(4.167) Bữa rượu hôm nay chính là cái tiệc đầu tiên của tôi mừng anh
[15, p.30]
- Focusing on Adverbial
(4.168) Chính trên cánh phản lực này tôi đã thao thức trong bao nhiêu đêm vắng lặng mà ngoài trời mưa phùn và sương đặc dệt thành tấm màn trùm lên cảnh vật, và tiếng gió vu vu một giờ một thổi sâu vào lòng người. [16, p. 241] (4.169) Chịấy đến chỉ cốt là để gặp anh. [10, p.116] (4.170) Nó ốm chẳng qua là vìđi giữa mưa suốt đêm. [10, p.116]
●Information status
(4.171) Chính trong buổi cơm hôm nay, Yên Phong mới biết hiện tại Thế Kha là quyền giám đốc của một công ty thuộc nhà nước với những đầu tư cho cơ sở hạ
tầng . [14, p.25]
The functional word “Chính” in the examples above is considered the marker to assign Focus in a sentence. The part of clause just right after the functional lexical “chính” is Focus of sentence. However, this Focus is not New
information focus but Contrast Focus. As in “Chính trong buổi cơm hôm nay, Yên Phong mới biết hiện tại Thế Kha là quyền giám đốc của một công ty thuộc nhà nước với những đầu tư cho cơ sở hạ tầng”. The adverbial “trong buổi cơm hôm nay” stands just after the functional lexical “chính”, so it is Focus. The focused elements in these examples are not new but have the implication of contrastive focus “… buổi cơm hôm nay " is contrastive with any other meals or any other time. It can be said that the motivation for Clefting strategy is not to focus on new information but on contrastive information.
4.2.3 SUMMARY OF THEMATISATION DEVICES
4.2.3.1 Similarities
Syntactically, all the thematisation devices: left-movement and clefting strategy allow the speaker to be able to package the same proposition in various syntactic forms.
Pragmatically, the thematisation devices are used to achieve discourse and stylistic values in English as well as in Vietnamese. They enhance the beauty of the language, effectiveness of communication, and allow the speaker to express different degrees of logical and emotional emphasis. The crucial pragmatic factors triggering during the process of themarisation is put the information focus at the beginning of the information unit and all these serve four stylistic motivations: effective communication, emphasis, better understanding.
Thematisation is a device which consists in arranging the matter of communication in such a way that the less important part is amassed at the end, the conspicuous idea being withheld at or near the beginning of the sentence, which is an especially emphatic place. Therefore, New or Contrast information Focus gains the reader’s or listener’s attention. This motivation has been shared by both English and Vietnamese linguists.
4.2.3.2 Differences
There is a big difference between these devices in English and Vietnamese. I found plenty of samples of clefting strategy in English, but a few in Vietnamese equivalents
After the comparison, we conclude that the Information Focus which is assigned by clefting construction in English is completely replaced by functional words in Vietnamese.
Syntactic differences of English and Vietnamese End-Focus Devices are summed up in the following table:
Table 4.2: Differences of English and Vietnamese Thematisation Devices
Thematisation devices English Vietnamese
Left –Movement Strategy X + S +(V)+(O)+(C)+(A) X: Verbs, Objects, Complements, Adjuncts X +S+(P)+(O)+(A) X:Objects +thì, mà Predicates +thì, mà Adverb…+mới, đã Clefting construction It + be + X + Cl-rel