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NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
Acknowledgements
The thesis could not have been completed without the
devoted help of many people during the time of my doing it.
Firstly, I would like to express my deep thank to my
supervisor Lª §×nh Th¶o (M.A) who helped me devotedly
and thoughtfully to finish this thesis.
Secondly, I am grateful to my teachers from the
Department of Foreign Languages, especially the former Dean
NguyÔn Xu©n B×nh (M.A) who gave us chance to do the
work.
Thirdly, I am also indebted to my dear teacher
Chrisstaples and my dear friends who helped me a lot.
Student:
NguyÔn
§×nh Lu
Class: 40A2 English
Graduation thesis
the human body
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
2
NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
Index
Pages
Acknowledgments
1
Index
2
Part A. Introduction
1. Rationale
for
choosing
the
subject ...................................
4
2. Aims of the study.....................................................
……....
5
3. Objects
of
the
study ..........................................................
5
4. Methods
of
the
study .......................................................
6
5. Scope
of
the
study
..........................................................
6
6. Design
of
the
study
........................................................
6
Part B. Content
Chapter
1.
Background....
..................................................................
1.
Where
do
proverbs
from? .............................................
7
1.1.Where
do
English
proverbs
from?............................
7
1.2.
Where
do
Vietnamese
proverbs
from?....................
8
2.
The
position
of
proverbs
lexicology ....................................
10
Graduation thesis
the human body
7
come
come
come
in
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
3
2.1.
Word
structure
and
formation ........................................
10
2.2.
Semantics........................................................................
..
10
2.3.
Etymology........................................................................
.
10
2.4.
Lexicography....................................................................
.
10
2.5.
Phraseology. ....................................................................
.
10
3. Proverbs, idioms, quotations, clichÐs and
sayings.................
10
3.1.
Proverbs..........................................................................
..
11
3.2.
Idioms.............................................................................
..
11
3.3.
Quotations.........................................................................
11
3.4.
ClichÐs............................................................................
...
11
4.
Distinction
between
proverbs
and
idioms.................................
12
4.1.
Idioms................................................................................
12
4.1.1What is an idiom?................................................
………
12
4.1.2. Kinds of idioms..................................................
……...
13
4.2.
Proverbs............................................................................
13
Graduation thesis
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- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
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NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
……..
Table
16
4.2.1 What is a proverb?...............................................
14
1.
Table
of
distinction
between
proverbs
and
idioms............
4.2.2. Kinds of
proverbs.....................................................
16
5. Distinction between English proverbs and Vietnamese
proverbs
16
6.
How
proverbs
can
be
interpreted...............................................
19
Chapter 2. English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
the human body
21
1. The position of proverbs referring to part of the human
body
21
2. Parts of the human
body..............................................................
21
3. The classification of parts of the human body according
to position
22
3.1. The direction from top to
bottom..................................... .
22
3.2. The direction from the front to the
back..........................…
25
3.3. The direction from the outside to the
inside........................
25
Table 2. List of English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of the human body
27
Chapter 3. A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese
proverbs referring to parts of the human
body.....................................…………………………
35
1.
A
contrastive
analysis.................................................................
35
2.
The
similarities............................................................................
36
2.1.Using the same parts of the human body to express an
idea
36
Table 3.Table of similar proverbs that refer to parts of the human body ………
37
Graduation thesis
the human body
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
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NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
2.2 The same parts of the human body may be used for
different purposes according to their
functions ..............................………………………
38
2.3. Both English proverbs and Vietnamese ones hold a
rhyme
40
2.4.There are two parts of the human body in one
proverb ........
40
Table 4. Table of proverbs
42
that contains
two parts of
the human body.............
3.
The
differences.............................................................................
43
3.1. The different cultures_ the conditions of nature and
society
43
3.2. Using different parts of the human body to express the
same ideas
44
Table 5. Different parts of the human body are used for the same ideas between English
and Vietnamese proverbs.................................................................................................
45
Chapter 4. The meanings of English proverbs referring to parts of
the human body
and their Vietnamese
equivalents:...................................................….….
46
1.
Meaning.................................................................................
.....
46
2. The meanings of English proverbs referring to parts of
the human body
and their Vietnamese equivalents.............................
………………..
48
3. Rhetorical figures of speech in proverbs referring to
parts of the
human
body....................................................................................…
50
3.1. Hyperbole in the proverbs referring to parts of the
human body
50
3.2. Metonymy in the proverbs referring to parts of the
human body
51
Graduation thesis
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- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
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NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
body
3.3. Metaphor in proverbs referring to parts of the human
51
3.4. Personification in proverbs referring to parts of the
human body
52
Table 6. The meanings of English proverbs referring to parts of the human body and
their Vietnamese quivalents...........................................................................................
53
Chapter 5. Some suggestions for learning and teaching English
proverbs
59
1.
Methodology..................................................................................
.....
59
2. What is the role of proverbs in learning and
education?.........
60
3. Some suggestions for teaching English
proverbs................….
62
3.1.Teaching English proverbs through stories.....................
…..
62
3.2. Stages for teaching an English proverb in
general...............
64
Part C. Conclusion..............................................................
66
References.............................................................................
...…...
67
Appendices.............................................................................
.........
68
Exercises
for
practice
........................................................
68
Keys................................................................................
.........
68
PART A. INTRODUCTION
I. Rationale for choosing the subject
Graduation thesis
the human body
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
7
When studying a nation's language, everyone wants to
apprehend it thoroughly and master it well.
To reach this aim, students are not allowed to skip the
nation ‘s proverbs. On the contrary, they must inherit them
with a thorough study; because in the social contact, a proverb
used in a proper moment and place will have great effects on
the collocutors' understanding.
We often read the phrase “Language is a living thing” –
as we have known that language is the address of the culture,
learning a language is, in fact, learning the culture of that
country. Ph¹m Quang S¸n wrote in Nam ng¹n chÝnh cÈm
“C¸c níc ë trªn mÆt ®Þa cÇu nµy, níc nµo cã phong tôc cña níc Êy, th× níc nµo còng cã thÇn hån cña níc Êy, ng«n ng÷ tøc
lµ thÇn hån trong mét níc ph¸t hiÖn ra ngoµi, "Tr«ng mÆt mµ
b¾t h×nh dong", "Ngêi lµm sao chiªm bao lµm vËy", cho nªn
muèn biÕt thÇn hån trong mét níc th× ph¶i xÐt phong tôc
trong mét níc; muèn biÕt phong tôc trong mét níc th× ph¶i
xÐt ng«n ng÷ trong mét níc”. (Vietnamese proverbs - Chu
Xu©n Diªn, Social Science Publishing House, 1918, page3).
This means that languages play an important part in the
people’s life. Meanwhile, proverbs are the generalized product
of language or proverb as a popular phenomenon of the
language plays an important role in the spiritual life of the
community because they reflect a vivid picture of the nation’s
customs and cultural traditions. “Nothing ever becomes real till
Graduation thesis
the human body
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
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NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
it is experienced, even a proverb is no proverb to you till your
life has illustrated it” (John Keats
<1795 – 1821>) or “A
proverb is one man’s wit and all men’s wisdom” (Lord John
Russell).
Every language has its own system of proverbs. During
the process of learning English proverbs, we find various types
of English proverbs, especially English proverbs referring to
parts of the human body. It takes precedent in English
proverbs as well as in Vietnamese ones, that interests me very
much and urges me to choose the subject “A contrastive
analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring
to parts of the human body” with a hope that this study will
contribute a small part to the teaching and learning of English
proverbs. Especially to those who want to study deeply this
subject "English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to
parts of the human body".
II. Aims of the study
To describe English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to
parts of the human body.
To make a contrastive analysis on proverbs referring to
parts of the human body. We try to find out the
similarities
and
differences
between
them
and
the
distinction between English culture and Vietnamese one in
these proverbs.
Graduation thesis
the human body
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
9
To try to offer some suggestions for teaching proverbs at
schools and offer some possible types of exercises to
improve the learning of English proverbs.
To improve English vocabulary through learning proverbs
referring to parts of the human body.
To help learners of English thoroughly apprehend their
nation’s folklore as well as their mother tongue’s rich
ability of expression.
To enable the learners to express their thoughts and
feeling in English exactly, flowingly, meaningly, and
figuratively.
III. Objects of the study
Proverbs
English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of the
human body
Meanings of English and Vietnamese proverbs referring
to parts of the human body
IV. Methods of the study
Statistic method
Contrastive and comparative method
Analysis and systematic method
Obtaining advice from experts
V. Scope of the study
Graduation thesis
the human body
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
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Due to the time limitation, we only focus on English and
Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of the human
body
VI. Design of the study
Part A. Introduction
1. Rationale for choosing the subject
2. Aims of the study
3. Objects of the study
4. Methods of the study
5. Scope of the study
6. Design of the study
Part B. Content
Chapter 1. Background
Chapter 2. English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts
of the human body
Chapter 3. A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese
proverbs referring to parts of the human body
Chapter 4. The meanings of English proverbs referring to
parts of the human body and their Vietnamese equivalents
Chapter 5. Some suggestions for learning and teaching
English proverbs
Exercises for practice
Keys
Part C. Conclusion
References
Appendices
Graduation thesis
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- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
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PART B. CONTENT
Chapter 1
Background
1. Where do Proverbs come from?
1.1. Where do English proverbs come from?
Proverbs come from two primary sources: the common
and the wise. These two sources are not really distinct.
Something common and popular has often been documented
by the wise, and something written by the wise has often been
liked and freely used by the common. The latter is the case
where quotations graduate to proverbs.
Proverbs have largely originated from the traditional and
collective wisdom of mankind. By way of examples,
Little strokes fell great oaks have obviously
come from the common experience of woodcutters in olden
times.
A stitch in time saves nine has evidently come
from the experience of housewives in mending clothes.
Many English proverbs owe their origin to the Bible, e.g:
A soft answer turneth away wrath.
In addition to the Bible, several proverbs are believed to
have their origin in the works of William Shakespeare. It is
difficult to be certain whether these proverbs were truly
Graduation thesis
the human body
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
12
invented by Shakespeare or they were already in existence
before or around his time. Some examples follow.
Brevity is the soul of wit (from Hamlet)
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet
(from Romeo and Juliet)
Famous literary works have contributed to a lot of
proverbs as illustrated below.
A little learning is a dangerous thing (from Essay on
Criticism by Alexander Pope)
A thing of beauty is a joy forever (from the poem
Endymion by John Keats)
Other proverbs are attributed to particular individuals;
presumably wise and learned ones, e.g., “they also serve who
only stand and wait” appears as the last line in John Milton's
sonnet on his blindness.
Some English proverbs have their origin in other
languages like French, Latin and Spanish. The English versions
may have developed in parallel, or been borrowed from other
languages. For instance, “he gives twice who gives quickly” is
a translation of “bis dat qui cito dat” (Latin). When the
proverbs have not been translated and are even today more
popular in their original form, they can be readily recognized to
have been borrowed from another language.
Here are some examples.
Graduation thesis
the human body
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
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NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
Caveat emptor (Latin) is more popular than Let the
buyer beware.
In vino veritas (Latin) is more popular than In wine,
there is truth.
1. 2. Where do Vietnamese proverbs come from?
Proverbs are an oral tradition that the Vietnamese people
have conserved for four thousand years of their history. They
are often used as popular expression to criticize society and to
describe the daily hardships of the peasants. As Vietnam is a
farming country, one finds in most of the proverbs a great deal
of the peasant s’ life. It is dominated by factors beyond the
control of the peasants; floods, droughts, typhoons, etc. Their
existence is the continual struggle.
Like English proverbs, Vietnamese proverbs also come
from two sources: the common and the wise. Usually proverbs
are created naturally through the peasants ‘ life. They are
transferred from generation to generation by the oral way.
Some proverbs were written by intellectuals, writers, poets,
and famous men. Because of particular reasons, proverbs were
widely propogated in the community, examples: “ngµy vui
ng¾n ch¼ng tµy gang”; “c¶nh nµo c¶nh ch¼ng ®eo sÇu, ngêi buån c¶nh cã vui ®©u bao giê”; “cã tµi mµ cËy chi tµi, ch÷
tµi liÒn víi ch÷ tai mét vÇn” … They are in the KiÒu story by
NguyÔn Du, are widely used as proverbs or
“«n cò biÕt
míi”(«n cè nhi tri th©n); “tai ho¹ tõ miÖng g©y ra, bÖnh tËt
Graduation thesis
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- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
14
tõ miÖng ríc vµo” (Ho¹ do khÈu xuÊt, bÖnh do khÈu nhËp).
The first one is of Khæng Tö and the second is of Phã HuyÒn
(Chinese author) (Vietnamese proverbs -Chu Xu©n Diªn,
Social Science Publishing House 1975, page 55).
Proverbs are of intellectuals, writers or famous men. They
came to the community by Confucian scholars, Confucianism
came to Vietnam during the Chinese domination and then the
Le dynasty it became official idealogical system of Vietnamese
feudalism.
Some proverbs are borrowed from other countries like
China, “hä hµng xa kh«ng b»ng l¸ng giÒng ë gÇn” (viÔn th©n
bÊt nh cËn l©n), French “mÌo ®i råi chuét nh¶y móa” (le chat
parti les souris dansent), a Russian proverb “mÌo v¾ng nhµ
chuét tù do”, a German proverb, “phÇn ®Çu xu«i th× phÇn
sau lät”(Frisch be gonnen, halb gennonen) Some proverbs are
collected from other ethnic groups.
In the country such as the proverbs of Mêng people “con
g¸i lµ tr¸i bßn”; “mét n¨m lµm nhµ, ba n¨m tr¶ nî; “chã cËy
nhµ, gµ cËy gÇn cïm”… Th¸i people have proverbs “gÇn löa r¸t
mÆt, gÇn s«ng s¹ch m×nh”; “gÇn quan th× khæ, gÇn nåi th×
nhä” …these proverbs are also equivalent of Viet people‘s
ones. Therefore the sources of Vietnamese proverbs are very
various.
Graduation thesis
the human body
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
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NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
2. The position of proverbs in lexicology
Lexicology is the study of words that are considered as a
branch of linguistics. Lexicology can be said to consist of five
essential branches:
2.1. Word structure and formation: It investigates all the
problems concerning the structure of the word and the way it
is formed.
2.2. Semantics: It focuses on the meaning of the word,
chiefly the lexical meaning because the grammatical meaning
is studied in the grammar. It discusses types of meaning, the
change and the development of meaning, the grouping of
words and so on.
2.3. Etymology: It refers to the history and the origin of
words. Etymologists divide the English vocabulary into main
layers: native words and borrowings (borrowed words).
2.4. Lexicography: It studies the problem related to
dictionary compiling. They are the problem of the types of
dictionary,
the
selection
of
words
for
each
type,
the
arrangement of words and so on.
2.5. Phraseology: It goes into set (fixed) expressions,
which are reproduced in speech as ready - made units. There
may be standardized word phrases to very long sayings. In
English, there are such set expressions as:
“good heavens”;
“diamond cut diamond”; “no pains no gains”; “as strong as a
horse”; “two heads are better than one” so phraseology
Graduation thesis
the human body
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
16
consists of idioms, quotations, clichÐs, sayings and proverbs.
Like a picture, a proverb is worth a thousand words.
3. Proverbs, idioms, quotations, clichÐs, and sayings
Very often there arises the problem of distinction between
proverbs, idioms, sayings ... A perfect solution is hardly
possible since there are many borderlines (cases) between
them but in general, we can put them in separate groups as
follows:
3.1. Proverbs: A proverb is a short saying expressing
popular wisdom, a truth, or a moral lesson in concise and
imaginary way.
He laughs best who laughs last.
Two heads are better than one.
Proverbs are also set expressions because their lexical
components are constant and stable. Their meaning are
usually figurative and they are ready- made units as well.
Proverbs, therefore, must be studied together with other set
expressions.
3.2. Idioms: Idioms are difficult to define accurately. They
are also set expressions; short sayings usually characterized
by the fact that their meanings cannot easily be deduced from
their components.
Examples:
Kick the bucket.
Let the cat out of the bag.
Graduation thesis
the human body
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
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NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
Break your leg!
3.3. Quotations: Quotations are also set expressions
coming from literature and gradually become part and parcel
of the languages. This means that many people using them
may not know or may forget that they are quoting. In English,
most familiar are from Shakespeare; Pope, etc.
Examples:
Give everyman thy ear but few thy voice
To err is man
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
3.4. Clichés: ClichÐs are quotations or sayings that are so
frequently used that they have become hackneyed and stable.
As they are constantly and mechanically repeated, they have
lost their expressiveness and are therefore better avoided:
Examples:
Stand shoulder to shoulder with...
Pave the way to a bright new world.
Having
dealt
with
the
terms
above
it
can
be
noted,“sayings, expressions or phraseological units are general
terms
4. Distinction between proverbs and idioms
4.1. Idioms
4.1.1. What is an idiom?
Language follows the rules but an idiom is one of the
interesting things that are anomalies of language, mavericks of
Graduation thesis
the human body
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
18
NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
the linguistic world. The very word idiom comes from the
Greek idios - “one's own, peculiar, strange”. Idioms therefore
we break the normal rules.
According to the definition of Vietnamese Dictionary
(Linguistics Institute - Da Nang Publishing House- 1977) "
Thµnh ng÷ lµ tËp hîp nh÷ng tõ cè ®Þnh quen dïng mµ
nghÜa cña nã thêng kh«ng thÓ gi¶i thÝch ®îc mét c¸ch
®¬n gi¶n b»ng nghÜa cña c¸c tõ t¹o nªn nã"(An idiom is
a set expression whose meaning is often impossible to deduce
from its components).
Examples:
Mét n¾ng hai s¬ng.
R¸n sµnh ra mì.
§©m ba chÎ cñ.
“An idiom, as Johnathan Crowther (1995) defines, is a
phrase
whose
meaning
is
difficult
or
sometimes
impossible to guess by looking at the individual word it
contains” ( Advanced Learners’ Dictionary).
Or an idiom can be defined as a number of words which
when taken together, have a different meaning from the
individual meaning of each word.
Idioms, like proverbs, are common sayings. However,
they usually do not make sense at first sight and do not offer
any advice: “to blow one's own trumpet”, which means, to
praise oneself or boast...
Graduation thesis
the human body
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
19
NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
So that idioms are fixed expressions that are commonly
used. They are not complete sentences but words - An idiom is
equal to a phrase.
Idioms do not give comments, experience, a moral
lesson, advice that make idioms aesthetic not educated, that is
the reason why an idiom does not become a literary work idioms belong to the language.
An example of a Vietnamese idiom “mÆt hoa da phÊn” it
only indicates the aesthetic- beauty of a woman not a
comment or advice or criticism, even though an idiom can be
ornate and flowery (aesthetic function); so idioms do not bring
about the full understanding about life and any lesson of the
people's relationship in the society (function of education and
function of comprehension).
4.1.2. Kinds of idioms
Idioms take many different forms or structures. An idiom
can
have
a
regular
structure,
an
irregular
or
even
a
grammatically incorrect structure. The clarity of meaning is not
dependent on the grammatical correctness. A few examples
will illustrate this:
4.1.1.1. Irregular form, clear meaning as in "give
someone to understand"; "do someone proud"; "do the dirty
on someone".
4.1.1.2. Regular form, unclear meaning as in "have a
bee in one' bonnet"; "cut no ice"; "bring the house down".
Graduation thesis
the human body
- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
NguyÔn §×nh Lu. 40A2 - English
20
4.1.1.3. Irregular form, unclear meaning as in "be at
large"; "go great guns"; "be at daggers drawn".
We find, in fact, that most idioms belong to the second
group where the form is regular but the meaning unclear.
4.2. Proverbs
4.2.1. What is a proverb?
People from all parts of the world use proverbs and
sayings to transmit their wisdom, knowledge, experience and
feelings. Like a picture, a proverb is worth a thousand words.
According to Vietnamese Dictionary (Linguistic Institute Da Nang Publishing House, 1977) "tôc ng÷ lµ c©u ng¾n
gän, thêng cã vÇn ®iÖu, ®óc kÕt tri thøc, kinh nghiÒn
sèng vµ ®¹o ®øc thùc tiÔn cu¶ c¸ nh©n"(A proverb is a
short saying that often holds a rhyme and offers practical
knowledge, life experience or a moral lesson).
Examples:
§ãi cho s¹ch r¸ch cho th¬m.
Mét giät m¸u ®µo h¬n ao níc l·.
Thõa ngêi nhµ míi ra ngêi ngoµi.
According to John Simpson - Proverbs - Oxford University
Press “A proverb is a traditional saying which offers
advice or presents, a moral in a short and pity manner".
“Proverbs are concise statements expressing deep
thoughts, practical knowledge, and experience - based
judgements, covering all aspects of life and bearing
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- A contrastive analysis on English and Vietnamese proverbs referring to parts of
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