An investigation into the linguistic features of english and vietnamese riddles

THE UNIVERSITY OF DANANG UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDIES ĐẶNG THỊ THUÝ D ho AN INVESTIGATION INTO LINGUISTIC FEATURES OF ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE RIDDLES cD : English Linguistics : 822.02.01 g an aN Major Code MASTER THESIS IN LINGUISTICS AND CULTURAL STUDIES OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES (A SUMMARY) Da Nang, 2021 The thesis has been completed at University of Foreign Language Studies, The University of Da Nang Supervisor: LE TAN THI, Ph.D Examiner 1: Huynh Anh Tuan, Ph.D Examiner 2: Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Van Long ho D g an aN cD The thesis was orally defended at the Examining Committee Time: October 16th, 2021 Venue: University of Foreign Language Studies - The University of Da Nang The thesis is accessible for the purpose of reference at: - Library of University of Foreign Language studies, The University of Da Nang - Centre for Learning Information Resources and Communication, the University of Da Nang Chapter One INTRODUCTION g an aN cD ho D 1.1 RATIONALE Riddle is an extremely intelligent kind of humor because human beings enable to reveal their intelligence and a sense of fun in each riddle Moreover, based on creating riddles, human’s proficiency at the use of the language is effectively shown Besides, it is impossible to negate the importance of riddles in language and in human life They help us enlarge our knowledge, relax and open our minds to several possibilities Perhaps, for these reasons, many researchers have exploited the riddles in their works According to “ The Language of Riddles” (1982), “A riddle is a complex linguistic and aesthetic structure” Through studying riddles, they reveal a great deal about major human systems such as language, culture, and art Therefore, riddles are considered worthy of serious study Through some works, it is stated that certain riddles are only understood in a certain group of people and that some riddles can be only exchanged in a certain country Let us look at a riddle in English as an example: E.g “What has two hands and a face, but no arms or legs?” - A clock (Collis,1996) In this example, the clock is personified with body parts such as “hand” and “face” Namely, “two hands” imply as two hands of a clock to point to the numbers which show the time “face” means the surface of a clock on which there are numbers Obviously, using “ hand” and “ face” in this riddle refers to an inanimate thing The following is another riddle in Vietnamese: E.g “Cày đồng ruộng trắng phau Khát xuống uống nước giếng sâu đen ngòm” - Bút mực g an aN cD ho D (Bích Liên, 2008) In this example, “writing on paper” is compared to “plowing”, and “the pen” is considered as “a buffalo” Namely, “Khát” means the time when the pen needs the ink; “uống nước” implies the time when the pen gets the ink from the inkpot It is easily realized that some stylistic devices are creatively used to make the riddles wittier and more challenging as much as possible There is no denial that so far many studies on riddles have been conducted; however, there have been not many deep researches predominantly focusing on the linguistic features of the riddle The description of riddle in terms of phonetic and lexical features has often been neglected and they have not received the attention they deserve Apart from the things mentioned above, it is a fact that the readers and learners of English as a foreign language often find difficulties in deducing and finding the answers to English and Vietnamese riddles From all these considered reasons, I find it necessary to carry out a study named " An Investigation into Linguistic Features of English and Vietnamese Riddles " I hope that the readers and English learners as well would have some useful knowledge of linguistic features in English and Vietnamese riddles to deal with the riddles easily and effectively 1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1.2.1 Aims This study focuses on analyzing the phonetic and lexical features of riddles in English and Vietnamese as well as showing the similarities and differences of riddles formation in English and Vietnamese languages Besides, the thesis is done to help the readers and Vietnamese learners of English to be more aware of the linguistic features and the beauty of riddles D 1.2.2 Objectives The objectives of the study are: - to analyze the phonetic and lexical features of English and Vietnamese riddles; - to find the similarities and main differences between English and Vietnamese riddles in terms of phonetic and lexical features ; - to draw out some suggestions for solving riddles and the practical applications in English language teaching and learning an aN cD ho 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS What are the lexical features of the stylistic devices used in the English and Vietnamese riddles? What are the phonetic features of the stylistic devices used in the English and Vietnamese riddles? What are the similarities and differences of the English and Vietnamese riddles in terms of the lexical and phonetic features of the stylistic devices used? g 1.4 SCOPE OF STUDY In this research, we mainly focus on the findings of phonetic and lexical features of English and Vietnamese riddles Besides, we pay attention to stylistic devices used in riddles in both languages Therefore, this study will focus on analyzing the riddles chosen related to phonetic and lexical features as a means of predicting or finding the answers of English and Vietnamese riddles 1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 1.6 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY cD ho D Chapter Two LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW Riddles have become the main content in many studies; for example, about English riddles, there are “The language of riddles” by Pepicello and Green (1982), “English Riddles from Oral Tradition” by Taylor (1951), “A linguistic look at riddles” by Dienhart (1987), and “Development of Appreciation of Riddles” by Shultz (1974) About Vietnamese riddles, there are "Vietnamese Riddles" by Nguyen Dinh Hoa (1960), “Versification of Vietnamese riddles” by Cong Huyen Ton Nu Nha Trang (2001),“Câu đố dân gian người Việt nhìn từ góc độ ngơn ngữ học” by Bui Thi Thanh Huyen (2009), and so on g an aN 2.2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 2.2.1 Riddles 2.2.1.1 Definitions of Riddles “A riddle is a question that is difficult to understand, and that has a surprising answer, that you ask somebody as a game” (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2003) 2.2.1.2 Function of Riddles It is stated that riddles have important functions like socialization and recreation They are useful not only to adults but also to children 2.2.1.3 Features of Riddles and Riddle object The riddle consists of two parts: the word riddles and the answer (the riddle object) 2.2.1.4 Structure of Riddles According to The logic of riddles (1971:17), a riddle consists of five elements: given term, constant premises, hidden variable, given variable, and hidden term, or can be called the answer 2.2.1.5 Classification of Riddles Based on the technique of creating riddles, it is stated that there are two types of riddles: Direct riddles and indirect riddles ho D 2.2.2 Stylistic Devices 2.2.2.1 Definition of Stylistic Devices “A stylistic device is a conscious and intentional intensification of some typical structural and/or semantic property of a language unit (neutral or expressive) promoted to a generalized status and thus becoming a generative model” g an aN cD 2.2.2.2 Function of Stylistic Devices 2.2.3 Stylistic Devices in English and Vietnamese riddles 2.2.3.1 Phonetic Stylistic Devices in English and Vietnamese riddles 2.2.3.2 Lexical Stylistic Devices in English and Vietnamese riddles 2.2.4 Relation of Culture and Language Language is regarded as an effective tool to maintain and convey the culture 2.2.5 Ambiguity Pepicello, W (1989) stated that ambiguity is a case in which a phrase and statement are not clearly defined, making several uncertain interpretations 2.3.SUMMARY Chapter Three METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES 3.1 RESEARCH METHODS The paper design will be based on the qualitative and quantitative approaches Firstly, the qualitative analysis helped to find out the phonetic and lexical features of English Vietnamese riddles Secondly, the quantitative method is used to determine occurrence frequencies of English and Vietnamese riddles of phonetic and lexical features D cD ho 3.2 SAMPLING In carrying out the contrastive analysis to explore the similar and different characteristics of the English and Vietnamese riddles, the research examines nearly 200 riddles with answers containing phonetic and lexical features g an aN 3.3 DATA COLLECTION The data of this thesis are mainly collected from nearly 200 hundreds of English and Vietnamese riddles in books such as: In English, they are “101 American English riddles” by Collis; “Riddles, Riddles, Riddles” by Hindman, and “Howard's book of conundrums and riddles” by Howard In Vietnamese, they are “999 câu đố Việt Nam” by Duc Anh, “Cười học” by Nguyen Quoc Hung, “666 câu đố Việt Nam” by Mai Chi, “Kho tàng câu đố Việt Nam” by SSDG (Student Software Development Group), “277 câu đố Việt Nam” – an e-book from ngonnguhoc.net, and so on Besides, some riddles for the study are selected from reliable websites Also, other data are taken from prior studies and related materials 3.4 DATA ANALYSIS The analysis of data was conducted in two stages In both stages, a detailed analysis of English and Vietnamese riddles at lexical and phonetic levels was done to see the similar and different characteristics between the two languages 3.5 RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY g an aN cD ho D Chapter Four FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 4.1 PHONETIC FEATURES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE RIDDLES 4.1.1 Phonetic Stylistic Devices in English Riddles 4.1.1.1 Full Rhyme 4.1 Stare at me, and you may go blind Yet, you cannot see if I don’t shine - The sun (Nursery Rhyme Riddles) Besides, rhyme can appear in alternate lines or in a line For example: 4.5 My first, though water, cures no thirst, My next alone has soul, And when he lives upon my first, He then is called my whole - Sea man (Nursery Rhyme Riddles) 4.1.1.2 Incomplete Rhyme 4.11 What is the difference between a coat and a baby? - One you wear, one you were (Howard, C., 1869) g an aN cD ho D 4.1.2 Phonetic Stylistic Devices in Vietnamese Riddles 4.1.2.1 Full Rhyme in “nói lối” a The last word of the previous line rhymes with the first word of the succeeding line 4.13 Đi đến chỗ Ào chỗ - Cơn giông (Đức Anh, 2008) b The last word of the previous line rhymes with the medial word of the succeeding line 4.14 Áo đơn áo kép Ðứng nép bờ ao - Cây chuối (Thanh Lãng, 2009) c The last word of the previous line rhymes with the final word of the succeeding line 4.17 Ba ông ngồi ghế Một ông cậy Một ông cậy thần Một ông tần ngần Đút vơ lị lửa - Bễ lị rèn (Câu đố dân gian Đồng sông Cửu Long by Hồ Xuân Tuyên) d Others Some riddles consist of rhyming pairs in different positions such as (4.18) 4.18 Xương sườn xương sống Nuốt trộng người ta Nuốt vô nhả 10 b4 Noun- Noun Homophones 4.30 What vegetable is dangerous to have aboard a ship? - A leak (leek) g an aN cD ho D (Pepicello, W and Green, T., 1982) b5 Homophones between words and alphabetical letters 4.35 What letter of the alphabet is an insect? - Letter B (Pepicello, W and Green, T., 1982) c Full Homonyms c1 Nouns as Full Homonyms 4.39 Why is the postman’s bag like the alphabet? - Because they are full of letters (Collis, H., 1996) c2 Verbs as Full Homonyms 4.40 How we know the ocean is friendly? - It waves (Collis, H., 1996) c3 Noun-Verb as Full Homonyms 4.41 Why is coffee like the soil? - It is ground ( Pepicello, W and Green, T.,1982) c4.Full Homonyms between Noun Phrases 4.42 I am a fish My first half is made of metal What am I? The goldfish ( Pepicello, W and Green, T.,1982) d Palindrome d1 Noun Palindrome as Pun 4.44 What is a man parent or father of a child? - Dad (Terban, M and Maestro, G., 2008) d2 Verb Palindrome as Pun 11 4.46 What does one with one’s eyes? - To see (Terban, M and Maestro, G., 2008) 4.50 4.56 cD ho 4.58 am I? D 4.2.1.2 Metaphor in English Riddles a Nouns Used as Metaphor What has eyes but cannot see? - A potato (Pepicello, W and Green, T., 1982) b Verbs Used as Metaphor What flies without wings? - Time (Pepicello, W and Green, T., 1982) c Adjectives Used as Metaphor I'm tall when I'm young and I'm short when I'm old What - Candle (Collis, H., 1996) g an aN 4.2.1.3 Personification in English Riddles a Personification about Nature 4.60 Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters What is it? - Wind (Collis, H., 1996) b Personification about Body Parts c Personification about Animals d Personification About Objects 4.2.1.4 Simile in English Riddle a Equal Comparison 12 a1 Preposition “Like“ 4.68 When put on skin, it dries up, and looks like a sunburn a few days later – Glue (Collis, H., 1996) ho D a2 The structure “as…as” and “as a…” 4.71 I am as yellow as a sun; I am as sour as a warhead Who am I? - Lemonade (Collis, H., 1996) b Differentiating Comparison b1 Comparatives b2 Superlatives b3 Parallel increase g an aN 4.88 cD 4.85 4.2.1.5 Decomposition of Set Phrases in English Riddles What weather mice and rats fear? - When it’s raining cats and dogs (101 American English, 1996) What singers always want to hit? - Songs They very much wish to have hit songs (Collis, H., 1996) 4.2.1.6 Paradox in English Riddles 4.89 What can be measured, but has no length, width, or height? - A temperature (Collis, H., 1996) 4.2.2 Lexical Stylistic Devices in Vietnamese Riddles 4.2.2.1 Pun in Vietnamese Riddles a Homonyms as Pun a1.Noun Homonyms as Pun 13 4.95 Hai có tên g an aN cD ho D Cây xòe mặt nước, chiến trường Cây bảo vệ quê hương Cây hoa nở hoa soi mặt hồ - Hoa súng, súng (666 câu đố Việt Nam, 2010) a2 Noun -Verb Homonyms as Pun 4.96 Mồm bị khơng phải mồm bò, mà lại mồm bò? - Con ốc sên (277 câu đố Việt Nam) a3 Noun - Adjective Homonyms as Pun 4.97 Chín đi, chín đầu Da màu đỏ gạch - Con tơm luộc chín ( Bích Liên, 2008) a4 Verb Homonyms as Pun 4.99 Cha truyền nối Hành tội người ta Chẳng đậu thủ khoa Đậu đầu thiên hạ - Con ruồi ( Đỗ Thành Dương, 2006) b Spoonerism as Pun b1 Rhyme permutation 4.106 Bà bà đội thúng cam Trời mưa trượt té cam trầy - Cây tràm (Dương Thanh Thanh, 2000) 14 b2 Rhyme and tone permutation 4.108 Hít vào, hít ra, hít Thèm thèm ta đem lụi tro - Hột mít cD ho D (Dương Thanh Thanh, 2000) b3 Consonant and rhyme permutations 4.110 Kiển tố vừa đổ vừa giảng Bằng nồi ba tha la kiển tố - Tổ kiến c Synonymy as Pun 4.114 Đêm nằm luống ngẩn ngơ Chiêm bao thấy bậu, dậy rờ không - Cây mơ (277 câu đố Việt Nam) an aN 4.2.2.2 Metaphor in Vietnamese Riddles a Nouns Used as Metaphor 4.121 Có mà chẳng có cha Có lưỡi không miệng, đố vật chi? - Con dao g ( Đức Anh, 2008) b Verbs Used as Metaphor 4.124 Cày đồng ruộng trắng phau Khát xuống uống nước giếng sâu đen ngịm - Bút mực (Bích Liên, 2008) 4.2.2.3 Personification in Vietnamese Riddles a Personification about Nature 4.125 Tuổi thơ gầy béo tong teo Trung niên béo tốt mà treo trời 15 - Mặt trăng (Mai Chi, 2010) b Personification about Body Parts c Personification about Animals d Personification about Objects e Personification about Fruit 4.2.2.4 Simile in Vietnamese Riddles a Equal Comparison 4.134 Vừa bước, mà bước khơng qua? - Cái bóng D (Mai Chi, 2010) cD ho b Differentiating Comparison b1 Comparatives b2 Superlatives b3 Parallel Increase an aN 4.2.2.5 Hyperbole in Vietnamese Riddles 4.145 Trên trời mang tơi mà xuống, Âm phủ đội mũ mà lên - Cây đậu nảy mầm g (Bích Liên, 2008) 4.2.2.6 Paradox in Vietnamese Riddles a Nature in Paradox 4.150 Cây khơng trồng mà mọc? - Cỏ (Bùi Thị Thanh Huyền, 2009) b Things in Paradox 4.152 Cái mà thuộc Mình lại dùng, thiên hạ dùng ln 16 - Cái tên (666 câu đố Việt Nam, 2010) c Fruit in Paradox 4.154 Áo xanh tóc trắng cịn thơ Về già áo bạc, bơ phờ tóc nâu - Cây ngơ (999 câu đố Việt Nam, 2008) D d Animals in Paradox 4.156 Chân gần đầu, râu gần mắt Lưng còng co quắp, mà nhảy hăng - Con tơm (Bích Liên, 2008) an aN cD ho 4.3 OCCURRENCE FREQUENCIES OF PHONETIC AND LEXICAL STYLISTIC DEVICES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE RIDDLES 4.3.1 Occurrence Frequency of Phonetic Stylistic Devices in English and Vietnamese Riddles Table 4.1 Statistical Analysis of Phonetic Features of English and Vietnamese Riddles Vietnamese riddles Percent g English riddles Number Number Percent Full rhyme 35 40,7 % 38 42,2 % Incomplete rhyme 15 17,4 % 0% Others 36 41,9 % 52 57,8% Total 86 100 % 90 100 % Rhyme 17 The table shows the occurrence frequencies of phonetic features in English and Vietnamese riddles 80 60 40 English Riddles 20 Vietnamse Riddles Others D Full rhyme Incomplete rhyme g an aN cD ho Chart 4.1 Occurrence Frequency of Phonetic Stylistic Devices used in English and Vietnamese riddles Briefly, chart 4.1 illustrates that in English riddles that the percentage of full rhyme occupies 40,7% of collected riddles while incomplete rhyme only accounts for 17,4% In Vietnamese riddles, 42,2% of riddles are containing full rhyme in question or answer Surprisingly, it is hard to find the riddle with incomplete rhyme According to what we can see from the above chart, the full rhyme plays the most important role in both two languages’ riddles 4.3.2 Occurrence Frequency of Lexical Stylistic Devices in English And Vietnamese Riddles Table 4.2 Statistical Analysis of Lexical Features of English and Vietnamese Riddles Lexical stylistic devices English riddles Vietnamese riddles Number Percent Number Percent Pun 24 27,9 % 20 22,2% Personification 16 18,6% 16 17,8 % 18 English riddles Lexical stylistic devices Vietnamese riddles Number Percent Number Percent Metaphor 11 12,8 % 11 12,2 % Simile 12 13,9 % 12 13,3 % 7% 0% Hyperbole 0% 13 14,4 % Paradox 8,1 % 11,1 % Others 10 11,7% 10 9% Total 86 100 % 90 100 % Decomposition Set Phrases of D g 25 20 15 10 an aN cD ho The table shows the occurrence frequencies of lexical features in English and Vietnamese riddles in terms of stylistic devices To make the comparison clearer and lively, let us take a look at the following charts English riddles Vietnamese riddles Chart 4.2 Occurrence Frequency of Lexical Stylistic Devices Used in English and Vietnamese Riddles 19 Briefly, chart 4.2 shows that the percentage of pun used in English riddles ranks the first with 27,9% Personification ranks second (18,6%) and is followed by simile with 13,9% The least common stylistic device is the decomposition of set phrases (7%) Especially, there is no riddle using hyperbole in English Regarded at Vietnamese riddles, pun with 22,2 percent is the most commonly used in riddles in Vietnamese Personification ranks the second with 17,8% Simile, hyperbole, and metaphor are approximately equal in proportion Especially, there is no riddle using decomposition of set phrases in Vietnamese riddles D English Riddles + Incomplete Rhyme + g Full Rhyme Vietnamese Riddles an Rhyme aN cD ho 4.4 SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF PHONETIC AND LEXICAL FEATURES OF RIDDLES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE 4.4.1 Similarities and Differences of Phonetic feature in English and Vietnamese Riddles Table 4.3 The Summary of Rhyme in English and Vietnamese riddles + - 4.4.1.1 Similarities Clearly, rhyme is an effective phonetic stylistic device in English and Vietnamese riddles Many riddles use full rhyme in both languages to challenge the riddles 4.4.1.2 Differences This is except for the incomplete rhyme that can be found in English riddles only; whereas, it hardly appears in Vietnamese 20 samples Moreover, another difference is that in Vietnamese riddles, full rhyme can often be found in two kinds, “noi loi” and “luc bat”, whereas, full rhyme in English riddles can appear in the sentence or the compound word D 4.4.2 Similarities and Differences of Lexical feature in English and Vietnamese Riddles Many lexical stylistic devices are creatively exploited in both English and Vietnamese riddles The following is the summary of those stylistic devices Table 4.4 The Summary of Lexical stylistic devices in English and Vietnamese Riddles Lexical stylistic devices Personification Hyperbole Paradox + + + + + + + - + + + + - g Decomposition of set phrases + an Simile Vietnamese Riddles aN cD Metaphor ho Pun English Riddles 4.4.2.1 Similarities Obviously, most English and Vietnamese riddles take an advantage of stylistic devices such as pun, simile, metaphor, personification, and paradox to make them more interesting and challenging 4.4.2.2 Differences After analyzing many riddles, it is clearly shown that decomposition of set phrases is less common in Vietnamese riddles, 21 and hyperbole hardly appears in English riddles Besides, many Vietnamese riddles use hyperbole, the exaggeration of a thing g an aN cD ho D Chapter Five CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS 5.1 CONCLUSIONS This study is an attempt to discover the linguistic features of riddles in English and Vietnamese with the aim of providing an indepth of lexical and phonetic features and then comparing the similarities and differences of the riddles in the two languages in terms of the lexical and phonetic features of the stylistic devices used Moreover, we have explored how the stylistic devices were used in riddles to help the readers predict or deduce the answers to the riddles Generally, in terms of linguistic features of riddles in English and Vietnamese, we have focused on the main views of Pepicello and Green (1982) and Maranda, E (1971) This study mainly aims at analyzing lexical and phonetics features in terms of stylistic devices in English and Vietnamese riddles Obviously, most English and Vietnamese riddles make use of stylistic devices such as pun, simile, metaphor, personification, paradox, and so on to make them more interesting and challenging These stylistic devices have a high artistic effect on riddles About the similarities and differences of riddles in terms of phonetic and lexical stylistic devices, we can confirm that based on our collected data and analysis, all types of stylistic devices mentioned in our research can be found in both English and Vietnamese riddles This is except for the deposition of set phrases that can be found in English riddles only; whereas, hyperbole only appears in Vietnamese samples From 22 what has been presented, similarities and differences of phonetic and g an aN cD ho D lexical features of English and Vietnamese riddles are also shown More specifically, the typical differences between riddles in English and Vietnamese are due to language characteristics Riddle is really an intellectual entertainment because understanding and finding out the answers to the riddle is a great way to check one’s knowledge and wit Asking and answering riddles is a fantastic way to relax the mind because riddles may be witty and even have a bit of challenge Moreover, the application of riddles related to the lesson in teaching is also an effective way to stimulate both students’ and teachers' interests Simultaneously, the riddle can also help students to improve language development, boost intellection and nurture social competence Besides, the researcher found that the English and Vietnamese riddles show the imagination and intelligence of humans, and distinctive features of language and culture of each country as well Therefore, the readers are highly aware of the different characteristics of each stylistic device and cultural differences to deduce and deal with the riddles After investigating plenty of riddles, it is proved that the Vietnamese often rely upon natural phenomena or the special characteristics of things, animals, and plants to create riddles In other words, Vietnamese people often choose familiar things in life to make riddles In contrast, in “Riddle: Form And Performance”, English riddles often focus on abstract things Briefly, English and Vietnamese riddles all have their own characteristics and beauty 23 ho D 5.2 IMPLICATIONS 5.2.1 Implications for teachers To start a new lesson, the riddle is an effective game to stimulate and lead the student to the topic of the lesson interestingly Therefore, the teachers make use of some stylistic devices and their imagination to create good riddles to ask their students Moreover, choosing or creating some riddles should be suitable for their age and the knowledge of students to make the interest for them Moreover, riddles are an effective way to stimulate the intellectual imagination of students Through interpreting riddles, they can learn how to make inferences and give the answer When solving the riddle, students learn to work in pairs or groups, learn new vocabulary and also improve integral skills in learning English g an aN cD 5.2.2 Implications to deal with a Riddle The ambiguity often appears in difficult riddles to interest and challenge the readers as well Moreover, good riddles are often formed basing on the creative application of stylistic devices, human beings’ imagination, and expertise in the language Therefore, the readers must have wide and deep knowledge about stylistic devices and cultural aspects to deal with the riddles easily and quickly In addition, Pepicello, W (1989) stated “Sometimes the readers or listeners must show their wit when they isolate and resolve ambiguous elements to appreciate the humor involved.” 5.3 LIMITATION Due to the lack of reference materials, limited linguistic knowledge, the study has got certain restrictions Moreover, the study merely investigates the phonetic and lexical features of English and Vietnamese riddles Besides, it is also difficult for the 24 researcher to choose the typical riddles in two languages, and simultaneously, analyzing riddles is as detailed as possible g an aN cD ho D 5.4 RECOMMENDATION Some suggestions for further research would be highly put forward as follows: An Investigation into semantic and pragmatic features of English and Vietnamese Riddles A study of conceptual metaphor features of English and Vietnamese Riddles An Investigation into common kinds of riddles in English and Vietnamese ... discover the linguistic features of riddles in English and Vietnamese with the aim of providing an indepth of lexical and phonetic features and then comparing the similarities and differences of the. .. are the phonetic features of the stylistic devices used in the English and Vietnamese riddles? What are the similarities and differences of the English and Vietnamese riddles in terms of the. .. learners of English to be more aware of the linguistic features and the beauty of riddles D 1.2.2 Objectives The objectives of the study are: - to analyze the phonetic and lexical features of English