Aims of the Study - To find out the cultural features in family relationships in British and Vietnamese societies via English and Vietnamese proverbs norms and values of culture, attitu
Trang 1university of languages and InTERNATIONAL STUDIES
Department of Post-graduate studies
TRẦN THẾ KHOA
A Study on Family-Related English and
Vietnamese Proverbs
(From a Lingual-Cultural Perspective)
NGHIÊN CỨU CÁC TỤC NGỮ LIÊN QUAN ĐẾN MỐI QUAN HỆ
GIA ĐÌNH TRONG TIẾNG ANH VÀ TIẾNG VIỆT
(NHÌN TỪ GÓC ĐỘ NGÔN NGỮ VÀ VĂN HOÁ)
M.A MINOR THESIS
Major: English Linguistics
Code: 60 22 15
HÀ NỘI, 8/2009
Trang 2university of languages and InTERNATIONAL STUDIES
Department of Post-graduate studies
TRẦN THẾ KHOA
A Study on Family-Related English and
Vietnamese Proverbs
(From a Lingual-Cultural Perspective)
NGHIÊN CỨU CÁC TỤC NGỮ LIÊN QUAN ĐẾN MỐI QUAN HỆ
GIA ĐÌNH TRONG TIẾNG ANH VÀ TIẾNG VIỆT
(NHÌN TỪ GÓC ĐỘ NGÔN NGỮ VÀ VĂN HOÁ)
M.A MINOR THESIS
Major: English Linguistics Code: 60 22 15
Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Nguyễn Văn Độ
HÀ NỘI, 8/2009
Trang 3TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION……….i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……….ii
ABSTRACT………iii
INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale……….1
2 Aims of the Study……… ……….2
3 Scopes of the Study……… ……… 2
4 Methods of the Study……….………3
5 Design of the Study……… ……… 3
DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 The Relationship between Language and Culture 1.1.1 Culture………4
1.1.2 Language………4
1.1.3 The Relationship between Language and Culture……….……… 5
1.2 Comparison between Two Cultures……….……….6
1.2.1 Same Form, Different Meaning 1.2.2 Same Meaning, Different Form 1.2.3 Same Form, Same Meaning, Different Distribution 1.3 Definitions of Proverbs and Family Proverbs 1.3.1 Definitions of Proverbs……… 8
1.3.2 Family Proverbs……….9
1.4 Definitions of Idioms……….……… 10
1.5 Proverbs versus Idioms, Sayings, Conventional Phrases and Phrasal Verbs…… 11
1.6 Main Features of Proverbs from a Language-Cultural Perspective 1.6.1 National Features……… 12
1.6.2 Meanings of Proverbs……….……… 13
1.6.2.1 Synecdoche 1.6.2.2 Metaphor 1.6.3 Rhyming Words in Proverbs………13
Trang 41.6.4 Contrary Proverbs……… 13 1.7 Summary……… ……… 13
CHAPTER 2: TENTATIVE CLASSIFICATION AND COMPARISON OF
FAMILY-RELATED ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE PROVERBS
2.1 Tentative Classification of Family-Related English and Vietnamese Proverbs 14 2.2 Comparison of Family-Related English and Vietnamese Proverbs
2.2.1 Attitudes towards Women……… …….15 2.2.1.1 Attitudes towards Women in Family-Related Vietnamese Proverbs 2.2.1.2 Attitudes towards Women in Family-Related English Proverbs
2.2.2 Love ……….18 2.2.2.1 Love in Family-Related Vietnamese Proverbs……… 18 2.2.2.2 Love in Family-Related English Proverbs……… ……….19 2.2.3 Marriage
2.2.3.1 Marriage in Family-Related Vietnamese Proverbs……… ……19 2.2.3.2 Marriage in Family-Related English Proverbs……… 21 2.2.4 Choosing Mates
2.2.4.1 Choosing Mates in Family-Related Vietnamese Proverbs………22 2.2.4.2 Choosing Mates in Family-Related English Proverbs……… 23 2.2.5 Husband-Wife Relationship……….24 2.2.5.1 Husband-Wife Relationship in Family-Related Vietnamese Proverbs 2.2.5.2 Husband-Wife Relationship in Family-Related English Proverbs
2.2.6 Divorce, Remarriage and Polygamy……… …….26 2.2.6.1 Divorce, Remarriage and Polygamy in Family-Related Vietnamese
Proverbs 2.2.6.2 Divorce, Remarriage and Polygamy in Family-Related English
Proverbs 2.2.7 Parentage……….………….28 2.2.7.1 Parents-Offspring Relationship in Family-Related Vietnamese Proverbs 2.2.7.2 Parents-Offspring Relationship in Family-Related English Proverbs 2.2.7.3 Parents’ Attitudes towards Offspring
2.2.7.4 Offspring’s Duties towards Parents
Trang 52.2.8 Brotherhood and Sisterhood, and the Relationship between Mother-in-law
and Daughter-in-law……….31 2.2.8.1 Brotherhood and Sisterhood
2.2.8.2 Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law Relationship
2.2.9 General Rules on Behaviours in British and Vietnamese Societies……… 33 2.3 Summary……….35
Trang 61 Rationale
We are living in an era of globalization and integration English, an international language has become a very necessary means of communication and cross-communication has become a pivotal demand for people the world over English may be considered to be the language of dancing since dancing is a language and you can speak with anyone Through language, people can express their opinions and exchange their ideas Moreover, they can exchange their material and spiritual values making the cultural knowledge of one another richer and more diversified Nevertheless, in each language there exist similar and different cultural concepts on many aspects of life such as customs, traditions, social conventions, human values, attitudes, behaviours, etc How can a foreign language learner communicate successfully with native speakers if they have poor understanding of the language itself and the language related to culture
Through proverbs, each person knows the other’s point of view and ways of thinking Moreover, we understand one another via customs, traditions, lifestyles, etc We become friendly as a result Dr Denis Brutus, a Literature professor at the University of Pittsburgh, the USA, specified and extended the reality of the research of proverbs He said, “Through proverbs, I know your points of view, the attitudes of your ancestors Each time I know a new Vietnamese proverb, I become Vietnamese a little I believe when we know all proverbs of each other, we are brothers.” Somalian people said, “Proverbs put spice into speech.” Yobura people in South Africa consider the proverb to be an animal which nods its head when climbing uphill They said, “The proverb is the horse of conversation, when the conversation drops, the proverb picks it up” Vietnamese people regard the proverb as a pearl of academic thinking or a twinkling mist in literature
In Vietnam, more and more people are eager to learn English and the need for learning English is becoming very urgent Most of the learners complain about the difficulties that prevent them from succeeding in conversations One of the main reasons is that they are not good enough at perceiving and using idioms, especially proverbs
The usage of proverbs is to express ideas in a figurative way, draw good lessons via them and bring vividness and richness to the speaker’s conversation If a speaker uses proverbs skillfully, he/she can establish a good communicative relationship In terms of
Trang 7teaching English, lessons will be more interesting and effective if the teacher knows how
to apply proverbs to designing different activities in an English class: quizzes, games, play, etc
role-Moreover, family-related English and Vietnamese proverbs interest me most because via these proverbs, I can draw very good lessons and know how to behave and treat others Each family is a social cell We will have a fair society if all the families are values-oriented Moreover, family relationships play a very important role in educating children, the future generation
For the above-mentioned reasons, I have decided to choose this theme for my minor thesis
2 Aims of the Study
- To find out the cultural features in family relationships in British and Vietnamese societies via English and Vietnamese proverbs (norms and values of culture, attitudes, behaviours and ways of denotation or emotional expression, etc.)
- To find out the interesting things and the core, elegance, vividness and meaningfulness of family-related English and Vietnamese proverbs via which significant educational lessons will be highlighted and we can absorb the beautiful elegance and keep continuing the cultural lines
- To apply family-related English and Vietnamese proverbs to teaching and learning both English and Vietnamese for Vietnamese people and foreigners, to create interesting and effective lessons and to form moral norms so as to educate students to become good citizens
- To contrast the beauty, essence and elegance of family-related English and Vietnamese proverbs and their usage
3 Scopes of the Study
Proverbs are plentiful in both English and Vietnamese Therefore, it is impossible for the author to carry out an all-rounded study on them Only family-related proverbs are selected and a comparison between English and Vietnamese is made to distinguish one from the other
In this study, only semantic features of family-related English and Vietnamese proverbs are discussed; cultural features are analyzed, not syntactic ones
Trang 8All English and Vietnamese proverbs are collected from dictionaries, books and the Internet Hence, this research does not cover all family-related English and Vietnamese proverbs, just those of common use (more than 200 Vietnamese proverbs and about 200 English proverbs)
4 Methods of the Study
Contrastive Analysis is the main research approach used in my M.A minor thesis Quantitative and qualitative methods are used By virtue of the quantitative method, data have been collected for the study including both English and Vietnamese proverbs denoting family relationships The qualitative method is applied to describe and analyze the data of the study Using statistics and deduction can help the author of this minor thesis
to improve his teaching This can be applied to English teaching and learning at Quang Ninh Center for Continuing Education and Cadre Training
5 Design of the Study
This minor thesis consists of three main parts In addition to the Introduction and Conclusion, the study is organized around two chapters
The Introduction raises the issue of English and Vietnamese proverbs in family setting Chapter 1 deals with the relationship between language and culture, the comparison between two cultures, several definitions of proverbs, main features of proverbs, the differences among proverbs, idioms, sayings, conventional phrases and phrasal verbs Chapter 2 is concerned with the classification and comparison between English and Vietnamese proverbs within family setting
The Conclusion sums up the main issues discussed in the thesis The author also raises his own opinion on the topic and suggests several ideas for further studies
Development
Chapter 1: Theoretical background
Trang 91.1 The Relationship between Language and Culture
1.1.1 Culture
In Goodenough’s definition (1957:167), the term “culture” is used in the sense that a person must know whatever so as to function in a particular society
Culture may be described by some people as opera, fine art, and so on, as in the
definition of Oxford Advanced learner’s Dictionary (1992), culture is “refined
understanding and appreciation of art, literature.” Culture, however, in our sense in
relation to language is the way we act, the context in which we exist, think, feel and relate
to others According to Kottak, C.P (1979: 40), culture, taken in its widest sense, is “that
complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.” In this definition,
culture is taken as socially acquired knowledge in a community and anything like habits However, this definition is a rather large one to consider the relationship between language and culture
Therefore, culture is the know-how that a person must possess to get through the task
of daily living; only for a few does it require a knowledge of some, or much, music, literature, and the arts
1.1.2 Language
The linguistic concept of language is the central focus, not the metaphorical uses of the language concept that one meets in other cultural and societal studies, not least those with a semiotic or formal orientation, and in everyday language
Stuart Hall described language like this:
How does language construct meanings? How does it sustain the dialogue between participants which enables them to build up a culture of shared understanding and so interpret the world in roughly the same ways? Language is able to do this because it
operates as a representational system In language, we use signs and symbols – whether
they are sounds, written words, electronically produced images, musical notes, even objects – to stand for or represent to other people our concepts, ideas and feelings (Stuart Hall, 1997: 1)
1.1.3 The Relationship between Language and Culture
Trang 10According to Kramsch (2000: 3), language is the principle means whereby we conduct our social lives When it is used in communication, it is bound up with culture in multiple and complex ways
Kramsch, one of the most important recent researchers within the field of language,
culture and learning, says in her book Language and Culture (1998a: 30 that:
+ language expresses cultural reality;
+ language embodies cultural reality;
+ language symbolises cultural reality
Kramsch’s presentation moves the view of the relationship between language and culture in a post-structuralist direction, even though she herself does not use this term in her 1998 book The first point: “language expresses cultural reality” Kramsch explains in the following way:
The words people utter refer to common experience They express facts, ideas or events that are communicable because they refer to a stock of knowledge about the world that other people share Words also reflect their author’s attitudes and beliefs, their point of view, as well as those of others In both cases, language expresses cultural reality (Kramsch, 1998a: 3)
The second point: “language embodies cultural reality” she explains as follows: But members of a community or social group … also create experience through language They give meaning to it through the medium they choose to communicate with one another, for example, speaking in the telephone or face to face, writing a letter or sending an e-mail message, reading the newspaper or interpreting a graph or a chart The way in which people use the spoken, written, or visual medium itself creates meanings that are understandable to the group they belong to, for example, through a speaker’s tone of voice, accent, conversational style, gestures and facial expressions Through all its verbal and non-verbal aspects, language embodies cultural reality (Kramsch, 1998a: 3)
The third point: “language symbolises cultural reality” is described as follows:
… language is a system of signs that is seen as having itself a cultural value Speakers identify themselves and others through their use of language (Kramsch, 1998a: 3)
J.A Fishman is probably the sociolinguist who has dealt most and for the longest time with the relationship between language and culture, especially in connection with the
Trang 11struggle for linguistic diversity as part of ethnic and ethno-cultural diversity (Fishman, J.A., 1991) He has distinguished three “links” between language and culture:
+ language as a part of culture;
+ language as an index of culture;
+ language as symbolic of culture
Concerning the first point, Fishman describes language as: “an inevitable part”, “a major and crucial part” of culture, and “all those who seek fully to enter into and understand a given culture must, accordingly, master its language” (e.g Fishman, 1996:
452, which is an article in an encyclopedia of social science)
The second point: “language as an index of culture “, Fishman describes as follows:
“The role of language as an index of culture is a byproduct (at a more abstract level) of its role as part of culture Languages reveal the ways of thinking or of organizing experience that are common in the associated cultures” – a little further down, he talks about “culture-bound languages”
The third point: “language as symbolic of culture”, Fishman explains as follows:
“Language movements and language conflicts utilize languages as symbols to mobilize populations to defend (or attack) and to foster (or reject) the cultures associated with them.”
As can be seen, Fishman is talking here about culture-bound language and about the fact that language and culture are “intimately associated” with each other
In any culture or religion, language is much more than semantics, much more than what the written page or the spoken word can contain Language does not end at the meaning or the use of words associated with a culture which represents beliefs, history, and the culture of their origin and they must be used accordingly
In conclusion, language and culture always exist together and reinforce each other The relationship between them is so inextricable that we could not understand and appreciate the one without the knowledge of the other
1.2 Comparison between two Cultures
If the native culture habits are transferred when learning a foreign culture, it is obvious that, by comparing the two culture systems, we can predict what the trouble spots will be Obviously this is a huge undertaking, and we will present a few examples that may facilitate cultural analysis and comparison
Trang 121.2.1 Same Form, Different Meaning
We will expect trouble when the same form has different classification or meaning
in the two cultures
A form in culture B, identified by an observer from culture A as the same form as one in his own culture, actually has a different meaning
Example: Drinking milk at meals is a standard practice in the United States It has a primary meaning of food and drink, at meal time It does not have any special connotation
of social class, national group, religious group, age group, or economic stratum In France, milk at meals is not the standard drink Some children may drink milk, some adults may drink milk for special reasons, some individuals or families or groups may drink milk because of special cultural contacts
1.2.2 Same Meaning, Different Form
We can expect another kind of trouble spot when the same meaning in two cultures
is associated with different forms The alien observer seeking to act in the culture being learned will select his own form to achieve the meaning, and he may miss altogether the fact that a different form is required
Example: When foreign visitors from areas where coffee is served very black and very strong taste American coffee, they do not say that it is different; they say that American coffee is bad Likewise, when Americans go abroad to countries where coffee is black and strong, they taste the coffee and do not say that it is different; they say that it is bad
1.2.3 Same Form, Same Meaning, Different Distribution
There is trouble in learning a foreign culture when a pattern that has the same form and the same meaning shows different distribution The observer of a foreign culture assumes that the distribution of a pattern in the observed culture is the same as in his native culture, and therefore on noticing more of, less of, or absence of a feature in a single variant he generalizes his observation as if it applied to all variants and therefore to the entire culture Distribution is a source of a great many problems
Example: For some time it was puzzling that on the one hand Latin American students complained that North American meals abused the use of sugar, while on the other hand the dietitians complained that Latin Americans used too much sugar at meals It can be observed that the average Latin American student takes more sugar in his coffee
Trang 13than North Americans do He is not used to drinking milk at meals, but when milk is served, he sometimes likes to put sugar in it The dietitian notices this use of sugar in situations in which North Americans would use less or none at all The dietitian notices also that the sugar bowls at tables where Latin Americans sit have to be filled more often than at other tables She therefore feels quite confident in making her generalization
In a nutshell, when comparing two cultures, we pay attention to the form, meaning and distribution Via such factors, we can understand more and more about different cultures in order to avoid culture shocks
1.3 Definitions of Proverbs and Family Proverbs
1.3.1 Definitions of Proverbs
According to Mieder, 1989a, Seitel, 1981 and Egblewogbe, 1980, “A proverb has been defined as a short, repeated, witty statement or set of statements of wisdom, truth and experience which is used to further a social end” (www.questia.com) In other words, it is
a short well-known expression that states a general truth or advice
According to Albig (1931: 529), “The proverb is a social definition of a situation.” (www.questia.com)
Neal R Norrick (20; 51– 55) defined proverbs in “How Proverbs Mean: Semantic Studies in English” as follows: “The proverb is typically spoken, conversational form with didactic function and not associated with any particular source.”
Up till now, there have been lots of definitions of proverbs in the world as well as
in Vietnam However, no definition has been considered as a standard one which can be applied to the all-aspect research of proverbs Western researchers gave out 55 definitions
of proverbs If the most popular words appearing in these 55 definitions are used and combined, a proverb can be defined as a short sentence of wisdom Nevertheless, this definition has not yet been considered as a standard one
According to Vu Ngoc Phan, Vietnam, the proverb is a sentence which itself expresses a complete idea, a remark, an experience, a theory, a truth, maybe a criticism (Vu Ngoc Phan, Tuc ngu, Ca dao, Dan ca Viet Nam: 11)
Even though there are different definitions of proverbs, they have something in common Accordingly, proverbs are selected with meaningful sentences which play an important role in building people’s characters as well as educating people, especially
Trang 14children so as to draw useful moral lessons We come to a conclusion that proverbs are educational sentences of wisdom
1.3.2 Family Proverbs
Family proverbs are adages, stories (Stone, 1988; Page & Washington, 1987), words of wisdom (Pasteur & Toldson, 1982) or religious instruction reflecting a family’s attitudinal or belief structure Proverbs provide images of physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual beliefs Often poetic, prosaic and emotionally powerful, they allow for free expression with a natural rhythm They have a meaning and simplicity that transcends words, but are understood by the speaker Proverbs shape lives – consider the proverb, “An apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.”
Through the sharing of proverbs, family members provide strategies for preservation, influence decisions and judgments (Pasteur & Toldson, 1982), affect educational, career, or marital pursuits (Stone, 1988; Page and Washington, 1987) and transmit values from generation to generation (Page & Washington, 1987) Within some families, proverbs and values are so interrelated that they are considered as one in the same This discussion will treat proverbs from the aforementioned perspective, as a value, having both guiding and directing impacts upon thoughts and behaviors
self-Throughout life course, proverbs are differentially reinforced by society, significant others, and reference groups Families are most often the conduits or “transmitters” of proverbs Family proverbs may either agree or disagree with societal values Proverbs are also garnered through relationships in cultural, ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, educational, and religious groupings
According to Vera R Jackson (1994: 7), proverbs are often as diverse as the people who believe them They have managed to become a central thread in the fabric that guide thoughts and behaviours Proverbs often have a far reaching impact upon the general well-being and quality of life of those who have been exposed to them
1.4 Definitions of Idioms
Many linguists such as Robins (1989), Palmer (1981), Jackson and Amvela (1998) and others consider idioms as a special kind of collocation The meaning of an idiom, nevertheless, cannot be deduced from the meaning of its constituents It is also for this
Trang 15reason that Lyons (1985) treats idioms as phrasal lexemes with their peculiar meaning, formally identical with the lexically composite phrases formed by the grammatical rules of
a language For example, “To become food for worms” – the collocation “become food for worms” is an idiom meaning “die’, which is not systematically determinable from the meanings of “become food” and “for worms” This idiom or phrasal lexeme is formally identical with the phrase “To become food for worms” whose meaning is systematically determinable on the basis of the meaning of the lexemes of which it is composed – “To stop living and to be buried underground so as to become food for worms which live underground”
Besides being colloquial expressions, idioms can appear in a formal style and in slang They can appear in poetry or in the language of the journalist, the writer and the Bible How can we give a definition to idioms? According to Seidl and McMordie (1988), “an idiom is a number of words which, taken together, meaning something different from the individual words of the idiom when they stand alone The way in which the words are put together is often odd, illogical or even grammatically incorrect”
Idioms are composed of more than one word: their constituents show to some extent the sort of internal cohesion that we expect of single words An idiom typically resists interruption and re-ordering of its constituents
According to Palmer (1990), idioms are consequences of words whose meaning cannot
be predicted from the meaning of the words themselves Semantically, idioms are single units, but they are not single grammatical units like words He also printed out some restriction in syntactic features and noted that the problem of idioms was involved with the much wider issue of word formation, by which what would appear to be new and more complex lexemes can be formed from single ones
1.5 Proverbs versus Idioms, Sayings, Conventional Phrases and
Phrasal Verbs
Proverbs are short well-known statements that give advice or express something that is generally true They have been defined as short, repeated, witty statements or sets of statements of wisdom, truth and experience which are used to further a social end
Trang 16Proverbs are universally held in high esteem, whereas idioms have had to struggle for recognition Idioms are normally phrases, whereas proverbs are the whole sentences – to
be adapted into proverbial form
An idiom is an expression that contains more than one word It is a fixed phrase or another sequence of words whose meaning is different from the sum of the literal meanings
of its components That is, it has a meaning beyond or other than the sum of the meaning
of the individual words For example, “to show off everything one has” (Ruột để ngoài da) Nevertheless, proverbs, sayings and conventional phrases are excluded They are multi-word expressions that often mean something different from the words in them However, they each form a category of their own depending on the function they have Proverbs often possess some additional meanings, or their purpose is to draw a lesson, and they are somehow more tightly associated with cultural discourse
A saying is a well-known short statement, or a remark that expresses an idea most people believe is true and wise It can be considered to be close to idioms, but it is usually not figurative (literal) For instance, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” as the old saying goes
A conventional phrase has a special interactional function, and it is often literal rather than metaphorical, for example “God be with you.”
A phrasal verb is a verb which is a combination of a verb and a particle or two particles A particle may be either a preposition or an adverb The phrasal verb “to put off” means “to delay” and it is a combination of the verb “put” and the preposition “off” It has
a non-literal meaning or an idiomatic meaning which cannot be easily recognised by looking at the words themselves However, the phrasal verb “to put on” has a literal meaning that is easy to understand because the meaning is clear from the words that are used in the phrasal verb itself
In conclusion, it is useful to distinguish proverbs from idioms, sayings and phrasal verbs for the purpose of using them correctly so as to develop the conversation naturally without misunderstanding one another
1.6 Main Features of Proverbs from a Language-Cultural Perspective
1.6.1 National Features
Trang 17Different natural and social conditions create different properties of nationalism In addition, different cultures make different proverbs However, proverbs are not only cultural events but also symbolic systems of recording and expressing cultural events According to psychologists and anthropologists, proverbs reflect cultural and social reality
of a nation Edward A Westermarck confirms that proverbs of a nation are a precious source of materials associated with characters, personalities, points of view, feelings, attitudes, customs and traditions of that nation
1.6.2 Meanings of Proverbs
The meanings of proverbs are all contents which are informed for the speaker and listener They contain both literal and non-literal meanings Literal meanings are also considered to be pragmatic meanings of the proverb which has only one meaning This meaning is expressed directly E.g “Like father, like son.”, “One who teaches you for one day will be your father all your life.”
Proverbs which have lots of meanings (multi-meanings) and whose meanings are figurative are often expressed via the following five methods: Synecdoche, Metaphor, Metonymy, Hyperbole and Paradox The following are two methods which are used in popularity
1.6.2.1 Synecdoche
Synecdoche is a type of meaning transformation associated with metonymy and the meaning can be guessed via the figurative meanings of key words in the proverb
e.g “The early bird catches the worm.” means “Arriving early gives one an advantage.” or
“Coming late, one may lose everything.” In Vietnamese, we often say “The late buffalo drinks dirty water.” which means the same
1.6.2.2 Metaphor
A figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something important in common A metaphor expresses the unfamiliar (the tenor) in terms of the familiar (the vehicle) When Neil Young sings
“Love is a rose.”, “rose” is the vehicle for “love”, the tenor
1.6.3 Rhyming Words in Proverbs
In Vietnamese proverbs, there are rhyming words such as “Người sống, đống vàng.”,
“Đói cho sạch, rách cho thơm.”, “Thuận vợ thuận chồng, tát bể đông cũng cạn.”, etc
Trang 18In English proverbs, there are also rhyming words such as “Once a thief, always a thief.” (Ăn cắp quen tay, ngủ ngày quen mắt.); “Let bygones, be bygones.” (Con đã mọc răng, nói năng chi nữa.) One more example of rhyming words is: “Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me.” with “stones” and “bones” rhyming
In addition, the distinguishing features among proverbs, idioms, sayings, conventional phrases and phrasal verbs are also noted Meanings of proverbs are no less important so as to use proverbs appropriately in specific contexts Finally, rhyming words
in proverbs and contrary proverbs add spice to the elegance of proverbs
chapter 2 tentative Classification and comparison of family-related
English and Vietnamese proverbs
2.1 Tentative Classification of Family-Related English and Vietnamese Proverbs
Trang 19Based on the family relationships in both Vietnamese and British societies, we can tentatively classify family-related proverbs into six main types:
+ Attitudes towards women in the family and society
+ Love and marriage
+ Choosing mates and marital relationship
+ Parentage (Parents-offspring relationship)
+ Brotherhood and sisterhood
+ The relationship between the mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law
In terms of attitudes towards women, the author focuses on women’s characters, behaviours, the quality of women’s souls, their role in the society and family Through English and Vietnamese proverbs, we can understand more about women in the previous days and in modern times Moreover, we can see clearly the similarities and differences between the two cultures
British people regard financial security as an important factor in love and marriage Vietnamese young people are too timid to talk about finance when they are in love Faithfulness is regarded as a very important factor for Vietnamese people whereas it is not for British people Hence, English and Vietnamese proverbs are expressed in different ways
Vietnamese people consider choosing mates to be a very important job Besides the criteria of race and genes, appearance, voice and age are also the three criteria men take into account British women’s criteria to choose husbands are not the same The most important criterion is courage Such opinions are also expressed in English and Vietnamese proverbs
The parents-offspring relationship in British families expressed in English proverbs shows that the father’s role of educating his children is really important The British mother doesn’t have as much free time as the father In Vietnam, the mother’s role is more highly appreciated than the father’s Vietnamese children are concerned about filial piety whereas British children are not
In terms of brotherhood and sisterhood, the relationship among brothers and sisters
in British families is not so close whereas this relationship in Vietnam is so deep Brothers and sisters are more responsible for one another in Vietnamese society
Trang 20The relationship between the mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law is a big problem in Vietnam Meanwhile, it is not so hectic in Britain In fact, the relationship between them in British society is not as serious as that in Vietnamese society Proverbs denoting this relationship are not plentiful but sound really interesting
The six types of family-related proverbs show six main features which are necessary for not only adults but also children In addition, there are other types which are not mentioned or little mentioned in this minor thesis
2.2 Comparison of Family-Related English and Vietnamese Proverbs
2.2.1 Attitudes towards Women
2.2.1.1 Attitudes towards Women in Family-Related Vietnamese Proverbs
Vietnamese proverbs reflect women’s characters in which they are very kind, gentle, weak in physical fitness, short of courage They are beautiful not only in appearance but also in merit and characters, e.g “Trai thì mạnh, gái thì mềm.” (Boys are heroic; girls are
gentle.)
Vietnamese proverbs also refer to women’s slim figure, their beauty and merit Therefore, we have: “Vẻ đẹp đánh vào ánh mắt, phẩm giá chinh phục tâm hồn.” (Beauty strikes the sight, but merit wins the soul.), “Tốt gỗ hơn tốt nước sơn.”, (“Handsome is that handsome does.”) “Cái nết đánh chết cái đẹp.” (“Prettiness dies first.”) Moreover, women’s honour is staying a virgin “Chữ trinh đáng giá ngàn vàng.”, “Hoa mất nhị lấy gì làm thơm.”, “Con gái chửa hoang, các vàng không lấy.”
Even though women’s beauty in appearance is paid considerable attention, the quality
of women’s souls is more highly appreciated Since they were babies, women have been educated by adults concerned with attitudes, behaviours, morals, virtue and ways of communicating
“Con gái cửa cài then đóng.”, “Đi cúi mặt xuống đất, về cất mặt lên trời.”, “Hỏi hãy nói, gọi hãy thưa.” (Girls must close the door, speak when asked.) Opinions on Vietnamese women’s behaviours in general are considered to be conservative and quite backward However, in modern times, such proverbs do not work very well since the way girls communicate is quite different They are more active in daily communication
The role of Vietnamese women in their family and society in the old days was to look after their husbands and children, do the housework such as shopping, cooking, cleaning,
Trang 21etc Nevertheless, in modern times, their husbands also sometimes help them with the domestic work “Xem trong bếp biết nết đàn bà.”; “Vắng đàn ông quạnh nhà, vắng đàn bà quạnh bếp.” (Judge a woman by looking at the kitchen; It is quiet and lonely when the man
is absent from home, the kitchen is quiet and cold when the woman is not present.)
Vietnamese women were not encouraged to take part in social activities, except for war times Then they needed to defend the country and their homeland Women were taught to become good wives and kind mothers Women who had two husbands or more than two boyfriends were very bad ones The woman must love her husband even though he was not handsome or rich or intelligent Her duty was to take great care of her husband and children “Gái chính chuyên chẳng lấy hai chồng.”; “Ngu si cũng thể chồng ta, dẫu rằng khôn khéo cũng ra chồng người.”; “Có chồng chẳng được đi đâu, có con chẳng được đứng lâu một giờ.” (A serious woman cannot have two husbands; it is difficult for a married woman to stay away from her husband and children.)
Moreover, Vietnamese women also have the decisive role in several important tasks such as buying a house, having a baby, farming, children’s marriage, etc If the woman is wise and dynamic, this will help her husband a lot in his career, especially if he is “a big potato” Therefore runs several Vietnamese proverbs: “Làm ruộng phải có trâu, làm giầu phải có vợ.”; (To do farming, one must have a buffalo, to become wealthy, one must get married.); “Nhà khó cậy vợ hiền, nước loạn nhờ tướng giỏi.”; “Lệnh ông không bằng cộng bà.”; “Vợ khôn ngoan làm quan cho chồng.” (“A good wife makes a good husband.”)
2.2.1.2 Attitudes towards Women in Family-Related English Proverbs
In English proverbs women’s beauty is not highly appreciated, nor is women’s merit Moreover, a comparison between women’s beauty and merit is not made British people, with the development of commerce from an early age, always highly appreciate the value
of materials, staying virgin is not important E.g “Beauty is only skin deep.”, “A fair wife without fortune is like a house without furniture.” “Beauty is potent, but money is omnipotent.” (Sắc đẹp có sức thuyết phục, nhưng tiền có quyền lực tuyệt đối.” More humorously, British people consider beef to be important food Hence, runs an English proverb “Beauty will buy no beef.” (Sắc đẹp không mua được thịt bò.)
There are not many English proverbs on judging a woman There are only some on judging a person in general: “A bird may be known by its song.”; “A good workman is
Trang 22known by his chips.”; “Such carpenters, such chips.”; “The tilling shows the tiller.”; “The work shows the workman.” (Xem việc, biết người.)
The role of women is sometimes considered to be more important than the role of men
in the family to some extent, especially in ensuring a cosy family Both English and Vietnamese proverbs reflect this There goes a proverb: “Men make houses; women make homes” (Đàn ông xây nhà, đàn bà xây tổ ấm.”
The role of British women in their family and society formerly was not clearly reflected and expressed in proverbs Although their role was highly appreciated in their family, there are no proverbs referring to specific functions and duties in the family as shown in Vietnamese proverbs due to the difference between the two cultures There are some English proverbs referring to the important role of British women in their family:
“Men make houses, women make homes.” (“Đàn ông xây nhà, đàn bà xây tổ ấm.”)
“Women must have the last word.” (Phụ nữ phải có tiếng nói quyết định.)
“Women see deep, men see far.” (Đàn bà thấy sâu, đàn ông thấy xa.)
However, British women are also criticized and sneered at for their weak points:
“All women are good, either good for something, or good for nothing.” (Tất cả phụ nữ đều hay, hay về một điều gì đó, hoặc chẳng hay về việc gì cả.)
“Women in state affairs are like monkeys in glass shops.” (Nữ quan chức thì giống như khỉ trong tủ kính cửa hiệu.)
“Women can conceal all what they know not.” (Phụ nữ có thể giữ bí mật tất cả những
gì mà họ không biết.) (Phụ nữ ruột để ngoài da.)
“Three women and a goose make a market.” (Ba người phụ nữ và một con ngỗng hợp thành một cái chợ.)
“Two women in one house will not agree long.” (Hai phụ nữ chung một nhà không hoà thuận với nhau lâu.)
The role of women in having a happy family is also expressed in both Vietnamese and English proverbs However, there is a big difference between them The role of Vietnamese women in their family is more important and more highly appreciated in comparison with British women
2.2.2 Love
2.2.2.1 Love in Family-Related Vietnamese Proverbs
Trang 23Vietnamese women are considered to be more faithful than British women, which
is also reflected in Vietnamese proverbs English people regard financial security as an important factor in love and marriage
Common people in the old days lived in harmony with not only neighbours but also nature They thought that they were never lonely when nature was with them Nor were they when they lived in a friendly community Accordingly, love is indispensable Moreover, they were not favoured anything as kings, queens, or aristocrats Therefore, their emotion was for themselves – they took love as a source of living
Their love was instinctive but very fantastic and true It included benevolence and righteousness It meant charity and justice In addition, faithfulness was also mentioned If
a woman or a girl was not faithful to her husband or boyfriend, she would be regarded as a promiscuous woman, which couldn’t be accepted or forgiven Their love was something which was associated with morals such as sacrifice, endurance, responsibility, benevolence and righteousness They were sometimes reckless of their life as well as wealth and money
so as to guarantee everlasting love For them, love always went with benevolence which should be worshiped Their love was not expressed as modern love However, it was powerful love which couldn’t be prevented by any agent “Yêu nhau mấy núi cũng trèo; mây sông cũng lội , mấy đèo cũng qua.” runs a Vietnamese proverb (They can overcome hardships if they love each other.) Today, due to the influence of modern culture and integrating trend, love seems to be more romantic and more practical Most girls take love seriously Nevertheless, some of them consider love to be a joke and make fun of it They pay attention to money when falling in love Consequently, they may be tricked and regret it when it is too late
Vietnamese people’s love is generous They are not afraid of poverty and hardships:
“Yêu nhau mọi việc chẳng nề, một trăm chỗ lệch cũng kê cho bằng.” or “Yêu nhau chín bỏ làm mười.” (“Love sees no faults.”) or “Yêu nhau củ ấu cũng tròn, ghét nhau bồ hòn cũng méo.” (“Faults are thick where love is thin.”)
Generally speaking, Vietnamese young people are too timid to talk about finance when they are in love They are willing to lead a simple life provided that they live happily “Râu tôm nấu với ruột bầu, chồng chan vợ húp gật đầu khen ngon.” (Although the food is not good, the husband and the wife nod their heads and say that it is delicious.)