Language games using homophones in english classes=trò chơi ngôn ngữ sử dụng từ đồng âm trong các lớp học tiếng anh

VINH UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ==== ==== LANGUAGE GAMES USING HOMOPHONES IN ENGLISH CLASSES (TRỊ CHƠI NGƠN NGỮ SỬ DỤNG TỪ ĐỒNG ÂM TRONG CÁC LỚP HỌC TIẾNG ANH) GRADUATION THESIS FIELD: METHODOLOGY Student: TRẦN THỊ HẢO, 47A1 Supervisor: PHAN VÂN HƯƠNG, M.A VINH, 2010 i VINH UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ==== ==== TRẦN THỊ HẢO LANGUAGE GAMES USING HOMOPHONES IN ENGLISH CLASSES (TRỊ CHƠI NGƠN NGỮ SỬ DỤNG TỪ ĐỒNG ÂM TRONG CÁC LỚP HỌC TIẾNG ANH) GRADUATION THESIS FIELD: METHODOLOGY VINH, 2010 ii Acknowledgment For the completion of this work, I have been fortunate to receive invaluable contributions from many people First of all, I should like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Mrs Phan Van Huong, M.A for her expert advice, excellent suggestions and detailed comments, without which the work would not have been completed I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to all my classmates for their various kinds of help and encouragement I repeat my thanks to my brother for all the useful web sites he gave to me with constant support Finally, I am too aware that despite all the advice and assistance, I feel that the project is far from perfect; it is, therefore, my sole responsibility for any inadequacies and shortcomings that the thesis may be considered to have Vinh, May, 10th, 2010 Tran Thi Hao iii Abstract Homophone is a topic that has been studied by a number of students in our department In fact, it is an interesting topic, and it is really useful for English learners In this thesis, the author gives the readers a brief account of information about homonyms and homophones in terms of semantics The comparison of English and Vietnamese homophones is also mentioned to help the readers know more about this topic More importantly, the author gives some main types of games using homophones for teaching English These will be illustrated by specific examples and practice to help the readers understand and use homophones for games effectively iv Abbreviations A: answer C.f.: compare E.g.: example N: noun PP: past participle Q: question Sb: somebody Vs.: versus v Table of Content Page Acknowledgement i Abstract ii Abbreviations iii Table of contents iv PART I: INTRODUCTION Justification of the Study Aims of the Study Research questions Scope of the Study Methods of the Study Format of the Study PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 Word and Word Meanings 1.1.1 The Notion of Word 1.1.2 Characteristics of Words 1.1.3 Word Meaning 1.1.3.1 Words as Meaningful Units 1.1.3.2 Components of Word-meaning … 10 a Denotative Meaning 10 b Connotative Meaning 10 c Structural/ Associative Meanings 11 d Categorial Meaning 13 1.2 Homonymy 13 1.2.1 Definition 13 1.2.2 Homonymy and Polysemy 13 vi 1.2.3 Types of Homonyms 16 1.2.3.1 Full Homonyms 16 1.2.3.2 Homophones 17 1.2.3.3 Homographs 17 1.3 Language Games 17 CHAPTER 2: HOMOPHONES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE 2.1 Overall Understanding of Vietnamese and English 20 2.1.1 Language Family 20 2.1.2 Language Type 20 2.1.3 Vocabulary 21 2.1.4 Grammar 21 2.2 Types of Homophones in Vietnamese and English 23 2.3 The Use of Homophones in Games in English 24 CHAPTER 3: LANGUAGE GAMES USING HOMOPHONES 3.1 Homophone Games 25 3.2 The Benefits 25 3.3 Types 26 3.3.1 Visual Aid Homophone Games 26 a Definition 26 b The Aim and the Object 26 c The Method and Practice 27 3.3.2 Homophone Quiz 31 a Definition 31 b The Aim and the Object 31 c The Method and Practice 31 3.3.3 Riddle 35 a Definition 35 b The Aim and the Object 36 vii c The Method and Practice 36 3.4 Suggested Tips for Controlling Effective Homophone Games 38 PART III: CONCLUSION Review of the Study 40 Applications of the Study 41 Suggestions for Further Studies 41 REFERENCES APPENDIXES viii PART I: INTRODUCTION Justification of the Study English has become an international language and it is becoming more and more important in all fields of our life Learning English well is not at all an easy task Homophone is a difficult but interesting part of English Sometimes what are pronounced similarly have different meanings and totally distinguish from each other Homophone plays an important role in forming the abundance and variety of English That also forms great interest for English learners Mastering 'homophone' helps us to possess a huge knowledge of English vocabulary and the way to use them in various situations Knowing about homophone the students can improve their pronunciation When they can master a huge number of homophones, it will be easy for them to recognize and pronounce the words accurately Therefore, their speaking English skill one of four main skills in studying English, is enhanced step by step Taking part in interesting homophone games the students not only can relax, be more active and creative but they can also develop their knowledge and practice their listening and speaking English In fact, language learning is a hard task which can sometimes be frustrating Constant effort is required to understand, produce and manipulate the target language Well-chosen games are invaluable as they give students a break and at the same time allow students to practice language skills Games are highly motivating since they are amusing and challenging as well Furthermore, they employ meaningful and useful language in real contexts They also encourage and increase cooperation Homophone really works when the teachers want to bring the students good knowledge of vocabulary or speaking skills and listening ones Language games are widely used by many teachers when they want to catch the students' attention at the beginning of the class, to help them relax during the lesson, or even in any club in terms of entertainment only Therefore, the connection of homophone and games is really interesting and useful in teaching Language games using homophones catch much attention from both teachers and students That can be used in classes, in clubs, between pairs, in the whole class or among the crowd, which is really helpful to bring amusing atmosphere with the high educational function by forming the students‟ ability to have a good reaction, developing their intelligence, their creativity or enlarging their knowledge of English words, and promoting language skills For the above mentioned reasons, the author has decided to carry out a study entitled “Language games using homophones in English classes” with the hope to contribute useful ways to improve languages skills in learning English with higher pedagogical values Aims of the Study The thesis has been done with the aims to: - help the author and the readers to understand more deeply the subject “lexicology and semantics” which is vital in any English course by catching the view of homophone and some kinds of homophone, also several important points of semantics such as word and characteristics of word, word meanings, components of word meanings - enable the readers to master English vocabulary, which seems to be very difficult to any foreign language learners, and use them effectively in many communicative contexts - point out a brief account of differences between Vietnamese and English homophones, which are resulted from the overall differences between Vietnamese and English languages, to help the readers understand homophones more profoundly and use them more effectively in various This research is an open topic That means the readers themselves can find out or invent their own interesting games to achieve their aim Therefore, right now, let‟s think and show your own creation with language games using homophones for teaching and studying English The following are some main tips for the readers to control a homophone game effectively:  Games should be regarded as supplementary activities The whole syllabus should not be based on games only - even for young learners  When choosing a game, the teacher should be careful to find an appropriate one for the class in terms of language and type of participation  Once the game has begun, the teacher should not interrupt to correct mistakes in language use  The teacher should not compel an individual to participate Some learners may not want to participate due to personal reasons Forcing students to participate usually does not have successful results  A game which looks wonderful on the paper may not work in the actual classroom setting If it is tiring or boring, it should be stopped  Give clear instructions Unless the learners know what he is expected to and how to it, the aim cannot be achieved, and the game cannot be played  The teacher can invent and modify each game relevant to the students‟ level and specific pedagogical aims with the given materials 39 PART III: CONCLUSION Review of the Study In this paper, the author has reviewed the notion of homophone and several theoretical issues relating to this area Word and word meaning, with the notion of word, and characteristics of word are all mentioned in the first part of theoretical background to help the readers understand some main important parts in semantics After that, the writer has also given some main points about word meaning units and components of word-meaning consisting of denotative meaning, conceptual meaning, referential meaning, connotative (or social, affective) structural/ associative meanings, reflected meaning, collocative meaning, categorical meaning Moreover, homonym has been mentioned in the second part with the specific points such as homonym and polysemy, and types of homonyms Especially, homophones are discussed more deeply in this paper Language games discussed in the third part of theoretical background enables the readers to understand the benefits and the uses of language games in teaching and learning English All these theoretical points in the first chapter lay the basis of this research The 2nd chapter presented a brief account of homophones in English and Vietnamese Overall understanding of Vietnamese and English is discussed to help the readers get brief ideas of the two languages Types of homophones in Vietnamese and English are analyzed for using homophone via games in English classes much effectively In addition, besides the theoretical part, the writer has also given exercises and games using English homophones that can be applicable to various activities, all mentioned in the last chapter: Language games using homophones in English classes Three main games are provided: visual aids 40 homophone games, homophone quiz and riddle Each game is analyzed with the aim, object and practice with many specific examples, so the readers can know the use of the game, and they themselves can create more games suitable with their students‟ level of English The appendixes of this paper also supply the readers with a large number of questions for these useful homophone games With the research, the readers can understand more about homophones, many related theoretical issues and the effective use of homophones via games in English classes Applications of the Study Firstly, homophone, one important part in the English language was discussed on the basis of related theoretical issues such as word and word meaning, components of word meaning, which enables the readers to understand more clearly other aspects of English semantics for other purposes of learning Moreover, given with the summarized contrast of overall understanding of Vietnamese and English, the readers can conduct the other research concerning the analysis of homophones of the two languages Next, language games, particularly homophone games, can be applied to many teaching situations to get the highest pedagogical value The readers, from these, can invent many other related games for specific aims Last but not least, with the readers‟ creativity, language games can be used more effectively in communicative classes not only using homophone but also other areas of language learning Suggestions for Further Studies Within the scope of a graduation paper, this research only focuses on three main games using homophones in teaching and learning in English 41 classes The author herself really wants to more for this interesting topic such as homophone games connected to the specific skills or lessons in teaching and learning for scrutinized pedagogical value Therefore, the readers can develop these mentioned homophone games for the more effective teaching result Moreover, further works can deal with other games, not only using homophone but also homographs and full homonyms, which are also interesting and useful In addition, using games in English classes is one large interesting topic, it is suggested that more studies can be carried out to investigate other useful games relating to semantics field for teaching and learning English Last but not least, other areas relating to the contrast between Vietnamese and English should be concerned, not only homophones, enable the English learners as foreign language to gain learning purposes with better result 42 REFERENCES Books: English Agnieszka, U (1998) The Use of Games For Vocabulary Presentation and Revision 'Forum' Vol 36 No 1, January Austin, John L (1962) How to things with Words Oxford: Clarendon Press Hudson, Richard A (1995) Word Meaning London: Routledge Jackson, H (1988) Words and Their Meaning, Longman Jackson, H & Ze‟ Amvela, E (2000) Words, Meaning and Vocabulary England: Bristish Library Kashen, S & Terrell, T (1983) The Natural Approach: Language Acquisition in the Classroom Oxford: Pergamon Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen and Khuat Thi Thu Nga (2003) Learning Vocabulary Through Games Asian EFL Journal Lyons, John (1995) Linguistic Semantics an Introduction London: CPU Ngo Nhu Binh The Vietnamese Language Learning Framework Cambridge: Harvard University 10 Nguyen Hoa (2001) An Introduction to Semantics Vietnam National University 11 Nguyen Hoa (2004) Understanding Engliah Semantics Vietnam National University 12 Nguyen Thi Van Lam & Ngo Đinh Phuong (2006) Language Teaching Theory Vinh Uinversity 13 Nida, Eugene (1975) Componential Analysis of Meaning The Hague: Mouton 43 14 Martha, L & Casey, M (1997) 'Index Cards: A Natural Resource for Teachers 'Forum' Vol 35 No 4, October – December 15 Palmer, Frank R (1986) Semantics: A New Outline, 2nd Edn Cambridge: CPU 16 Richards, J C & Rodgers, T S (2001) Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching Cambridge University Press 17 Tulloch, S (1991) The Oxford Dictionary of New Words, 1st Edn Oxford University Press Vietnamese 18 Cao Xuan Hao 2000 Tiếng Việt - vấn đề ngữ âm,ngữ pháp, ngữ nghĩa (Vietnamese - Some Questions on Phonetics, Syntax and Semantics) NXB Giáo dục, Hanoi, VN 19 Hoang Phe 2002 Từ điển tiếng Việt (Vietnamese Dictionary).Vietnam Lexicography Centre, NXB Đà Nẵng, VN 20 Huu Đat, Tran Tri Doi & Dao Thanh Lan 1998 Cơ sở tiếng Việt (Basis of Vietnamese) NXB Giáo dục, Hanoi, VN 21 Mai Ngoc Chu; Vu Duc Nghieu & Hoang Trong Phien Cơ sở ngôn ngữ học Tiếng Việt (Basis of linguistics and Vietnamese) Nxb Giáo dục, H., 1997 22 Nguyen Tai Can 1998 Ngữ pháp tiếng Việt (Vietnamese Grammar), NXB Đại học Quốc gia, Hanoi, VN Websites: http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/spelling/recognising/homophones/ game.shtml http://www.gamequarium.org/dir/Readquarium/Vocabulary/Homophones/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophone_Word_Game http://www.ehow.com/how_8613_play-homophone-game.html http://www.riddles.com http: www.vietlex.vn/lib/compuLinguistics/ALRWS2004-Paper007.pdf 44 APPENDIXES A A List of Common Homophones Homophones Examples allowed You are not allowed to smoke until you are 16 aloud She spoke her thoughts aloud (to say something so it can be heard) bear A bear is a large furry animal bare She walked on the beach with bare feet bored To be bored is to have lost interest in something board A board is a flat piece of wood break If you break something you damage it brake When you brake the car slows down caught He caught a large fish court You play tennis on a tennis court check Did you check that the door is locked? cheque You can write a cheque to pay your bills find I can't find my socks fined She was fined £40 for driving too fast on the motorway flower A daffodil or a rose is a flower flour You need some flour to make the birthday cake hair She has really long hair hare A hare is an animal like a rabbit Homophones Examples here Please come over here hear Can you hear that noise? heal His leg is broken, but it will heal (get better) heel Your heel is at the back of your foot hire When we go to Spain we'll hire a car higher The mountain was higher than the clouds hour There are 60 minutes in an hour our This is our house maid The maid cleaned all of the 15 rooms made I made the bed this morning new I spilt wine on my brand new shirt knew I knew the answers to all the questions one There was only one piece of birthday cake left won She won the running race pear I ate a pear and a banana for breakfast pair I won the card game with a pair of aces piece I ate a very large piece of pie peace He went on an march for world peace plain I painted over the wallpaper in a plain color plane The plane landed late because of heavy fog pour Can you please pour some milk on my cereal? poor He grew up in a poor neighbourhood paw The cat hurt his paw in a fight saw He cut the tree down with a saw Homophones Examples sore His ankle was sore after he fell over see She couldn't see without her glasses sea I went swimming in the sea while on holiday shore She built a sandcastle by the shore sure I'm sure that I turned the oven off (to be absolutely certain) sight Don't let the children out of your sight site There were four cranes on the building site stairs She ran down the stairs to answer the phone stares He stares out of the window at the neighbours steal The thief got caught trying to steal the diamond steel The buildings were made of steel and glass they're They're is a shorter way to say they are their It was their dog that bit the postman there The supermarket is over there through I walked through the door into the room threw She threw the ball a long way to He isn't going to work today too Too is another way to say as well two Two is the number between one and three waste Waiting for the wrong train was a waste of time waist Her old dress was a bit tight around the waist week A week is seven days long weak He was too weak to lift the heavy box Homophones Examples where Where are you going tonight? wear Which tee-shirt are you going to wear out? whether I'm not sure whether to phone her or not weather Sun, rain, wind and snow are types of weather which Which ice cream would you like? witch The witch was seen flying on a broomstick whole Two halves make a whole hole There was a hole in his sock worn I am tired and worn out warn He tried to warn her about the wet floor would Would you like a drink? wood Wood comes from trees write I must write a letter to my friend soon right Right is the opposite of left B Some Other Questions for Homophone Games I Pairs of homophones (i): Find pairs of homophones to complete the following riddles: (1) What does a female deer use to make bread? (2) What is a grizzly who's missing his fur? (3) What is a bird that is not in fair territory? (4) What is a shopkeeper below ground level? (5) What is a racetrack that is badly in need of repair? (6) Without strength for days? (7) Look at the small ocean? (8) A baby boy in the sky? (9) Begin a letter with a doe? (10) To encounter the beef? (11) A room in prison to exchange for money? (12) An inexpensive chick's cry? Suggested answer: doe, dough bare, bear foul, fowl cellar, seller coarse, course Weak, week See, sea Son, sun Dear, deer 10 Meet & meat 11 Cell & sell 12 Cheap, Cheep (ii) Homophones and What you call a broad abroad A gal overseas? a cent a scent ascent a penny or a smell going up a loft aloft a room in the air a miss amiss a single woman gone astray a part apart a role separated aid aide help a helper ail ale sick beer airy aerie a wide open eagle nest allot a lot budget much aloud allowed speaking permitted alter altar modify religious table amuse a muse entertain spirit ant aunt an insect relative ascent assent a cent going up agreed to for a penny assign a sign designate signal aster asked her a star questioned her attire a tire dress a wheel aught ought nothing should award a ward prize client aye eye I yes look me bad bade terrible bid bail bale release tie up ball bawl sphere cry bandit banned it outlaw outlawed banjo banned Joe stringed instrument outlawed Joseph banned band A barred orchestra bare bear nude Smokie barque bark ship howl barred bard banned poet barren baron childless noble base bass a big bad violin beat beet hammer a vegetable Beatle beetle musical bug beau bow a suiter's tie beech beach a tree shore beer bier malt beverage coffin belle bell good gong berth birth bed creation bizarre bazaar crazy outdoor market bough bow branch curtsey bury berry inter fruit Cain's canes Abel's sibling's walking sticks charred chard burnt greens crew's cruise seamen's voyage doe dough dodo deer money for an extinct bird wholesale hole sale great price for nothing hirsute her suit hairy her clothes Layne's lane Bobby L's street main mane most important horse hair male mail letters for men only May's maze a certain month's puzzle Mick‟s mix Mickey‟s stew Mick‟s up/mix up Is Mickey at bat or not? pale pail light colored container pane pain window ache patient's patience client's forbearance pa‟s paws Dad‟s hands pa‟s pause Dad‟s stop Price's prices what Mr P charges pride pried vanity snooped prize pries an award snoops quire choir two dozen singers rough ruff vicious trump sail sale ocean cruise discount sane seine "not crazy" net seaman semen naval seed size sighs measure breaths Styx sticks branches in the river of death vain vane proud wind indicator vain vein proud blood vessel II Riddles: Answering the following questions Why did the teacher leave her purse open when walking into school? What is the largest building in the world? You find these in forests and on elephants!" You're in a forest, you lost a bunny, and in this imaginary world, bunnies are close to being extinct If you don't find this species of bunny and hide it in a safe livable place, you could be arrested You are in the middle of a forest, with a table, a mirror, Hitler and his crew (Army-men), and a brush Be mindful, there are many types of bunnies Britain is surrounded by what letter? What letter can sting? The color of someone reading? To bake with something in a bed? Suggested answer: Because she heard there was going to be a change in the weather The library because it has the most stories Trunks Look in the mirror and see what you saw Take the saw and cut the table in half Two halves make a whole Use the brush to brush your hair Take the hare and place it in the hole The letter: C Here: “c” and “sea” are homophone, then the true idea: Britain is surrounded by sea That‟s B Here: the letter “B” and “Bee” are homophones, the right idea: bee is an insect that can sting Red (red and PP of “read” are homophones) Flour (flour and flower are homophones) ...VINH UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ==== ==== TRẦN THỊ HẢO LANGUAGE GAMES USING HOMOPHONES IN ENGLISH CLASSES (TRÒ CHƠI NGÔN NGỮ SỬ DỤNG TỪ ĐỒNG ÂM TRONG CÁC LỚP HỌC TIẾNG ANH) ... chapter discusses main types of games using homophones in English to see how effectively homophone games can bring in for higher educational function 24 CHAPTER 3: LANGUAGE GAMES USING HOMOPHONES 3.1... 21 2.2 Types of Homophones in Vietnamese and English 23 2.3 The Use of Homophones in Games in English 24 CHAPTER 3: LANGUAGE GAMES USING HOMOPHONES 3.1 Homophone Games 25