A cross cultural study of making introductions in english and vietnamese = nghiên cứu giao thoa văn hóa về giới thiệu trong tiếng anh và tiếng việt

LIST OF CHARTS, DIAGRAMS, GRAPH AND TABLES Chart Chart 1: Ways of addressing a superior in age and position Chart 2: Ways of addressing an English friend Chart 3: Ways of addressing

HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2 FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

LÊ THỊ THƯƠNG

A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY OF MAKING INTRODUCTIONS

IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE (NGHIÊN CỨU GIAO THOA VĂN HÓA VỀ GIỚI THIỆU TRONG

TIẾNG ANH VÀ TIẾNG VIỆT)

Field: Linguistics

HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2 FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

LÊ THỊ THƯƠNG

A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY OF MAKING INTRODUCTIONS

IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE (NGHIÊN CỨU GIAO THOA VĂN HÓA VỀ GIỚI THIỆU TRONG

TIẾNG ANH VÀ TIẾNG VIỆT)

Field: Linguistics

SUPERVISOR: ĐỖ TIẾN ĐỨC, MA

This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support from

a number of people

First and foremost, I would like to express to my gratitude to Mr Đỗ Tiến Đức, my supervisor who has supported me through the stages of the study and instructed me carefully to solve some obstacles The study would not have been completed without his help

Secondly, my sincere thank is sent to the lecturers in the Faculty of Foreign Language at Ha Noi Pedagogical University 2 for their precious assistance and expert advice during the time I did the study

In addition, I would like to thank the participants, the Vietnamese learners of English who spent their precious time helping me complete the study

Last but not least, my gratitude is sent to my family and my friends for the sacrifice they have devoted to the fulfillment of this academic work

Hanoi, May 2019

Le Thi Thuong

ABSTRACT

The study focuses on ways of making introductions in English and Vietnamese First, it deals with some cultural terms, then goes on to examine cultural differences in making introductions in the two languages Last but not least,

it points at some problems facing Vietnamese learners of English in making introductions to English native speakers by showing the results of a survey conducted with English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University 2 Along with the problems found, the researcher would like to suggest some solutions to help Vietnamese learners of English become aware of how to make introduction appropriately in particular and communicate to English native speakers successfully

in general

DECLARATION

I hereby certify that the thesis entitled: “A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY

OF MAKING INTRODUCTIONS IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE” is my

own study in the fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Art at Hanoi Pedagogical University 2 No part of the study has been copied or reproduced from any other person’s work without acknowledgments

LIST OF CHARTS, DIAGRAMS,

GRAPH AND TABLES

Chart

Chart 1: Ways of addressing a superior in age and position

Chart 2: Ways of addressing an English friend

Chart 3: Ways of addressing a inferior in age and position

Chart 4: Different ways of greeting routines

Diagrams

Diagram 1: Circular relationship

Diagram 2: Horizontal relationship – Type I

Diagram 3: Horizontal relationship – Type II

Diagram 4: The dynamic relationship – Type I in addressing superiors in position

to express informality but respect Diagram 5: Variant of dynamic relationship – Type I in addressing inferiors in

position to express informality Diagram 6: Dynamic relationship – Type II in addressing with inferior in position

to denote respect and informality

Graph

Graph 1: Ways of shaking hands

Tables

Table 1: Addressing in a new class

Table 2: Addressing at a party

Table 3: Addressing in a formal meeting Table 4: Ways of addressing a friend

Table 5: Ways of addressing a superior in age and position

Table 6: Ways of addressing an inferior in age and position

Table 7: Choosing topics of small talk

Table 8: Coversational distance between members of family

Table 9: Conversational distance between friends

Table 10: Conversational distance in a public area

PART I INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale of the study 1

2 History of the study 2

3 Aims of the study 3

4 Research questions 3

5 Scope of the study 3

6 Methods of the study 3

7 Organisation of the study 5

PART II DEVELOPMENT 6

CHAPTER 1 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 6

1.1 Culture 6

1.1.1 What is culture? 6

1.1.2 Characteristics of culture 7

1.1.3 Culture shock 8

1.2 Communication 8

1.2.1 Communication and models of communication 8

1.2.2 Functions of communication model 9

1.3 Making introductions 10

1.4 A small talk 12

CHAPTER 2 CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN MAKING INTRODUCTIONS 13

2.1 Verbal differences 13

2.1.1 Differences in addressing 13

2.1.1.1 Address forms in English 13

2.1.1.2 Address forms in Vietnamese 15

2.1.1.3 Cultural differences 22

2.1.2 Greetings and greeting routines 22

2.1.2.1 Vietnamese greetings and greeting routines 23

2.1.2.3 Cultural differences 26

2.2 Non-verbal differences 27

2.2.1 Gestures 28

2.2.2 Eye contact 29

2.2.3 Facial expressions 30

2.2.4 Communicative Distance 30

CHAPTER 3 SOME PROBLEMS FACING VIETNAMESE LEARNERS OF ENGLISH IN MAKING INTRODUCTIONS TO ENGLISH NATIVE SPEAKERS AND SOME SUGGESTIONS 32

3.1 Introduction 32

3.2 Methodology 32

3.2.1 The participants 32

3.2.2 Data collection 33

3.2.3 Data analysis method 33

3.3 The problems in address forms 33

3.3.1 Addressing in different situations 33

3.3.2 Addressing in terms of difference in age and position 36

3.4 Problems in greetings and greeting routines 38

3.4.1 Greetings in different situations 38

3.4.2 Greetings routines 41

3.5 The problems in choosing topics of small talk 41

3.6 The problems in non-verbal communication 43

3.6.1 Handshake 43

3.6.2 Conversational distance 44

3.7 Conclusion 45

3.8 Suggestions for avoiding problems in making introductions 46

3.8.1 Suggestions for communication 46

3.8.2 Suggestions for learning 47

PART III: CONCLUSION 49

1 Review of the study 49

2 Suggestions for further study 50

REFERENCES 51

APPENDIX 52

INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale of the study

Each country has its own culture which has been formed by natural conditions and historical development Each nation is also proud of its own original and diverse cultural characteristics Nowadays, because of cooperation, most nations around the world have more opportunities to learn about various cultures through communication This includes Vietnam which has quickly established and developed the multi-faceted relationship with many countries all over the world This is the fact that we have more opportunities to integrate into various cultures of different countries Cultural knowledge is very necessary and meaningful for us to know how to contact with foreigners, behave without offending them or causing misunderstanding

In some circumstances, English people do not like to be asked personal questions Therefore, if we do not know about English cultural communication, we may cause them to misunderstand or be displeased

The researcher has been interested in cultural aspects in Britain, especially cultural communication Communication is the best way to develop our skills while learning English To communicate successfully, we should create good impression

at the first meeting Making introduction is a small part of communication but very important Understanding cultural differences in making introductions and gaining knowledge from it are extremely helpful for us in communication Therefore, the success of the communication depends on not only language but also culture

Currently, there are some studies on cultural differences between English and Vietnamese However, a few on cultural differences in making introductions between English and Vietnamese have so far been done

In order to help students of English understand more about British culture and help Vietnamese students communicate well, the researcher would like to introduce the study of some cultural differences in making introductions between English and Vietnamese

2 History of the study

So far, there have been some studies investigated the similarities and differences aspects in cross-cultural perspective

In 2014, Đinh Phương Thuỳ conducted the study “A Comparative Study on

Making Invitation in English and Vietnamese in term of Cross-cultural Perspective” The thesis pointed out the similarities and differences in the way

of English and Vietnamese native speakers making invitations

Nguyễn Văn Trọng (2012) also investigated the similarities and differences

in the way of English and Vietnamese native speakers making invitations and gave an insight into making invitations for English majors in Dong Thap University In the same year, Võ Thị Liên Hương wrote the journal “Linguistic and Cultural Features of Requests: some Implications for Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language, Journal of Science, Hue university, Vol 70, No

1 (2012) pp 71-85” She focused on structural properties of requests and communicative strategies in use, and on the analysis of the use of requests by native speakers of English and by Vietnamese EFL learners

In 2010, Trần Quỳnh Giao compared and contrasted Compliment Responses

in Australian English and Vietnamese, using the Naturalized Role-play in

“Replying to Compliments in English and Vietnamese, The International Journal

of Language Society and Culture, Issue 30, pp.104-130” Meanwhile, Trương

Thị Thanh Cảnh researched about the ways of giving compliment and

responding to compliments in English and Vietnamese in “A Cross-cultural

study of Giving Compliments and Responses in English and Vietnamese” The

thesis also enriched the knowledge of the second language learners about the importance of cultural factor in learning target language

In 1998, Huỳnh Thị Ái Nguyên conducted the thesis “A Cross-cultural study

of Giving Compliments and Responses in English and Vietnamese.” The study

focused on the way the Vietnamese learners of English greet in English and

suggested some ideas for the explanation of the differences in Vietnamese and American cultures, resulting in the differences in greetings

In conclusion, there has not been a cross-culture study of making introductions in English and Vietnamese yet This has inspired me to conduct the study in order to find out the cultural similarities and differences in making introductions in the culture of English – speaking countries and Vietnamese culture

3 Aims of the study

The study aims at giving out some cultural similarities and differences in making introductions in English and Vietnamese There may be small characteristics but can be omitted if Vietnamese learners of English do not pay attention

In addition, the study also helps Vietnamese students or other people interested in the field avoid misunderstandings or culture shocks in communication with English native speakers

4 Research questions

In order to gain the above aims, the study works to answer the following questions:

1 What are the cultural similarities and differences in making introductions

in English and Vietnamese?

2 How can Vietnamese learners of English make their introductions appropriately in communication with English native speakers?

5 Scope of the study

The research focuses on the aspects of culture which have a great impact on verbal and non-verbal communication, especially on making introductions in English and Vietnamese Other issues in communication and conversation will not

be mentioned in the study

6 Methods of the study

To conduct the study, the following methods were used:

- Collecting information and analyzing theoretical knowledge from references

to have insights into similarities and differences between the cultures as well

as these in making introductions

- Conducting a survey on making introductions by Vietnamese learners of English to English native speakers

- Comparing and contrasting different ways of making introductions to other people in two cultures

7 Organisation of the study

The paper is planned to consist of 3 parts:

Part I: “Introduction” presents the rationale of the study, theoretical background, aims, scope, methods, and organization of the study

Part II: “Development” consists of three main parts:

Chapter 1: “Theoretical background” This chapter gives the definitions of culture, characteristics and functions of culture, the concept of culture shock, communication models, and ways of making introductions

Chapter 2 : “Cultural differences in making introductions” It deals with verbal differences and non-verbal differences in making introductions

Chapter 3: “Some problems facing Vietnamese learners of English and suggested some solutions” deals with some problems of Vietnamese learners in making introductions and some suggestions

Part III: “Conclusion” focuses on reviewing the study and giving suggestions for further studies

PART II DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 1 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 Culture

1.1.1 What is culture?

It is well known that culture is around us Culture is so ubiquitous that we probably take it for granted In reality, culture is a very complex concept which covers everything concerning the mental activities of mankind As far as the researcher can gather, the culture concept has been defined in over 400 ways There are some concepts of culture held by different anthropologists The first definition of culture as a sociological term was that of Tylor (1871), a British

anthropologist, who wrote “Culture is that complex whole which includes

knowledge, belief, art, morality, law, all other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” In this definition, Tylor considered culture as the

total of human achievement The anthropological definition of culture is “the

pattern of activities, beliefs, and artifacts characteristic of a group which is not haphazard or random” American anthropologist, E.A Hoebel (1972) defines

culture as “the integrated system of the behavior of the members of a society which

are characteristics of those members and which are the results of the biological inheritance" In other words, culture is learnt, not inherited

Banks and McGee (1989:8) defined culture as:

“consisting primarily of the symbolic, educational, and intangible aspects of human societies The essence of a culture is not its artifacts, tools, or other tangible cultural elements but how the members of the group interpret, use, and perceive them It is the values, symbols, interpretations, and perspectives that distinguish one person from another in modernized societies; it is not material objects and other tangible aspects of human societies People within

a culture usually interpret the meaning of symbols, artifacts, and behaviors i n the same or in similar ways.”

Internationally, UNESCO defined that "culture is the specific whole of

material and spirit, intellectual and emotion which make up the characteristics of

a society or a group of people in that society Culture includes art, literature, lifestyle, human being's fundamental rights, value system, customs, and beliefs Culture brings about capabilities to people to consider themselves ." (quoted

from declaration on culture policies- International conference chaired by the UNESCO in Mexico in 1982)

In Vietnamese language, culture is usually used to show literacy (level of

study), lifestyle (cultural way of life) The other definitions go as follow: "Culture

is everyday activities” (Đào Duy Anh, 1938) or “Culture is the expression of spirit (in the form of material and non-material) and the behavior in a certain society It shows the character of a nation or even some nations which have close relationship” (Nguyễn Quang, 1996)

Moreover, Trần Ngọc Thêm (1998) stated culture as "Organic system of

material and spirit value of created and stored up by human being during the process of practical activities in the contact between them and their own nature as well as social environment"

In short, culture is a fundamental feature of the human being which distinguishes people from animals It can be seen the definitions mentioned above imply the four most important features of culture: the system, the value, history, and human life

1.1.2 Characteristics of culture

The system is an important feature of the culture Thanks to this

characteristic, culture as a subject, covering every social activity Culture itself stabilizes the society and provides it with every necessary means to cope with its own natural and social environment

The value: is the second characteristic of culture (culture is a system of

material and spiritual value) Culture is the measures of the humanity of society Thanks to regular examination and the classification of value, culture can carry out its second function Culture directs values and adjusts communication It is the motivation for the development of the societies and holds the state of being balanced in a society

The history of culture: is shown by the fact that it is always formed during

a process and stored up through many successive generations This feature of culture is maintained by cultural tradition which is relatively stable These models

were stimulated and restored in a community of people through space and time, and stabilized through forms of languages, customs, conventions, etiquette, laws and public opinions, etc the tradition of culture is preserved by education, which

is the third function of culture This function is carried out by various values, which set up a moral system to which people are constantly directed Thanks to this system, culture plays an important and decisive role in forming personality in people

Human life: is a social phenomenon as a product of people's practical

activities Because of its contacts with humans and their activities in societies, culture becomes an important mean of communication It is important to say that language is a form of communication and culture is its content It is right to communicate between individuals and people even one of various nations and cultures

1.1.3 Culture shock

Culture shock is “A combination of the physical and psychological stresses that are experiences when a person moves into a new environment”, Claire Ellis (1996) When people are immersed in a new culture, a typical response is “culture shock” which describes a wide range of emotions that they feel

In other words, culture shock is the result of the total impression in a new culture It may happen to people who have been suddenly sent abroad Newcomers may be anxious because they do not speak the language or do not understand

people's behaviors in daily life The visitors find that yes may not always mean

yes, smile has a lot of meanings: sorry, thanks, hello, They may be unsure to

shake hands or initiate conversation

1.2 Communication

1.2.1 Communication and models of communication

Most of us think that the communication as the act of imparting, transmitting or integrating thoughts, opinions, or information by speech or writing However, to modify this concept slightly, communication should be regarded as a process in which a message acts a linkage among people For the time being, the

important thing about this definition is the role of a message as a mean of connection between interlocutors The role of the message as a linkage between people is the essence of the communication process Communication is essentially the relationship set up by sending and receiving messages

There exist numbers communication models This following model is a very simple one of communication

The model has two basic components: people and messages

The expression "Decoder" refers to the person receiving and translating the message The message comes to him as verbal and non-verbal signals In decoding, he translates these non-verbal languages into thoughts, ideas, and cognition

1.2.2 Functions of communication model

Presently, we have an understanding of the units of a model, now we examine how it functions

First, communication is not a one-way street Person A encodes a message and sends it person B Person B, after decoding the message, encodes his own

Encoder

Decoder

Decoder

Encoder

message and sends it back to person A This message is called "feedback" The

important thing about the feedback is not that it is a second message following the first in a temporal sequence Person A future messages are modified by the feedback sent to him by person B Likewise person B's messages are affected by the messages he has received from person A

Second, we have discussed the processing of messages as occurring in sequence- i.e a person is alternatively either a speaker or listener In actuality, decoding and encoding go at the same time, thus each person has both processing

As person A sends out a message, he is simultaneously receiving the verbal and non-verbal messages from person B

1.3 Making introductions

The introduction is the way to give the name, to make an acquaintance or to create a favorable environment with the purpose of communicating The introduction is a part of communication It plays an important role in making a good impression and creating a chance to start a conversation However, it is also easy to make conversation broken-down Because mistakes made in introductions will likely cause your partner to misunderstand or feel insulted The mistakes are likely not to concern about language but about culture knowledge

Before analyzing the introduction, let look at its model dialogue from Bruce Tillit (2005:12):

Mrs Carr: Good morning George Come in How have you been?

George: Just fine, thank you How are you?

Mrs Carr: Oh, reasonably well

George: Mrs Carr, I would like to introduce a friend of mine, if I may:

Albert Douglas

Albert, this is Mrs Elaine Carr

Albert: Pleased to meet you, Mrs Carr

Mrs Carr: I've heard so much about you, Mr Douglas Please do come

in Oh, Richie?

Darling I'd like you to meet someone- a friend of George's

Mr Carr: Oh, hello George Glad you could come

(He shakes hands with George)

George: Hello Richie It is very thoughtful of you to invite us

Mrs Carr: Yes, darling, as I was saying, this is Albert Douglas

(to Albert) My husband, Richard

Albert: (shaking with Mr Carr) Very nice to meet you, Mr Carr

Mr Carr: The pressure’s mine But call me Rich Everyone does mind if

I call you Albert

Albert: Of course not But just plain “Al” will do

An introduction consists of two parts: giving name and if provided by the context, some information about the person being introduced in order to have common background to begin a conversation Although English people tend to use informal language, there are situations when formal language is appropriate For

example, meeting with superiors

In making a formal introduction, at first, one person is presented to another

“Mrs Car, I would like to introduce my friend Albert” Albert presented Mrs

Carr In general, subordinates are presented to superior, men to women, younger

to older Afterward, the presentation is reversed "Albert, this is Mrs Elaine

Carr"

Formal or informal introductions depend on the ways of words and structure that interlocutor use Here are some common phrases ranging from formality to informality that English people are used to making introductions

I'd like you to meet… (name)

Less formal This is (name)

An informal introduction is usually used by friends, equal relationship or inferior to inferior

However, in certain circumstances, people sometimes must introduce themselves For example, at a party, in a new class or in a new neighborhood If you meet a new neighbor in the same street, you might say "Hello, I'm I've just

moved here" The other person responds by giving his or her name and indicating where he or she lives

Here are some common phrases of self-introduction:

Hello, my name …….(full name)

I do not think we've met I'm……(full name)

In fact, there also appears a reintroduction It may occur when two people who have met before seeing each other again The reintroduction enables them to converse

For example:

A: I'm … (full name) You may not remember, but we met at John's house

B: Oh, yes I remember now What a party that was!

In addition to structures and words people use to introduce, formal or informal introductions mostly depend on the way of greeting and addressing in making introductions A greeting and addressing form expressing formality or informality will decide on formal or informal introductions

1.4 A small talk

After the introduction, people usually talk about the topic of general interest such as the weather, local events, work, sport, TV programs, school, or habit The topic of general interest are called small talk They can be discussed easily without knowing the other person well This type of conversation is important because it helps to maintain the conversation and can lead to interesting discussions It is common for people to ask questions relating to the topics above

such as: "What do you do?" or “Did you watch TV programs last night?” but it is uncommon or considered impolite to ask personal questions such as “How much

money do you earn?” or “Are you married?”, or “How old are you?” (to an adult)

CHAPTER 2 CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN MAKING INTRODUCTIONS 2.1 Verbal differences

It is the fact that the cultural differences in making introductions are mainly

in greetings and address forms How to greet and address appropriately in different cultures is very complex Interlocutors are easy to make mistakes Therefore, in spite of the limitation of the study, the common way of greetings and address forms

and their differences between English and Vietnamese are given

2.1.1 Differences in addressing

There are many things that someone do in their own culture that they never ask questions about They do without thinking about them because they have always done in the same way When we are in another culture or with people from a different culture, we see that people do many things in different ways One of the differences is the address forms that are used in the culture It is obvious that the way of addressing a person in a different country vary greatly from each other If

we pay much attention to the traditional address forms in various cultures, we will avoid making mistakes in communicating with foreigners

2.1.1.1 Address forms in English

Many people think that address forms in English are very simple With You", they can talk to everyone without considering age, sex, social status relationship between speaker and hearer or hearer's attitude and emotion However, the issue is not very simple Apart from "I -You", there exist many other address forms in English The use of address forms to express the different levels of attitude and emotion is not easy

"I-Fundamentally, address forms in English consist of the following forms:

- Title alone: for example, Dr (doctor), Mrs (married women only), Ms (married or unmarried women only), Mr (married or unmarried men)…

- Title with last name: for example, Dr Soveno, Mr Nixon,…

- Last name alone: for example, Jones, Arno,…

- First name: for example, James, Rose,…

- Multiple names: While speaking with a person, interlocutors sometimes use “Title

with last name”, “last name”, “first name”, or even “nick name” However, in

English, there usually exist two major forms: “first name” and “title with last

name” When English people want to speak informality, they call interlocutor by

“first name”, when they want to show formality, they use “title with last name” to

call their partner

“Title with last name” shows equality and formality, and “first name” shows

informality between interlocutors

It is clear that the use of “title with last name” has become a formal form of

communication in English society However, address forms in English, the use of

“first name” friendship gradually substitutes for “title with last name”, expressing

the polite attitude in personal relationship

The use of “title with last name” and“first name” is decided by the effects

of age and social status, and should take sex into account

Traditionally, women will receive more formal address forms (according to Nguyen Quang) In other words, when women and men make conversation and

there appears this relationship, women surely accept “title with last name” form and men will call “first name” For example, Marry Snow talks with John Goodman

John Goodman will call Marry Snow "Miss Snow", and Mis Goodman, "John", even "Johnny"

English people always want to express informality in communication, so

they tend to shift “title with last name” relationship into “first name” one

However, to change from a formal naming relationship to an informal one, a superior (in age, position ) usually suggests it When being anger, they also use

address forms to express their attitude by turning “first name” form into“title with

last name” form

“Title” is one way to address people However, “title” form is less formal

than “title with last name” and more formal than “first name” People can use this

form when they do not know the name of the communication partner or do not remember their names

When considering the use of “multiple names”, people see that “multiple

names” is more formal than first name However, even native people also feel

difficult in using this form

In English, there also appears the so-called “Address form avoidance” This

form in Vietnam is usually regarded as a negative value, especially when it is used

by the speakers who are lower in age and position than the hearers It is clear that

“address form avoidance” in English is used much more than in Vietnamese, and is

not attributed to the concept of “impoliteness” or “uneducated behavior” In Vietnam, “address form avoidance” is only accepted among people who are aging-

equal and power equal and is used much less comfortable for inferior in age (or) and

in position while English people do not use it so strictly They can use this form

when they do not know how to address For example, instead of saying “Good

morning, Mr Smith”, people can say “Good morning” One of address forms that is

the most linguistic study on address forms in English not mention to or mention

simply to be a pair "I - You" In fact, it acts dramatically with high scale in

communication This pair seems to transgress all address forms above

2.1.1.2 Address forms in Vietnamese

The use of address forms in Vietnamese is tremendously complex Vietnamese people make full use of kinship terms in addressing not only in family relationships but also in social ones

When researching "kinship terms as address forms", Nguyễn Tài Cẩn (1975:142) commented that "In Vietnamese as well as in other languages, "kinship

terms" can be used with two functions The basic function is to address with people

in the family and the expended function is to address with people in the society”

In Vietnamese address forms, there is not any term similar to a pair of "I and

You" in English Because "I and You" do not show age, sex, social positions,

kinship relations, attitudes and emotions , but kinship terms in Vietnamese can express the factors

A Vietnamese person, before starting a conversation with a new one, always has intention of considering his communication partner with the purpose of

knowing age, social positions, relations, attitude, and emotion in order to use suitable address forms

There are 34 "kinship term as address forms" in Vietnamese playing role as

"I and You" in English

KINSHIP TERMS AS ADDRESS FORMS

THE SECOND PERSON

Nguyễn Tài Cẩn (1975:141) asserted that kinship terms in Vietnamese are more diversified than in English because kinship terms in Vietnamese have:

- Distinction between superiors and inferiors E.g: Bác/ Chú; Anh/ Em

- Distinction between the mother's side and the father's side E.g:Bác,Chú,

- Distinction between blood ties and married relations.E.g: Bác/Dượng;Cô, Dì/Thím, Mợ

In communication, kinship terms as address forms are very positive and in fact, they transgress the other relationships

From the kinship terms as address forms, there appears a new relationship called circular relationship This relationship is widely used in family and society to express inequality, respect (inferior to superior), informality (superior to inferior) and solidarity The relationship can be shown in the following diagram (in

comparison with "I and You" in English)

Em

Cháu/con Cháu/con

Cháu/con Cháu/con

Cháu/con Cháu/con

Apart from circular relationship, there also exists one of address forms that does not use kinship terms in Vietnam They are used to express equality in age and position However, when interlocutors use these address forms, they must be power-equal or want to show informal emotion Most of them are the young or friends

The equal relationship in Vietnamese address forms is named “horizontal

relationship - Type I” It makes an expression of equality, solidarity, and

Diagram 2 Horizontal relationship – Type I

In this relationship, two pairs of address forms "Người ta - mình" and "Mình

- Người ta" show interchangeable address forms “Mình” or "Ta/ Người ta" This is

a very interesting because the defining “Mình” or “Ta/Người ta” as the first person and “Ta/Người ta” or “Mình” as the second person depends mostly on context

For example, Người ta bảo mà mình không nghe (1)

Người ta đi rồi không biết có nhớ mình không (2)

(1) “Người ta” is the first person and “mình” is the second p erson

(2) “Người ta” is the second person and “mình” is the first person

Beside the “horizontal relationship – Type I”, there is also another relationship in Vietnamese called “Type II” The “horizontal relationship – Type

II” expresses equality, formality but insolidarity

Tôi Chức danh (title) Tôi Cụ

Diagram 3 Horizontal relationship – Type II

In British society, a person who is older but low in position plays an important part in deciding address forms However, in Vietnamese, there will be a

compromise to use address forms This kind of the person will call himself “tôi” and call other BÁC/ANH/CHỊ (depending on age distance) The table can illustrate

the compromise

Younger age but higher position TÔI Kinship terms to express power to

relation

When interlocutors have a good will towards solidarity and informality,

depending on age, “TÔI” will be replaced by “ANH/CHỊ/BÁC” and “TITLE”

substitutes for ANH/CHÁU /CON (to person older age but lower position) and

“TÔI” replaced by EM/CHÁU/CON (to person younger age but lower position) A

pair of “TÔI –TITLE” can create a new relationship called dynamic relationship

This relationship is regarded as the characteristics of common principle in Vietnamese address forms: calling oneself is modest, calling the other is respectful

In Vietnamese, people can change “TÔI - TITLE” into “CHÁU/ EM/TITLE” after

getting in touch with each other It humblea oneself and sill keeps respect to the other

For example: A soldier comes late and asks the leader for admission:

Xin phép thủ trưởng cho tôi vào sau

However, after a definite time, on the same request, a soldier can say:

Báo cáo thủ trưởng cho em vào sau

Even when a superior in position submits to change address forms, the relationship can be returned to circular relationship

For example: At first, a superior in position can say:

Cô đun cho tôi ấm nước

But in a definite time, he can say:

Cháu đun cho chú ấm nước

Tôi (1) TITLE (You)

Em/cháu

Diagram 4: The dynamic relationship – Type I in addressing superiors in position

Diagram 5: Variant of dynamic relationship - Type I in addressing inferiors to

express informality

The dynamic relationship also includes one relationship that the first element (Tôi) is unchanged but the second (title) is changed In this relationship, title of hearer is usually low (e.g.: waiter, driver, etc.) because of politeness, Vietnamese people avoid to use the hearer’s title in communication even they choose a suitable address form (usually circular relationship or sometimes horizontal relationship – Type I) The address forms still keeps respect and creates informality

For example: Anh bồi, cho tôi hai cốc bia

They will say: Em ơi, cho anh hai cốc bia

Title (You)

(You

Em/cháu/con

Em Anh/chị

Cô/chú

Cô/chú

Anh/chị You

Cháu Cháu

Cháu Cháu

Em

I

At first, the relationship only used in family, gradually between neighbors and finally in friends, social contact

For example: Bà ơi, con hỏi đường này đi đâu ạ

Bác bỏ qua cho em

2.1.1.3 Cultural differences

It is clear that Vietnamese people address forms are more complex than in English Vietnamese people rely on the relationship, age, sex, social position to give out a relevant address form to show formality and informality Vietnamese people

rarely use “Title with last name” They only use “title with full name” to denote

formality For example: we call General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng as “Trọng” will create a great shock

The pair of the first person and the second person (similar to I – You) is diversified The pair can express age, sex, position, emotion,…

In English culture, address forms avoidance is rather popular It cannot be regarded as “impolite” or “uneducated” behaviour It can be easy for Vietnamese people to give out misconcept “English people are not polite”

The cause of the difference is involved in power and solidarity The degree

of importance of power and solidarity changes of this community to power does not only include the social status but also the age However, in English, the length of time people get to know each other can help to reduce the degree of formality or to increase that intimacy, whereas people do not tend to change this way of addressing with superiors This creates the misunderstandings between Vietnamese and English

in addressing

2.1.2 Greetings and greeting routines

In the introduction to his speaking course, Tillit (2005:23) gives his ideas on the purpose of greetings in a similar but briefer way: first, to establish contact another person; second, to recognize his or her existence; third, to show friendliness

In short, the greetings play an important role in establishing and impression on the interlocutor, whether good or bad, depends on the way of greeting The greeting in