepts of culture and learning, which heretofore have been treated fairlyindependently, approaches to developing cross-cultural understanding in bilingual,second and foreign language instruction are likely to be more effective Ultimately,learning to understand someone from another culture hinges on the internaldevelopment of new or synthesized meaning for each learner

The relationship among culture, language and perception is somewhat like thechicken - egg question: "Which comes first?" Of course, study of the language, why not

itself sufficient condition for developing cultural understanding, does provide someessential components Whether or not language determines perception, we do know that

it expresses perception and the categorization of experience The chicken - eggdilemma: once language itself becomes associated with perception, it becomesassociated with particular meanings and values Once these associations are made,language itself filters perception in some ways Therefore language and culture have aclose relationship and understanding culture can help people learn and use languagemore effectively

1.5 Contrastive Analysis on Language

Linguistics consists of three main linguistic branches: descriptive linguistics,comparative linguistics and theoretical linguistics Contrastive analysis (CA) is one ofthe sub - branches of the comparative linguistics CA is as interested in the inherentgenius of the language under its parview as it is in the comparability of languages Yet it

is not concerned with classification, and, as the term contrastive implies, moreinterested in differences between languages than in their likeness Although notconcerned either with language families, or with other factors of language history, nor is

it sufficiently committed to the study of static linguistic phenomena to merit the labelsynchronic CA is a linguistic enterprise aimed at producing inverted (i.e contrastive,not comparative) two valued - typologies and founded on the assumption that languagecan be compared

Whether languages belong to a linguistic typology or not, whether they are offamily relation, they all develop and change according to the general rule of linguisticsand have similar basic function Language reflects socio - historical experiences ofhuman being We can find common features in languages However, each nation has itsown socio - historical experiences, its language reflects and preserves its own specificcharacteristics Because of the specific characteristics of each language on its structure,

on the development of each language and the culture of each nation, etc, every languagemay have its individuality As languages have both general and individualcharacteristics, we can make contrastive analysis base on the similar and differentfeatures of the objectives of the study

Contrastive lexicology has been studied for a long time In James (1980), thelayman's misconception of second language learning is that it is purely a matter of thelearner learning the lexical equivalents of second language corresponding to his first

words The structuralists movement in linguistics and the allied audio - lingual method,with their emphasis on the priority of grammatical patterns, tended, in contrast to thelayman's view, to neglect the role which vocabulary undoubtedly plays in the process ofcommunication Recent research on language acquisition - of the first language as well

as the second language has redressed the balance, in pointing out how reliant infants, aswell as adults learning a second language in the natural setting, are upon lexis forcommunication

In the 1920's and '30s Edward Sapir, and B.L.Whorf (quoted in James (1980) inreferences), concerned themselves with the problem of linguistic determinism, ahypothesis claiming that, since language determines our perception of reality, and sincelanguages are structured differently, different language communities have differentviews of what is, objectively, the same reality: “Languages have a tendency to imposestructure on the real world by treating some distinctions as crucial, and ignoring others”(Leech,1974:30, quoted in James (1980) in references)

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, then view language as the determinant ofperceived reality This view of determinism can , and has been, reversed in to a claimthat culture is reflected in language:

The language of a particular society is an integral part of its culture and the lexical distinctions drawn by each language will tend to reflect the culturally important features of objects, institutions and activities in the society in which the language operates

(Lyons,1968:423, quoted in James (1980) in references)

Here we have two stage view of determinism: first culture determines language,and then the language determines our view of reality Whether or not languagedetermines perception, we do know that it expresses perception and the categorization

of experience Contrastive analysis on language, especially on the level of lexical semantics and cultural features, it is necessary to choose groups of basic words as wordsdenoting animal, parts of human body, plants, family relation, etc They are the originalstock of the vocabulary and they have meatly meaning and development of meaning andthe cultural features reflected in those words

-When making contrastive analysis on languages, the different and similarfeatures drawn not only convey linguistic traits but also show many problems such asthe mind and the national culture reflected through languages This matter is speciallyimportant to the task of translation, teaching and learning a foreign language Therefore,

making contrastive analysis on language at any level is very helpful for languagelearners.

CHAPTER II THE CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF CLASS OF WORDS DENOTING 12 ANIMALS OF VIETNAMESE ZODIAC SIGNS ON SEMANTIC

TRANSFERENCE AND CULTURAL FEATURES

2.1 The Features of Semantics Transference

Words denoting 12 Vietnamese zodiac animals in Vietnamese and English havetransference of meaning in both quantitative and qualitative aspects This statisticanalysis of the meanings of these words in English and Vietnamese based on themeanings of words reflected in two dictionaries: “Oxford advanced learner’s dictionary

- Oxford University Press, 2000” and “ Từ điển Tiếng Việt - Hoàng Phê (chủ biên) –Nhà xuất bản khoa học xã hội, Trung tâm từ điển học, 1994”

2.1.1 Quantitative Features

- The amount of meanings:

Both in English and Vietnamese, there are words having primary meaningreferring to 12 Vietnamese zodiac animals possessing the transference of meaning

In English, the number of words having two meanings make up 66,7% (8/12)and the number of words having three meanings make up 16,6% (2/12), one word withmore than three meanings occupy 8,3% (1/12) and one word (8,3%) does not possessthe transference of meaning

In Vietnamese, the number of words having two meanings make up 58% (7/12)and the number of words do not possess the transference of meaning occupy 42%(5/12)

- Types of semantic transference:

Words referring to 12 animals representing the earthly signs of the Vietnamesezodiac in Vietnamese and English develop new meanings basing on the mechanism ofmetaphor, metonymy, narrowing and broadening of meaning Analytical result of thedefinitions in dictionary of these words allows us to define the transference of meaning

of this stock of words in English and Vietnamese There are five forms of the types ofsemantic transference that are used in this class of words: metaphor based on similarshape, metaphor based on similar quality/ characters, metonymy, broadening and

narrowing of meaning The followings are the transference of meaning of this class ofwords in English and in Vietnamese.

2.1.1.1 In English

Rat :

a A small animal with a long tail that look like a large mouse, usuallyconsidered a pest ( an animal which is disliked because it destroys food or spreaddisease )

b (infml, disapproving) An unpleasant person, esp one who is not loyal or trickssomebody

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on the similarity of quality/characters

E.g : You Rat ! How can you lie to your own wife.

IDM : Like a drowned rat: Ướt như chuột lột.

A rat in a hole : Đường hầm không lối thoát.

To give somebody rats : Chửi bới ai.

To rat on a pat : Lừa thầy phản bạn.

Buffalo :

a A large animal of the cow family

b = Bison: a large hairy wild animal of the cow family

The transference of meaning here is narrowing of meaning

IDM : To work like a buffalo : Khỏe như trâu mộng.

Tiger : Larger fierce animal of the cat family, with yellowish and blackstripes

IDM : Fight like a tiger : Attack somebody or defend oneself fiercely.

Cat :

a A small animal with soft fur, that people often kept as a pet Cats catch andkill birds and mice

b A wide animal of the cat family: big cats: lion, tiger

The transference of meaning here is the broadening of meaning

IDM : All cats are grey in the dark : Tắt đèn nhà ngói cũng như nhà tranh.

Cat in the pan : Kẻ trơ mặt, kẻ phản bội.

To see which way the cat jumps : Gió chiều nào xoay chiều đó

E.g : The woman in change of the accounts department is an absolute dragon.

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on the similarity of quality/characters

Snake :

a A reptile with a very long thin body and no leg

b ( disapproving ) A person who pretends to be your friend but who can not betrusted

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on the similarity of quality/characters

IDM :

A snake in the grass - Deceiful or treacherous person who pretends to be a friend.

To warm a snake in one’s bosom: Nuôi ong tay áo.

To hold one’s horse : Chín bỏ làm mười, bớt giận.

To mount the high horse : Vênh váo như giáo mất chuôi.

Goat :

a An animal with horns and a hairy coat, that lives wild in mountain areas or iskept on farms for its milk or meat

b (old, infml) An unpleasant old man who is annoying in sexual way

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on the similarity of quality/characters

IDM : Separate the sheep from the goat : Distinguish good people from bad

people.

Monkey :

a An animal with a long tail that climbs trees and lives in hot country

b (infml) A child who is active and likes playing tricks on people

E.g : Come here at once, you little monkey !

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on the similarity of quality/characters

IDM : To make monkey business : Làm trò khỉ, trò đùa không đẹp.

Cock :

a (BrE) ( also rooster AmE, BrE ) An adult male chicken

b (esp in compounds) a male of any other bird

The transference of meaning here is broadening of meaning

c (Dated Brit sl) used as a friendly form of address between men

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on the similarity of quality/characters

IDM : As pround as a cock on his own dunghill : Chó cậy gần nhà, gà cậy gần

chuồng.

Dog :

a A common animal with 4 legs, often kept by human beings as pets, or trainedfor work, hunting, guarding

b The male of this animal, or of the wolf or fox

The transference of meaning here is narrowing of meaning

c The dogs: greyhound racing

The transference of meaning here is metonymy

d (sl, esp AmE) A thing of low quality, or a failure

E.g : Her last film was an absolutely dog.

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on the similarity of quality/characters

e (sl, esp AmE) an offensive way of describing a woman who is not consideredattractive

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on the similarity of quality/characters

f (infml, disapproving) used, esp after an adjective, to describe a man who hasdone something bad

E.g : You dirty dog !

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on the similarity of quality/characters.

IDM : To die a dog’s death : Chết khổ, chết nhục

Every dog has his day : Sông có khúc, đời người có lúc

To go to the dogs : Thất cơ lỡ vận Love me love my dog : Yêu tôi yêu cả người thân

E.g : Do not be such a pig !

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on the similarity of quality/characters

c.( sl ) An offensive for a police officer

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on the similarity of quality/characters

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on the similarity of shape

Vietnamese also use “rat” to denote dirty or bad smell: Hôi như chuột cống.

Buffalo : A rumina with hollow and curved horn, sparse black feather,like to dip in muddy pools, raised to take its traction, meat or milk.

In Vietnam, buffalo is regarded as the symbol of property of farmers :

Con trâu là đầu cơ nghiệp.

Làm ruộng không trâu, làm giàu không vốn.

Or as a friend of farmers:

Trâu ơi ta bảo trâu này Trâu ra ngoài ruộng trâu cày với ta Cấy cày vốn nghiệp nông gia

Ta đâu trâu đấy ai mà quản công Bao giờ cây lúa còn bông

Thì còn ngọn cỏ ngoài đồng trâu ăn.

Moreover, it is also used to denote the person who deceives or plays tricks onsomebody:

Lái trâu, lái lợn, lái bè Trong ba anh ấy, chớ nghe anh nào.

Tiger : A fierce animal that has yellowish fur with black lines

In Vietnam, tiger is regarded as the most powerful animal or the king of the

Jungle (chúa sơn lâm) Moreover, “the tiger case” (Chuồng cọp) denotes the places that

our revolutionary fighter in Con Dao prison were kept

Idioms and proverbs:

Cáo giả oai hùm ( basing on the strength and power of the others to show off) Điệu hổ ly sơn ( leading someone out of his popular environment in order that they can not bring into play his capability).

Hổ đội lốt thầy tu (denoting the deceivers).

And tiger is also used to denote someone who act fiercely:

Dữ như hùm beo.

Đồ hổ cái!

Cat :

a A small animal with soft fur, often kept as a pet or for catching mice

b A call girl (Gái nhân tình)

E.g: O mèo : Tán tỉnh để bắt nhân tình, tán gái.

IDM : As agile as a cat: Nhanh như cắt.

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on similarity of quality/characters

IDM :

Mèo lại hoàn mèo (not able to change one’s nature).

Mèo đến nhà thì khó, chó đến nhà thì sang ( only the belief of people without evidence).

Như chó với mèo (children bicker each other).

Mèo khen mèo dài đuôi (praise oneself too much).

Dragon :

a An imaginary animal with long body, legs, can fly and is regarded as thenoblest animal

b Used to denote King's body or furniture that the King used at the feudal time

E.g: Mình rồng, ngai rồng, mặt rồng, etc.

The transference of meaning here is metonymy

In Vietnamese and Chinese traditional views, dragon is a legend animal, is loved

and worshipped The story “Con rồng - Cháu tiên” of the Vietnamese is our nation pride Dragon joins in people’s life, through happy marriage : “Long phượng sinh

trường”.In the Orient, dragon is the first of four animals symbolizing for happiness :

Dragon, unicorn, tortoise and phoenix (long, lân, quy, phượng) In the Occident, it is as

the symbol of devil’s power which usually disturbs people’s life

Snake : A reptile with a very long thin body and no leg.

In Vietnamese, snake is regarded as the ancestor of dragon Snake or dragon areworshipped in some temples, shrines Snake is the sumbol of water - monster, fierce

power of nature It is also used to denote wicked people : Đồ rắn độc.

Horse :

a An animal with hoof, its legs only have one toe It runs fast and raised to rideand work

b Horse – power (mã lực)

E.g: Máy mười ngưa.

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on the similarity of quality/characters

IDM :

Kiếp làm trâu ngựa ( the life condition of people under the control of the others)

With the thoughts of people in the part, even of people in some placesnowadays, horse is a jewel, symbolizing for the strength and his connoisseur A manwith a nice horse is the dream of many girls

Goat :

a A rumina with hollow and curved horn, its chin has feather forming beard,raised to get meat and milk

b Oversexed men

E.g: Anh chàng rất dê.

The transference of meaning here is metaphor based on similarity of quality/characters