English idioms containing the word “ hand ” with reference to the vietnamse equivalents

2018 – 2020 (1) ENGLISH LANGUAGE NGUYỄN THỊ MINH TUYẾT MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY M.A THESIS ENGLISH IDIOMS CONTAINING THE WORD “ HAND” WITH REFERENCE TO THE VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS (Thành ngữ tiếng Anh chứa từ tay tương đương tiếng Việt) LE THI MINH TUYET Field: English Language Code: 8.22.02.01 Hanoi – 2020 i MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY M.A THESIS ENGLISH IDIOMS CONTAINING THE WORD “ HAND” WITH REFERENCE TO THE VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS (Thành ngữ tiếng Anh chứa từ tay tương đương tiếng Việt) LE THI MINH TUYET Field: English Language Code: 8.22.02.01 Supervisor:Assoc Prof Dr Hoang Tuyet Minh Hanoi - 2/ 2020 ii CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled“English idioms containing the word hand with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents”submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Language Except where the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis Hanoi, 2020 Le Thi Minh Tuyet Approved by SUPERVISOR Assoc Prof Hoang Tuyet Minh iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not have been able to accomplish this task without the assistance and support from a number of people First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Assoc Prof Dr Hoang Tuyet Minh, my supervisor, who has patiently and constantly supported since the stage of a critical thinking for a research proposal Her stimulating ideas, expertise, and suggestions have inspired me throughout the process of completing this graduation research thesis A special word of thanks goes to all the lectures and staff at Faculty for Graduate Studies at Hanoi Open University and many others, whose support and encouragement provided me with a great energy for overcoming all challenges of doing this research Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my family, my husband and sons, for their sacrifice to my academic career iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Certificate of originality iii Acknowledgements iv Table of contents v Chapter INTRODUCTION……………………………………………….… 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims and Objectives 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Methods of the study 1.6 Significance of the study 1.7 Structural organization of the study Chapter LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Previous studies .5 2.1.1 Previous studies overseas 2.1.2 Previous studies in Vietnam 2.2 An overview of idioms 2.2.1 Definitions of idioms 2.2.2 Typical features of English idioms 12 2.2.3 Classifications of idioms 17 2.3 Culture and Language 21 2.3.1 Culture 21 2.3.2 Language 23 2.3.3 The relationship between culture and language 24 2.3.4 The Differences between British and Vietnamese Cultures 25 2.4 Summary .27 Chapter METHODOLOGY…………………………………………….… 28 3.1 Research approach 28 3.2 Research questions 28 3.3 Research methods 29 3.4 Data collection .29 3.5 Data analysis 31 3.6 Summary 33 v Chapter 4: SEMANTIC AND CULTURAL FETURES OF ENGLISH IDIOMS CONTAINING THE WORD HAND WITH REFERENCE TO THE VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS…………………………………………….….34 4.1 Semantic features of English idioms containing the word hand with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents 34 4.1.1 Experience 34 4.1.2 Old (not new) 35 4.1.3 Money 35 4.1.4 Power and responsibility 36 4.1.5 Cooperation and Help at work 37 4.1.6 Value 38 4.1.7 Disability 39 4.1.8 Actions and Behaviour 39 4.1.9 Authority and Power 40 4.1.10 Law and Order 40 4.1.11 Business and Work 41 4.1.12 Relationship 42 4.1.13 Efficiency and Competence 42 4.1.14 Ambition and determination 43 4.2 Cultural features of English idioms containing the word hand with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents 44 4.2.1 The images of actions in the English idioms containing the word hand with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents 44 4.2.2 The images of things in the English idioms containing the word hand with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents 45 4.2.3 The images of parts of body in the English idioms containing the word hand with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents 46 4.2.4 Other images in the English idioms containing the word hand with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents 47 4.3 Implication for translating and teaching idioms containing the word hand in English and their Vietnamese equivalents 48 4.4 Summary 52 vi Chapter CONCLUSIONS ……………………………………………… ……53 5.1 Recapitulation 53 5.2 Concluding remarks 53 5.3 Limitations and suggestions for future research 54 REFERENCES 55 vii Chapter INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale Idioms have always attracted attention of linguists, although they were not given enough recognition in the past The new trends in English lexical studies, however, have thrown a completely different light on these multi-word units with more or less unpredictable meanings Being regarded as something inherently linked with a successful acquisition of a foreign language, idioms are of great importance in any language system With different levels of figurativeness they represent indispensable lexical elements that help any foreign language speaker sound more native and proficient It is obvious that different languages will have different idioms, both in structure and meaning Also, the repertoire of idioms will vary from one person to another, depending on their social or intelectual background Idiomatic expressions can be frequently encountered in magazines, newspapers, movies or TV shows They are used in everyday speech and to a certain extent they form a part of the core values of the culture Mastery of idioms facilitates communication and promotes an innovative environment of social interaction Since idioms convey meaning quickly and enable language users express themselves more efficiently, they should be integrated into the teaching and learning process of foreign languages The ready-made production of these figurative expressions contributes to the fluency making it possible for the speaker to be more concentrated on the message that needs to be delivered than on the formation of a sentence with a long literal explanation Nowadays, English has been used as a foreign language in Vietnam and gradually becomes more and more important in various fields of life and society in regard to the global communication However, it is a fact that all learners who desire to master one language as native speakers usually face a lot of difficulties preventing them from gaining successful conversations One of the reasons for these problems lies in the way people perceive and use idioms Why idioms sometimes make learners unable to communicate effectively? Firstly, that is because an idiom is ‘a group of words whose meaning is different from the meaning of the individual words’ Secondly, idioms are considered as special factors of the vocabulary system of a language because they reflect culturally specific characteristics of each nation, including material and spiritual values As a result, if learners wish to master one language, one of the most effective ways is that they must learn that language by idioms with not only linguistic but also cultural features English idioms containing the word hand is not an unfamiliar subject, but there seems to have no research relating to all the idioms containing the word hand, in terms of cultural and semantic features That is why English idioms containing the word hand with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents has been chosen for this graduation thesis It is hoped that the results of this research will make a small contribution to the implication for teaching and learning these idioms 1.2 Aims and Objectives This research is carried out to aim at helping Vietnamese learners of English master the cultural and semantic features of English idioms containing the word hand with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents, thus being able to propose some implication for teaching these idioms to them more effectively To achieve the aims mentioned above, some following specific objectives are put forward: - Describing the semantic and cultural features of the English idioms containing the word hand - Making a comparison between the English idioms containing the word hand with the Vietnamese equivalents in terms of semantic and cultural features - Suggesting some possible implications for translating, teaching and learning these idioms to Vietnamese learners of English 1.3 Research questions In order to obtain the aims of the study, the following questions are put forward: - What are the sematic and cultural features of English idioms containing the word hand? - What are the similarities and differences of English idioms containing the word hand with the Vietnamese equivalents in terms of semantic and cultural features? - What are possible implications for teaching and learning English idioms containing the word hand? 1.4 Scope of the study In the framework of this study, only English idioms containing the word hand are focused on in terms of semantic and cultural features A comparison between these idioms and their Vietnamese equivalent are also put under investigation to find out the similarities and differences between them The data are taken from English and Vietnamese bilingual and monolingual dictionaries, English and Vietnamese idioms, especially idiomatic dictionaries such as Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms, Oxford Idioms Dictionary for learners of English, The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms and Internet resources There are 247 English idioms containing the word hand collected with its 105 idioms containing the word tay equivalents in Vietnamese In this study, English is considered as source language and Vietnamese as target language Therefore, the comparative analysis in this study is mono-directed The equivalents in this study is meant that the meaings of the idioms containing the word hand in English with those of idioms containing the word tay in Vietnamese 1.5 Methods of the study In order to gain the aims of the study, the following methods are employed: Descriptive methods are used to describe semantic and cultural features of English idioms containing the word hand and their Vietnamese equivalents Comparative and contrastive analysis methods are also applied in order to find out the similarities and differences between English idioms containing the word hand and their Vietnamese equivalents in terms of semantic and cultural features 1.6 Significance of the study Theoretically, the study provides a comprehensive understanding about the cultural and semantic features of English idioms containing the word hand and their Vietnamese equivalents It is a great significance for anyone who desires to study more about English idioms in general and English idioms containing the word hand and their Vietnamese equivalents in particular Practically, the results of the study value for Vietnamese teachers and learners of English in the process of teaching and learning English as a foreign language effectively The lists of English idioms containing the word hand is useful for them understanding more not only the cultural and semantic features of English these idioms but also those of Vietnamese equivalents 19 Radford, A (2004) English syntax: An introduction Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press 20 Seidl, J & Mc Mordie, W (1978) English idioms and how to use them Oxford University Press 21 Urdang, L (1979) Longman Dictionary of English Idioms (1st ed.) Prentice Hall College Div 22 Waiter, E (1998) Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms New York: Cambridge University Press, USA In Vietnamese 23 Vĩnh Bá (1999) “Từ điển Thành ngữ Tiếng Việt” 24 Phạm Văn Bình (1996) “English Idioms and Proverbs” 25 Việt Chương (1996) “Từ điển Thành ngữ, Tục ngữ, Ca dao Việt Nam” 26 Lương Văn Đang (1978) Thành ngữ tiếng Việt Nxb KHXH, Hà Nội 27 Vũ Dung (1993) Từ điển Thành ngữ Tục ngữ Việt Nam, Nxb Giáo dục, Hà Nội 28 Nguyễn Đình Hùng (2002) Tuyển tập thành ngữ, tục ngữ, ca dao Việt –Anh thơng dụng Nxb Hồ Chí Minh 29 Nguyễn Lan (2008) Từ điển thành ngữ tục ngữ Việt Nam, Nxb Khoa học Xã hội, Hà Nội 30 Nguyễn Lực & Lương Văn Đang (1978) Thành ngữ Tiếng Việt Nxb Khoa học xã hội, Hà Nội 31 Nguyễn Thị Nguyệt Minh (2012) Khảo sát ngữ nghĩa thành ngữ, quán ngữ thời đại, giá trị biểu trưng 32 Bùi Phụng (1995) “Dictionary of Vietnamese - English Idioms and Proverbs explained” 33 Bùi Phụng (2006) Thành ngữ Anh Việt Nxb Văn hóa Sài Gịn 34 Trần Tất Thắng (1995) “Idioms for Everyday Use” 35 Lã Văn Thành, Trịnh Thu Hươg, Trung Dũng (2010) Từ điển thành ngữ Anh Việt Nxb Khoa học Kĩ thuật 36 Lê Quang Thiêm (2008) Ngữ nghĩa học Nxb Giáo dục, Hà Nội 37 Nguyễn Như Ý, Nguyễn Văn Khang & Phạm Xuân Thành (1994) Từ điển Giải thích Thành ngữ Gốc Hán Nxb Văn hóa, Hà Nội 56 WEBSITES: 38 http://www.learn-english-today.com 39 http://www.wikipedia.org 40 http://www.english-at-home.com 41 http://www.usingenglish.com 42 http://www.idiomconnection.com 57 APPENDIX APPENDIX 1 ENGLISH IDIOMS CONTAINING THE WORD “HAND” a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush a clean hand wants no washing a firm hand a handful of ashes is all that remains of the greatest a show of hands all hands on deck a safe pair of hands an iron fist/hand 10 11 12 13 ask for/win sbd’s hand ask for one’s hand at first-hand at hand at the hands of someone| at someone's hands: (formal) 14 15 16 17 (close/near) at hand be a dab hand at something = be an old hand at something be an old hand be beforehand with the world 18 be behindhand with his payment 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 be caught red handed be caught with one’s hand in the till be / get out of hand be good with your hands be hand in glove be rubbing one’s hands with glee be putty in one’s hands bite the hands that feed 27 28 29 30 31 bear someone in hand blind/tie sbd hand and foot blood on one’s hands bound / tied hand and foot boil / dirty one’s hands 58 32 bring up by hand 33 by hand 34 change hands 35 cap in hand 36 caught red-handed 37 chuck one’s hand 38 come (readily) to hand 39 dab hand at something 40 devil makes hard work for idle hands 41 die by one’s own hand 42 something with one’s hand tied behind the back 43 eat out of one’s hand 44 fall into someone's hands/the hands of someone 45 46 47 48 49 fall into the wrong hands force one’s hand force someone's hand free hand fly off the handle 50 fly off the handle 51 gain, get, have, etc the upper hand 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 get out of hand get your hands dirty get a big hand (get/take your) hands off (something/someone)(informal) get one’s hands on get, have, etc a free hand get itchy hand give someone a hand give sbd a hand (with sth) 61 62 63 64 65 give someone a big hand give someone a free hand give / lend somebody a hand go hand in hand go cap in hand to someone 59 66 go hand in hand (with sth) 67 golden handshake 68 go to hell in a handcart 69 golden handcuffs 70 go hat in hand (to someone) 71 have a hand like a foot 72 have a hand at pastry 73 have a hand in something 74 have a free hand 75 have a hand in 76 have a whip hand over someone 77 have time on your hands | have time to kill (informal) 78 have the upper hand 79 80 81 82 have/hold, etc the whip hand (over someone/something) have the game / cards in one’s hand have someone's blood on your hands have someone in the palm of your hand 83 have your hands tie 84 have one’s hands full 85 have long hands 86 hand /give it to sbd 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 hand in glove hand in hand hand it to someone hand on a platter/plate hands full (all) hands on deck hands tied handbrake on a canoe handle with kid gloves hand in glove hand in glove (with someone) handbrake on a canoe hands down (informal) 60 100 hands up! (informal) 101 hand over fist 102 hand in glove 103 hands down 104 hand some is as handsome does 105 hand in 106 hand out 107 heavy hand 108 hold one’s hand 109 hold someone's hand 110 I only have one pair of hands (informal) 111 in safe hands 112 113 114 115 116 in someone's capable, safe, etc hands in hand in the hands of someone | in someone's hands in safe hands| in the safe hands of someone in good hands 117 iron hand/fist in a velvet glove 118 keep your hand in 119 120 121 122 123 keep something (ready) to hand keep one’s hand in keep a tight hand kiss one’s hand to someone know something like the back of one’s hand know someone/something inside out| know someone/something like the back 124 of your hand 125 know something like the back of your hand 126 know something like the palm of one’s hand 127 128 129 130 131 lay/get your hands on something lay hands on left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing learn at second hand lie in one’s hands 61 132 like the back of one's hand 133 live from hand to mouth 134 need a hand (with sth) 135 not a hand’s turn 136 make/lose money hand over first 137 make a woman’s hand a prisoner 138 many hands make light work 139 offer your hand (formal) 140 off your hands 141 offer one’s hand 142 old hand 143 on hand 144 on either/every hand 145 146 147 148 149 on your hands on the one hand… on the other (hand)… on the other hand one’s right hand one’s hands are tied 150 out of hand 151 out of your hands 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 overplay one’s hands play into someone's hands play (right) into one’s hands play one’s hands for all it is worth (like) putty in someone's hands put one’s hand to the plough put one’s hand in the pocket put one’s hand in one’s heart raise a/your hand against/to someone 161 162 163 164 165 read one’s hand reject / dismiss something out of hand safe hands show of hands show / tip one’s hand 62 166 sleight of hand 167 sit on one’s hands 168 someone needs a hand 169 someone's hand (in marriage) 170 stay your hand 171 take the law into one's own hands 172 take your courage in both hands 173 take matters into your own hands 174 take someone in hand 175 take something into your own hands 176 take the law into your own hands 177 take your life in your hands 178 take the law into your hands 179 180 181 182 183 take a hand in something take something / somebody in hand take one’s life in one’s hands take the law into one’s own hands through up one’s hands 184 take off one’s hands 185 take something / somebody off one’s hands 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 take one’s courage in both hands take the law into your own hands take a hand at cards take something into one’s own hands the hand of God the dead hand of something the devil makes work for idle hands: (saying) the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing the devil makes work for idle hands 195 196 197 198 199 the heavy hand of someone the matter in hand tied hand and foot throw your hand in: (informal) try your hand (at something) 63 200 turn your hand to something 201 try one’s hand at something 202 turn one’s hand to something 203 upper hand 204 wait on someone hand and foot (disapproving) 205 wash your hands of someone/ something 206 wash one’s hands off something / someone win (something) hands down 207 (informal) 208 win hands down 209 with a high hand 210 211 212 213 214 with an open hand with a heavy hand with one’s hat in the hand wring one’s hand work hand in hand 215 Be able to count someone/something on (the fingers of) one hand: 216 To have one’s hands full it to be busy or too busy to take on other activities 217 Something done with a heavy hand is done excessively and/or oppressively A reference to an iron fist (or iron hand) in a velvet glove is to authoritarian 218 behavior concealed behind a facade of benevolence To know something like the back of one’s hand is to be intimately or 219 thoroughly familiar with it When the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, one entity 220 associated with another is unaware of the second entity’s actions or intentions 221 To lend a hand means to help To live from hand to mouth is to live on a subsistence level, with no cushion 222 of comfort 223 When something gets out of hand, it is out of control 224 “On the other hand” means “alternatively.” 64 225 To overplay one’s hand is to be overconfident To play into someone’s hands is to engage in activity or behavior that makes 226 one vulnerable to another person’s manipulation 227 A show of hands is a literal or figurative assessment or vote to determine support for or opposition to an intended course of action or agreement or disagreement with an opinion To take the law into one’s own hands is to seek justice or retribution instead 228 of obtaining assistance through law enforcement or legal procedures To wash one’s hands of something is to decide that one no longer wants to 229 be considered responsible for an action or policy that one does not have control over To wash one’s hands of something is to decide that one no longer wants to 230 be considered responsible for an action or policy that one does not have control over 231 Be able to count someone/something on (the fingers of) one hand: 232 To have one’s hands full it to be busy or too busy to take on other activities 233 Something done with a heavy hand is done excessively and/or oppressively A reference to an iron fist (or iron hand) in a velvet glove is to authoritarian behavior concealed behind a facade of benevolence To know something like the back of one’s hand is to be intimately or 235 thoroughly familiar with it When the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, one entity 236 associated with another is unaware of the second entity’s actions or intentions 237 To lend a hand means to help 234 To live from hand to mouth is to live on a subsistence level, with no cushion of comfort 239 When something gets out of hand, it is out of control 240 “On the other hand” means “alternatively.” 241 To overplay one’s hand is to be overconfident 238 65 To play into someone’s hands is to engage in activity or behavior that makes 242 one vulnerable to another person’s manipulation A show of hands is a literal or figurative assessment or vote to determine 243 support for or opposition to an intended course of action or agreement or disagreement with an opinion To take the law into one’s own hands is to seek justice or retribution instead 244 of obtaining assistance through law enforcement or legal procedures To wash one’s hands of something is to decide that one no longer wants to 245 be considered responsible for an action or policy that one does not have control over To wash one’s hands of something is to decide that one no longer wants to 246 be considered responsible for an action or policy that one does not have control over 247 Be able to count someone/something on (the fingers of) one hand 66 APPENDIX VIETNAMESE IDIOMS CONTAINING THE WORD TAY EQUIVALENTS bà chúa đứt tay bắt cá hai tay bắt tận tay day tận tóc = Bắt tận tay day tận cánh = bắt tận tay day tận mặt bó chân bó tay bốc lửa bỏ tay người buộc cổ tay buông tay dầm, cầm tay lái cá vào tay bắt cầm dầu dính tay 10 11 cạn lịng bàn tay chai tay bạc áo 12 13 14 15 16 chặt tay day trán tay day trán tay năm ngón chơi dao có ngày đứt tay chữ tốt xem tay người hay xem khốy 17 18 chung tay góp sức cờ đến tay 19 20 cờ đến tay người phất bàn chân bàn tay 67 21 22 23 Đánh chuông mặt đánh giặc tay day tay mặt đặt tay trái tay xoay việc 24 cuốc đau tay cày mỏi gối 25 26 đời người gang tay gắp lửa bỏ tay người 27 28 gảy móng tay xong giàu hai mắt, khó hai bàn tay 29 30 giơ tay mặt, đặt tay trái hai bàn tay trắng 31 hai tay buông xuôi 32 33 hớt tay chân bùn tay lấm 34 35 36 37 38 khéo chân khéo tay khéo mắt, vụng hai tay khéo tay hay miệng khéo tay hay miệng vui vỗ tay vào 39 40 khoa chân múa tay không kịp trở tay = Trở tay không kịp 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 mạnh chân khỏe tay mau tay hay làm mau tay tày đũa may tay hay làm mồm miệng đỡ chân tay quen tay quen việc bàn tay vừa, hai bàn tay vơi chân tay múa tay bị 50 năm ngón tay có ngón dài ngón ngắn 68 51 52 53 ném đá giấu tay ngắn chẳng tày gang = Ngày vui ngắn chẳng đầy gang ngắn tay với chẳng tới trời 54 nhắm mắt xuôi tay 55 56 nhanh tay mau miệng tay với chân 57 58 nốt ruồi tay ăn vay đời nuôi ong tay áo 59 60 sẩy vai xuống cánh tay tắm mưa gội gió 61 tay bắt mặt mừng 62 63 tay bế tay bồng tay cày tay cuốc 64 65 66 67 68 tay cầm tay cắp tay chèo tay lái tay chiêu đạp niêu không vỡ tay nhúng chàm tay dao, tay thớt 69 70 tay dùi đục, chân bàn chổi tay đứt xót = tay đứt ruột xót 71 72 73 tay đứt ruột xót tay hịm chìa khóa tay khơng địi bắt gió trời 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 tay ngơi bụng nhịn tay không mà đồ tay khơng nói chẳng nên điều tay kiếm tay cờ tay làm hàm nhai tay que rẽ chân vòng kiềng tay làm hàm nhai, tay quai miệng trễ tay năm tay mười tay nem tay chạo tay nhọ mặt nhọ 69 84 85 86 tay ống sậy, chân ống đồng tay rảnh chân rỗi tay sách nách mang 87 tay thầy tay thước 88 89 tay trắng hoàn tay trắng tay trắng làm lên 90 91 tay xách nách mang tay yếu chân mềm 92 93 thơm tay may miệng thượng cẳng chân hạ cẳng tay 94 thượng cẳng tay hạ cẳng chân 95 96 trăm hay khơng tay quen trăm tay nghìn mắt 97 98 99 100 101 trở mặt trở bàn tay trở tay khơng kịp vạ gió tai bay = Tai bay vạ gió vả tay khơng hay vả mồm vắt nước không lọt tay 102 103 vung tay trán vụng tay, hay mắt 104 105 105 xắn tay quai cồng xé mắm mút tay 70 ... body in the English idioms containing the word hand with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents 46 4.2.4 Other images in the English idioms containing the word hand with reference to the Vietnamese... of English idioms containing the word hand with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents 44 4.2.1 The images of actions in the English idioms containing the word hand with reference to. .. FETURES OF ENGLISH IDIOMS CONTAINING THE WORD HAND WITH REFERENCE TO THE VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS 4.1 Semantic features of English idioms containing the word hand with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents