Left dislocation and right dislocation in english versus vietnamese equivalents in some english and vietnamese short stories from 1990 until now

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES  NGUYỄN THỊ NGỌC MAI LEFT DISLOCATION AND RIGHT DISLOCATION IN ENGLISH VERSUS VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS IN SOME ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE SHORT STORIES FROM 1990 UNTIL NOW Cấu trúc dịch chuyển thông tin sang trái dịch chuyển thông tin sang phải tiếng Anh tương đương tiếng Việt số truyện ngắn tiếng Anh tiếng Việt từ năm 1990 đến MA MINOR THESIS Major: English Linguistics Code : 60220201 HÀ NỘI – 2016 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES  NGUYỄN THỊ NGỌC MAI LEFT DISLOCATION AND RIGHT DISLOCATION IN ENGLISH VERSUS VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS IN SOME ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE SHORT STORIES FROM 1990 UNTIL NOW Cấu trúc dịch chuyển thông tin sang trái dịch chuyển thông tin sang phải tiếng Anh tương đương tiếng Việt số truyện ngắn tiếng Anh tiếng Việt từ năm 1990 đến MA MINOR THESIS Major: English Linguistics Code : 60220201 Supervisor: Dr Huỳnh Anh Tuấn HÀ NỘI – 2016 i DECLARATION I certify that this minor thesis entitled “Left dislocation and right dislocation in English versus Vietnamese equivalents in some English and Vietnamese short stories from 1990 until now”is the result of my own research and all the materials used in this study has been identified and acknowledged This M.A thesis has not been submitted for any degree to any other universities or institutions Ha Noi, 2016 Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai i ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My minor thesis has been completed thanks to the assisstance and guidance of my teachers, my family as well as my friends First of all, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Huynh Anh Tuan for his enthusiastic assistance, academic guidance, good suggestions and critical comments on my study, without which the work would not have been completed Secondly, I am greatly indebted to my lecturers in the faculty of post- graduate studies for their useful lectures and contribution to my study Last but not least, I would like to acknowledge the considerate support and indispensable assistance of my family, my friends and my colleagues while the work was being done One more thing I would like to say is that in spite of all the efforts I have made and the advice and assistance I have received, I am sure my minor thesis is far from perfect Therefore, it is my responsibility for any inadequacies and shortcomings that arise in my minor thesis Hanoi, October 2016 Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai ii iii ABSTRACT This research is carried out to investigate the similarities and differences in the use of Left dislocation and Right dislocation in English and Vietnamese short stories The analytical data is collected from ten English and ten Vietnamese short stories from 1990 until now In the research, Left dislocation and Right dislocation in English is compared and contrasted with Vietnamese equivalents in terms of their structure and function The result of the research shows that there are similarities and differences in the use of these constructions in English and Vietnamese short stories The most prominent similarity in the use of LD and RD in English and Vietnamese short stories is that in terms of structure, these constructions can be realized by a Noun phrase moved leftward or rightward is coreferential with a resumptive pronoun in the same sentence And the most significant difference is that LD realized in English short stories can perform the function of contrasting while Vietnamese LD does not On the other hand, Vietnamese RD can function to focus whereas English RD does not iii iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration i Acknowledgments ii Abstract iii Table of contents iv List of abbreviations…………………………… ………………… viii List of figures……………………………………………………… ix PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale Aims of the study 3.Research questions………………………………………………… Scope of the study Method of the study Design of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW……………………… 1.1 Review of previous studies…………………………………… 1.2 Canonical and non-canonical structures…………………… 1.3 Left dislocation in English…………………………………… 1.3.1 Definition…………………………………………………… 1.3.2 Realizations……………….………………………………… 1.3.3 Structural features ……………………………………….… 1.3.4 Functional features ………………………………………… 1.4 Right dislocation………………………………………….…… 11 1.4.1 Definition…………………………………………………… 11 1.4.2 Realizations…………………………………………………… 11 1.4.2.1 Right dislocation and post- posing………….……………… 11 1.4.2.2 Right dislocation and afterthought………………………… 12 1.4.3 Structural features…………………………………………… 13 1.4.4 Functional feature…………………………………………… 14 1.5 English vs Vietnamese sentence structures and sentence elements…………………………………………………………… 16 iv v 1.6 Left dislocation and right dislocation in Vietnamese………………………………………………………… 1.6.1 Left dislocation in Vietnamese……………………………… 1.6 Right Dislocation in Vietnamese…………………………… CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY……………………………… Research questions……… ………………………………… 20 2 Research methods…………………………………………… 20 Selection of samples………………………………………… 21 Data analysis………………………………………………… 22 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS……… 23 3.1 Data analysis…………………………………………………… 23 3.1.1 The percentages of LD and RD in English and Vietnamese short stories………………………………………………………… 23 3.1.1.1 The percentages of LD and RD in English short stories…… 23 3.1.1.2.The percentages of LD and RD in Vietnamese short stories 24 3.1.1.3 The percentages of LD and RD in English and Vietnamese short stories………………………………………………………… 25 3.1.2 The Structures and functions of LD in English and Vietnamese short stories ………………………………………… 26 3.1.2.1 The Structures of LD in English and Vietnamese short Stories……………………………………………………………… 26 3.1.2.2 The functions of LD in English and Vietnamese short Stories……………………………………………………………… 27 3.1.3 The Structures and functions of RD in English and Vietnamese short stories…………………………………………… 31 3.1.3.1 The Structures of RD in English and Vietnamese short stories 31 3.1.3.2 The functions of RD in English and Vietnamese short stories……………………………………………………………… 31 3.2 Discussions…………………………………………………… 35 3.2.1 Left dislocation in English and Vietnamese short stories 35 3.2.1.1 Similarities………………………………………………… 35 v vi 3.2.1.2 Differences………………………………………………… 3.2.2 Right dislocation in English and Vietnamese short stories… 3.2.2.1 Similarities………………………………………………… 3.2.2.2 Differences………………………………………………… PART C: CONCLUSION Concluding remarks… ……………………………………… 38 1.1 Left dislocation in English and Vietnamese short stories……… 38 1.1.1 Similarities…………………………………………………… 38 1.1.2 Differences…………………………………………………… 38 1.2 Right dislocation in English and Vietnamese short stories 1.2.1 Similarities………………………………………………….… 1.2.2 Differencies………………………………………………… 1.3 The frequency of using LD and RD in English and Vietnam short stories………………………………………………………… Limitations of the study………………………………………… 40 Pedagogical implications……………………………………… 40 Suggestions for further study………………………………… 40 References………………………………………….……… ……… 41 Appendix I………………………………………………… ……… Appendix II………………………………………………………… Appendix III…………………………………………………… … VIII Appendix IV……………………………………………………… vi vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS LD: Left Dislocation RD: Right Dislocation NP: Noun Phrase vii 22 Prince, E (1998) On the Limits of Syntax with Reference to Left Dislocation and Topicalization, in P Culicover & L Mcnally (eds.) Syntax and Semantics San Diego: Academic Press 281–302 23 Quirk, R.; Greenbaum, S.; Leech, G.; and Svartvik, J (1985) A Grammar of Contemporary English Longman 24 Quynh, Nguyen Huu (2001) Ngữ pháp Tiếng Việt Encyclopedia Press 25 Rodman, R (1998) On Left Dislocation, in E van Riemskijk, H Zwarts, & F Anagnostopoulou (eds.), Materials on Left Dislocation Amsterdam: John Benjamins 31–54 [Originally in Papers in Linguistics, 7: 473–466.] 26 Ross, J R (1967) On the Cyclic Nature of English Pronominalization Mouton 27 Than, Nguyen Kim (1997) Nghiên cứu ngữ pháp tiếng Việt Hanoi Education Press 28 Thuyet, Nguyen Minh; and Hiep, Nguyen Van (1998) Thành phần câu Tiếng Việt Press of Vietnam National University, Hanoi 29 Tizón-Couto, D (2012) Left Dislocation in English: A Functional-Discoursal Approach Bern: Peter Lang 30 Trung, Nguyen Lan (2009) Thành phần khởi ngữ câu Tiếng Việt xét mặt hệ thống Journal of Science by Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Foreign studies No 25, 199-208 31 Vallduví, Enric (1992) Detachment in Catalan and information packaging Journal of Pragmatics 22, 573-601 32 Ward, G and Birner, B (2001) Discourse and Information Structure In: Handbook of Discourse Analysis, ed by Deborah Schiffrin, Deborah Tannen, and Heidi Hamilton, 119-137 Oxford: Basil Blackwell 33 Ziv, Yael and Barbara Grosz (1993) ―Right Dislocation and Attentional State‖ In: Buchalla, Rhobna and Anita Mittwoch (ed.) The Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Conference Ben Gurion University of the Negev 1993 Jerusalem: Akademon P 184199 43 APPENDICES APPENDIX I: SAMPLES OF LD IN 10 ENGLISH SHORT STORIES The italic setences contain LD constructions And the bold words or phrases are left dislocated elements and the resumptive pronouns We slammed the ground I lost my hold and bounced against a tree, both fists still full of fur Gasping for a thread of air, dazed, blinking dirt from my eyes, I heard Prowl bellow for help The rumbalof struggled to rise again and only Prowl still clung to its back We scrambled to throw ourselves onto it once more and smash its wings It heaved and fell, then heaved again as we bit and tore into it There were shouts and cries and everywhere thick, clotting ooze turned black with dirt Finally, the rumbalof stopped Broken leaf and dust drifted down Someone coughed Dare sneezed and spat The dirt settled and we blinked, so coated in filth we hardly recognized each other This rumbalof we had killed, it was huge My heart swelled with pride for what we had done I leapt to my feet and roared, and the others joined me We praised our strength, fierce and great They stopped, every mouth opened with surprise These were my first sons, and Moor‘s sons who had crooned her death, and a few others They gathered their wits, then greeted me ―Mother, mother, mother…‖ ―Mother, mother…‖ The oldest nudged the smallest with his elbow ―Mother,‖ he said with a voice that was as light as he Graceful, more long-limbed than the others, a stranger, he would become a quick climber It was a worthy talent I brought it into the circle of light cast by the nearest lamp, where I‘d laid a pile of azure blue linen, and held it near The fabric, beautifully and richly dyed, paled in I comparison to the soul I could not slay demons, like my sister, but I had always possessed an extraordinary eye for choosing the perfect color for any person as soon as I met them With Khaterah, I had seen her soul with my own eyes and knew a true match was impossible, but the swatch I held was the best I could find Somewhere beyond the kitchen, I heard voices raised in strife Khatereh, her tone swift and sharp; our father, his voice steady but questioning The argument continued in fits and starts for several minutes, until at least I heard the door open and close as father left the house Khat appeared in the kitchen door Somewhere beyond the kitchen, I heard voices raised in strife Khatereh, her tone swift and sharp; our father, his voice steady but questioning The argument continued in fits and starts for several minutes, until at least I heard the door open and close as father left the house Khat appeared in the kitchen door ―Jia-li claims she did not ever heal her hands.‖ The wizard‘s voice rattled in his throat ―I believe that you did.‖ Kseniya said nothing, not surprised by his claim The wizard raised his hand and searing pain ripped across her throat Blood sprayed about her Panicked, Kseniya clamped a hand to her neck, desperate to keep her life from flowing away onto his carpets For a moment, everything seemed suspended: the guards jumping back in surprise; Jia-li, her mouth open as she cried out; the bodyguard, moving from his place at the back of the room, crossing the dais toward her Upstairs was beyond my ability to describe, except that everything I looked at either glistened or invited the touch of cleaner fingers than mine to glory in its softness I had not ever imagined a world like I saw upstairs The housekeeper, a gruff woman who seemed to keep things running with the tiniest glances, was kind as she hustled me along to the Mistress I think she knew what it was like to come the way I had Maybe she‘d come up that way herself II After that I could tell when I arrived in the mornings when her mother had done the same with her the night before The ravenous mornings, the restless mornings, those were the mornings when the Mistress had used the transmutation power for her own needs I tucked it away in my shoe and went on with my day Miss Aneta, much to my shame and chagrin, did not like it any better coming from me than from the others I think there was a part of me that had hoped she would not object if she knew it was to make my life better, or if it was someone who cared for her a bit It didn‘t make my questions about what to about Miss Aneta easier, or my day Dabrowski, she gave me extra at lunch, for the “hard week” she saw we’d been having, the miss and me, and that made me feel worse 10 ―Was your pa in the military?‖ Jacsen asked The boy said no ―These are mercenaries, not Imperial soldiers You can tell because all the regiment insignias are different That equipment there, the tents, that’s all surplus And they‘ve been here awhile See how many times they‘ve moved the latrines?‖ He pointed to rows of darker earth where cesspits had been backfilled ―And see those pits in the ground there on the far side of the camp? That‘s probably as far as the Grange cannons can reach, which is why the camp is where it is, just out of range 11.That‘s probably as far as the Grange cannons can reach, which is why the camp is where it is, just out of range Those twelve-pounders they have–see them? the four of them?–those are useless Where they‘re placed, they can‘t possibly reach the Grange.‖ 12 ―It‘s your eyes,‖ the boy said as the soldiers moved on ―He thinks you‘re a coyote Your eyes, they shine silver.” III 13 ―Clubbed,‖ the boy said matter of fact, but he folded his leg beneath him so that his foot was hidden and Jacsen felt like an ass ―My sister, she thought you were magic Are you magic? Is that why your eyes are marked like that?‖ 14 Then he unfolded his leg so that Jacsen could see his clubbed foot The boy studied it awhile himself ―My brothers, they told me I was only a half-brother,‖ he said ―Told me my real pa was a wicked spirit and that‘s why I came out wrong.‖ 15 Jacsen‘s world wavers, heatstruck He is looking into a cage at silver eyes in a black mask –(Your eyes, they shine silver! he hears the boy say –I can see my own reflection, Jacsen thinks, like when he was young and he‘d go down to the 16.–I can see my own reflection, Jacsen thinks, like when he was young and he‘d go down to the river pools and try to see his father‘s face in his own And his mother, she’d say, –Come away from there, Bandit You‘ll fall in and drown –Don‘t you worry, she would say, You‘re the spitting image of your pa But it wasn‘t his reflection he saw but just a raccoon who‘d crawled up beside him 17 The raccoons, they’re spitting and hissing until the witch’s prentice lights a poisonous incense and fills their cages with numbing smoke They curl mewling, drowning too Then he takes one and slits it groin to throat and digs out its baculum for working luck magic and fertility magic, and he starts to separate pelt from flesh It‘s not yet dead and it twitches and whines 18 Another witch, one he trusted or thought he could, had given it to him 19 She dreams of the field of knives Of Ayleth, her blood pouring from a wound Isabel can no longer heal, her arms outstretched Isabel tells her no, but Ayleth doesn‘t listen She grabs Isabel‘s hands and falls to the floor, her eyes open Unseeing 20 Florence‘s mother distrusted the daughter of her body, doubted her She knew stories about women-beasts in the forest dark that devoured men, ate souls for their own benefit And didn‘t her boys die? Her baby boys, hadn’t she found them cold and hard as a shank of beef in their bassinets? And hadn‘t she put them there warm and IV thrilling against her? They had sought out her breast and rested their softness, their tiny, mewling mouths against her 21 He takes his chance A young man in good shape, agile as he’ll ever be 22 He doesn‘t know many names of trees Maples, that everybody knows Pines He‘d thought that where he jumped was in some woods, but it wasn‘t 23 And right now a garter snake slithering between the rails, perfectly confident he won’t be quick enough to tramp on and murder it 24 Two of which he had to read at school A Tale of Two Cities and Huckleberry Finn, each of them with language that wore you down, though in different ways 25 Notice in the paper might bring in a few more A troublesome spell, till this was sorted out V APPENDIX II: SAMPLES OF RD IN 10 ENGLISH SHORT STORIES The italic setences contain RD constructions And the bold words or phrases are right dislocated elements and the resumptive pronouns They were fine fellows, every one They told me of their hunt until I stretched and turned away They padded off, toward the water, to wash their sticky faces As they left, I heard the small one say, ―Next hunt, can I help?‖ ―Hidden in the women‘s house?‖ the wizard said in a flat voice ―So it comes back disembodied to haunt me, the smell of the salve on her skin.‖ He relaxed ―Sensible girl, you‘re a credit to your mistress We‘ll get you some better things.‖ Are they stupid, the rich? Does the money stuff itself in their ears and tie a blindfold over their eyes? Two days in the workhouse, two days, and you learn to say, ―No, master, you didn‘t give me the crust for my gran yet,‖ as smooth as the butter you never see any more She pushes the thoughts away and thinks of Ayleth‘s dark hair, her green eyes, the way she laughed into the wind She feels it growing inside her, a darkness where before there was a spark of light I assured myself that the master would have caught scent of any that dared draw near, but still I kept a sharp eye So it was that I first saw, a half hour or more behind us, a black speck just coming up a rise as we fell behind another A fool’s hero, he’d called him, just a man with a sword who knew more of devils than any right man should Meetings with the guild High Brothers were a privilege Otranto had long ago come to find more dreary than edifying He knew, without pride, that he was a master of his craft, a killer almost without compare VI Like a butcher who don‘t eat meat Jerome wasn‘t fooled by outsides But Jerome loved Miss Em Miss Em had rescued him when he was a teenager, a mutt with no father and a dead mother; he‘d wound up at a place like Miss Em‘s, but not as good Not as good at all VII APPENDIX III: SAMPLES OF LD IN 10 VIETNAMESE SHORT STORIES The italic setences contain LD constructions And the bold words or phrases are left dislocated elements and the resumptive pronouns Ơng tơi khơng có cách mạng, kháng chiến chín năm qn đội khơng thể biết chữ, đừng nói đọc thơng viết thạo lại làm thầy giáo dạy lại chữ cho người làng Nên niềm xúc động ông ngồi vào bàn ghế người dạy học lại dạy cho người trang lứa với làng q, có nhiều ngun mà khơng lúc nói hết Dĩ nhiên cô vui vẻ nghe lời Bởi nhiều tơi bố tơi nữa, có lẽ họ biết bàn ghế đơn thuàn loại gỗ tốt thấy, mà cịn phần đời ông hữu Dưới bàn thờ trước linh cữu ông tôi, bố mẹ, cô chị em tơi bà thân thích nội ngoại nhà tôi, khách khứa gần xa ông, bố mẹ bạn bè vợ chồng tơi nữa, tất cung kính khấn vái hương hồn ông tôi, người suốt đời lo trân trọng, giữ gìn từ tưởng chừng bình thường nhất, lại phần đời hữu Nói xong, bà Dung quẩy giỏ chợ, te te nước, mặc cho bà hàng cá đằng sau gom từ để chửi cho kịp Trong mắt bà Dung, Diễm bà có phước lấy nó, bày đặt dèm pha Ừ, hạnh phúc mà, lúc kế bên, đời bận rộn, người ta có kịp nhận hay khơng Riêng Tư, có sẵn đá lửa, mì - dĩ nhiên ăn bớt đơn vị - để đổi lấy quế, cất kỹ đáy ba lơ Cịn Tam bữa trực Cúc nấu nồi canh chua cá hú cho anh Cúc hiền dịu, chăm chút cho chồng VIII Ba đứa chị, đứa lớn chín tuổi, đứa nhỏ hai tuổi, chúng khơng biết đến lý lẽ đó, đói chúng kêu khóc địi ăn Cịn ba đứa con, chúng "gia tài" cịn lại ta Hãy chúng trước 10 Tảo ngồi bên Tư Khánh Anh pha ly cà phê ân cần trao tận tay Tảo Người Kinh có khác, họ thật chu đáo 11 Tư Khánh cười thầm: "cô bé Mường ngu dại ạ, ta giúp nàng nàng mà thân thể nàng thơi Dại lại hốt ổ ba đứa lít nhít bầy chó Việc dễ thơi 12 Khơng kịp bắt chuyện, Huy vượt lên À cô Thanh, cô ta chọc lỗ nhỏ mảnh đất vừa chiếu 13 Sau lần chia tay với người yêu Sao lại lần ngẩng cao đầu thách đố Năm năm đại học Vật lý qua đi, ln nhìn thẳng khơng chớp mắt Rồi lại yêu, lại hồi hộp, lại giận hờn Cuộc tình mà chả có bắt đầu kết thúc Cứ tưởng vĩnh viễn, cuối cùng, phù phiếm Người đàn ơng đó, đêm đông lạnh buốt đèo Sao về, anh sung sướng hạt bạt tiếng gió: ―Giai nhân ơi, xin em buồn, người yêu em đẹp lắm, người yêu em tuyệt lắm‖… Sao cấu vào sườn anh: ―Không làm giai nhân đâu Đời giai nhân bạc Ứ thích giai nhân‖… Anh cười, dừng xe quay lại lên tóc Sao: ―Thơi vậy, khơng làm giai nhân thơi, làm vợ, vợ anh không?‖ 14 - Sao sao, ông gặp bà Sáu chuyện hả? Nhưng mà thằng Huân, người có học, lại đẹp trai… 15 Cha nàng mừng ơng người hiểu nàng: Một bé khác người, lo chẳng đồng ý IX APPENDIX IV: SAMPLES OF RD IN 10 VIETNAMESE SHORT STORIES The italic setences contain RD constructions And the bold words or phrases are right dislocated elements and the resumptive pronouns Cha nàng đon đả kéo thêm chồng ghế Nguyệt cúi gằm, vòng đứng nép sau áo mẹ Gọi nhà trai, gồm có ba người Cha mẹ bên người thiếu mặt, chàng rể tương lai Chẳng hiểu lại rơi vào tay người dửng dưng nhất, Hương Thế mà anh tưởng em mãi, cô bé ngang ngạnh anh Bây anh trâu lẫn nghé‖ - Câm mồm! Nó tao khơng đánh, mày tao đánh - Anh quắc mắt, bóp mạnh vào vai bàn tay lại, khiến đứng đờ bất động, chẳng nói lời - Bây mày phải theo tao đồn cơng an, ăn cắp! Nàng phải có nó, có đôi găng tay da màu nâu Nó đến lúc An khơng biết nữa, bạn thân người biết An treo cổ tự tử đâu ngày giới dáo dác tìm (khi đầu óc u ám, người ta suy nghĩ thật thảm) Ngày tới, đám đồng nghiệp công ty ngồi thấp hai bàn gần sát sân khấu, chúm chụm đầu lại bàn tán xôn xao, háo hức chờ coi rể Rồi Diễm bước vào, nhẹ nhàng đẩy xe lăn có người ngồi mặc vest đen, rể X ... differences in the use of Left dislocation and Right dislocation in English and Vietnamese short stories The analytical data is collected from ten English and ten Vietnamese short stories from 1990 until. .. Left dislocation and Right dislocation realized in English and in Vietnamese short stories? What are the similarities and differences in the use of Left dislocation and Right dislocation in English. .. namely left dislocation (LD) and right dislocation (RD) in English and Vietnamese Aims of the study The study aims at: + Investigating the use of Left dislocation and Right dislocation in English and