Chapter 3: SYNTACTIC, SEMANTIC AND CULTURAL FEATURES OF
3.1. Syntactic, semantic and cultural features of invitation forms in card and letter to
3.1.1. Direct invitations in English and Vietnamese
Nguyen Thi Kim Quy (2004), defines that direct invitations that direct invitations are used with performative verbs namely mời in Vietnamese and to invite in English or in the forms of requests or of orders. First, study on direct invitation in English
3.1.1. 1. Direct invitations in English
Direct invitations in English go directly into the main ideas, the main content and the main message that speakers want to send to interlocutors. As a result, listeners can immediately comprehend and perceive the message without referring to any illocutionary meaning. Foreign language learners find it hard to deal with denotative or illocutionary meaning because it easily leads to misunderstanding or misinterpretation. To some extent, however, these are thought to threaten negative face of listeners.
English has the following kinds of structures as follows:
Category 1: Direct invitations in form of performative sentences:
The patterns of explicit performative sentences usually take the two following types:
Form 1: Performative sentence with a subject
The structure: S + V +O +(Content of the invitation) - Subject: inviters
- Verb: would like/ would love to invite; want to invite or invite ( in the present tense).
- Object: invitees
In this form, both inviters and invitees appear in the sentences. The phrasal verbs: “ would like, would love” are used. The verb “ invite” is used in form of full infinitive or divided in the present tense that is suitable with the subject. It is a transitive verb. It requires at least an object. The verb following it is a full infinitive.
People can use this verb in an active or passive voice. It has only one meaning: to invite somebody to somewhere or to attend something.
“Would like”, “ Would love” have three meanings: Would like/ love + something, it means “ want, like something”. Would like/ love + to verb means “ want, like to do somthing; would like/ love + to invite means “ want to invite”.
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This form is used to express the appreciation of the inviter to the invitee.
This type of invitations is considered formal. It is often used for all invitees. The phrase "would like / love" is added in order to reduce the face - threatening act. See the following examples:
“I would like to invite you to my housewarming party at 5.00 pm next Sunday.”
“The Hanks Family would like to invite you to their new humble abode.
Expect a night of fun and laughter at 10am on 11th May at my new house.”
“We’ve moved again, but we haven’t traveled far. We’re inviting you to a party so you’ll know where we are”.
Form 2: Performative sentence without a subject
The English invitations in forms of performative sentence without a subject are not used due to their incorrect syntactic forms.
Category 2: Invitations in forms of declarative sentences Form 3: Invitations in forms of declarative sentences
According to the textbooks, researches above, direct invitations in form of declarative sentence is rarely appeared. Take a look at the following examples:
We just thought it would be nice to have you over for dinner. (Tilllitt &
Bruder, 1999)
“It would be lovely to have you join us as we have arranged a small get- together for our housewarming party.”
The structure of this form: It would be +ADJ to have you + bare infinitive…
- It – Unreal subject.
- Would – a modal verb.
- Be – a bare infinitive
- Adjective (positive adjective) - To have you + bare infinitive
“ Would” includes of two meanings: It is a modal verb to express the future in the past, the willing that could not be done and the polite invitation .
“ To have somebody + verb without “to”” has meanings: to force somebody to do something; to ask somebody to do something; to invite somebody to do something. It is the same meaning as “ to get somebody + verb with “to”.
Category 3: Direct invitations in forms of imperatives Form 4: Invitations in forms of imperatives
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Another category of direct invitations in English is discussed in this part is direct invitations in forms of imperatives. These forms are often used for people who are in the same rank, social class or inferior to the speakers; for examples, bosses uses with employees, teachers with students, friends with friends. This type of invitations is considered less formal and is widely accepted in daily life conversations touched by the friendliness and intimacy such as relatives and friends.
The structure: infinitive without “ to” + C
The meaning of the form of imperatives consists of: ask somebody to do something, order, instruct, invite. “ Please” means: ask, beg, invite. The auxiliary
“do” placed before the main verb refer to these meanings: Express the requirement, suggest an action, remind, invite.
- The verb “ please” can be put to express the politeness, wishes of the inviters to the invitees. In formal situations we can use a sentence with ‘please’ as a polite way to make an invitation. People also use the auxiliary “ Do” before the main verb to express that they are longing to the invitees’ presence.
- The following sentences illustrate this:
Example:
“We have boxes of stuff that our house needs, but the only thing required to make it our home is, your smiling faces. Do bring in your smiles and wishes for our housewarming party.”
“We finally moved into a nest of our own. Please join us for a housewarming party.”
“Our first home! We’ve finally settled down and found our perfect house.
Please join us to celebrate with housewarming.”
The structure of suggestion "Let's + infinitive", similarly, is used to indicate a direct invitation. “Let’s” has two meanings: suggest, invite.
This form of invitation is often used in close friendship. It also appears in some cases that a person who has higher status inviting a lower status person. This kind of invitations makes the invitees feel closer and friendlier.
For instances:
“Let's go to our place for a beer.” (Tillitt & Bruder, 1999)
“Let's go to our place for dinner.” (Tillitt & Bruder, 1999)
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“New home is like fresh energy reverberating in every nook and corner.
Let’s all get together for an evening of chitter-chatter over food and drinks at my place.”
Through materials on invitations in English found in the thesis, direct invitations make up a modest number. This is because, as mentioned in the former part, direct invitations may cause face - threatening.
3.1.1.2. Direct invitations in Vietnamese
In general, Vietnamese usually make invitation directly and issue an invitation to a particular person which can help the invitee to get the information in the invitation easily. Most of Vietnamese are very interested in communicating.
As stated by Nguyen Thi Kim Quy (2004), likewise, direct invitations in Vietnamese are in the forms of performative sentence, as well as in the forms of requests or orders. Direct invitation in Vietnamese also do directly into the main idea, the main content and the main message that speakers want to send to interlocutors. When the invitees read or hear this sentences, they can directly understand that this is an invitation. They are about to be discussed respectively in this part.
Category 1: Vietnamese direct invitations in the forms of performative sentence:
Just like performative invitations in English, Vietnamese performative invitations contain the performative verb, that is, "mời". See the following example:
Mời bà cụ cứ ngồi chơi. (Khải Hưng, 1988) (Invite- old woman- naturally- sit- play)
“Mời anh chị tới dự bữa cơm về nhà mới cùng gia đình em vào 7 giờ ngày mùng 8 tháng 12 năm 2016”.
Vietnamese performative invitations can take one of the following forms:
Form 1: Performative sentence without subject (the inviter)
Being different from making invitations belonging to this kind of sentence does not contain the person who is speaking out the invitation.
Structure: Mời/Xin mời + (Object) + (Content of the invitation) See the following example:
“Mời bà cụ cứ ngồi chơi.” (Khai Hung, 1988)
“Ngày 20 tháng tháng 8 chúng em về nhà mới. Mời anh chị đến dụ bữa cơm thân mật cùng chúng em”.
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“ Mời bạn cùng gia đình đến dự bữa cơm về nhà mới cùng gia đình chúng tôi vào 5h chiều ngày 16 tháng 9”.
In this form, the verb “Mời” is used without a subject. It is a transitive verb but people don’t use it in passive voice. This verb always has another verb which goes after it. Without the following verb, it is meaningless. “Mời” has only one meaning
This form is less formal and is widely accepted in daily life conversations touched by the friendliness and intimacy such as relatives and friends.
Form 2: Performative sentence with a subject
Structure: (Subject) + Mời/Xin mời + (Object) + (Content of the invitation)
Being different from the former form, making invitations belonging to this kind contain the person who invites. Let's have a look at the following example:
“Tôi lấy làm hân hạnh mời anh lại chơi” (Khai Hung, 1988)
“ Cháu kính mời bác đến dự bữa com thân mật cùng gia đình cháu nhân dịp chúng cháu chuyển về nhà mới vào ngày mùng 6 tháng 5 năm 2017.”
In this form, the verb “Mời” can go directly after the subject or after the phrases “trân trọng, kính, hân hạnh”. They are intransitive verbs.
The meaning of “kính” consists: to respect. “Trân trọng” has three means:To show consideration for something, to respect, to have the honor of doing something.
“Hân hạnh” has only one meaning: to have the honor of doing something.
In many cases or situations which social distance is not the same between the interlocutors in the conversations, in order to express the respect to the invitee, the inviter usually adds some words or phrases such as: kính, hân hạnh, trân trọng, with the aim to express politeness.
Category 2: Direct invitations in forms of declarative sentences Form 3: Invitations in forms of declarative sentences
Structure: Subject (invitees) + verb + Object . Chị xơi chén nước vậy. (Khải Hưng, 1988) (sister, drink a cup of water.)
This form is not used in cards and letters of invitation to a housewarming party.
Category 3: Invitations in form of imperatives Form 4: Invitations in forms of imperative sentences Take a look at the following examples:
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“ Đến dự liên hoan về nhà mới cùng anh chị vào 7 h sáng ngày 25 tháng 9 .”
“ Chủ nhật tới chúng tôi chuyển về nhà mới, đến dự bữa cơm thân mật cùng gia đình mình vào lúc 5h chiều.”
In this form, the verb without “to” is used. Two verbs “Đến dự” go together, the preposition “cùng” usually appears when there is an object goes after it.
Invitations here can be considered as orders. This type of invitation is used to invite the people who are the same rank or lower. It is an informal invitation.