It is realized that in the novel “David Copperfield” and its Vietnamese
translated version, the author and the translator only used adjectives denoting negative for aged males, rather than females.
For example:
(4.73) He wouldn’t have been rude to him and he couldn’t have been quick with him, for any earthly consideration.
(Ông cũng không muốn đối xử thô bạo với nó và không một lý do nào trên đời có thể làm ông giận nó được.) (p.44)
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(4.74) “What foolish, impudent creatures!” What ridiculous men! Aren’t they, Davy dear?” (p.20)
(Người đâu mà rồ dại và trơ trẽn! Các ông ấy lố bịch lắm phải không Đêvi?) (p.70)
(4.75) He was a limp, delicate -looking gentleman, I thought. (p.66)
(Ông là người nhu nhược, nhưng tôi thấy ông có vẻ tế nhị.) (p.167) (4.76) He is often very nervous. (p.226)
(Ông cụ nhiều khi hay gắt gỏng.) (p.497)
It is shown in the examples from (4.73) to (4.76) that the author used such adjectives as “rude”, “foolish”, “impudent”, “ridiculous”, “limp”, and “nervous”
to demonstrate negative characteristics of aged males in the novel “David Copperfield” and then the translator also used the equivalents as thô bạo, rồ dại và trơ trẽn, lố bịch, nhu nhược, and gắt gỏng in the Vietanmese translated version.
4.4. The similarities and differences of adjectives denoting “characteristics” in English and in Vietnamese in the novel ‘David Copperfield’and its Vietnamese translated version.
4.4.1. Similarities
In general, adjectives denoting “characteristics” in English and in Vietnamese in the bilingual novel ‘David Copperfield’ are similar in syntax and semantics.
Syntactically, similarities include:
-In the scope of the study, adjectives denoting “characteristics” were analyzed by functions which were divided into the three classifications: Attributive adjective, Subject complement and Object complement.
-There exist the comparative forms of adjectives denoting “characteristics” making a diversity in comment and comparison in both English and Vietnamese as the following examples:
(4.77) It appeared to me that he was more clever and colder than they were. (p.19) (Ông ta có vẻ thành thạo và lạnh lùnghơn họ.) (p.68)
(4.78) You will come here in the holidays, and be a better boy. (p.49) (Đến nghỉ hè con lại về nhà và hãy ngoanhơn.) (p.132)
(4.79) He was the merriest and most miserable of all the boys. (p.72) (Cậu là học sinh vui tính nhất lại khổ sở nhất.) (p.179)
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(4.80) “…and the boy is, of all such dispositions that ever I have seen,” remarked his sister,” the mostconfirmed and stubborn. (p.94)
(Thằng bé này là thằng bé cau có bướng bỉnh nhất trên đời xưa nay tôi chẳng thấy ai như nó. Nó bướng bỉnh và cứng cổ nhất.) (p.227)
(4.81) Though I was much less brave than Traddles. (p.73) (Mặc dầu tôi không can đảm bằng Trát đơn.) (p.180) Semantically, there are some similarities, including:
-The adjectives denoting “characteristics” were analyzed according to the shades of meaning basing on concrete contexts that cover the bilingual novel ‘David Copperfield’.
-In both English and Vietnamese, adjectives denoting “characteristics” were divided into two groups, including adjectives denoting positive “characteristics” and adjectives denoting negative “characteristics” with reference to three groups as teenagers, adults , the middle-aged and the aged.
4.4.2. Differences
It is identified in the investigation into the dataset of adjectives denoting
“characteristics” in the bilingual novel ‘David Copperfield’ that there are some differences in linguistic features of adjectives denoting “characteristics” in English and Vietnamese.
The first difference is the position of adjective when adjectives perform attributively in (Table 4.3). In English, adjectives stand right before nouns but adjectives follow after nouns in Vietnamese. Let’s see the following examples:
(4.82) I gave him the other, and he shook it heartily and said I was a brave fellow, and went away. (p.15)
(Tôi cứ chìa tay trái và ông ta thân mật bắt tay tôi, nói rằng tôi là chú bé ngoan, rồi đi.) (p.59)
(4.83) Am I a naughty mama to you, Davy? Am I a nasty cruel, selfish, bad mama? (p16)
(Mẹ có là bà mẹ hư hỏng đối với con không hở Đêvi? Mẹ có là bà mẹ tai quái, độc ác, ích kỉ, xấu xa không?) (p.62)
Secondly, the structure of a sentence in English is rather different from that in Vietnamese when adjectives perform the function as subject complement or the function as a predicate in a sentence in Vietnamese. In English, adjectives go after
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link verbs or verb “be” but adjectives stand right after subjects in Vietnamese as the examples below:
(4.84) Mr Murdstone was firm; nobody in his word was to be so firm as Mr Murdstone. (p.39)
(Ông Mơcxtôn cứng rắn đấy nhưng trong nhà không ai được quyền cứng rắn như ông.) (p.109)
(4.85) She tried to hold up after that; and many a time, when they told her she was thoughtless and light-hearted, made believe to be so. (p105)
(Sau điều đó, mẹ cố gắng trấn tĩnh và nhiều lần khi họ nói với mẹ rằng mẹ dại dột và nhẹ dạ thì mẹ giả làm bộ dại dột và nhẹ dạ.) (p.251)