CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY, DATA, AND GENERAL FINDINGS
4.3. Comparing Logico-semantic Relation of Expansion in English and
4.3.2. Operation of Expansion in English and Vietnamese Clause Complexes
Except for the differences in the subtypes of hypotactic conjunctives (relative pronouns in English vs. relative expressions in Vietnamese), the logico-semantic relation of elaboration works the same way in English and Vietnamese clause complexes.
In clause complexes in both languages, elaboration works in three sub-relations:
exposition, exemplification, and clarification.
In a paratactic clause complex of elaboration, the positions of the constituent clauses are fixed: the elaborated clause initiates, the elaborating clause follows. In a hypotactic clause complex, the three positions in the clause complex: initial, middle, and final are all possible for the elaborating clause.
In the sub-relation of exposition, the secondary clause can either restate the primary clause (in paratactic complex) or modify the primary clause (in hypotactic complex).
The expansion process of restating can work in two ways: generalizing and specifying.
The expansion process of modifying can take the whole elaborated clause or a part of the elaborated clause as the domain of the relative clause. When acting as a non- defining relative clause, the elaborating clause usually follows, but sometimes even precede the domain.
In the sub-relation of exemplification, the elaborating clause can function as the illustration of the whole process or of a participant of the elaborated clause. The expansion process of exemplification is often based on conjunctives, but if the meaning of the secondary clause is explicit enough to prove itself as an example of the primary clause, no conjunctive is needed.
In the sub-relation of clarification, the expansion relation works in the way that the elaborating clause explains, or comments, or both explains and comments on the elaborated clause.
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As regards the clause moods, the paratactically related constituent clauses are of the same mood, but in hypotactic relation, the usual mood of elaborating clause is declarative mood.
4.3.2.2. Extension in English and Vietnamese Clause Complexes a. Similarities
Extension works in clause complexes, either paratactic or hypotactic, in both languages, in two modes: addition and variation, with the markers including both structural conjunctions and conjunctives.
In demonstrating the subrelation of addition, the conjunctives for addition in both languages can reflect certain interpersonal meaning together with their usual function of exhibiting the logical meaning. In demonstrating the subrelation of variation, just the logical meaning is conveyed through the conjunctives in both languages.
c. Differences
As regards conjunctives, the typical conjunctives or paratactic clause complexes of extension in English are the simple linkers: and, or, but, so, yet, while typical conjunctives for Vietnamese paratactic clause complexes of extension are correlative structures: không những…mà còn…, nào…ấy…, bao nhiêu…bấy nhiêu…, nào là…nào là…, thứ nhất…thứ hai…, một là…hai là…,hoặc (là) …hoặc (là)…
As regards the subrelation of addition, in English, it is clearly demonstrated in conjunctives that the relation of addition can be positive addition, negative addition, and adversative addition. In Vietnamese, however, besides adversative addition, there is no distinction between positive and negative addition, i.e. the same conjunctives are used to realize these two functions of adding.
4.3.2.3. Enhancement in English and Vietnamese Clause Complexes a. Similarities
The operation of enhancement in English and Vietnamese is the same in that: in paratactic complex, the enhancing clause coordinates the primary clause with circumstantial features; and in hypotactic complex, the enhancing clause attributes the primary clause with circumstantial features.
The types of circumstantial features to be associated through the process of enhancement are also identical in the two languages. Each type of circumstantial features is demonstrated through a specific group of conjunctives which are quite
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explicit in their logico-semantic function. The conjunctives of the same groups can substitute the other, but conjunctives of the same groups usually cannot be used interchangeably.
In both languages, the paratactic complexes of enhancement are made up from independent clause, one is the main process and other(s) is the circumstantial context of that process. Therefore, conjunctives are essential in showing the logico-semantic relations between the clauses.
b. Differences
The only difference between clause complexes of enhancement in English and those in Vietnamese is found in hypotactic complexes. In English, the enhancing clause can use the non-finite verb forms, or the verbless structure to prove itself as dependent on the enhanced clause. Meanwhile, in Vietnamese, to show the relation to the primary clause, the enhancing clause changes itself to be subject-elliptic. However, such a change is not a preferred marker of dependency in enhancement as subject-elliptic can be used in paratactic clause complexes and in other logico-semantic relations as well.
4.3.2.4. Expansion and Ellipsis in English and Vietnamese Clause Complexes Clause complexes of enhancement in English and Vietnamese are also similar in the point that the logico-semantic relations of expansion allow ellipsis of subject and ellipsis of conjunctives to work in the complex. Such cases of ellipsis are possible because the logico-semantic relation of expansion informs about the relation between the elliptic clause and other clauses in the complex, thus allow inference and recoverage of the subject or the conjunctives that are omitted. The clause complexes with subject ellipsis and conjunctive ellipsis are accordingly understandable with the logico-semantic support of expansion in the complexes. This phenonmenon of unidentified subject appear in both English and Vietnamese clause complexes.
The only different feature between the two languages here is: in English, subject ellipsis, in many cases, entails the change in verb forms, while in Vietnamese, the verb, if it does exist in the expanding clause, is not changed in form. Also, the phenonmenon of unidentified subject, i.e. all clauses in the clause complexes are subject-elliptic, is popular in Vietnamese, not so in English.