conclusions and recommendations

M = 2.72; 269 and 2.62 are the level of autonomy for group, tactile and auditory students respectively.Key word : Understanding the reality of using politeness in interculturalcommunicat

INSTRUCTOR: LE QUANG DUNG, PH.D

GRADE: _

MARKER 1 _ MARKE 2 _

HANOI 2023

RESEARCH METHODS IN APPLIED LINGUISTICS

[Type the author name]

ABSTRACT

The present study was conducted at a survey of using politeness in Englishcommunication in Vietnam, and in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree ofEnglish Language Education The study employed a mixed method research design

to investigate the self-perceived levels of learners’ autonomy at the institutionwhere the researcher works The study also explores the teachers’ support infostering students’ autonomy In addition, the study attempts to determine therelationship between genders, learning styles and the learners’ levels of autonomy.The main findings reveal that the level of learners’ autonomy where the study wasconducted was at medium level (M = 2.66 out of 5.0 scale) In terms of thestudents’ perception of their teachers’ roles in fostering students’ autonomy, thefinding of the current study reveals that it was quite supportive (M = 3.29 out of5.0 scale) The finding also indicated that the difference in level of autonomy is notsignificant between male and female students (M = 2.667 for male compared with

M = 2.668 for female students) Finally, the result showed that there a statisticallysignificant difference in the levels of autonomy between students with differentlearning styles To be specifically, the students who prefer kinesthetic learningstyle possess the highest level of autonomy (M = 2.75) compared with M = 2.60and 2.59 for visual and individual learning style students M = 2.72; 269 and 2.62are the level of autonomy for group, tactile and auditory students respectively

Key word : Understanding the reality of using politeness in intercultural

communication among students in Vietnam, thereby suggesting effectivecommunication measures in the current multicultural environment as well as in theworld in general

Table of content :

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study

1.2.1 Common aims

1.2.2 Specific aims

1.2.3 Objectives:

1.3 Research questions

1.4 Scope of the study

1.5 Significance of the study

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

1 Review of previous studies at home/abroad

1.1 Review of previous studies at home

1.2 Review of previous studies abroad

1.3 Reasons for choosing the topic

1.4 Topic goal

2 Review of theoretical background

2.2 Theoretical research methods

2.2 Practical research methods

2.3 Data analysis and processing methods

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH

CHAPTER 4 : FINDINGS ( Expected findings ) CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Intercultural communication is the communication between cultures, betweendifferent cultural communities with different ways of life and worldview.Intercultural communication itself is not a new phenomenon, but has gone throughthousands of years of history, associated with the fate of all people andcommunities in the world

Up to now, when entering the 21st century, mankind has achieved greatachievements in science and technology Thanks to modern means ofcommunication, thanks to the internet, mobile phones, television phones, thanks tocountless international radio and television channels, thanks to the strongdevelopment of the domestic and international, especially the aviation industry,etc., opportunities to exchange, communicate, dialogue, learn from each otherbetween cultures and cultural communities around the planet are increasingstrongly

In that context, globalization has become an inevitable historical trend, attractingall nations and cultures in the world Therefore, intercultural communication hasbecome an integral part of contemporary social life, becoming a field of interest tomany scientific disciplines, such as anthropology, culture, history, sociology,psychology, etc., especially intercultural Philosophy This article can be considered

as an introductory, brief introduction to intercultural philosophy - a philosophicaldiscipline that is still little researched in Vietnam In the framework of this article,

we only focus on elucidating some philosophical aspects of interculturalcommunication in the context of globalization on the basis of recognizing thecontributions and limitations of L.Wittgenstein to the debut in society ofintercultural philosophy

Realizing the importance of this issue, I choose the topic " A survey of VietnamNational University of Agriculture students’ using politeness in communication"for research, hoping to help students have a comprehensive view, aware of theimportance of the problem, creating a premise to promote effective communicationbetween Vietnamese and foreign students

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study

- Survey on limitations and barriers that students often encounter in interculturalcommunication;

- Analysis of survey results on politeness attitude in intercultural communication ofstudents in Vietnam;

- Proposing and giving some suggestions on applying polite attitude in interculturalcommunication with overseas students

1.2.3 Objectives:

The objectives of the research are:

communicate with foreign students politely and effectively in daily life aswell as in the lecture hall

1.3 Research questions

1 What are the facts of students using politeness in communication?

2 What suggestions should be made to improve politeness in communication?

1.4 Scope of the study

In order to reflect the reality of students' ability to communicate and perceiveabout the need for politeness communication, I will conduct a survey of about

150 students at a random university A with situations in the lecture hall, thedorm and on the bus , in which: International students, Advanced students,English language students, Students of other major

1.5 Significance of the study

Research on the use of politeness in intercultural communication of students tofind solutions to help students communicate effectively in the currentmulticultural environment at university particular and in Vietnam as well as theworld in general

Scientific report on the status of using politeness in communication, what arethe limitations and barriers that students often face in interculturalcommunication, proposing solutions for the application of politenessintercultural communication to avoid misunderstanding the meaning ofexpressions and bring maximum communication efficiency

The results of the study contribute to improving the efficiency ofcommunication of students with foreigners in general and foreign studentsstudying at university in Vietnam Specifically, this study helps studentsunderstand and get an overview of “Motto of politeness in communication”;know how to grasp and apply these mottos to different social situations to avoidmisunderstanding the meaning of expressions and bring about maximumcommunication efficiency

DESIGN OF THE STUDY

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Development

● Chapter 1: THEORETICAL BASIS

● Chapter 2: RESEARCH RESULTS

● Chapter 3: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Part 3: Conclusion

LIST OF TABLES

students, Advanced students, English-major students, Students of other majors

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

1

Review of previous studies at home/abroad

1.1 Review of previous studies at home

In the 21st century, thanks to the great achievements of science and technology,the strong explosion of information technology and the great improvements ininfrastructure and traffic, the need for exchange and communication Learningbetween cultures has become an indispensable and inseparable trend in today'smodern society In order to communicate effectively and avoid unfortunatemisunderstandings, "polite attitude in cultural communication of people" isconsidered to have a very important position and role However, in Vietnam up

to the present time, there are very few specific studies on politeness inintercultural communication, only referring to the concepts and general researchcategories of cultural communication, such as “Analysis of interculturalcommunication” (Nguyen Hoa, 2011 – University of Foreign Languages andInternational Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi), or “Some issues ofintercultural and intercultural communication” (Nguyen Quang, 2004 –University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi)

In Vietnam, problems related to pragmatics have been interested by researcherssince the 80s of the twentieth century, in university lectures, in linguisticresearch works Vietnamese grammar and semantics such as: Linguistic logic ofHoang Phe, Vietnamese - preliminary functional grammar of Cao Xuan Hao, intheses and theses In addition, in language journals, many research articles havebeen published by author Vu Thi Thanh Huong (1999) - "Indirect and polite inVietnamese supplication", Nguyen Quang – “Positive politeness strategies incommunication” (2 Volumes)

In the book Pragmatics – Volume 1 (Education Publishing House, 2000),Professor Nguyen Duc Dan also presented quite fully on the theory ofPragmatics The book Vietnamese pragmatics (2009) by Professor NguyenThien Giap also introduces two views of two world famous pragmatics J.Austin and J Searle However, both of these authors just stopped at the level ofgeneral theory without going into any specific language behavior Besides, the

authors also introduce the principle of conversation and politeness, includingthe principle of cooperation and the principle of politeness.

In recent years, the trend of studying linguistic behavior in relation tocommunication rules and ethnic cultural characteristics has been noticed anddeveloped by researchers These include articles by the authors: Indirectgreetings of Vietnamese with politeness - Nguyen Thi Luong (2006), Neutralstrategy in inviting and declining invitations in American English andVietnamese– Duong Bach Nhat (2008)

– Communication is a system of processes with a purpose and motive thatensures the interaction of one person with another in practical activities, therealization of social and personal relationships, psychological and socialrelationships specific means, first of which is language (A.A.Leochiep).Communication is the interaction between two or more people to exchangeinformation (Soviet psychological dictionary)

– B.F Lomov said: Communication is not a special form of activity, but it must

be considered as a relatively independent category beside the category ofactivity in psychology He defined it as follows: “Communication is theinteraction of the people who participate in it as subjects”

– Communication is an activity of establishing and operating human-to-humanrelations to realize human social relations with each other (Textbook ofPsychology, Education Publishing House, 1998, Volume 1, p.44, 45)

With such an impact, the communication must be from at least 2 people, each

of whom must be the subject In other words, it means that there is atransformation between the subject and the object This transformation takesplace from the beginning, from the moment of contact, getting to know eachother to perceive each other until the moment when the communication processends

In the process of communication, mutual awareness and mutual impact takeplace continuously, increasing in both subjects The transformation betweensubject and object is faster and more frequent, as the awareness of each otherbecomes more and more clear

– In Vietnam, the issue of communication has also received the attention ofmany researchers The authors have stated the concept of communicationaccording to their specific research area.

Related to the topic, there are also research works by Professor Nguyen ThienGiap (2000) - Vietnamese language learning which introduced two perspectives

of two world famous pragmatics J Austin and J Searle However, both of theseauthors just stopped at the level of general theory without going into depth andany specific language behavior Besides, the authors also introduce theprinciples of conversation and politeness including the principle of cooperationand the principle of politeness., Professor Do Huu Chau (1993) – Linguisticsoutline (volume 2), Vo Dai Quang (2004) – Politeness: personal communicationstrategies or social norms However, there are not any author has systematicallyand specifically introduced politeness in intercultural communication amongstudents of VNUA

1.2 Review of previous studies abroad

Realizing the importance of politeness in intercultural communication and itsgreat role in the art of communication, there are many studies abroad that havestudied this issue deeply, of which the highlights are:

- Research topic "Polite language in intercultural communication in Japan" bylecturer Suraiya Mohd Ali (2017) - Faculty of Languages and LinguisticsUniversity of Malaya In it, instructor Suraiya Mohd Ali analyzes howpoliteness is communicated through the use of polite language forms andstrategies The author has shown the use of positive politeness strategies thatshow solidarity and friendliness, cohesion and intimacy, and concern as aspects

of politeness That allows the participants in this study to be more skilled atcommunicating in work and daily life, avoiding unfortunate misunderstandings

- With the topic "Politeness in Intercultural Communication in East Asia"(University of Warwick, 2011), author Stefanie Stadler has researched andevaluated different polite expressions in business writing, management andeducation in East Asian countries

- Ikiko Nakane is a linguistics lecturer at the University of Sydney whopublished the book "Silence and politeness in intercultural communication"(2006) which also shows the importance of polite attitude for success of thecommunication process In this study, he analyzed the silence of students from

schools in Asia and compared them with students from countries such as the

US, UK, and Australia He also explains phenomena, using participantinterviews, classroom observations, and detailed discourse analysis ofclassroom interactions

In the 60s of the twentieth century, Western readers all began to becomefamiliar with pragmatics through the research works of famous philosophersand logicians such as J Austin, J Searle Pragmatics is receiving more andmore attention, the research of linguists and the 70s - 80s of the twentiethcentury is considered as the "throne" period of Pragmatics by authors such as R.Lakoff (1975), G Leech (2003), S Levison (1954), G Yule (1996), havecontributed to perfecting theoretical system as the theoretical foundation forpragmatics The articles as well as the research works contribute a lot to thethesis for this issue We have inherited the research theories of conversation,and principles courtesy of the above authors on this subject

1.3 Reasons for choosing the topic

Politeness in intercultural communication plays an important role in effectivecommunication between Vietnamese and foreign students It not only reflectsthe speaker's educational level and family, but also the way they perceive andevaluate the community and country in which they live At the VNUA, whichwelcomes a lot of international students from Laos, Cambodia, Mozambique,Mongolia, China to study and live every year, is a multicultural, multilingualenvironment, is an ideal place for Vietnamese students to have the opportunity

to study, interact with foreign friends, and access new things such as thelanguages and culture of your country

However, a large part of students still has many limitations in communicatingwith foreign students who come from different cultures, leading to unfortunatemisunderstandings such as: the message you want to convey in communication,misinterpreting the attitude of communication as feeling that the speaker isimpolite, irritable, unhappy, or unenthusiastic

Stemming from the above reasons, the author conducted a research on the topic:

A survey of students’ using politeness in communication

1.4 Topic goal

1.4.1 Common goals

Understanding the current situation of using politeness in interculturalcommunication among students, thereby proposing effective communicationmeasures in the current multicultural environment in particular in Vietnam aswell as in the world in general.

- Survey on limitations and barriers that students often encounter in interculturalcommunication;

- Analysis of survey results on politeness attitude in interculturalcommunication of students;

- Proposing and giving some suggestions in applying a polite attitude inintercultural communication of Vietnamese students with overseas

2.2 Theoretical research methods

Analyze, synthesize, compare and generalize the results of theoretical andpractical research of researchers on politeness maxims in communication,applicability and violations of politeness maxims in communication.Intercultural communication aims to draw out instrumental concepts andtheoretical frameworks for the research topic "A survey of students’ usingpoliteness in communication in Vietnam."

2.2 Practical research methods

Investigative method:

In order to reflect the reality of students’ ability to communicate and perceiveabout the need for politeness intercultural communication, I will conduct asurvey of about 150 students at a random universuty, in which:

- 50 Advanced students

- 50 English major students

- 50 International students from different majors

Design the questionnaire with a semi-structured personal questionnaire anddistribute it to students The survey focused on understanding the application

of politeness maxims; preferences and the difficulties and benefits thatstudents encounter when performing in the communication process

Question 1: During an exam time, you suddenly realized that you forgot to bringyour pen Without a pen, you cannot accomplish your test What would you do inthat situation?

Question 2: You are on the street, suddenly your motorbike is broken Motorbikerepair-shop is very far from you, about 10km away In that situation, would youkeep quiet, walk with your motorbike yourself to the repair-shop or would you askfor help from someone around you?

has just broken

Question 3: When your class is over, you see one of your classmate (a normalfriend you don’t usually talk to) left her litters (including empty bottle water, milkbox, plastic wrappers, etc.) in her desk even the trash can is near the doorway Inthat case what would you say to her?

- Take your litters and put them in the trash can

which is next to the door?

Question 4: Your friend has borrowed a sum of money from you and promised youthat she/he would give it back soon However, it's been 3 months and now youreally need money to buy something What would you do in that situation?

you borrowed from me Could you please give it back?

Question 5: Dorm: You live in a dorm room, there are many people living withyou Tonight you need a quiet space to review your lessons because you will have

a test tomorrow But the surrounding people are very noisy, they are singingkaraoke, organizing birthday parties, etc In that case, what would you do?

- Excuse me, can you turn the volume down? I'm preparing for the testtomorrow Thank you!

Question 6: You're reading a book in a library, suddenly there are a couple ofpeople playing and talking too loudly That makes you and other people aroundyou annoying and distracted In that situation, what would you do?

too You guys are talking too loudly so we cannot concentrate on our things.Could you please be quiet?

Question 7: You are standing on a bus You see an elderly person just got into thebus and finding a seat Some young people are sitting and don’t want to give uptheir seats to that elderly person That elderly person doesn’t ask for the seat andthe driver assistant is busy to sell bus tickets What will you say in that situation?

- Can you stand up and give your seat to him/her?

elderly person who is standing over there?

Question 8: Interaction with teachers and students in your class: You have adifficult question/ or you don’t understand the lesson the teacher taught you Whatwould you do in that situation?

in detail for me please?

2.3 Data analysis and processing methods

Process the survey results by qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluatedifferent aspects of the research content Using Excel software to analyzequantitative data according to descriptive statistics

To accurately and thoroughly understand a language, it is impossible to rely onlinguistic factors but to put that statement in the context of that conversation.Who says? Tell whom? Say when? Where to talk and what to talk about? All

of these factors have a significant impact and influence on the interpretation ofthe meaning of speech Contextual factors play a huge role in creating andunderstanding statements in conversation

There are many different views about context In the textbook Linguisticsoutline (volume 2), Do Huu Chau (1993) considers context as factors present

in communication but outside of discourse In the Vietnamese lexicology,Nguyen Thien Giap (2009) distinguishes between the context and the situation

of speaking Context is the word that surrounds, or accompanies, some wordsthat give it a definite sense of meaning Speaking circumstances are situations,nonverbal contexts in which words appear: Who speaks? Tell whom? Saywhen? Where to say? Why say? The context includes the followingcomponents:

1.1 Communication character

As participants in a verbal communication, using language to create verbalcommunication, discourses through which to influence each other

Between the characters there are interpersonal and interpersonal relationships

In a communication, there is usually a communication role: the role thatemits discourse, the role that speaks and the role that receives discourse, therole that hears

Interpersonal relations are comparative relations in terms of social,understanding, and emotional relationships between characters whocommunicate with each other

1.2 Reality beyond discourse

With the exception of the communicative character, all material, social,cultural and emotional elements and corresponding spiritual contents are notaddressed in the discourse of a communication called reality beyond discourse

2 The concept of politeness

Politeness can be seen as practical applications of manners and etiquette.This is a cultural phenomenon because the conception of politeness in onecountry or language may be the same or completely different from anothercountry or language Politeness doesn't just take place inside thecommunicator's own thoughts To be polite, one must also use verbal ornonverbal means of communication

" Politeness " is an extremely important category in the study ofcommunication and pragmatics The concept of "politeness" has beenmentioned, discussed and analyzed since time immemorial, in various anglesand in different terms

Politeness is one of the most concerned categories in the study ofintercultural and intercultural communication Its importance cannot bedenied Gumperz (quoted from Brown and Levinson, 1987: XIII), asserted: “Politeness is a fundamental issue in creating social order and aprerequisite for human cooperation so that any theory, once it has given anunderstanding of this phenomenon also has access to the background of humansocial life.”

So what exactly is politeness? The Green (1989:142), politeness is:

“… a system of interpersonal relationships designed to facilitatecommunication by minimizing the potential for conflict and confrontationinherent in all human relationships.”

More specifically, Blum-Kulka (1987:131) argues that politeness is " reaching an interactive balance between two needs: the need for pragmaticclarity and the need to avoid coercion." This definition, in essence, is acombination of the "be clear" rule in Grice's set of principles and the "don'timpose" rule in Lakoff's code fundamental in the creation of social order and

a prerequisite of human cooperation so that any theory, once given anunderstanding of this phenomenon, is at the same time accessible to thebackdrops of human social life."

Yule was aware of the difficulty of coming up with an inclusive definition

of politeness, so he tied the concept of "politeness" to the concept of face:

"Politeness in communication, can [ ] defined as the means used to show thatone is mindful of the face of others In this sense, politeness can be practiced

in socially distanced or close situations It's like I'm mindful of other people'sfaces."

According to Prof Dr Nguyen Quang in the book Some issues ofintercultural communication and intercultural communication: "Politeness isany type of behavior (both verbal and non-verbal) that is used intentionallyand fit to make others feel better or less bad” (Excerpt from the book “SomeIntercultural and Intercultural Communication Issues”)

Social distance between communication partners also makes a difference inhow communication strategies and tricks are used Typically, the smaller thesocial distance, the less polite strategies are used, and the more often directspeech is resorted to Conversely, when social distancing is large, people ofteninclude in their statements 'compensatory factors' to minimize the threat ofspeech Given the pressures of social distancing, one can also resort to variousforms of indirect expression with the same goal of minimizing physicalintimidation

The concept of 'degree of imposition' is closely related to the concept of'face-threatening action' of speech and the concept of 'benefit' of thecommunicative subject or communicative object If it is an offer but the

"benefit" belongs to the communicative object, then the communicative objectcan speak frankly and resort to or without resorting to the compensatory factor

or compensatory-verbal signs and vice versa when the "benefit" belongs to thecommunicating subject

Each person should both save face for themselves, while also saving facefor others who are communicating with them From here, the concept of

"politeness" in everyday communication is an application of pragmatics to life

3 Level of politeness:

According to Professor George Yule's Pragmatics, there are two types ofpoliteness: 'keep silent' (say nothing) and 'say something' (say something).Where 'say something' includes on record and off record

3.1 Self or other: Keep silent (Self or other: Say nothing)

One way to see the connection between the concepts of politeness and theuse of language is to use a single speech event and map out differentinterpretations regarding the different possible expressions used in that event.For example, when you attend an important lecture, you take out yournotebook to take notes but you realize that there is no pen to write You thinkthe person sitting next to you will have a solution to this problem In this caseyou will be the "communicator" and the person next to you will be the

"communicative object" Your first choice is whether to say something or not.Ofcourse you can rummage through your pockets and utter no words with thevague intention that your problem will be realized This approach may or maynot work, but if it happens it's because someone else suggested it, not yourown request

You: (looks inside the bag)

Person sitting next to: (gives pen) Here, you can use this

Many people seem to enjoy having their needs recognized without needing

to be expressed in words When those needs were realized, more was clearlycommunicated than said

3.2 Say something: on record and off record

When you decide to say something, you don't really need to ask Maybe youjust need to come up with a saying after looking for a pen in your pocket