4.3.1. Periphrasis of English and Vietnamese S.C.P.Ss 4.3.1.1. Violate relation maxim
According to Grice’s relation maxim, it is inferred that when one says something, he or she should go straight on the focal problem, avoiding using the periphrastic form. It is always true with the Western people. They always have tendency to call a spade a spade, and try to explain to the listeners clearly so that the latter cannot misunderstand. This can be proved by such slogans as:
(216) There’s Nothing Like Australia [199]
(217) Australia Unlimited [200]
In order to develop tourism to give a contribution to the building of the country, Australian copywriters try to propagandize its tourism directly and
explicitly to other countries all over the world with the hope of appealing to more and more visitors. They also show that Australia is a very wonderful country in tourism, and it cannot be compared with only by rhetorical figures of comparison
“like” as in (216), and of synonym with “un-prefix” as in (217).
Meanwhile, Vietnamese tourism slogans are of great difference in expression.
The Vietnamese have a tendency of expressing in an implicit style. Their thoughts or ideas are usually presented in an equivocating or periphrastic way. For example,
(218) Việt Nam – vẻ đẹp tìm ẩn (Vietnam – the hidden charm) [200]
This slogan once appeared in the article titled “Lung tung Slogan du lịch” in Thanh Nien daily newspaper issued on March 28th, 2010. The article censures the periphrastic and implicit way of the Vietnamese. This slogan does not, in fact, make a strong impression on Western visitors just because of an ideal difference in expression. According to the Vietnamese culture, the copywriters would like to make a curiosity to visitors. However, they cannot gain their desiring aim because of a great difference between Western and Eastern culture.
The author can illustrate what has been discussed above by using some symbols related to cultures between Western and Eastern in Figure 4.1 as follows
Figure 4.1. Symbols of Difference in Western and Eastern Cultures
(http://www.saga.vn/kynangquanly/vanhoakinhdoanh/8020.saga)
4.3.1.2. Violate manner maxim
Also pursuant to Grice’s manner maxim, we should be perspicuous by expressing briefly and avoiding unnecessary prolixity. This can differentiate between English S.C.P.Ss and Vietnamese ones.
In English S.C.P.Ss in the data, the majority of them are brief, even just some words, but they make its contribution as informative as is required. Let us have a look at the following examples:
- in English
(219) Safety first [50]
- in Vietnamese
(220) An toàn là bạn tai nạn là thù [101]
(221) Sản xuất phải bảo đảm an toàn, có an toàn mới tiến hành sản xuất. [186]
(222) An toàn giao thông là hạnh phúc của mọi người, mọi nhà. [85]
(Traffic safety is the happiness of everyone, every family.)
(223) Bảo đảm trật tự an toàn giao thông là trách nhiệm của toàn xã hội. [86]
(Ensuring traffic order and safety is the responsibility of the entire society.) (224) Chấp hành quy trình, biện pháp làm việc an toàn là nghĩa vụ của người lao động. [180] (Executing the process and measures of work is the obligation of all employees.)
Although they both have the same purpose of talking about safety, they are expressed in different ways. It can be clearly seen in the examples above that (219) is brief and condensed, whereas Vietnamese examples from (221) to (224) are considered to be prolix. Besides, some Vietnamese S.C.P.Ss are found to be lengthy as follows:
(225) Tham gia giữ gìn vệ sinh nơi ở và nơi công cộng, không gây ô nhiễm môi trường để bảo đảm sức khỏe cho cộng đồng.[2]
(226) Thực hiện tốt nếp sống văn minh đô thị là góp phần xây dựng thành phố sạch, đẹp, an toàn, thân thiện.[69]
(227) Người điều khiển, người ngồi trên xe môtô, xe gắn máy, xe đạp điện phải đội mũ bảo hiểm.[89]
(228) Không sử dụng mũ bảo hộ lao động, mũ sắt thay mũ bảo hiểm hoặc loại mũ bảo hiểm có vành.[99]
In short, due to the cultural differences of each country, they have different ways of expressing their ideas or thoughts. Nevertheless, the authour thinks that the best way for addressees to perceive the implication of the slogans should be brief because readers do not have enough time to read them in a hurry time.
4.3.2. Behavioural Culture of English and Vietnamese S.C.P.Ss
As can be known, each country has its own culture. Accordingly, the difference between English and Vietnamese S.C.P.Ss is a matter of course. The source of data collected is divided into ten groups of slogans as follows:
- Environment - Public places - Energy - Health - Tourism - Safety
- Domestic violence - Tax
- Children’s rights - Population
4.3.2.1. Similarities
a. Health and environment slogans
Through the English and Vietnamese S.C.P.Ss in the data, the number of slogans on the themes of Environment and Health in both languages can be seen to be rather numerous. The figures show that there are 40 health slogans in English, and 22 slogans in Vietnamese, whereas there are 35 environment slogans in English and 64 Vietnamese ones. Although slogans of both languages are not the same in number, they both indicate that people of two cultures take much interest in their health and environment. People’s common goal in the modern society is to attach
much importance to health and have a high opinion of the environment to prolong their longevity to enjoy life. This can be clearly seen through summit conferences on health and environment held annually in different countries. Besides, we have many campaigns for the environment and health in a year.
b. Safety slogans
Safety is a problem that is always dignified in almost countries in all times.
Therefore, the number of safety slogans in English and Vietnamese makes up the most of the total number of slogans in the data. There are 85 safety slogans in English and 35 safety ones in Vietnamese. In order to enjoy a long life, people in all countries, especially in English speaking countries and Vietnam are aware that safety in all aspects is the most important. For this reason, there are more and more slogans on this theme everywhere so as to warn people as “Safety first”. However, safety in this study is divided into two groups, composing of traffic safety and general one. There are 10 slogans in traffic safety in English, whereas there are 26 in Vietnamese ones. The reason why English traffic safety slogans are fewer than those in Vietnamese is that the Western people are fully aware of the traffic law.
Meanwhile, in Vietnam, people especially the youth have not been fully aware of traffic law yet.
c. Public places and tourism slogans
In order to promote the development of tourism as well as to make a contribution to the building of the country, each country has tried to create itself a picturesque and civilized country in the eyes of people throughout the world. For this reason, the authour thinks, more and more slogans on these topics have been raised to educate people to be conscious of a modern and civilized lifestyle. These are some examples on public place slogans in two languages.
(229) Keep your country nice and clean! [39]
(230) Giao tiếp ứng xử lịch sự, nhã nhặn, thân thiện là phong cách của người văn minh.[66]
With respect to Vietnam, this must be more taken interest because Vietnam is in the integrated period. We are opening our markets to foreigners. Therefore, first of all, the Vietnamese must be courteous, courtly, friendly, and hospitable as (230) goes. Consequently, Vietnamese slogans on public places outnumber by English ones in the ratio of 20 to13.
Another similarity about tourism slogans is that they share the ratio equally among slogans because each country has made efforts to advertise its tourism to other countries. This is not only a way of spreading their own cultures but also a way of making a profit on it.
d. Domestic violence slogans
As can be seen from the data, propagandists of the two languages pay much attention to domestic violence. They would like to prove that men and women in the modern society must live in a harmony and that the balance of sex should be always kept. The contradiction, the outrage of human dignity, and the male chauvinism in a family should be completely eradicated. The figure shows that Vietnamese slogans on this topic are twice as much as English ones in the ratio of 12 to 6. If the Vietnamese slogans outnumber, it is because the Vietnamese have turned out to take much interest in family happiness recently. The copywriters want to remind people that in order to have a civilized society, each family first of all has to be a happy family. Some examples on domestic violence in both languages are as follows:
(231) Family violence is a CRIME [193]
(232) Yêu thương và tôn trọng đẩy lùi bạo lực gia đình.[160]
(Love and respect for repelling domestic violence.)
4.3.2.2. Differences
a. Population and children-rights slogans
In Western cultures, we hardly see a slogan on population because the government are encouraging people to have more children. According to the figures (Geography Book Grade 10, p.87), the birth-rate in Western countries is decreasing or increasing slowly. As can be known, the Western people do not like to have children because they will lose their jobs; they cannot go on holiday; or they turn out to be older. Meanwhile, in Vietnam pursuant to the former conception “each day brings its own bread”, women are free to bear children. As a result, the population of Vietnam was increasing dramatically. In the face of this situation, the policy of family planning was initiated in 1961, and population slogans also came into being.
Nowadays, the Vietnamese youth have been aware of the hardness of a big family, so they have reduced to give birth. However, we still see equivocal population slogans everywhere such as:
(233) Dù gái hay trai, chỉ hai là đủ [166]
(234) Mỗi gia đình chỉ có một hoặc hai con. [176]
(Each family has only one or two children.)
Obviously, in these slogans, it can be seen that the authorities do not wholly compel people to reduce the birth-rate to the lowest level.
Similar to the theme of population, slogans on children’s rights are nowhere to be seen in Western countries. One proof is that they do not have many children due to the low birth-rate, so children are well taken care of. On the other hand, Vietnamese children, especially poor and ethnic children, are in need of help from the public. These slogans are found everywhere as messages of paying much more attention to children for the sake of our young generation.
(235) Trẻ em nghèo luôn cần sự giúp đỡ của cộng đồng và xã hội.[198]
(236) Tạo cơ hội phát triển bình đẳng cho mọi trẻ em.[195]
(Create development opportunities for all children equally.)
(237) Trẻ em là hạnh phúc của gia đình, là tương lai của đất nước.[197]
(Children are the happiness of a family, the future of a country.)
b. Tax slogans
Whenever we make a tour of the city in Vietnam, slogans of taxes cannot avoid being looked at. They are long-term slogans. The reason is that Vietnamese people are not aware of what taxes are paid for or even evade taxation. The tax- dodgers do not know that their tax paying is to make a contribution to the building of the country and to serve the social security. On the contrary, we seldom come across a tax slogan in the street in Western countries. The Western people pay taxes self-consciously, so they do not need to encourage people to pay taxation by slogans as in Vietnam. For example,
(238) Nộp thuế là nghĩa vụ và quyền lợi của mọi công dân.[117]
(Paying taxes is duty and interests of every citizen.)
(239) Nộp thuế để xây dựng đất nước giàu mạnh, xây dựng cuộc sống ấm no, hạnh phúc.[119] (Paying taxes is to build the country prosperously, to shape a life of comfort and happiness)
c. Energy slogans
As well as themes mentioned above, the energy is not an exception.
Propagandists of both languages take much interest in energy, yet the scope of propaganda is the not the same. Energy slogans in English are found to be 8, whereas in Vietnamese there is only one. Perhaps, the need of energy in Western countries is more than that in Vietnam.
In sum, due to the difference of living conditions, human’s awareness, cultural features, and manners and customs, S.C.P.Ss of each country are more or less of difference on propagandistic level, quantity, themes of propaganda. Moreover, S.C.P.Ss depend on the concrete situations and suitable located positions.
4.3.3. Similarities and Differences in Frequency of E&V S.C.P.Ss investigated In this section, the results of the quantitative analysis of the data, which are the frequency of English and Vietnamese S.C.P.Ss in terms of pragmatic category will be presented in table 10 comprising of occurrences in raw number and in percentage. As has been mentioned, the total number of English S.C.P.Ss investigated is 200, and that of Vietnamese S.C.P.Ss is under investigation is 200.
Table 4.10. Frequency of slogans in English and Vietnamese
English Vietnamese Slogans
Occurrence Percentage Occurrence Percentage
Health 40 20% 22 11%
Environment 35 17,5% 64 32%
Safety 95 47,5% 35 17,5%
Public places 13 6,5% 20 10%
Energy 8 4% 1 0,5%
Domestic violence 6 3% 12 6%
Population 0 0% 16 8%
Children’s rights 0 0% 11 5,5%
Tax 1 0,5% 17 8,5%
Tourism 2 1% 2 1%
It can be concluded from the table that the predominant occurrence of safety slogans in English and Vietnamese at 47,5% and 17,5% respectively. The analysis of the data in English gains the fewest slogans of taxes which makes up a very small percentage of 0,5%, whereas in Vietnamese the fewest slogans of energy account for a very small percentage of 0,5%. Tourism slogans in English and Vietnamese are evenly distributed 1%. Among 200 slogans in English, there are 40 health slogans, taking the percentage of 20% and 35 environment slogans, taking the percentage of 17,5%. There are no slogans on population and children’s rights in English, whereas in Vietnamese, the figure shows 16 population slogans, making up
8%, and 11 slogans on children’s rights, making up 5,5%. Besides, slogans on public places are found to make up 10% in Vietnamese, whereas in English they are 7 slogans fewer with 6,5%. Furthermore, what can be drawn from the table is that slogans on domestic violence in Vietnamese is nearly doubled those in English in the ratio 12 to 6, which makes up 6% versus 3%.
In addition, that contrast and comparison can also be shown in Figure 4.2.below
Figure 4.2: Chart of Frequency of Slogans in Terms of Pragmatics in English and Vietnamese
Percentage
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
A B C D E F G H I J English Vietnamese
In sum, although the culture of each country has less or more differences, the propaganda contents and intentions of slogans are basically the same. Nowadays, when the people’s living standard has been in increase, people turn out to pay much attention to more practical themes or more burning issues. Consequently, slogans of these themes or issues have been raised a great deal to educate everyone to tend to the common goal of the community and the whole society. The expression in form and in content of each slogan completely depends on the cultural characteristics and behavioural culture of each nation. The disproportion of the propaganda frequency
A: Health