An english vietnamese cross cultural study of idioms with colors and its implications to ELT

Vietnam national university Hanoi College of foreign languages Department of post-study ĐẶNG THỦY TRINH AN ENGLISH-VIETNAMESE CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY OF IDIOMS WITH COLORS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS TO ELT Nghiên cứu giao văn hóa Anh-Việt thành ngữ chứa từ màu sắc áp dụng việc giảng dạy tiếng Anh Minor Thesis Code 60 22 15 hµ néi - 2009 Vietnam national university Hanoi College of foreign languages Department of post study ĐẶNG THỦY TRINH AN ENGLISH-VIETNAMESE CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY OF IDIOMS WITH COLORS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS TO ELT Nghiên cứu giao văn hóa Anh-Việt thành ngữ chứa từ màu sắc áp dụng việc giảng dạy tiếng Anh Minor Thesis Code 60 22 15 Supervisor: Assoc Prof Ph.D Nguyễn Xuân Thơm hµ néi - 2009 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i ABSTRACT ii A INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale for the study Scope of the study Objectives of the study Methodology of the study B DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Literature Review Definition of idiom Cultural characteristics of English idioms Classification of idiom Use of idiom Definition of color 10 Classification of colors 10 Denotational and connotational meaning of colors 11 The difference in colors’ meaning and symbolism 14 Chapter 2: English Vietnamese cross-cultural understanding and use of idioms with colors and findings 16 Description of the survey 16 1.1 Reasons for chosen methods to survey 16 1.2 Informants 17 1.3 Data collection methods 18 Data analysis and findings 19 2.1 Data collection 19 v 2.2 Findings 20 2.3 Mistakes 21 2.4 Causes 22 Chapter 3: Implications 23 Suggestions for teaching and learning idioms with color 23 Some suggested exercises for better study of idioms with color 28 Recommendations for further studies 32 C CONCLUSIONS 34 D REFERENCES 36 APPENDIX INTRODUCTION Rationale for the study: Up to now, English is one of the most widely used languages in the world In Vietnam, the number of schools and universities teaching English as a target and compulsory subject has increased with every passing year Moreover, due to the need for integrating into the world, especially since the open door policy, more and more people learn English However, the differences between English and Vietnamese cause various problems for Vietnamese learners of English in the process of mastering English Many of these problems are caused by English idioms Idioms are embodiment of culture They are language essence and the most difficult part to handle with, which involve a country‘s history, geography, local conditions, customs and cultural background Thus you cannot understand idioms correctly without the held of the cultural context, which in turn requires that learners have the knowledge of the culture Both English and Vietnamese are expressive languages, which are very rich in idiomatic expressions Therefore, it is greatly necessary to make use of the cultural knowledge while learning English idioms Obviously, English idioms is a flexible and difficult aspect that even native speakers cannot master well Thus, it is necessary to take this into consideration I myself think that it is very interesting to research all types of idioms but because of the limitation of graduation paper, I only focus on “An English-Vietnamese Cross-Cultural Study of Idioms With Colors and Its Implications to ELT”, which impresses me most because cultural approach can help achieve more accurate and lively study and learning This urges me much to try to this research that may be helpful to some Vietnamese learners who wish to use them exactly In summary, it is the importance of English language and correct use of English idioms in successful communication, and the difficulties in using idioms with colors by which my research is motivated Moreover, the wish to help Vietnamese students be aware of the necessity in using idioms with colors in mastering English and to improve their language four skills has been constantly encouraging my choice of this study Scope of the study My study concentrates on “An English-Vietnamese Cross-Cultural Study of Idioms With Colors and Its Implications to ELT” with Vietnamese learners of English and a small comparison between Vietnamese learners and English native speakers In this study, colors and idioms with colors shall be investigated through cross-cultural aspect However, Vietnamese people learning English are various in age, purpose, occupations, etc Therefore, the study is mainly concerned with the Vietnamese first year students at CFL-VNU and some English native speakers Objectives of the study: In communication, the most important goals for foreign language learners are understanding and expressing one‘s points of view To reach these goals, learners not only need to master vocabulary, grammar but also the sound patterns of idioms A good knowledge of idioms that can help them fulfill this Having witnessed and personally faced difficulties in using English idioms with colors, my study, therefore, is aimed to raise some useful suggestions to learners of English in avoiding communication breakdown The purposes of the study are hereunder: To provide the theoretical review of English idioms and a specification is given to English idioms with colors To show how well Vietnamese students are exposed to English idioms in general and English idioms with colors in particular, and how they practice, use them in mastering English Also, it points out wrong interpretations that are usually encountered and made by students when using English idioms with colors, at the same time, seeks the sources of such mistakes To supply some suggested implications for teaching and learning method, and some activities and exercises that can be useful for practicing English idioms with colors in teaching and learning process, contributing to improve ability of using English idioms with colors Methodology of the study: During the completion of the study, both the quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in order to gather reliable and sufficient information and data Quantitative data are numeric information that is subject to statistical analysis, and qualitative data are text-based information that provides descriptive details, collected from interviews and observations Specifically, the major methods are studying on reference materials and collecting useful knowledge and theories Besides, conducting survey questionnaires and in-depth interviews along with observation are some other methods of the study DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW Definition of English idioms Idioms are a class of multi-word units ―which pose a challenge to our understanding of grammar and lexis that has not yet been fully met‖ (Fellbaum et al., 2006:349) They are commonly believed to be qualitatively different from ―normal‖ language, but the precise nature of this difference can be elusive Even amongst idiom scholars, it is difficult to find a consensus as to what precisely is, or is not, an idiom, because of the heterogeneity of the class There is widespread agreement on one general principle: an idiom is an institutionalized expression whose overall meaning does not correspond to the combined meanings of its component parts However, this criterion can be said to apply to a wide range of phrase-ological structures, such as collocations, formulaic greetings, clichés, and other conventionalized expressions which, although idiomatic to some extent, are not idioms in the strict sense The challenge for idiom researchers is therefore to formulate a definition which is flexible enough to conclude all known idioms, yet exclude non-idioms such as those mentioned above Current psycholinguistic views support the argument in favour of considering idiom as a type of ―long word‖ whose meaning is accessed directly, and not through prior decomposition or analysis of the constituents (Gibbs 1994, 2002) On the other hand, when an idiom is encountered for the very first time, language users have no choice but to decipher its meaning from the meaning of constituents, they usually so by taking into account the most salient, or prominent, meanings first (Giora 1997, 2002; Peleg & Giora 2001) That this tactic enjoys a limited success rate is due to the difficulty in identifying which meaning of polysemous components is relevant, and the extent to which the idiom is semantically motivated, or transparent If you look up the word idiom in Webster, you will be given the following definition: Idiom is an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent element as kick the bucket, hang one's head etc., or from the general grammatical rules of language, as the table round for the round table, and which is not a constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics This definition seems a bit dry and doesn't really tell anything about the function of idioms in English language English is a language particularly rich in idioms — those modes of expression peculiar to a language (or dialect) which frequently defy logical and grammatical rules Without idioms English would lose much of its variety and humor both in speech and writing Cultural characteristics of English idioms: The abundance and variety of English idioms may be to a great extent accounted for the historical development of the language Many idiomatic expressions come from the everyday life of the English people from all walks of life The Bible is also one of the chief source from which idiomatic expressions have sprung After the Bible, Shakespeare's plays are the rich literary sources of English idioms Many idioms also come from fables, myths or legends Besides, English idioms are created by people in different trades and occupations A large proportion of idioms are first created by working people such as seamen on the sea, hunters in the woods, farmers in the fields, workmen at mills, housewives and cooks in the kitchen and so on, using familiar terms that are associated with their own trades and occupations For example, ―in deep water‖, ―tide over‖ were first used by seamen; ―kill two birds with one stone‖ used by hunters; ―have all one's eggs in one basket‖ used by farmers; ―new brooms sweep clean‖ used by housewives; ―boil down‖ used by cooks, etc Such expressions prove terse, vivid, forcible and stimulating so that later they broke out of their bounds and gradually gained wide acceptance As a result, they became part of the common of core of the language culture and are now used in different situations Because the cultural backgrounds between English and Vietnamese languages are different, so there are some visible differences between the two As a part of language, idioms reflect the rich and colorful features of a nation Therefore, there are some cultural differences between English and Vietnamese idioms They are as follows: 2.1 Living environment differences Idioms have tight relationships with people's work and lives England is an island, so it cherishes water very much Then in English, it has such idiom as ―spend money like water‖ 2.2 Conventional differences The typical conventional difference should be people's attitude towards the animal dog In most Western counties, dog is associated with ―loyalty, faithfulness‖, it is a ―close companion‖ to people, whereas in Vietnamese, the word dog usually has a negative meaning So in English, ―You are a lucky dog‖, the word dog here has no contemptuous meaning 2.3 Differences in religious belief Religious belief has a great impact on the English idioms They bring many new ideas and customs that are related to religious belief For example, ―God helps those who help themselves‖; ―Go to hell‖ 2.4 Historical differences Quite a few English idioms are born just due to particular historical events ―To cross the Rubicon‖, ―to meet one's Waterloo‖ come from Napoleon and the breakdown of his empire; and the American Civil War is the source of ―by the grapevine‖ and so on Classification of idiom Classification can be approached from different criterion There are a variety of criteria for classifying English idioms This paper prefers the criterion of cultural style By this criterion, English idioms may be classified into five groups: colloquialisms, proverbs, slang, allusions and phrasal verbs Such classification will be more helpful in the actual studying, learning, use and translation of idioms Generally speaking, English idioms have different styles, most of which are used in any situation, some in formal style or in slang The knowledge of this classification of English idioms will undoubtedly be beneficial to learners and translators 3.1 Colloquialisms 29 How could this happen to me? Everybody's screamin' I try to make a sound but no one hears me I'm slippin' off the edge I'm hangin' by a thread I wanna start this over again So I try to hold onto a time when nothing mattered And I can't explain what happened And I can't erase the things that I've done No I can't How could this happen to me? I've made my mistakes got nowhere to run the night goes on as I'm fadin' away I'm sick of this life I just wanna scream How could this happen to me? I've made my mistakes got nowhere to run the night goes on as I'm fading away I'm sick of this life I just wanna scream How could this happen to me? There is one idiom used in this song which is quite similar to Vietnamese culture: To hang by a thread / hang by a hair: (of a person‘s life) to be in great danger Trong tình trạng nguy hiểm ( ngàn cân treo sợi tóc ) Besides, there are some phrasal verbs: To go on: to continue To hold onto: to keep something that is advantageous to you Ex: Should emigrants hold onto their traditional cultures or try to be a part of the new society? 30 To be sick of something : to be bored with or annoyed about something that has been happening for a long time and wanting it to stop Stand : [no passive] (not used in the progressive tenses) used especially in negative sentences and questions to emphasize that you not like sb/sth Ex: I can't stand his brother/ I can't stand people interrupting all the time 2.5 Type 5: Using posters Exercise 1: Give students some posters that can indicate some idioms they may know: Once in a blue moon There are many other types of exercises involving idioms and idioms with color In order to teach English idioms effectively, teachers of English should spend time and efforts collecting and creating such kinds of exercises In summary, all above are my suggestions for teaching and learning English idioms and English idioms with color I very much hope that, they, to some extends, may be useful to partly improve the study of idioms for Vietnamese learners to minimize the portion of wrong utilization of English idioms This chapter will conclude in the next part which is the suggestions for further studies 31 Recommendations for further studies It is firstly suggested that the limitations of this research will be overcome in further studies with the increased number of participants in order to reach highest level of required generalization Besides, the observations of the idioms learning lessons should be carried out to provide the researchers with more insights into the issues studied Furthermore, basing on this research which attempt to investigate English idioms with color in activating students‘ prior knowledge in teaching and learning English, further studies should focus on English idioms with animals or idioms related to parts of body or to broader extends to help students easier in mastering idioms In conclusion, despite some inevitable deficiency, the researcher does hope that this research would serve as a good help to both teachers and students in the process of teaching and learning English idioms 32 CONCLUSIONS It is the importance of English language and correct use of English idioms in successful communication, and the difficulties in using idioms with colors by which my research is motivated Moreover, the wish to help Vietnamese students be aware of the necessity in using idioms with colors in mastering English and to improve their language four skills has been constantly encouraging my choice of this study The research is carried out using both quantitative and qualitative methods with the means of survey questionnaires and in-depth interviews Thanks to all the constructive comments from both the teachers and students together with my self-research materials, some practical recommendations are offered The suggestions for teaching, learning English idioms as well as some suggested types of exercises to improve English idioms study This research is hoped to give teachers a more thorough understanding of students expectations and therefore make proper adaptations to meet students‘ needs and specifically exercises to be more effectively employed in teaching English idioms in general and activating background knowledge for students in English idioms, idioms with color in particular Although both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to maximize the advantages of each type, short comings still persist Firstly, the study focuses on only one type of idioms that is idioms with color Secondly, the survey is not implemented in a 33 large scale, thus, the number of subjects are too small to allow generalization about the problems which Vietnamese learners of English encounter Thirdly, the data is collected from the small number of students that cannot reflect the real fact as a whole The fourth limitation is that, the writer of this study only carried out the survey at CFL-VNU in Hanoi, therefore, the result cannot indicate the real situation of teaching and learning English idioms in Vietnam Lastly, the study can be tentative as the mistakes are unavoidable On account of restricted knowledge and resources, this paper cannot cover all aspects of English idioms I would greatly appreciate any recommendation to make it better Moreover, the writer hopes that this paper would be useful to those who wish to improve their knowledge of English idioms and acquire the right utilization of English idioms with color 34 REFERENCES Allen, V G (1989) Literature as a support to language acquisition In P Rigg & V G Allen (Eds.), When they don‘t all speak English: Integrating the ESL student into the regular classroom (pp.55-64) Urbana: NCTE Bafile, C (2003) Reader‘s Theater: A reason to read aloud Education World Brandi-Muller, J (2005) Retelling stories http://www.colrincolorado.org/article/13282 Cooper, T C (1999) Processing of idioms by L2 learners of English TESOL Quarterly, 33 (1), 233-262 Freeman, D E., & Freeman, Y S (1994) Between worlds: Access to second language acquisition Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann John Gage, 1999, Color and Meaning: Art, Science, and Symbolism, University of California Press Nguyen Quang (2004), Intercultural Communication, CFL-VNU Nguyen Quang (2007), Giao tiep phi ngon tu qua cac nen van hoa (Nonverbal Communication across cultures), CFL-VNU Nippold, M A., & Martin, S T (1989) Idiom interpretation in isolation versus Nunan, D (2003) Practical English language teaching New York: McGraw Hill Robert J Dixson, Tran Van Diem (2001), Essential Idioms in English, Thanh Nghia publisher Websites: www.google.com.vn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slang http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proverb http://changingminds.org/disciplines/communication/color_effect.htm I APPENDIX Survey Questionnaire What is idiom? A A phrase of words B A class of multi-word units “which pose a challenge to our understanding of grammar and lexis that has not yet been fully met” C A sentence that the meaning is different from the words it expose Do you apply idioms in your language use? A very often B rarely C never Colors have different meanings in each culture? A True B False “A honey tongue, a heart of gall” means: A xanh vỏ đỏ lòng B Mật chết ruồi C phật tâm xà 5.What is the meaning of “men/boys in blue”? A the police B naughty boys C boys who are always sad What is the meaning of “as black as coal”? A very black B not black at all C so white “Blue in the face” means: A very angry or upset B sad C happy “Grass is always greener on the other side” is: A A beautiful place B A place that is far away or different seems better than where we are now C A green place with trees and grass What does “see pink elephants” mean? A very big elephants B elephants that are very dangerous C see things which are not really there because they are only in your imagination 10 “Red-carpet treatment” means: A to receive special/royal treatment B to receive money C to get bad treatment 11 What is “as white as a ghost”? A so scared B so nervous C very pale because of fear/ shock/ illness 12 “Have a yellow streak” means: A to be cowardly B to be happy C to be ready II 13 What are the difficulties that you meet when studying English idioms? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 14 How you improve your knowledge of English idioms? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Thank you for your co-operation! III Result of Survey Questionnaire Number Question content Answers Whether students know English idiom is: Yes: 39 A class of multi-word units “which pose a challenge to our understanding of No: 11 grammar and lexis that has not yet been fully met” Whether you apply idioms in your Very often: 32 language use Rarely: 12 Never: Whether colors have different meanings Yes: 42 in each culture “A honey tongue, a heart of gall” means No: A: 17 B: 13 C: 20 What is the meaning of “men/boys in A: 18 blue”?of questions there are in English B: 20 C: 12 What is the meaning of “as black as A: 22 coal”? B: 16 C: 12 “Blue in the face” means: A: 23 B: 16 C: 11 IV “Grass is always greener on the other A: 12 side” is: B: 17 C: 21 What does “see pink elephants” mean? A: B: 12 C: 29 10 “Red-carpet treatment” means: A: 25 B: 10 C: 15 11 What is “as white as a ghost”? A: 21 B: 12 C: 17 12 “Have a yellow streak” means: A: 19 B: 12 C: 19 13 What are the difficulties that you meet - Understand the correct meaning when studying English idioms - Use it properly - Remember difficult idioms due to the difference of culture, word use … 14 How you improve your knowledge of - Buy books on idioms to practice English idioms? - Ask teacher to explain difficult idioms to use it in right context - Search the internet for materials, explanation, uses … V - Practice makes perfect VI Survey Questionnaire (questions from to 14) “A honey tongue, a heart of gall” means A: 17 B: 13 C: 20 Correct (40%) What is the meaning of “men/boys in A: 18 Correct (36%) blue”?of questions there are in English B: 20 C: 12 What is the meaning of “as black as A: 22 Correct (44%) coal”? B: 16 C: 12 “Blue in the face” means: A: 23 Correct (46%) B: 16 C: 11 “Grass is always greener on the other A: 12 side” is: B: 17 Correct (34%) C: 21 What does “see pink elephants” mean? A: B: 12 C: 29 Correct (58%) 10 “Red-carpet treatment” means: A: 25 Correct (50%) B: 10 C: 15 VII 11 What is “as white as a ghost”? A: 21 B: 12 C: 17 Correct (34%) 12 “Have a yellow streak” means: A: 19 Correct (38%) B: 12 C: 19 VIII Meaning of color and your Birthday   Wawa Miharu 18 Feb 2009 at 06:36 Don't cheat, If you are honest, this tells the truth It's pretty good Write your answers on a piece of paper, and NO cheating!! The answers are at the bottom Which is your favorite color out of: red , black , blue , green , or yellow ? Your first initial? Your month of birth? Which color you like more, black or white? Name of a person of the same sex as yours Your favorite number? Do you like Flying or Driving more? Do you like a lake or the ocean more? Write down a wish ( a realistic one) When you're done, scroll down (Don't cheat!) Answers If you choose: Red - You are alert and your life is full of love Black - Y ou are conservative and aggressive Green - Your soul is relaxed and you are laid back Blue- You are spontaneous and love kisses and affection from the ones you love Yellow - You are a very happy person and give good advice to those who are down If your initial is: A-K You have a lot of love and friendships in your life L-R You try to enjoy your life to the maximum & your love life is soon to blossom S-Z You like to help others and your future love life looks very good If you were born in: Jan-Mar: The year will go very well for you and you will discover that you fall in love with someone totally unexpected April-June: You will have a strong love relationship that will not last long but the memories will last forever July-Sep: You will have a great year and will experience a major life-changing experience for the good Oct-Dec: Your love life will not be great, but eventually you will find your soul mate IX If you chose: Black: Your life will take on a different direction, it will seem hard at the time but will be the best thing for you, and you will be glad for the change White: You will have a friend who completely confides in you and would anything for you, but you may not realize it This person is your best friend This is how many close friends you have in your lifetime If you chose: Flying: You like adventure Driving: You are a laid back person If you chose: Lake : You are loyal to your friends and your lover and are very reserved Ocean: You are spontaneous and like to please people This wish will come true only if you send this to five people in one hour Send it to ten people, and it will come true before your next birthday Source: http://creative.groups.vox.com/library/post/6a0109d07996d5000e011017aa7ed1860e.html ... Study of Idioms With Colors and Its Implications to ELT? ?? with Vietnamese learners of English and a small comparison between Vietnamese learners and English native speakers In this study, colors and. .. national university Hanoi College of foreign languages Department of post study ĐẶNG THỦY TRINH AN ENGLISH- VIETNAMESE CROSS- CULTURAL STUDY OF IDIOMS WITH COLORS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS TO ELT Nghiên cứu... English- Vietnamese Cross- Cultural Study of Idioms With Colors and Its Implications to ELT? ??, which impresses me most because cultural approach can help achieve more accurate and lively study and learning