(LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ) Idiomatic expressions of places in British English and Vietnamese as seen from cultural perspective

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES  HÀ THỊ THỌ ANH IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS OF PLACES IN BRITISH ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE AS SEEN FROM CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE ( CÁCH DIỄN ĐẠT THÀNH NGỮ VỀ NƠI CHỐN TRONG TIẾNG ANH ANH VÀ TIẾNG VIỆT NHÌN TỪ GĨC ĐỘ VĂN HĨA) MA MINOR THESIS Major: English Linguistics Code : 60 22 15 Hanoi – 2011 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES  HÀ THỊ THỌ ANH IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS OF PLACES IN BRITISH ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE AS SEEN FROM CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE ( CÁCH DIỄN ĐẠT THÀNH NGỮ VỀ NƠI CHỐN TRONG TIẾNG ANH ANH VÀ TIẾNG VIỆT NHÌN TỪ GÓC ĐỘ VĂN HÓA) MA MINOR THESIS Major: English Linguistics Code : 60 22 15 Supervisor: Đỗ Thị Mai Thanh M.A Hanoi - 2011 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration i Acknowledgment ii Abstract iii Table of content iv PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale .1 Aims of the study Scope of the study .2 Methods of the study Design of the study .3 PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Culture and language .4 1.1.1 Culture and cultural values 1.1.2 Relation between language and culture 1.3 Idioms and their roles in communication .6 1.2 Idioms in the light of semantics 1.2.1 Definition 1.2.2 Functions of idioms .8 1.2.3 Classification of idioms TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com v 1.2.4 Sources of idioms .10 1.2.5 Features of idioms .11 1.3 Distinction of idioms 11 1.3.1 Idioms vs slang 11 1.3.2 Idioms vs proverb 12 1.3.3 Idioms vs collocation 13 1.4 Idioms in the light of culture .13 1.4.1 Idioms as seen from social specification .13 1.4.2 Idioms as seen from social psychology .17 The influence of culture on British English and Vietnamese idiomatic expressions of places 18 1.5.1 Influence of culture on British English idiomatic expressions of places .18 1.5.2 Influence of culture on Vietnamese idiomatic expressions of places 20 1.6 Previous studies on idioms 24 CHAPTER 2: DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS OF PLACES IN BRITISH ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE 26 2.1 Idiomatic expressions of places in British English 26 2.1.1 Idiomatic expressions containing the geographical names 26 2.1.2 Idiomatic expressions containing the word ‘ house and home” 28 2.1.3 Idiomatic expressions containing the word ‘earth’ .29 2.1.4 Idiomatic expressions containing the word: sea/ ocean/river .30 2.2 Idiomatic expressions of places in Vietnamese 31 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com vi 2.2.1 Idiomatic expressions containing the geographical names 31 2.2.2 Idiomatic expressions containing the word ‘ house and home” 35 2.2.3 Idiomatic expressions containing the word ‘earth’ .35 2.2 Idiomatic expressions containing the word: sea/ ocean/river 36 2.3 Findings 37 2.4 Summary 40 PART C: CONCLUSION Recaptulation 41 Implications 42 Suggestions for further study 42 References 43 Appendix I TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale: It is common knowledge that the language of each culture lies in its self similar and different cultural concepts on many fields of life such as human values, attitude to life, behavior standards, religious beliefs, customs and tradition, social conventions etc As the special form of language, idioms not only help to enrich the language and culture, but it also reflects the social life Thus, the ability to understand idioms is important for the successful communication The difficult comprehension of language in the form of idioms is more likely to lead to communication breakdown for those from different language communities than any other forms of verbal language Failure to grasp the meanings of idioms can impinge upon an individual‟s understanding of language in social, academic and business settings In order to enhance the success of communication, the study of the relationship between the idioms and cultures is significant and promising In British and Vietnamese culture and language, idioms are of great importance for its common use and its figurative way of expressing the ideas The idioms benefit people in communication thanks to the provision with the way of expressing concepts linguistically, that is the ability to convey meanings without verboseness It can be said that idioms bring the color and vitality for the language and the vividness and depth for the speaker‟s speech Knowing how to use idioms effectively in the right situation is becoming crucial for all the speakers of English From the front of cultural view, it becomes easy and interesting to come to know the meaning of the idioms because British English and Vietnamese idioms themselves are crucial and active part of culture They play a great role of retaining, passing traditional culture down to the next generation, reflecting people‟s typical cultural factors and they will continue their progressive influence on people‟s real life Traditionally, the study of idiomatic expressions has been associated with the study of literature, the use of idioms is the genius of national language that helps learners know more about the language, custom and culture of the countries all over the world In communication, the presence of idiomatic expressions has formed the academic manner of speaking The idioms of any languages makes a great contribution to the speciality of that language and also indicates the cultural values of the language because idioms often originated from the social life or original literature such as wars, festivals, celebrations, movies and the Bible TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com Among the idioms relating to different aspects of social life, idiomatic expressions of places in British English and Vietnamese specify the typical features of cultural values connected to social life Idiomatic expressions of places contain much knowledge about mankind and surrounding world Each idiom of place is connected to a local specification and cultural background that conveys ideas about the lifestyles and stereotype of the nation and the country Specifically, the idioms of places refer to the human emotion, behavior, life style and reflect the expectation and wishes of people in their social lives Hence, studying on the similarities and differences between the idiomatic expressions of places in British English and Vietnamese has been one of the researcher‟s concerns and the study on the topic “Idiomatic expressions of places in British English and Vietnamese as seen from cultural perspective” is carried out The study will be served as an interesting and helpful material for those who care for cultural patterns in intercultural communication and crosscultural communication Aims of the study: The study aims at - helping the learners establish a background understanding on the relationship between idioms and culture by analysing the features of idiomatic expressions of places in British English and Vietnamese; - indicating influence of British culture and Vietnamese culture on language in general and idiomatic expressions of places in this particular aspect; - showing some similarities and differences between British English and Vietnamese idiomatic expressions in terms of local specification in which meaning of the idioms and human attitude are revealed; - raising people‟s cultural awareness in teaching and learning British English and Vietnamese idioms Scope of the study: The study will focus on idiomatic expressions of places in British English and Vietnamese which are taken from outstanding sources in English: Oxford IdiomsDictionary for Learners of English, Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary and Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture and in Vietnamese: Từ Điển Thành Ngữ Tục Ngữ Việt Nam ( Nguyễn Lân), Đi Tìm Điển Tích Thành Ngữ ( Tiêu Hà Minh), Thành Ngữ Anh Việt ( Bùi Phụng), Tuyển Tập Thành Ngữ, Tục Ngữ, Ca dao Anh Việt Thông Dụng TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com (Nguyễn Đình Hùng) The list of British English and Vietnamese idiomatic expressions will be found in the appendix as the illustrations Methods of the study: This is a comparative and contrastive study Therefore, the strategic methods used are qualitative and quantitative ones which are conducted by carefully collecting and referring to materials from various sources to have full-blown information of idioms and its cultural background in general The good choice of fifty idiomatic expressions in Vietnamese and fifty idiomatic expressions in British English will be carefully analysed and examined to see the similarities and differences between the two cultures and languages The author‟s own experience in communication and cultural awareness will be referred to as way of categorizing the field Design of the study: The study is divided into three main parts: Part A gives a general introduction and stated the reasons, aims and ways for carrying out the study Part B includes two chapters, Chapter deals with the theoretical background on culture and idioms in British English and Vietnamese Also, the influence of the two cultures on idiomatic expressions of places will be taken into account Chapter mainly provides a careful analysis of idiomatic expressions of places in British English and Vietnamese concerning the similarities and differences in the aspect of local specification The last part, conclusion concerns with the summaries of main points, the implication and some suggestions for further study TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 1.1 Culture and language 1.1.1 Culture and cultural values There have been various notions of culture, but to make it simple to get the ideas of culture, according to Goodenough (1957, 167), the term culture is used in the sense of whatever a person must know in order to function in a particular society Porter and Samovar (1994; 12) also clarified that culture does not naturally come into the people‟s mind, members of the culture adapt the patterns of behavior, ways of thingking and build their attitude, beliefs etc fully part of their personality by absorbing them through repeated experience or exposure The power and influence of these perceptions can be seen in the ways in which people acquire culture Culture is transmitted from generation to generation, people use various forms of communication: spoken words, written words, non verbal actions to pass on the content and patterns of the culture in order to spread culture As with communication, culture has been evolving and thus can produce changes in the process of invention Also, every culture presents a limited choice of behavior patterns from the infinite patterns of human experience This selection is made according to the basic assumptions and values that are meaningful to each culture In other words, culture defines the boundaries of different cultural groups Every culture owns its cultural values that are global and abstract The cultural values identify what should be judged as good or evil in order to give rules for behaviors in specific situations Different cultures reflect different values and cultural values seem to have changed, affecting the beliefs, and attitudes of most members of a culture and society Cultural values have been characterised in different ways but they often include: historical value, social value, spiritual value, symbolic value and aesthetic value Specifically, historical value is a concept resting on particular viewpoints of history and presents a special relationship with the past; social value concerns different places or things that tend to make connections between people and to reinforce a sense of unity and identity; symbolic value is simply understood as the repositories of meaning; aesthetic value is considered a highly problematic area of enquiry involving dispute not only about what is beautiful but also about who has the power and authority to take decisions about what is TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com beautiful and spiritual value addresses aspects of the religious, the numinous and the sublime (www.demos.co.uk) In conclusion, culture and cultural values, in anthropology, are the patterns of behavior, beliefs, languages, rituals, art, religion and attitude etc that people living in social groups have created, shared and experienced Culture distinguishes one human group from others and also distinguishes humans from other animals Cultural values are generated and exist in a culture and society as a measure for all social and cultural ativities and thus they are considered an important determinant of a nation and society 1.1.2 Relationship between language and culture The relationship between language and culture has been interrelated in the sense that language is used to maintain and convey culture and cultural ties In the book “Language and Culture” Kramsch (1998; 3) states “language is the principle means whereby we conduct our social lives When it is used in contexts of communication, it is bound up with culture in multiple and complex ways.” According to the author, the language people use in communication express facts, ideas or events and reflect the people‟s attitude and beliefs, their point of view, which share the same cultural and social features Also, through language, the experience of a social community is variously created and presented The members of a social community make a great contribution to the language through the medium they choose to communicate The way in which people use different forms of communication: written or verbal and non-verbal medium creates meanings for the language of the community Consequently, thanks to all the verbal and nonverbal aspects of the language, it is found that language embodies and represents cultural reality In addition, language possesses cultural values and consists of a complex system of sign through which people use language as a symbol of the social community and culture to identify themselves in the communication Thus, it can be said that language expresses the cultural identity In general, language and culture have always been in existence together and reinforced each other The relationship between them is so closely linked that separation is impossible, in other words, it is difficult to master the language without the knowledge of the culture TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com - The idiomatic expressions of British English and Vietnamese share the same grammatical feature- fixed expressions in the forms of phrases, clauses such as: a home from home, Sư tử hà Đông; Rome wasn‟t built in a day; Bụt Nam Sang lại từ oản chiêm - It is not such an easy task to comprehend the idiomatic meaning of idioms without the knowledge of culture in general or background of the stories closely connected to the idioms in particular e.g: Công tử Bạc Liêu; Meet your Waterloo - The idiomatic meanings of the idioms of places reveal the human attitude that ranges from the positive, neutral to negative one e.g: Home is where the heart is; Vợ xứ Đông, chồng xứ Bắc; Tránh sông Cả gặp phải núi Ba Vì - All the idioms mention the diferent aspects of social life in terms of material and spiritual life The human emotion, belief, morality and humane view of life are clearly shown in the idioms e.g Giàu nhà quê không ngồi lê Kẻ Chợ; Rừng vàng biển bạc; Charity begins from home; Englishman‟s house is his castle etc It can be realized that there are many British English idioms with no corresponding idioms in Vietnamese and vice versa However, there are some Vietnamese equivalents for the British English idioms, that is to say though the two different cultures exists in different continents and possess the two different system of cultural values, they still have the basic perception of life, share the same values, viewpoints on life Some idioms listed in the table below are taken in the stock of idioms mentioned in the study only When in Rome, as the Roman Đi đến nước Lào phải ăn mắm ngoé Carry coals to Newcastle Chở củi rừng Four conners of the earth Chín phương trời, mười phương Phật A drop in the ocean Muối bỏ bể To the ends of the earth Cùng trời cuối đất Differences: The idiomatic expressions in British English tend to hold the neutral attitude toward life and social behaviors The view points shown in the idioms cover every aspect of life as seen from a neutral attitude and an objective stand The British people not seem to exaggerate things when comparing and the preference of using fewer words with more various meaning is typical in the British English idioms The idiomatic expressions of places refer to the human characteristics and behaviours account for the most 39 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com Meanwhile, Vietnamese idiomatic expressions of places tend to concern more the negative meaning than the positive meaning Many idioms reflect the hardship in the struggle for earning a living, also the expectation for a better future Giàu nhà quê không ngồi lê Kẻ Chợ, Tránh sông Cả, gặp phải núi Ba Vì etc Moreover, Vietnamese idioms tend to exaggerate when comparing thing: Sử tử Hà Đông; Chân trời góc bể; Kinh thiên động địa In general, Vietnamese idioms of places often make a picturesque comparison and present the fact that Vietnamese culture is undetachable part of Southest Asian cultural space with typical features of a wet- rice civilization and Vietnamese people are said to be very hard working, brave and faithful in their living and relationships 2.4 Summary The study has presented the places and explaination connected to the places via idiomatic expressions in British English and Vietnamese to find out the typical features in the ways people cognize the image of places through idioms It can be realized that the influence of the culture and real life on the language in general and language used in idiomatic expressions in particular plays an important factor The real situations from the old time to the contemporary one have been presented with the language in various forms Language is the mirror that reflects society especially it carries the great values of conveying the social life in the deepest way Idioms are often chosen to be the most effective to show the social reality, attitude and behaviors for its brief, metaphorical and concentrated ideas.The interaction between culture and language, here in the idiomatic expressions of places have been proved to be interesting, flexible but really complicated and delicate 40 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com PART C: CONCLUSION Conclusion: The study has analyzed and discussed idiomatic expressions of places in British English and Vietnamese in the light of culture, some main points are therefore noted In British English and Vietnamese, idioms of places appear a long time ago and get their places in people‟s cultural life In British and Vietnamese cultures, idiomatic expressions of places are firmly connected with the social life and geographical specification, history, religion, custom and literature Each idiom is a story about the place and people or the picturesque comparison about human emotion, behavior and attitude towards social and cultural life The frequent presence of idiomatic expressions in everyday speeches has proved its great influence on the language and people‟s way of speaking Idiomatic expressions of places of British English and Vietnamese belong to two different cultures, one from the river-imprinted culture and wet-rice civilization in oriented region, the other from the western modern country with the fame on the victory of conquest and prosperity and wealth However, the similarities and differences about the use of idiomatic expressions of places in the light of culture are significantly noticed British English and Vietnamese idioms share a lot of things in common such as structures, functions in communication as well as their origins Although British English and Vietnamese have different views on things and judgements about life but they often convey their idea in the neutral way with the picturesque comparison deeply rooted in the cultural life and history The most common characteristics that the idiomatic expressions of places have offered are the local specification in the two languages However, because of the great differences in cultural and social life, British English and Vietnamese idioms have some distinctions British English often use more exact language with fewer words, the idiomatic phrases often carries various meanings Besides, with the tendency of preferred words to clauses, the British people have shown their respect for the privacy and reservedness Meanwhile, the Vietnamese not use idioms to make judgements on somebody or something but if they they tend to make it in an exaggerated way using a much higher quality of the real situation The tendency of using longer phrases and the influence of Chinese classical literary examples have indicated that Vietnamese has a typical character of confiding their sorrow to the others 41 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com Implications One of the most important factors that affect the effectiveness of teaching and learning is the cultural awareness, which is always needed, especially when they learn foreign language The differences in the tradition, belief and customs between British English and Vietnamese may cause difficulties for learners in learning language Being aware of the differences and equiped with sufficient knowledge will help teachers and learners find a suitable English equivalent for Vietnamese idioms and vice versa Hence, the key factor to succeed for teachers and learners in teaching and learning idioms is that they must comprehend those idioms both linguistically as well as culturally It is confirmed that idioms make a language more interesting and vibrant Mastering idioms means that the teachers and students can use and understand the language like a native speaker would The tough part about mastering idioms is that knowing all the individual words may not help to understand the meaning of the phrase For example, knowing the meanings of salt and earth may not help learners to understand the meaning of "salt of the earth" The best way to learn idioms for the teachers and students is probably to immerse themselves into popular culture to have more exposure to them and work out the deep root of idiom in connection with culture Suggestions for further study The study has investigated the idiomatic expressions of places in British English and Vietnamese from cultural perspectives Some major findings are discussed about the differences and similarities between idioms of places in British English and Vietnamese The study just focuses on the small areas of idioms so the study cannot avoid imperfection and limitation It is hoped that the study will be a useful reference material for the ones who cares about carrying out further research on application and adaptation of idioms or taking a deep study into how the idiomatic expressions of places are applied in real life situations and its influences on people‟s life The presence of idiomatic expressions in every aspect of life can be exploited to make a further study on idioms such as a study on idioms with the name of a nationality or proper names from cultural perspective, or idioms having origins in sport or entertainment etc 42 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com REFERENCES Vietnamese Ban, Diệp Quang (2002) Ngữ Pháp Tiếng Việt, Nxb Giáo Dục Ban, Diệp quang (2003) Ngữ Pháp Tiếng Việt, Nxb Giáo Dục Độ, Nguyễn Văn (2004) Tìm Hiểu Mối Liên Hệ Ngơn Ngữ- Văn Hố, Nxb ĐHQGHN Hùng, Nguyễn Đình (2007) Tuyển Tập Thành Ngữ- Tục Ngữ Ca dao Anh – Việt Thơng Dụng, Nxb Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh Lân, Nguyễn ( 2010) Từ Điển Thành Ngữ, Tục Ngữ Việt Nam, Nxb Văn Học Minh, Tiêu Hà ( 2006) Đi Tìm Điển Tích Thành Ngữ, Nxb Thơng Tin Giáp, Nguyễn Thiện ( 1975) Khái Niệm Thành Ngữ Tiếng Việt, Ngon Ngu Mệnh, Nguyễn Văn (1972) Bước Đầu Tìmm Hiểu Sắc Thái Tu Từ Của Thành Ngữ Tiếng Việt, Ngôn Ngữ Từ, Nguyễn Văn (1976) Từ Và Vốn Từ Tiếng Việt Hiện Đạii, Nxb Đại Học Trung Học Chuyên Nghiệp 10 Phụng, Bùi (2006) Thành Ngữ Anh Việt, NXB Văn Hố Sài Gịn 11 Ý, Nguyễn Như (1995) Từ Điển Giải Thích Thành Ngữ Tiếng Việt, Nxb GD 12 Ý, Nguyễn Như (1995) Đại Từ Điển Tiếng Việt, Nxb Văn Hố Thơng Tin English 13 Addison Wesley (1998), Longman Dictionary of English language and Culture, Long man 14 Alan Maley ( 1993) Cultural Awareness, OUP 15 Claire Ellis (1996) Culture Shock! Vietnam, Times Editions Pte Ltd Singapore 16 Fernado, C ( 1996) Idioms And Idiomicity, Oxford & New York: OUP 17 Flavell, Linda & Roger (1992, Dictionary of Idioms and Their Origins, Kyle Cathie Ltd 18 Giang, Dang Nguyen (2009), Graduation Paper, A Study on Idiomatic Variants and Synonymous Idioms in English and Vietnamese VNU-ULIS 43 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com 19 Goodenough (1957), Cultural Anthropology and Linguistics In Karen Risager (ed) Language and Culture- Global Flows and Local Complexity, Cleveden, England 20 Hornby, A.S (1995) Oxford Advanced Leaners‟ Dictionary, OUP 21 Hymes, Harper (1964) Language in Culture and Society, New York: D & Row 22 Jackson, H & E.Z.Amvela (2000) Word, Meaning and Vocabulary, New York, Cassell 23 Karen Risager (2006) Language and Culture- Global Flows and Local Complexity, Clevedon, England 24 Kramsch C (2000) Language and Culture, CUP, Cambridge 25 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (1978),Longman 26 Rosamund Moon (1998), Oxford Studies in Lexicography and Lexicology Fixed Expressions and Idioms in English: A Corpus-Based Approach, OUP 27 Oxford Idioms, Dictionary for Learners of English ( 2006), OUP 28 Palmer, F.R (1990) Semantics, Cambridge: CUP 29 Porter & Samovar (1994), Intercultural Communication: A global Reader, Sage Publication USA 30 Richards J.C, Platt J & Platt H (1992) Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, Longman 31 Seidle, J& Mordie, W.MC (1988) English Idioms, OUP London 32 Trang, Do Thi Thu (2006), Graduation Paper: A Study on Comparative Idioms (from Cultural Perspective), VNU-CFL, Hanoi 33 Tu, Dao Thanh (2007) Graduation Paper Idiomatic Expressions Containing The Word “Dog” in English and Vietnamese, VNU-ULIS) Internet websites 34 www.tailieu.vn/thanhngutucnguanhviet 35 www.enwikippedia.org/wiki 36 www.vienvhnn.net/nghiencuuvanhoa 37 www.demos.co.uk 44 TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com I APPENDIX British English idioms Meaning When in Rome, as the Follow the example of other people and act as they Roman do, especially if you are a stranger or new to a place or situation All roads lead to Rome Means there can be many different ways of doing something All the tea in China If someone won’t something for all the tea in China, they won’t it no matter how much money they are offered Meet your Waterloo Be finally defeated This idiom refers to the battle of Waterloo in 1815, in which Napoleon was finally defeated and taken prisoner On Carey street If some one is on Carey street, they are heavily in debt or have gone bankrupt Carey street is in London You can’t fight city Hall This phrase is used when one is so cynical that one doesn’t think one can change their representatives The phrase must have stated with frustration toward local body of government Slow boat to China Describe something that is very slow and takes a long time Square Mile The square Mile is the city, the financial area of London 10 Rome wasn’t built in a day It takes time, patience and hard work to a difficult or important job 11 Set the Thames on fire If you something remarkable, you set the Thames on fire, though this expression is used in the negative, someone is dull and undistinguished will never set TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com II 12 Carry coals to Newcastle Send owls to Athens Taking, bringing or carrying coals to Newcastle is doing something that is completely unnecessary 13 Castles in Spain/ build castles in the air Have plan/ hopes etc which are unlikely to become reality 14 What does that have to with the price of tea in China? Is often used when someone or something is irrelevant to the topic being discussed 15 Cross the Rubicon Reach a point where an important decision is taken which cannot be changed later The Rubicon was a stream which formed the border between Italy and Gaul When Julius Caesar broke the law by crossing it with his army, it led to inevitably war 16 Fiddle while the Rome burns Do nothing or waste your time when you should be dealing with a dangerous or serious situation This phrase refers to the Roman emperor nero, who fiddle (= played the violin) during the burning of Rome in AD 64 17 Send somebody to Coventry Refuse to somebody, as away of punishing them for something they have done This army comes from the English civil war when the city of Coventry was a strong supporter of Parliament Supporters of the King who were taken prisoners were sometimes sent there 18 Be like painting the Forth If a job is like painting the Forth Bridge, it is so big Bridge that by the time you get to the end you have to start at the beginning again 19 Home is where the heart is A home is where the people you love are TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com III 20 A home from home A place where you feel as comfortable, happy, etc as in your own house 21 Bring home the bacon Be successful in something, be the person who earns money for a family , an organization etc 22 Get on like a house on fire Quickly develop a very friendly relationship with somebody 23 Home sweet home Used to say how pleasant your home is (especially when you really mean that it is not pleasant at all) 24 Till the hay comes home/ For a long time, or for ever Until the cows come home 25 Charity begins at home People should look after their own family before they think about others 26 Be in the dog house In the situation where somebody is angry with you because you have done something wrong 27 English’s home is his castle An English’s home is a place where he/she may be private and safe and as he/ she wishes 28 A half- way house A place where prisoners, mental patients etc can stay for a short time after leaving a prison or hospital before they start to live on their own again Origin: a half way was originally a place such as an inn (= a pub where you can stay the night that was half way between two places or in the middle of a journey) 29 Set up house/home with somebody To make a place your home 30 Go all round the houses Do something or ask a question in a very complicated way instead of in a simple, direct way 31 Pack the house Attract a large audience; fill a theatre, hall, etc 32 Move heaven and earth Do everything you can in order to help somebody, TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com IV achieve something etc 33 The salt of the Earth A very good and honest person that you can always depend on This expression comes from the Bible 34 Go to earth/ ground Hide, especially to escape from somebody who is chasing you This expression refers to a fox hiding under ground when it is hunted 35 Cost/ pay/charge the earth Cost/ pay /charge a lot of money 36 to the ends of the earth A very great distance 37 Four corners of the earth If something goes to or come from the four corners of the Earth, it goes or comes from absolutely everywhere 38 A heaven on earth A place or situation where everything is perfect 39 Disappear/ vanish off the face Disappear completely of the earth 40 Promise (somebody) the earth Make very big or impossible promises that you are unlikely to keep 41 A hell on earth A place or situation that is extremely bad or unpleasant 42 The scum of the earth A person or a group of people thought to be worthless, evil or completely without good qualities ( scum is a layer of dirt on the surface of water) 43 Wipe something off the face of Completely destroy something the earth TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com V 44 A drop in the ocean/ bucket A very small amount in comparison to the much larger amount that is needed 45 Go to sea To become a sailor 46 Between the devil and the deep In a situation where you have to choose between two 47 blue sea things that are equally bad Sell somebody down the river Act very unfairly to somebody who trust you, betray somebody you have promised to help This idiom comes fro the days of slavery in the US A slave who was sold to an owner further down the Mississippi river would experience worse conditions than in the states further north 48 All completely, etc at sea 49 There are plenty/lots more fish There are many other people of things that are as 50 Confused, not organized in the sea good as the one somebody has failed to get Oceans of something A large amount of something TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com VI Vietnamese idioms Meanings Chồng Bắc, vợ Nam Phàn nàn vợ chồng phải xa Buôn Tần, bán Sở Tả người bn bán vất vả để bn hàng bán hang Chỉ Tấn, tơ Tần Ngày xưa vua nhà vua nhà Tần gả cho Nói tình dun đơi nam nữ Vợ xứ Đông, chồng xứ Bắc Than phiền vợ chồng phải xa Cá vượt Vũ Môn Theo truyền thuyết, cá vượt qua vực sâu khe núi Vũ Mơn hóa rồng nói người học trị thi đỗ Bể Sở, sơng Ngơ Có nghĩa: khắp nơi Xứ Thanh cậy thế, xứ Nghệ cậy thần Thanh Hóa quê hương vua chúa Nguyễn Nghệ An có nhiều người học giỏi, đỗ đạt cao làm quan đại thần thời phong kiến, hai tỉnh có nhiều điều ưu tiên nên người dân tỉnh khác không ưa Trai Cầu Vồng, yên Thế, gái Nội Duệ, Cầu Lim Cầu Vồng, Yên Thế thuộc tỉnh Bắc Giang, Nội Duệ, Cầu Lim thuộc Bắc Ninh Trai Cầu Vồng, Yên Thế có tiếng anh hùng, gái Nội Duệ Cầu Lim có tiếng bạo dạn, lẳng lơ Công tử Bạc Liêu 10 Sư tử Hà Đông Công tử Bạc Liêu Trần Trinh Huy (1900-1973, cịn có tên khác Ba Huy) tay chơi tiếng Sài Gòn miền Nam năm 1930, 1940 Ngày nay, Công tử Bạc Liêu trở thành thành ngữ để kẻ ăn chơi Dựa theo câu thơ Tô Đông Pha đời Tống giễu người sợ vợ) Chỉ người đàn bà hay ghen 11 Tránh sơng Cả, ngã phải núi Ba Vì Sơng Cả Nghệ Tĩnh, Ba Vì núi Sơn Tây Tức tránh trở ngại lại gặp trở ngại khác TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com VII 12 Nay Bắc, mai Đông Luôn phai di chuyển 13 Kẻ Bắc, người Nam Phàn nàn bị xa cách 14 Đi Đơng, Tây Ý nói nhiều nơi, nơi nơi 15 Bụt Nam Sang lại từ oản chiêm Vùng Nam Sang Nam Định cũ vùng chiêm trũng Phê phán người coi thường thứ sẵn có mà địi hương thứ cao xa 16 Giàu nhà quê không ngồi lê Kẻ Chợ Kẻ Chợ từ cũ để Hà Nội Đây tư tưởng lệch lạc số người coi trọng đời sống thành thị thôn quê 17 Giặc bên Ngô không bà cô bên chồng Ngơ Trung Quốc thời phong kiến Nói đến cô em chồng chị dâu xã hội cũ 18 Đi đến nước Lào phải ăn mắm ngóe Ở bên Lào có thứ mắm làm nhái Ý nói đến đâu phải theo phong tục 19 Châu Hợp Phố Hợp Phố tên quận cuả Giao Châu xưa, tương truyền tên thái thú tham tàn bắt dân nộp hạt châu, nên hạt Châu bỏ đi, đến có người tốt hạt châu lại ý nói lại trở với người cũ 20 Bắc Nam đơi ngả Nói đến chia ly, người nơi xa cách 21 Oái Phủ Khoái xin cơm Phủ Khóai phủ Khối Châu tỉnh Hưng n cũ, ngày trước có nhiều ruộng điền, nhân dân đói phải ăn xin, đơi tranh kêu oai ối Ý chê người hay kêu la 22 Vắng chùa bà Đanh Chùa Bà Đanh làng Thụy Khuê, Hà Nội tức chùa Phúc Lâm, phụ nữ bà Đanh xây dựng từ đời Lê, biến thiên, số người lễ bái đi, nên trở thành vắng vẻ Nói nơi người qua lại 23 Ngựa Hồ, chim Việt Hồ Việt hai nước Trung Quốc phong kiến TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com VIII nói hai người xa cách nhau, khơng thể đoàn tụ với 24 Ăn Bắc, mặc Kinh Xưa người ta cho người miền Bắc có ăn ngon, cịn người Huế ăn mặc đẹp Cũng có người cho Bắc bắc Ninh, cịn Kinh Là Kinh Đô Hà Nội cũ 25 Đội trời, đạp đất Nói lối sống ngang tàng người 26 Cùng trời cuối đất Ý nói đên nơi xa 27 Vang trời, dạy đất Nói việc xảy làm rung động sống 28 Trời nghiêng, đất ngả Nói đến thay đổi xã hội rung chuyển mạnh tự nhiên 29 Thiên thời, địa lợi , nhân hịa Đó ba nhân tố thắng lợi phong trào là: lúc, chỗ hợp lòng người 30 Kinh thiên, động địa Lên trời, xuống đất nói xấu hổ ngượng ngùng muốn tránh mặt người 31 Đất có lề, quê có thói Mỗi địa phương có phong tục riêng,đến đâu phải theo phong tục 32 Đất khách quê người Ý nói nơi xa lạ người rời khỏi quê hương 33 Đất lành chim đậu Khen nơi hiếu khách, muốn đến thăm di cư đến 34 Đất có tuần, dân có vận Thường dùng để an ủi người gặp khó khăn, nên hy vọng vào tương lai 35 Đất vua, chùa làng Trong chế độ phong kiến, Vua tượng trưng cho nước ý nói chung, khơng phải riêng 36 Đất có Thổ Cơng, sơng có Hà Bá Hà Bá thần sơng, Thổ Công vị thần cai quản đất Đến nơi phải ý đến người cai quản nơi TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com IX 37 Rừng vàng, biển bạc Nói lên giàu có đất nước, với sản phẩm núi rừng, biển 38 Mị kim đáy bể Tức tìm thứ khơng thể tìm 39 Đổ xuống sơng, xuống bể Lời người mê tín mong điều khơng may trơi qua 40 Đem muối bỏ bể Có nghĩa làm việc vơ ích, khơng thấm thía 41 Trăm sơng đổ biển Ý nói hoạt động nhằm đích 42 Chân trời, góc bể Nói đến nơi xa lạ Thường dùng đến để nói khơng biết đến q hương 43 Nhà vàng , gác tía Nói lâu đài sang trọng, quý phái 44 Nhà ngang, dãy dọc Nói lên giàu có nghiệp sầm uất khu dân cư 45 Nhà cao, cửa rộng Tả nơi đường hoàng gia đình giả 46 Nhà có ngạch, vách có tai Ngạch bao cửa, để lắp thành cánh cửa vào trước kẻ trộm thường đào ngạch để vào nhà Ý nói nhà khó giữ bí mật phải thận trọng 47 Tan cửa, nát nhà Tả cảnh gia đình lục đục, chia rẽ, không chăm lo đến việc chung 48 Nhà dột cột xiêu Tả cảnh nhà nghèo túng 49 Nhà ngói, mít Tả giàu có gia đình nông thôn 50 Nhà rách, vách nát Tả nhà nghèo khổ nông thôn TIEU LUAN MOI download : skknchat@gmail.com ... study has analyzed and discussed idiomatic expressions of places in British English and Vietnamese in the light of culture, some main points are therefore noted In British English and Vietnamese, ... understanding on the relationship between idioms and culture by analysing the features of idiomatic expressions of places in British English and Vietnamese; - indicating influence of British. .. UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES  HÀ THỊ THỌ ANH IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS OF PLACES IN BRITISH ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE AS SEEN FROM CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE