THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THAI-DAI CULTURAL STUDIES
Co-hosted by
Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences Yunnan University of the Nationalities
Kunming, China December 9" ~ 11", 2004
Trang 2Contents
Strengthening Thai-Dai Cultural Studies and Promoting Regional
Cooperation and Exchanges A Yunnan Provincial Leader (1) New Chapters in Thai-Dai Cultural Studies Chuai Zhenyu (4) Historical and Cultural Development of the Thai and the Dai and the
Challenges they are faced with: A Macro Comparison He Shengda (7) Thai-Dai Ethnic Groups: The Traits of Cultural Diversity and its
Ethnic Formation _ Liu Zhi (15)
Ethnic Relationship between Zhuang, Dai, Lao and Shan: From a
Customs Perspective - Fan Honggui (24)
A New Probe into the Origin of Thai-Dai Ethnic Group and
' Establishment of Thai-Dai Cultural Ring Zheng Xiaoyun (38) Adoption of the Ten Celestial Steam and Twelve Branches by
Thai and Dai and Ahom of Assam State - Yang Guangyuan (45)
The Dai in Xishuangbanna of China and the Thai in Lannan of
Thailand: A Historical and Cultural Comparison ` Gao Lishi (58)
On the Pattra-leaf Culture and the Policy of Building the Prefecture
on the Culture” / Li Zixian (68) Pattra-works of Dai People: World Precious Heritage Yang Shouchuan (73)
Towards an Approach of “Integrated Tai Studies: “Baan-Miiang
Complex Studies” after 10 Years Oliver Raendchen (81)
Tay-Thai And Viet-Muong Cultural Contact in Vietnam: through the Analysis of Some Vocabulary Related to
Water Paddy civilization Tran Tri Doi (94) Tai (Dai) Nationality and Cultural in Meander
Daw Khin Hla Htay & DawTin Ye (98)
Clan Society and Local identity of Dai and Lua in Keng Tung
Rangsan Chanta (112)
Trang 3Some Cultural Distinctions between the Tay and
the Nung in Lang Son of Vietnam Vuong Toun (117) Some Reflections on the Influence of Tourism and Economic
Development on Theravada Buddhism in Sipsongpanna Roger Casas (126)
Poy Luang Lanna: A Healing Tradition of “Individualism
In a Consumer Culture Porntip Komdi(143) Lawa, Lua, Kha and Loi: their Hidden Histories in the Tai Tamnan
Ratanapom Sethakul (151)
Cultural Identify Comparison in Idioms on Animals Between
Vietnamese Luaguage & Dai-Thai Luaguange Family in Vietnam
Nguyen Van Hieu & Do Quang Son (174)
Trang 4Cultural Identify Comparison In Idioms On Animals (IOA) Between Vietnamese Language And Dai-Thai Language Family In Vietnam
Dr Nguyen Van Hieu —Do Quang Son Department of Linguistics
University of Social Sciences & Humanities Vietnam National University, Ha Noi
Email: hieunv_2002@yahoo.com -
It is widely known that Vietnamese people and other ethnic minorities residents (including Dai-Thai ethnic groups) have been co-living in the same area and having old-aged contact in many fields, especially culture There exist many evidences of
similarities in cultures belonging to those residents as we have found out some culture identify of each resident group One of the most prominent evidences ever found in
culture in language that must be mentioned as these people s' various folklore idioms This special nominal unit, by its necessary mechanism which is to symbolize, was linked with some particular semantic values corresponding to things and phenomena in life The tink was based on the feelings ways of thinking and "The own observing
prism" of each native community Therefore, when comparing idioms in genera) and
IOA between Vietnamese and Dai-Thai language family in Vietnam in particular, the typical cultural peculiarities of each nationality will be manifested
According to a survey of 994 IOA units, in which Vietnamese language accounts for - 705 and Dai-Thai 289, we have following remarks:
Trang 5idioms Vietna § 6 |5 |4 4 3 13 l3 2 2 mese 6 1 I 7 0 6 1 0 5 2 langung ˆ ‘ 6 Dai-Th 3 2 9 3 7 7 8 2 6 2 ai 4 9 - 47 0 0 languag e Among 10 animals with the most frequent in appearance, there are 6 familiar ones, such
as, dog, cat, hen/cock, buffalo, horse, cow This shows how important a role agriculture
plays in life of these 2 inhabitant groups In other words, the cultures of both
Vietnamese people and Dai-Thai minorities derived from wet rice agriculture Hence,
all animals with many times of appearance in IOA have had a great impact on social and spiritual life and have been the earliest perceived ones in the 2 comunities,
Among domestic animals of agricultural inhabitants, cattle used for pulling power like
buffalo, cow and horse are the most important ones Therefore, both peoples use them
as symbols of valuables and wealth - : Vietnamese language Dai-Thai language
1 Ba bo, chin trau Khau tem canh vai tem lang
(Three cows, nine buffaloes) - (Full of rice in yard, buffalo in stable) 2 Len xe xuong ngua Vai lam lang giang khoen kho
(Get in cariage, dismount from horse) (Buffalo tethered in stable, sword hung on a hook)
It can be seen that when nomad people mention wealth they often remind us
of gold and silver, silks, jewels, delicate dishes, etc However, wealth is compared to
entire agricultural animals and things by agricultural inhabitants: buffalo, hen/cock, fish,
large grain baskets, and so on
Such familiar domestic animals as dog, cat and hen/cock are also the ones serving
agricultural life Dogs help keeping house, cats help catching mice and cocks help
Trang 6Waking people up, etc Therefore, these animals also appear in IOA of agricutural
inhabitants to express symbolically phenomena and daily life
With the same animal chosen as an observing objective, each people has ots own way io express different contents While Vietnamese people choose dog as a symbol of stubborness & mistake rectifying refusal, Dai-Thai minorities consider dog a symbol of
the indifference in work (e.g.1) Similarly, Vietnamese people refer cat-mouse
relationship to the Suitablity between ability and work while Dai-Thai minorities refer to disordered and undisciplined actions (¢.g.2) However, in €.g.3, both Vietnamese and
Dai-Thai peoples use hen/cock ag asymbol of future evil omens 1.Cho ®en giu muc 1 Ma han bo lo thua
(Black dogs don't turn white) (Dogs bark without lifting head) 2 Meo nho bat chuot nho 2 Meo coc tu nu hat xuong
(A little kitten caught a little mouse) (Cats go out, mice dance) 3 Ga mai gay 3.Cay khan khan
(Hens CrOW) — _ (Cocks crow at unsual time) ,
The other four animals used the most commonly in IOA of the two languages are all
wild animal: tiger, elephant, mouse and fish Fish is the main animal source of the food in meals of agricultural inhabitants so it is a symbol of Prosperity Mouse offen
damages crops, it symbolizes evil people as a result, Elephant and tiger are savage, big
and strong animals, therefore, they refer to danger in IOA of both languages, 1 Com ga ca goi 1 Thom pia, na khau
(Rice with chicken and raw fish (delicate dish)) (Fish pond, paddy field) 2.Chuot ®oi vo trung 2 Nu tham ga
(A mouse wears an eggshell on its head) (A mouse carries hay) 3.Tranh voi chang xau mat nao 3.Slua bac slua lac
(Avoiding elephants is of no shame) (Tigers grab and catch)
(Elephants mean powerful opponents)
The above examble show that there is a cultural resemblance between Vietnamese and Dai-Thai peoples In IOA, both communities choose animals regarding agricultural production to symbolize all life fields However, there is still difference under some circumstances In terms of level of usage, among the ten most frequently appearing, Vietnamese people use delta animals more often: dog, hen/cock, fish, buffalo, elephant,
176
Trang 7cat, cow, tiger, horse (in sequence of decreasing frequency) In contracst, Dai-Thai
minorities prefer to use animals being able to adapt to mountainous conditions and
familiar to them: buffalo, dog, hen/cock, tiger, horse, fish, cow, elephant, cat, mouse The difference of level of use of these animals partly indicates that apart from resemblance,’ Vietnamese and Dai-Thai peoples have their own ‘cultural features
regulated by different geopraphical conditions it is easily seen that for each inhabitant
group, an animal expresses different contents,
2 On the other hand, some animals only appear in Vietnamese idioms They are water birds and other species living on coastal deltas: cormorant, teal, bittern, crane, pelican,
etc and leech, tortoise, turtle, mussel, sea slug, little crab, jellyfish, oyster, stergeon,
salmon, etc These are typical animals of delta culture: "these documents of Vietnamses fixed expressions (idioms) make it impossible to be mistaken for animals which only appear in Dai-Thai 's IOA, such as, jungle leech, ape, wild pig, fox, etc these are representative animals of valey eco-area Hence, it can be said that natural and social cultural conditions have impacted on the establishment and development of language thingking, making a specific (prism) for each people in reflexing the world Therefore, besides the common universal and regional characteristics, each people has its own _ ways of observing intuitive subjects with clear cultural seal, which is proved by the fact ~ that each people often chooses its most familiar animals to use in idioms
3 The survey also shows that in IOA of Vietnamese and Dai-Thai languages, 12 animals of (chinese era) (system of 10 heaven's stems and 12 earth branches, consisting
2 serials of words used for indicating serial order or reckoning years, hours, etc.): mouse (nu), buffalo (vai), tiger (slua), cat (meo), dragon (luong), snake (ngu), horse (ma), goat (be), monkey (linh), hen/cock (cay), dog (ma), pig (mu) In terms of
vocabulary, all the words indicating the 12 animals are single words in both languages, -
which proves that these animals was recognised very early in the past On the other
hand, we have found out that many wods naming animals of both languages are related
to each other For instance, the word "ma" ("cho"-dog) in Dai-Thai language has been
intruded into Vietnamese language to build the word "cho ma", the cat is called "meo" in both languages, the word "luong” (dragon) of Dai-Thai also appears in "thuong
luong" (an old word refering to dragon) of Vietnamese language This is the evidence
" for the fact that both Vietnamese and Dai-Thai cultures have ancient origins, local common background and early cultural exchange Therefore, it is believed by an author that studying Dai-Thai culture can help imagining the cultural motive of ancient
Vietnamese people
4.Cultural seals are also manifested by concrete animals in idioms of many peoples That is the phenomenum in which an animal is used in idioms by different communities but each community only focuses on one characteristic of the animal and considers it to
Trang 8be typical for that species For example, Vietnamese people offen think of buffalo as an animal which is strong and eat a lot, but Dai-Thai minorities suppose that the incapability of making sound by mouth and the big body shape are typical features of this animal,
1.Khoe nhu trau 1.Vai kin lin
(As strong as a buffalo) (Buffalo eats tounge) 2.an nhu trau 2.Vai cai khi cai
(Eat like a buffalo) (Big buffaloes have big excrement)
Based on all IOA of Vietnamese and Dai-Thai languages, we find out that Vietnamese people do not explore those two features of the buffalo as Dai-Thai
minorities do because they think that the mussel itself, not the buffalo, is typical for the
ability to make sound badly (As big as an elephant) According to Phan Van Que, 71%
of Vietnamese idioms related to elephant use this animal's big body as a symbol In our Source of material, there is a unique IOA involving the mussel in which its ability to
make sound badly and the reaction by closing its mouth when being stimulated is used
as a symbol In contrast, in Dai-Thai minorities’ awareness, tiger is the strongest and most-eating animal: "Kin bAng sl-a" (Eating like a tiger) (a strong deer cannot be
compared to a sick tiger) Then we can see that the awareness of each people about
buffalo in Vietnamese IOA, is affected by the knowledge of delta animals like mussels;
however, in Dai-Thai's IOA the effect derives from knowledge of wild animals like ˆ tigers hence, an animal can symbolize different things in different People's IOA,
Undoubtedly, the "obvious features" of animals these peoples use to symbolize in IOA: may not be very sensible and scientific It is just a common impulsive and "contractual" impression for the whole community As a result, that impression is often subjective and created by features of the animal being observed and by the background knowledge of that animal,
examples involving dogs:
1 Ngon nhu xao cho 1.Ma chun ny
(As delicious as dog soup) (A dog is caught by the hedgerow) 2.Du nhu cho 2.Ma lan khi lung
Trang 9(As savage as a dog) (A dog rushes in a fox's excrement) 3.Ngu nhu cho 3.Ma ban quen nang tang
(As stupid as a dog) (Dogs are not used to sitting on a chair)
By analysing these examples, we can sée that in Vietnamese IOA dog is the symbol of
"dainty fish" (e.g.1), "savageness" (e.g.2) and "idiocy" (e.g.3) Nonetheless, Dai-Thai
minorities consider dog a symbol of “embarrassment" (e.g.l), "passion" (e.g.2) and "preposterously prumming” (¢.g.3) The phenomena symbolized in the above idiom
units are evidently not of resemblance (that is, their contents are different) but they
" have a reminiscent relation with the common symbol that is dog We can modelize this as follows: mh Hà _ Am: wy mS s¢ il
B is the symbol; Al, A2, ., An are the symbolized social things and phenomena To
_ be more specific, B corresponds to the animal image and Al, A2, .,An correspond to
different semantic contents in idiom units related to B It is easily seen that language law differs widely from mathematics law and logic A phenomenum can only be explained by language thinking attached to each community's "contract", which is the manifestation of the "economical and flexible" law in language and communication culture of language communities
6 To create some specific semantic nuances, peoples symbolize life phenomena by
different images in IOA Researchers consider this to be the synonymous phenomenum of i dioms, which shows a variaty of ways of expression There are many synonymous Vietnamese IOA, for instance:
1 an nh- gau an trang (Eat as a bear eats the moon) 2 an nhu meo (Eat like a cat)
3 an nh- tam an roi (Eat as silkworms eat mulberry leaves)
All these examples refer to eating actions, however, in example 1 the nuance of meaning is "to eat a lot and quickly", in example 2 "to eat a little" and in example 3 "to
Trang 10eat voraciously" This shows that the information about different animals has made a Specific semantic nuance for each IOA, which can be modelized as follows: Bl A=B2 Bn
A is a symbolized phenomsocial life Specifically, in those above examples, A is the phenomenum of "eating", BI, B2, Bn are different animals symbolizing A BI= "a bear eats the moon", B2="a cat", Bn=B3="silkworms eat mulberry leaves" between synonymous idioms and the number of idioms, the number of animals used in idioms &
the number of times of their appearance in IOA are in concordance Hence, in
comparison with Dai-Thai IOA, the number of Vietnamese Synonymous idioms is far
bigger: slow (snail, tortoise), to speak (pamot), high (worshiped cinonia, crane), to run (duck, mouse), fat (quail, distended buffalo), to abuse (a dog eats salted fish
only"stingy"; to lose chickens), verbose (leech, urinating cow), Savage (tiger, dog), to squirm (leech in lime, in beehive, fish beaten on head), fetid (rat, owl), to learn (parrot, cock kicking partition), to make noise (cow lowing, bittern, eagle), strong (buffalo,
tiger, elephant), etc This shows that Vietnamese communication culture has reached a
sophisticated level for Synonymous lexicon in general and IOA in particular "are both results and means of requirements of expression and communication by language"
(2,216)
7 There are also many cases in which the 2 peoples choose an animal to symbolize the same phenomenum in 1OA This is sensible as it is the result of a process in which each people has a different awareness of an animal (the first process of symbolization) and
each people has a way of linking the animal with fife (the second process of
symbolization), The second process of symbolization in idioms is established on the basis of the resemblance between characteristics of that animal and phenomena of social life, which is based on "the attachment, repitition and habitual way of life of the native locals" (2,257)
: e.g:
1 Ngu nhu lon 1 Dam bang be bot (As stupid as a pig) (As dark as a blind goat)
Trang 112.No nh- long luon 2 Ni bang ma mat
(As debtful as eels- be deep in debt) (As debiful as dog fleas) 3.Nhat nhu cay 3 He co cay thuon _
(As cowardly as a little crab) (As cowardly as a wild cock)
In these examples, "the most familiar reality to the community" is chosen to symbolize life phenomena When refering to cowardice in people's characteristics, Vietnamese - IOA have “a little crab" as a symbolize but Dai-Thai minorities use "a wild cock", Similarly, "eels" symbolize debt in IOAietnamese IOA but debt in Dai-Thai 10A is compared to “dog fleas" The difference in choosing the symbolized animals also shows the difference in "background knowledge" of the two peoples Those above analyses indicate that the two communities difference in the way of thinking of animals and in
the animal symbolization of various phenomena is law- characterized, systemized and
regulated by different cultures, not by random
8 It will be an inadvertant omission without mentioning a usual phenomenum when contrasting language in general and IQA in particular Many IOA units are the same with Dai-Thai's ones.-This has been considered by researchers as the result of cultural ,
borowing and contact :
1,Nhu cho voi meo 1 Bang ma cap meo ©
(Like dogs and cats)
2 Chay nha ra mat chuot 2 Tay mang han na nu
(When the house is bumt, the face of the mouse appears)
( Hidden things will be brought to light in due time) 3 Chu nhu ga boi 3 Viet bang cay khe
(Writing like a cock's digging- To have a horrible writing)
All the examples have the same structures and symbolizing meanings In terms of semantic content, the images related to symbolized animals, things and phenomena are also the same Example 1 refers to "an inharmonious relationship", example 2 tells that
"the evil human nature of some one will be revealed sooner or later", example 3 "symbolizes "carelessness" leading to neglecting practising in one's study In this case,
one people created idioms and the other borrowed them in accordance with its standard language and cultural habit however, it is hard to identify the idiom creator We can only see a similarity in some aspects of language, culture and way of thinking of Vietnamese people and Dai-Thai minorities
Trang 12characteristics and specific features, Therefore, we think it is unadvisable to translate
other peoples'language materials containing a lot of cultural value like idioms, proverbs into Vietnamese correspondingly but we should do this literally and originally with the conserved./
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