CHAPTER 4: SYNTACTIC AND SEMANTIC FEATURES OF ‘IN’
4.3. A comparison between IN prepositional phrases inthe novel "If tomorrow comes" by Sidney Sheldom and their Vietnamese translation versions
4.3.2. In terms of their semantic features
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Table 4.17: Semantic features of IN prepositional phrases and their Vietnamese translation versions
Semantic Features
English Vietnamese
Frequency Percentage (%) Frequency Percentage (%)
Spatial 153 46,79% 132 46,98%
Temporal 131 40,06% 128 45,55%
Metaphor 43 13,15% 21 7,47%
Total 327 100,00% 281 100,00%
It is shown in Table 4.17 that in both English and Vietnamese versions of the novel "If tomorrow comes" by Sidney Sheldom, spatial meaning accounted for the highest frequency with 153 and 132 times respectively (46.79% and 46.98%), followed by temporal (40.06% and 45.55%) and metaphor (13.15% and 7.47%).
Prepositional phrase is one of the familiar English grammar topics, often present in most English sentences, causing many difficulties for learners if they do not master how to use it. Although the number is not much, the prepositions in English do not have a fixed rule of usage, maybe with a preposition that can combine with many different types of words, creating a completely different meaning (Hulstijn, and Marchena, 1989). Sometimes linguists distinguish prepositions (English: preposition), after (English: postposition) and surround one term (English: circumlocution). All three types of parts of this saying are collectively referred to as appositions. In more technical terms, a preposition is a component, basically, combining the syntax with a term and specifying how that expression should be interpreted in the surrounding context. Some linguists use the word "preposition" (preposition) instead of "apposition" for all three cases (Morley, 2000).
Spatial Prepositions
From the English version of “If tomorrow comes”, the table below is illustrating for the common uses of spatial propositions with a dedicated frequency within the novel, exemplifying with the table below:
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Table 4.18: The frequency of IN prepositional phrases with spatial meanings in the novel "If tomorrow comes" by Sidney Sheldom and their Vietnamese translation versions
Semantic Features
English Vietnamese
Frequency Percentage (%) Frequency Percentage (%)
Spatial 153 46,79% 132 46,98%
In the English version, the spatial prepositions are used for 153 times of frequency, while the semantic features of this type of prepositions are mentioned for 132 times in the Vietnamese version. Spatial prepositions are referring to prepositions of place. The term spatial preposition is used according to the concept that words often precede nouns, verbs, pronouns to predict an object (Terzi, 2010).
This interpretation is based on the characteristics of S-V-O, similar structure of both Vietnamese and English versions. The involvement of spatial prepositions is strictly about locations and spaces.
Temporal Prepositions
Different from the above type of preposition, temporal prepositions are dedicating to describe the position of time in related sentences. From the “If tomorrow comes”, the table below is illustrating for the common frequency of temporal propositions in the novel, in both versions for comparison, demonstrating with the table below:
Table 4.19: The frequency of IN prepositional phrases with temporal meaningsin the novel "If tomorrow comes" by Sidney Sheldom and their Vietnamese translation versions
Semantic Features
English Vietnamese
Frequency Percentage (%) Frequency Percentage (%)
Temporal 131 40,06% 128 45,55%
In the English version, the temporal prepositions are used for 131 times of frequency, while the semantic features of this type of prepositions are mentioned for 128 times in the Vietnamese version. In accordance to Quirk et al (2005), there are 62 temporal sense with the use of 50 prepositions. It is confirmed to have the dedication and meaning on “temporal relationship between the complement and some other sentence element, sometimes the governor and sometimes the subject or some other object” (Clres, 2020). In this regard, the temporal preposition is having
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two sub classes of time position and duration. The basic expression is on the time position and duration dimension in which words that are indispensable in any language to make a complete sentence. In English, users often come across prepositions of time that are familiar with different uses. The rule of using prepositions of time and place is always a "difficult" challenge for new English learners because there are too many notes and the usage is constantly changing and evolving non-stop.
As known, when announcing and communicating with each other, one must use words that form sentences. There are many parts in the sentence, many different components. Grammatical relationships between parts, components are called grammatical relations. Accordingly, the function of prepositions is to connect parts and components that have grammatical relations with each other. Here are some prepositions of time: trong or trong suốt (during), vào (in, on, at), trước (before), sau (after), kể từ khi (since) and cho tới khi (until).
Table 4.20: “If Tomorrow Comes” – Vietnamese and English prepositions
No. The original The Vietnamese version
1 ….at IIPA headquarters in Manhattan …tại trụ sở IIPA ở Manhattan 2 New Orleans in September was only
for the uncivilized
New Orleans vào tháng Chín này chỉ hợp với đám người nhếch nhác mà thôi
3 They got a school in Bogotá ở Bogota chúng mở một trường dạy nghề…
4 You'll have a hearing in the morning Sáng mai người ta sẽ lấy cung [no preposition]
5 I did a lot of fancy advertisements in the best newspapers.
Tôi đăng quảng cáo trên những tờ báo ăn khách nhất
6 Do you have anyone in particular in mind to replace Judy, George
Anh đã nghĩ tới ai thay cho Judy chưa [no preposition]
7 I can't stay in this place Tôi không thể ở được 8 In short, he was Anthony Orsatti's
kind of man.
Nói tóm lại ông ta là một kiểu người ưa thích của Anthony Órsatti
9 In addition to the captain, the steward, and a cook, there were five deckhands
Ngoài thuyền trưởng, một người phục vụ và một đầu bếp, nhóm thủy thủ gồm có năm người
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No. The original The Vietnamese version
10 Tracy and Jeff arrived at Segovia in time for lunch
Tracy và Jeff đến Segovia đúng giờ để ăn trưa
In fact, prepositions in Vietnamese have a narrow definition than in comparison to use of prepositions in English. In the above examples, the samples number (1), (2), (3), (5), (7) and (10), the sentence structures remain the same between the original and the translated version while the prepositions are being placed in supporting the meaning about time, location, and position of the subjects or objects. While on the number (4) and (6), the prepositions are deleted between the original and the translated version. At the same time, on the sample (8), and (9), the Vietnamese translated words are not considered being prepositions in this language but more of a word or clause of verbs or nouns. The translation is converted and classified the prepositions in English into different types of words in Vietnamese. In some grammar books used in the previous school, for the above cases, the authors agreed with the views of Tran Trong Kim, Pham Duy Khiem and Bui Ky in Vietnam grammar (1940) that if there is no adverb, "out, in, up, down" is an complement, if there is an adverb, they are prepositions Nevertheless, it is rendered and noted to have several differences between two versions of English copy and Vietnamese copy. These differences are mainly caused by the distinguished natures between two languages while the meanings remain the same.
4.4 . The characteristics of “IN” prepositional phrases between English and Vietnamese may be considered as problematic for EFL Vietnamese learners.
In accordance to the above studies and analysis, the nature of “IN” prepositional phrases can be categorized into two part of syntactic features and semantic features.
In the perspective of linguistic, the analysis and description of learning English as the second language by Vietnamese learners’ processes must make considerable use of the categories established to describe language.
From its semantic features, all English prepositions, including “IN”
prepositional phrases, which encode the spatial relations between two physical entities; and although still retaining the original meaning. In this sense, the “IN”
prepositional phrases also develop a rich set of non-spatial meanings. This study analyzes for distinguishing inherent conventionalization meanings from
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interpretations created to understand “IN” prepositional phrase in context, while at the same time determining whether in their many competing meanings, which should be considered the original, basic meaning. Spatial contexts, a conceptualized relationship closely related to spatial interaction and experience, involve entities that are related to each other in a particular spatial configuration.
The problem faced by Vietnamese learners is to determine for the proper approach to understand and comprehend the inherent meanings in the usage of “IN”
prepositional phrase. This concept is different from the nature and concept of Vietnamese langauge to have such spatial contexts with the use of “IN”
prepositional phrases.
For Vietnamese learners, the problem is residing on the difficulties to understand and apply the concept of spatial contexts to know how to use “IN”
propositional phrases in the most proper approach. For example, in the spatial scene represented by the sentence The cup is on the table, the cup is in contact with the top surface of the table. A typical spatial configuration is described by the sentence The coffee is in the cup. In this scene, the coffee is in the cup (not outside).
However, the spatial landscape is not only concerned with physical-space relationships or configurations. The reality is that certain spatial relationships have not trivial consequences but are significant to humans. The spatial landscape associated with the is also related to the support function between the table and the cup: if a sufficient portion of the bottom of the cup is not on the table, the cup will fall to the floor and break. Similarly, the spatial landscape associated with print is related to the containment function, with many consequences such as the locating and limiting the activity of the contained entity. Stored in cups, coffee does not spill over the table; if one moves the cup, the coffee moves with it.
These consequences, as well as the physical-space configuration between entities, generate a variety of non-spatial meanings associated with “ON” and “IN”
space particles. Each preposition has many different uses depending on the context, so it is difficult to list and know them all. In conclusion, the first problem for Vietnamese students are often coming from the differentiation of use of different prepositional phrase, including “IN” prepositional phrase.
For the syntactic features, the frequency use of prepositional phrase “IN”
includes Post-modifier of a noun or followed by adverbial or complement. The prepositional phrase in English combines syntax with a proper object, most
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commonly the noun (or qualifier phrase in another analysis). In English, this is generally a noun or something that functions as a noun, for example a verb, is called the object of the preposition, along with its modifier. The preposition establishes the grammatical relation that connects its object with another word or phrase in context.
In English, it also establishes semantic relations, be it space “IN”. Prepositions define certain grammatical properties for the object. In English, the object of the preposition is always the objective way (another name is the indirect way, in English: objective case). However, this concept is new to Vietnamese learners due to their nature and functions of Vietnamese language, their mother tongue.
Functioning as modifier of other phrases is the grammatical function of prepositional phrase in Vietnam. Prepositional phrases modify noun phrases, adjective phrases, and verb phrases.Per say, complement in English language is used for the purpose of completing the meaning of another part of the sentence. In fact, complements do not add additional information - they provide the information needed to achieve the intended meaning in the sentence. Therefore, the use for the position and syntax function of “IN” prepositional phrase for Vietnamese learners can be problematic.
4.5 . Summary
In prepositions there are many relational meanings - a kind of important grammatical meanings - that are able to dominate paragraphs, making it even possible for sentences and sentences to have meanings without their presence. it's okay to express it. The preposition has the ability to act on the words and expressions in the sentence to make those words, expressions and the sentences become more or less meaningful.
The distinction between the different types of prepositions is based on the different meta-functions. In the experiential function of language, adjuncts are circumstantial, modal adjuncts and conjunctive adjuncts, respectively, interpersonal and textual in meta-function. Adverbials can be classified by meaning or by their position in the sentence. Prepositional phrase is one of the familiar English grammar topics, often present in most English sentences, causing many difficulties for learners if they do not master how to use it. Although the number is not much, the prepositions in English do not have a fixed rule of usage, maybe with a preposition that can combine with many different types of words, creating a completely
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different meaning (Hulstijn, and Marchena, 1989). In the Vietnamese language, all discuss the preposition (sometimes replaced by other terms such as dependent conjunctions, dependent verb relations, auxiliary linking words). More specifically, as a linguistic element with a very high frequency of use in communication, prepositions undertake quite a number of functions and play an important role when participating in creating speech. Some of its grammatical characteristics and semantic properties have not been mentioned in previous studies. Therefore, in Vietnamese language, the preposition is the word to be used to communicate one word with its suffix, or the task of linking two words or two parts of words together.
The preposition is likely to be associated with the phrase with a certain unit in advance to form a larger unit. This has been the main meaning of prepositional phase used in the Vietnamese sentences in the translated version of “If tomorrow comes”.
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