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Tài liệu A study of the use of addressing terms in english and vietnamese families.

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NGUYỄN THÙY LINH VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Nguyễn Thùy Linh ENGLISH LANGUAGE A STUDY OF THE USE OF ADDRESSING TERMS IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE FAMILIES MA THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE COURSE: 2016 – 2018 HANOI, 2018 VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Nguyễn Thùy Linh A STUDY OF THE USE OF ADDRESSING TERMS IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE FAMILIES Field Code : English Language : 8220201 Supervisor: Nguyễn Thị Việt Nga, Ph.D. HANOI, 2018 DECLARATION BY AUTHOR I hereby declare that this thesis was of my own composition except where proper use of quotes and references were indicated, and that this thesis has not been submitted for the award of any other degrees. Author’s Signature Nguyễn Thùy Linh Approved by SUPERVISOR Nguyễn Thị Việt Nga, Ph.D. Date:……………………………. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe innumerable thanks to people who give me support and assistance in completing this research. The first goes to my supervisor Nguyễn Thị Việt Nga, Ph.D, whose considerable encouragement and valuable feedback kept me from losing confidence when I got frustrated with my thesis. My project could not have been completed without her great patience and sustained guidance. I am deeply grateful to my family who always give me warmth and support. Thanks also to my friends who helped me a lot with my data collection. Thanks to all. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION BY AUTHOR..................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................ ii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................... vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE THESIS ........................... viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 1 1.1 Rationale...................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Aims of the study ........................................................................................ 2 1.3 Research questions ...................................................................................... 2 1.4 Scope of the study ....................................................................................... 3 1.5 Significance of the study ............................................................................. 3 1.6 Methodology ............................................................................................... 3 1.7 Structure of the study .................................................................................. 4 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................... 5 2.1 Culture, language and communication........................................................ 5 2.2 Relationship and solidarity in the family .................................................... 8 2.3 Addressing terms ....................................................................................... 11 2.3.1 Definitions of addressing terms ............................................................. 11 2.3.2 Features of addressing terms .................................................................. 12 2.3.3 Addressing terms in English .................................................................. 14 2.3.4 Addressing terms in Vietnamese............................................................ 19 CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY ............................................................... 34 3.1 Research question revisited ....................................................................... 34 3.2 Selection of participants ............................................................................ 34 3.3 Data collection instrument ........................................................................ 34 3.4 Data collection procedures ........................................................................ 35 iii CHAPTER 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ........................................ 37 4.1 Results of the study ................................................................................... 37 4.1.1 Vietnamese responses ............................................................................ 37 4.1.2 English responses ................................................................................... 42 4.2. Summary of the findings .......................................................................... 46 4.2.1 About the results collected from Vietnamese participants .................... 47 4.2.2 About the results collected from English participants ........................... 47 CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION ..................................................................... 52 5.1 Recapitulation............................................................................................ 52 5.2 Concluding remarks .................................................................................. 53 5.3 Implications ............................................................................................... 54 5.4 Limitations and suggestions for further studies ........................................ 58 REFERENCES .............................................................................................. 60 APPENDIX 1. SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE .............................................. I APPENDIX 2. BẢN ĐIỀU TRA .................................................................. IV iv ABSTRACT This study is carried out to investigate the area of addressing terms between members in families in Vietnamese and English culture from major perspectives namely the common terms and the affecting factors on the choice of the terms. There are 200 people who are from different Vietnamese and English families take part in this study. A questionnaire and an interview are chosen as the data collection instruments. According to the results of the research, in Vietnamese the addressing terms used with the highest frequency in the mentioned relationship are “kinship term”. There are many factors affecting the choice of addressing terms such as: “personality”, “occasion” and “mood”. Additionally, “age gap” and “position” is also considered by the Vietnamese while the English pay attention to the “personality”, “occasion” and “mood”. After analyzing and synthesizing the statistics, the researcher discussed and recommended some implications along with suggestions for further research. Last but not least, it is much hoped to improve teaching language – not only in the field of addressing terms but also in any language field in general. v LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1 : Kinship terms as address terms 23 Table 2 : Different ATs are used in the families 38 Table 3 : Frequency of different ATs used in Vietnamese families 39 Table 4 : Degree of influence of possible factors on the choice of addressing terms used in Vietnamese families 40 Table 5 : Different ATs are used in the families 43 Table 6 : Frequency of different ATs used in English families 44 Table 7 : Degree of influence of possible factors on the choice of addressing terms used in English families Table 8 : Major differences between Vietnamese and English with regards to popular addressing terms and categories 45 50 Table 9 : Major differences between Vietnamese and English with regards to influential factors on the choice ATs between members in the families vi 51 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1 : Vietnamese participants’ background information 37 Figure 2 : English participants’ division 42 Figure 3 : English participants’ information 42 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE THESIS ATs : addressing terms FN : first name LN : last name T : title TLN : title with last name viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale One of the earliest sociolinguistic studies of speech behavior among speakers of English concerns the way people in the English speaking countries address one another. Forms of address are important for effective and successful communication and have long been considered a very salient indicator of status of relationships. One can use different forms of address to show his respects or fondness towards other people, or to insult or depreciate them. How to address people appropriately needs the taking of several factors into consideration, such as the social status or rank of the other, sex, age, family relationship, occupational hierarchy transactional status, race or degree of intimacy. There do exist general rules of address forms in English, but because address forms are social phenomenon, it varies on different occasions and the rules do not always take effect, just as Philipsen and Huspek said: “Personal address is a sociolinguistic subject par excellence. In every language and society, every time one person speaks to another, there is created a host of options centering around whether and how persons will be addressed, named,…to those who interpret them, are systematic not random. Such systematicity in language behavior, whether of use or interpretation, is universal, although what elements comprise the personal address system and what rules govern its deployment, vary across context. And such variation in structure is, according to the extant empirical literature, correlated with social ends and social contexts of language use. From this view, personal address is a systematic, variable, and social phenomenon, and these feature of it make it a sociolinguistic variable, and social phenomenon, and these features of it 1 make it a sociolinguistic variable of fundamental importance.” (Philipsen and Huspek 1985:94). Mastering a new language does not only the ability to master its system of linguistics forms but also the ability to use them appropriately. This is because languages differ from one another not only in their system of phonology, syntax and lexicon but also in rules of speaking. Addressing is, to various extents, formulaic, culture – specific and routinized in different languages, including Vietnamese and English. The selection of appropriate addressing terms largely depends on age, gender, position, qualification, power, the context of interaction and other social factors. Addressing is also a product of culture and history. In Vietnam, especially in the Vietnam family, all of the members in the family are usually aware of the fact that a suitable address terms can establish and maintain a good relationship. With all the above necessity, I find this topic so inspiring that I decide to carry out a study on the use of addressing terms by the members in the family. It is hoped that the research would contribute to raise the awareness of cultural and language differences in the use of addressing terms in English – Vietnamese. 1.2 Aims of the study To investigate major similarities and differences in using addressing terms in English and Vietnamese and the factors which affect the choice of addressing terms between members in Vietnamese – English families. 1.3 Research questions The research questions are: 2 Question 1: What are the possible addressing terms that members in families call each other in English and Vietnamese? Question 2: What are the possible factors that affect the choice of ATs between members in the families in the two cultures? Question 3: What are the similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese in ATs used in the families? 1.4 Scope of the study The study focuses on the addressing terms used by members in English and Vietnamese families. The address terms will be analyzed in some specific situations in their families to discover how members address each other in English and Vietnamese. In the study, the author also studies nuclear family in the rural areas. 1.5 Significance of the study The study is hoped to be a useful source for both pedagogical and research purpose. Specifically, equipped by the outcomes of the study, language teachers and learners may find the subject matter no longer complicated but motivating uses of addressing terms in English so that English learners can understand deeply addressing terms and can be confident in using addressing terms successfully. 1.6 Methodology This is a qualitative and quantitative study, therefore I use the following steps to conduct the research. 3 -Studying relevant publications about background theories on addressing terms in English and Vietnamese (mostly from the Internet, books and magazines). - Conducting survey questionnaires. The survey was carried out among 200 people from Vietnamese and English families randomly. 1.7 Structure of the study Chapter 1, the introduction, includes the rationale, the aims of the study, research questions, scope of the study, significance of the study, methodology and the structure of the study. Chapter 2, the literature review, is the most important part in the study. It has theoretical background of culture, language and communication which is designed to serve as the basic foundation of data analysis. Chapter 3 is methodology to study. Chapter 4 discusses the addressing terms used by Vietnamese and English family members. Chapter 5, the recapitulation, concluding remarks, implications, limitations and suggestions for further study. In this part, some concise summaries on the use of addressing are drawn. Simultaneously, the chapter also put forward some implications for the addressing in communication in English and Vietnamese. A statement of unsolved problems and suggestions for further research beyond the limits of the paper is also included in this chapter. 4 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Culture, language and communication Culture, language and communication are the three concepts which are closely related. Before being examined in the relationships with the others, each is expected to be perceived in a thorough way. At first, we consider the concept of culture. Social scientists have been interested in culture and how it influences people for many years. Over the years there have been many different definitions of culture, with similarities as well as differences. Culture influences all aspects of our lives. We use culture to explain similarities within and differences between groups of people (Tooby & Cosmides, 1992). According to Roohul – Amini (1989), “Culture has multifarious meaning. Culture meant farming” (p.15). It is used everywhere as rural culture, urban culture. Today, in every field, in humanities, every research requires a general view of culture. It is used in archaeology, linguistics, history, psychology, sociology and etc. It is even said that man is an animal with culture. That is to say, the factor which differentiates the human being’s behavior from the behavior of animal is culture (Mesbahe Yazdi, 2005). There are about two or three hundred and even more definitions for culture. With respect to the definition of culture, Edward Sapir (1956) says that culture is a system of behaviors and models that depend on unconsciousness. Rocher (1972/ 2004) an anthropologist, believes that culture is a connection of ideas and feelings accepted by the majority of people in a society (p.142). Undeniably, culture is learned and shared within 5 social groups and is conveyed by nongenetic ways (The American Heritage, Science Dictionary 2005). Taylor (1974), an anthropologist, says in his Primitive Culture that culture in a complex definition includes belief, art, skills, moralities, laws, traditions and behavior that an individual, as a member of a society, gets from his own society. Goodenough (1996) claims that culture is a systematic association of people that have a certain way of life. Therefore, culture is the only distinction between human and animals. Of course, animals live in association but it is a special kind. There are, indeed, a lot of sharing characteristics between human beings and animals such as associative life, responsibility toward children and so on. But culture is for men, only T.S.Eliot (1961) considers culture as a capital and means for developing all cultures and knowledge in order to terminate all human sharing problems. Obviously, there are many ways to define culture. Culture, in short, can be understood as a shared learned behavior that is transmitted from one generation to another independently of biological genes, for the purpose of promoting individual and social survival, adaptation and growth and development. Secondly, communication can be defined as the process of transmitting information and common understanding from one person to another (Keyton, 2011). The word communication is derived from the Latin word, communis, which means common. The definition underscores the fact that unless a common understanding results from the exchange of information, there is not communication. “Communication” which is defined by Richard, is the exchange of ideas, information between two or more persons. Communication is an effective tool for people to cooperate with 6 each other in the process of development. Communication is described as an act of interchanging ideas, information or message from one person or place to another, via words or signs which are understood to both the parties. Communication is vital for the organization because it is a principle means by which organizational members work with each other. Communication is a pervasive process, it is a two way activity, which consists of seven major elements, for example, sender, encoding, message, channel, receiver, decoding and feedback. Thirdly, language is described as a tool which helps in the transmission of feelings and thoughts, from one person to another. It is the mean of expression of what a person feels or thinks, through arbitrarily produced symbols or sounds, such as words (spoken or written), signs, sounds, gesture, posture, and so on that convey a certain meaning. Language is sole medium of communication between two persons, through which they can share their views, ideas, opinions and emotions with one another. It is aimed at making sense of complex and abstract thought and that also without any confusion. Language plays a vital role in establishing and maintaining what we call culture, including conventions, habits and interpretive practice of individuals and communities. Through language we create and share with others identities, categories, attitudes, values and belief structures. Language is not only a rule – governed system with its own internal rule and logic, but a system of tools for the constitution of social life and culture. It is commonly accepted that language is a part of culture, and that culture plays a very important role in it. Some social scientists consider that 7 language without culture would not be possible. Language simultaneously reflects culture, and is influenced and shaped by it. In the broadest sense, language is also the symbolic representation of a people, since it comprises their historical and cultural backgrounds, as well as their approach to life and their way of living and thinking. Brown (1994) describes the two as follows: A language is a part of a culture and a culture is a part of a language, the two are intricately interwoven so that one cannot separate, the two without losing the significance of either language or culture (p. 165). In a word, culture and language are inseparable, language is a key component of culture. It is the primary medium for transmitting much of culture. Without language, culture would not be possible. Language, culture and communication are different things that cannot be separated. Language is surely the most important tool of communication that individual have at their disposal. This is because it is language that permits people to communicate. The purpose of acquisition of language as proved by Chomsky is for communicative purpose. That is why human communicate perfectly using language means. Other means of communication have several weaknesses thus human language is the best means of reflecting culture through communication. 2.2 Relationship and solidarity in the family “As are families, so is society” – in the American author William Thayer’s word (quoted in Samovar (2007, p.40)). In Vietnamese there is a saying literally translated as: family is the basic unit of the society, which nurtures a man’s soul from the cradle to the grave. The African say that “a person who has children never dies”. The 8 American parents often teach their children “the apple does not fall far from the tree”, which implies that a man, no matter where he does, no matter what he does, would never live separately from his family. That is to say how important the family is to a life. In his book titled, “Communication between cultures”, Samovar (2007) has noted that family is “one of the oldest and most fundamental institutions of all human, which is a universal experience – found in every culture” (p.40). In other words, family is at the heart of a society’s survival. At a deep – seated level, family can be perceived as “a group of intimates, who generate a sense of home and group identity, complete with strong ties of loyalty and emotion and an experience of a history and future” (Noller and Fitzpatrick, 1993). It is in the family that a man starts his life, initially exposed to love and hate; give and take and is protected after a chain of failure and success of an individual in the society. Here never is he alone. Family is the manifestation of the society where all social norms and cultural values are transmitted to each member of the family through communication and language since childhood. When the children grow up to virtual citizens and a new family is established, those cultural values continue to be transmitted to next generations. That process keeps on and on inexhaustibly, demonstrating the very first and most significant function of the family, which is to transmit important cultural values. Another function of family is to enhance communication proficiencies. Not only does family introduce to the babies the language of their culture but it also teaches the babies initial communicating skills, 9 which are gradually built up and improve through observation, imitation and practices (with other members of the family). “From the family, we first learn how to create, maintain and end relationships, how to express ourselves, how to argue and display affection…” (Gamble, T.K. and Gamble, M.W., 2005, p.422). All things considered, the two basic functions of family have described the relationship between family and culture as well as family and communication, in which family plays the roles of a connector helping to preserve cultural values and better communicative competence over generations, from then, cultural identities are step by step framed and constructed family. There are, in general, two types of family existing in different cultures: nuclear family of a single parent or parents together with one or more than one child and extended family with normally grandparents and relatives. The former is more popular in Occidental countries where child – rearing and individualism are centered; the latter is maintained in Oriental cultures as the continuity of deep – rooted tradition where hierarchy and collectivism take the priorities. Nevertheless, whatever type a family is, it still spins around a chief relationship – the relationship between wife and husband, children and parents. Undoubtedly, it determines the solidity of the family’s structure, guaranteeing the close links between other relationships in the family. 10
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