A study on english idioms and proverbs denoting colours with reference to vietnamese equivalents

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES
------------------

BA. THESIS
A STUDY ON ENGLISH IDIOMS AND PROVERBS
DENOTING COLOURS WITH REFERENCE TO
VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS
(NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ THÀNH NGỮ VÀ TỤC NGỮ TIẾNG
ANH LIÊN QUAN ĐẾN MÀU SẮC CÓ THAM CHIẾU
ĐẾN NGHĨA TƯƠNG ĐƯƠNG TRONG TIẾNG VIỆT)
Student: NGUYỄN THỊ THUỲ LINH
Code: 621221
Major: ENGLISH
Supervisor: NGUYỄN THỊ THU THUỶ, PhD
Hanoi – 2021


VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES
------------------

BA. THESIS
A STUDY ON ENGLISH IDIOMS AND PROVERBS
DENOTING COLOURS WITH REFERENCE TO
VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS
(NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ THÀNH NGỮ VÀ TỤC NGỮ TIẾNG
ANH LIÊN QUAN ĐẾN MÀU SẮC CÓ THAM CHIẾU
ĐẾN NGHĨA TƯƠNG ĐƯƠNG TRONG TIẾNG VIỆT)

Student: NGUYỄN THỊ THUỲ LINH
Code: 621221
Major: ENGLISH
Supervisor: NGUYỄN THỊ THU THUỶ, PhD

Hanoi – 2021


CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY
I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report
entitled ―A study on English Idioms and Proverbs denoting colours with
reference to Vietnamese equivalents‖ submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Bachelor in English Language. Except where the
reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due
acknowledgement in the text of the thesis.
Hanoi, 2021

Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh

Approved by
SUPERVISOR

(Signature and full name)
Date:……………………

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
During the period of graduation thesis, I received a plenty of enthusiastic

help and support that guide and encourage me to overcome all difficulties and
finish this tough but meaningful time.
Firstly, I would prefer to express my gratitude to the School Board of
Vietnam National University of Agriculture and therefore the Faculty of
Education and Foreign Languages creating favorable conditions for me to
require my thesis.
Secondly, I sincerely appreciate to Miss. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, my
supervisor who gave me useful guidance and advice that help me to finish my
research successfully.
Last but not least, I would like to thank my family and friends, who often
shared my feelings and gave me timely advice during the course of thesis work.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART 1: INTRODUCTION.............................................................................. 1
1.1. RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY....................................................................... 1
1.2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ....................................................... 1
1.3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................... 2
1.4. SCOPE OF THE STUDY .................................................................................. 2
1.5. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ..................................................................... 2
1.6. DESIGN OF THE STUDY ................................................................................ 2
PART 2: DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................... 4
1.1. REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS STUDIES ........................................................... 4
1.2. REVIEW OF THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ................................................. 5
1.3. SUMMARY ................................................................................................. 13

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY ................................................................... 14
2.1. RESEARCH QUESTION REVISITED ............................................................. 14
2.2. RESEARCH METHODS................................................................................ 14
2.3. RESEARCH PROCEDURES .......................................................................... 14
2.4. DATA COLLECTION ................................................................................... 15
2.5. ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK ...................................................................... 16
2.6. SUMMARY ................................................................................................. 18
CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ............................................. 19
3.1. COMPARE THE SYNTACTIC FEATURES OF ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE
IDIOMS AND PROVERBS DENOTING COLOUR. .................................................. 19

3.2. COMPARE THE SEMANTIC FEATURES OF ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE
IDIOMS AND PROVERBS DENOTING COLOUR. .................................................. 31

3.3. SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN SYNTACTIC AND SEMANTIC
FEATURES BETWEEN IDIOMS AND PROVERBS DENOTING COLOUR IN ENGLISH
AND VIETNAMESE ............................................................................................ 40

PART 3: CONCLUSION ................................................................................. 44
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1. RECAPITULATION .................................................................................... 44
2. CONCLUDING REMARKS........................................................................ 44
3. IMPLICATIONS ........................................................................................... 46
4. LIMITATION OF THE CURRENT RESEARCH ................................... 46

5. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ........................ 47
REFERENCES .................................................................................................. 48
APPENDIX ........................................................................................................ 51

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ABSTRACT
This graduate thesis is a research work on idioms and proverbs denoting
colour in English with equivalent meanings in Vietnamese. There is a total of 6
colours that may be mentioned within the article: black, white, red, blue, green
and yellow. This study mainly uses comparison - contrast method, combined
with two other ones - statistical and analytical method. Regarding the
similarities, the idioms and proverbs denoting colour in both languages are
almost fixed - phrases and appear quite a lot in the form of noun phrases.
Additionally, those sentences can also be divided into two varieties of meanings
- literal and figurative, furthermore, what they represent can as well be
understood into five distinct semantic fields as if the colour tone of something,
life experiences, human alluding, behaviours and sensations, and ultimately a
particular conception. On the other hand, the colour idioms and proverbs of the
two languages also have many differences. Such as the non-existence of adverb
phrases and their prepositional phrases in Vietnamese or the difference within
the meaning of colours due to the influence of culture, lifestyle, natural
conditions and the use of rhetorical measures. Finally, from the above
similarities and differences between the idioms and proverbs denoting colour of
the two English - Vietnamese languages, the study is helped us to understand

thoroughly and have an overview of the structures and meanings of each idiom,
proverb in the two languages. Consequently, we can improve our understanding
of the culture and people of both languages, which is incredibly helpful for
learning and teaching English, together with developing translation and
interpreting jobs.

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

Adj

: Adjective

Adv

: Adverb

Art

: Article

CW

: Comparative Word

C

: Conjunction

N

: Noun

NP

: Noun Phrase

Pre

: Preposition

ProN : Pronoun
S

: Subject

V

: Verb

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LIST OF TABLES:
Table 1.1: Classification of Idioms and Proverbs
Table 2.1: Syntactic analytical framework
Table 2.2: Rhetorical measures analytical framework
Table 2.3: Semantic fields analytical framework
Table 3.1: Noun Phrase Structures of English and Vietnamese Idioms and
Proverbs denoting colour
Table 3.2: Verb Phrase Structures of English and Vietnamese Idioms and
Proverbs denoting colour
Table 3.3: Adjective Phrase Structures of English and Vietnamese Idioms and
Proverbs denoting colour
Table 3.4: Adverb Phrase Structures of English and Vietnamese Idioms and
Proverbs denoting colour
Table 3.5: Prepositional Phrase Structures of English and Vietnamese Idioms
denoting colour
Table 3.6: Simple Sentence Structures of English and Vietnamese Idioms and
Proverbs denoting colour
Table 3.7: Complex Sentence Structures of English and Vietnamese Idioms and
Proverbs denoting colour
Table 3.8: Comparative Sentence Structures of English Idioms and Proverbs
denoting colour
Table 3.9: Comparative Sentence Structures of Vietnamese Idioms and Proverbs
denoting colour
Table 3.10: A summary of English and Vietnamese Idioms denoting colour in
Syntactic Features
Table 3.11: Summarizes the occurrence of structures used in English and
Vietnamese Idioms and Proverbs denoting colour

Table 3.12: Rhetorical measures of Idioms and Proverb denoting colour in
English and Vietnamese
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Table 3.13: Idioms and Proverbs of English and Vietnamese in the Semantic
field of Colour
Table 3.14: Idioms and Proverbs of English and Vietnamese in the Semantic
field of Life Experience
Table 3.15: Idioms and Proverbs of English and Vietnamese in the Semantic
field of Human Alluding
Table 3.16: Idioms and Proverbs of English and Vietnamese in the Semantic
field of Behaviours and Sensations
Table 3.17: Idioms and Proverbs of English and Vietnamese in the Semantic
field of a Particular Conception
Table 3.18: Frequency of semantic fields of English and Vietnamese idioms and
proverbs denoting colour

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Part 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Rationale for the study
In today's developed world, English is regarded as indispensable part of
international communication. That is the reason why more and more people are
learning this rigorous but equally flexible language. However, just like
Vietnamese, English also has combinations of words and expressions such as
idioms and proverbs. Idioms and proverbs in English are phrases with specific
meanings, expressing the quintessence of English culture. Although they are
combined together in a strict structure, their meaning is not the literal meaning
of the words that make up them. Idioms and proverbs are commonly used in the
written and spoken form in both formal and informal situations, especially with
native speakers because it demonstrates fluency and makes the user sound more
natural.
As you probably know, colour plays an important role in every human's
life. Each colour has its own nuances, meanings, symbols, etc. In English,
colours are also combined with idioms and proverbs. However, in these
expressions, the colour is not only indicated itself, but also means a lot more.
For example, blue colour will not only be blue but also mean peace and
tranquility; yellow will express feelings of joy; green will carry the symbol of
vitality.
Therefore, the name of my topic is a study on English idioms and
proverbs with reference to Vietnamese equivalents. Hopefully, through my
study, people will not only understand more about colour idioms and proverbs,
but also know how to apply them successfully into practice.
1.2. Aims and objectives of the study
The aim of the study
The aim of the study is to find out the similarities and differences between
English and Vietnamese idioms and proverbs denoting colours in terms of the
syntactic and semantic features.
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Research objectives
- Describing the syntactic and semantic features of idioms and proverbs
denoting colours in English with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents
- Comparing and contrasting syntactic and semantic features of idioms
and proverbs denoting colours in English with reference to the Vietnamese
equivalents.
1.3. Research questions
1. What are the syntactic and semantic features of idioms and proverbs
denoting colours?
2. What are the differences and similarities between English and
Vietnamese idioms and proverbs denoting colours?
1.4. Scope of the study
As the title of the study suggests, it focuses primarily on English idioms
and proverbs denoting colour that are associated with their Vietnamese
equivalents. However, idioms and proverbs are a very large and difficult cultural
field of each language, so I cannot cover all idioms and proverbs with their own
colour. Therefore, my research will only specialize in some main colours such
as: black, white, red, blue, green, yellow which equivalent to the colours: "đen",
"trắng", "đỏ", "xanh dương" or "lam", "xanh lá" and "vàng" in Vietnamese.
1.5. Significance of the study
This study is expected to help English teachers and learners as well as
translators have a deeper insight into understanding and using idioms and
proverbs, especially idioms and proverbs denoting colours which bring out the
unique flavour to the English language. Thereby, it will not only help them use
these idioms more fluently and naturally, but also avoid common mistakes in

teaching, learning and of course in the translation process.
1.6. Design of the study

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Apart from abstracts, references and appendices, this research provides a
clear organization consisting three main parts.
Part I – Introduction consists of six small sections. There are Rationale,
Aims and objectives of the study, Research questions, Scope of the study,
Significance of the study, Design of the study.
Part II – Development consists of three chapters. Chapter 1 - Literature
review. In this sub-divisions, some researches of domestic and foreign authors
that were made previously are indicated. Then, some background information
like the definition of idioms, proverbs, colours, and syntactic, semantic features.
Due to the limitation of knowledge, my research only focuse on some main
colours such as: black, white, red, blue, green, yellow. The next one is Chap 2 Methodology. It describes the methodology used in the research including three
research methods (comparison-contrast method, the statistical method, the
analytical method), data collection, research procedures and data analysis to
carry out the research. Chapter 3 - Finding and Discussions reports and
discusses the findings of the study.
And the last part is Part III – Conclusion summaries, restates the major
finding and offers some implications for teaching and learning.

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Part 2: DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. Review of the previous studies
In the past ten years, there have been many studies on idioms with words
indicating colour, notably the subsequent studies:
Domestically, we can mention "Color idioms in English and Vietnamese: A
contrastive analysis and teaching implications" by Nguyen Manh Khang. It was
completed in 2013 with the aim of constructing students aware of the
requirement of using idioms in both English and Vietnamese. With the method
of description, comparison and contrast, the author had provided learners with
educational information to assist them gain knowledge and improve their
learning. However, the content of the study is kind of general and mostly
focuses on semantics, rather than syntax.
A little prior than the above study, Pham Thi Kim Chuyen (2012) did the
study ―A Study on Linguistic Features of the Word ―Green‖ in English and
―Xanh lá‖ in Vietnamese‖. a rich source of information and capable of in-depth
analysis, but it still did not pay much attention to syntactic features.
Nevertheless, the research "Cognitive Linguistic Features of Idioms
Related to the Concept of "Black", "White" in English Versus Vietnamese" by
Tran Vu Thi Diem Vy (2013) was showed the meticulousness in investigating
the language patterns. The author had described, discussed and analysed English
and Vietnamese idioms associated with the concept of "Black", "White" to find
and explain the similarities and differences in semantics, syntax and rhetoric
from a cognitive linguistics point of view. Unfortunately, this study is still not
considered complete due to the factors affecting the semantic mechanism of

these black and white idioms have not been fully exploited.
For studies abroad, we must bring up the study which was completed in
2012 in Iran, entitled "A cognitive study of color terms in Persian and English"
by 3 authors: Mohammad Amouzadeh, Manouchehr Tavangar, Mohammad A.
Sorah. It mainly applied Kövecses' modified model, within which metaphor was
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considered as a cultural-cognitive phenomenon and was that the basis for
comparing the cultural-specific nature of colour metaphor between two
languages.
In addition, in 2017, Reema Fityan and Maite Azcutia completed a
multinational study of colour idioms called "Translating Idioms of Colour (an
Examination of the Relationship of Idioms of Colour Between English, Arabic
and Spanish Languages)". This research, through the utilization of colour
idioms, had clarified the historical, cultural, worldview or linguistic aspects of
the people in these countries. It has been of great help in translating idioms
properly without losing their cultural and lexical diversity because of the
phenomenon of figurative or transliterate.
Although the above studies are really excellent and outstanding, there is
still no research on both idioms and proverbs associated with the six colours:
black, white, red, blue, green and yellow of English and Vietnamese.
1.2. Review of theoretical background
1.2.1. Definition of idioms and proverbs
a.

Definition of idioms
According to Hornby (1995: 589), idiom was defined as ―a phrase or

sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words
and which must be learnt as a whole unit‖.
Moreover, in his book ―A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics‖ (2008:
236), Crystal defined idiom as "A term used in grammar and lexicology to refer
to a sequence of words which is semantically and often syntactically restricted,
so that they function as a single unit."
In Vietnam, Nguyen Nhu Y (1996: 271) gave the definition: ―Thành ngữ
là cụm từ hay ngữ cố định, có tính nguyên khối về ngữ nghĩa, tạo thành một
chỉnh thể định danh có ý nghĩa chung khác tổng số ý nghĩa của các thành tố cấu
thành nó, tức là khơng có nghĩa đen và hoạt động như một từ riêng biệt ở trong
câu‖ (Idiom is fixed phrase or word with monolithic semantics, constitutes a
complete identifier which has a different general meaning with the sum of the
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meanings of its constituent elements, it means that idiom does not have a literal
meaning and act as a separate word in a sentence.) (the author’s translation)
From these above definitions, we can understand that idiom is ―a term, a
phrase‖ or ―a fixed phrase or word‖ that meaning does not concern the meaning
of the individual words within the expression. For instance, in English, there is
an expression "Once in blue moon". Literally, it depicts a moon appearing with
an unusual blue colour and which is a rare event. However, in the concept of
Western countries, this phrase is used to refer to things that rarely happen.

Different from the above idiom, in Vietnamese, we use a completely different
phrase to imply that meaning, which is "Năm thì mười họa".
b.

Definition of proverbs
According to the Hornby and Cowie (1995: 933), proverb was defined as

―a well-known phrase or sentence that gives advice or says something that is
generally true.‖
As defined in ―Từ điển tiếng Việt‖ (Viện Ngôn ngữ học, 2003: 1062):
―Tục ngữ là một câu ngắn gọn, thường có vần điệu, đúc kết tri thức, kinh
nghiệm sống, và đạo đức thực tiễn của nhân dân‖ (A proverb is a brief sentence,
often with rhymes, summarizing people's knowledge, life experiences and
practical ethics) (the author’s translation)
Therefore, proverb is understood as "a well-known phrase or a brief
sentence" which gives advice from summarizing people's knowledge, life
experiences and practical ethics or says something that is generally true. For
example, in English there is a proverb "February fill dyke, be it black or be it
white" about the weather in England. The proverb refers to the rainy season in
February, when it is still cold and snowy, the rain falls creating two contrasting
colours of muddy black mud and white snow. This is consumed as a life
experience of the ancients.
1.2.2. Classification of Idioms and Proverbs
Idioms and proverbs are unique cultural elements of a language. Idioms
are used in everyday communication, and proverbs are sentences that give
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advice from summarizing people's knowledge, life experiences and practical
ethics or says something that is generally true.
According to ―Translation of Idioms: A Hard Task for the Translator‖
(Adelnia, Dastjerdi, 2011), idioms and proverbs can be classified by these
several criterias:
Table 1.1: Classification of Idioms and Proverbs
Criterias

Idioms

Proverb

Idioms are linguistic

It is a short, generally known

expressions or lexical items sentence of the folk that
Definition

representing objects,

gives advice about how we

concepts or phenomena of

should express a belief that

material life particular to a

is actually thought to be true

given culture.

and valuable

Idioms cannot be translated Proverbs have a full meaning
literally because their
Meaning

alone, popularly used and

meaning won’t be predicted repeated. It expresses facts
from the usual meaning of

and truth based on common

their constituents.

sense.

Grammatically Idioms are phrases

Proverbs are statements
Proverbs can help to decide

Idioms are necessary to any
Role

language in order to keep
the local and cultural
colour of that language.

on the way of saying a fact
gently and smoothly and to
create it more reliable and
valid. It gives more taste and
beauty to your speech so as
to attract audience.

(Source: Translation of Idioms: A Hard Task for the Translator)
Because some special idiom and proverb instances are quite hard to be
classify, this research is going to combine both idioms and proverbs denoting
colour to compare and contrast in English and Vietnamese.
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1.2.3 Characteristics of Idioms and Proverb
a.

Syntactic features
From department of English History and Lexicology, Azerbaijan

University of Languages, Yusifova (2013) had discussed the syntactic features
of idioms and proverbs "are the expressions the elements of which cannot be

changed or replaced by other elements. They are called fixed expressions".
Besides, "some changes are possible within idioms. These changes may be both
lexical and grammatical."
b.

Semantic features
According to Kovecses and Szabó (1996), the semantic features of idioms

and proverbs are indirect and cannot be inferred purely by reference to the
meanings of these lexical components because those expressions are ―linguistic
expressions whose overall meaning cannot be predicted from the meanings of
their constituent parts‖.
1.2.4. Overview of structures of Idioms and Proverbs
a.

Noun phrases
As defined by Crystal in "Dictionary of linguistics & phonetics" (2008:

334), "noun phrases (NP) or nominal groups are the constructions into which
nouns most commonly enter, and of which they are the head word". Moreover,
the structure of a noun phrase is supposed as "consists minimally of the noun (or
noun substitute, such as a pronoun); the constructions preceding and following
the noun".
Example: The black market – Chợ đen.
b.

Verb phrases
According to Greenbaum (1996: 246), verb phrase is the phrase "has as its

head a main (or lexical) verb. The main verb may be preceded by up to four

auxiliaries (or auxiliary verbs)".
Example: Beat someone black and blue – Đánh ai đó bầm tím.

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c.

Adjective phrases
Quirk & Greenbaum (1973: 115) define adjective phrase as "a phrase with

an adjective as head or as sole realization". Additionally, "the adjective
generally determines the function of the adjective phrase, we have often found it
convenient to use adjectives alone to illustrate the functions of adjective phrases
and we have often referred to adjectives as a shorter way of referring to
adjective phrases."
Example: Green light - Đèn xanh.
d.

Adverb phrases
According to "Dictionary of linguistics & phonetics" (Crystal, 2008: 14),

adverb phrase (AdvP) is often known as a phrase with an adverb at the
beginning. In English, it is considered the main part of that phrase.
Example: Once in a blue moon – Năm thì mười họa.
e.

Simple sentences
According to Crystal (2008: 437), simple sentences are often understood

simply as a sentence "containing one clause". It means that a sentence has only
one subject - predicate phrase.
Example: Quả xanh gặp nanh sắc – Diamond cuts diamond.
f.

Complex sentences
―In grammar, a term which in its most general application describes a

sentence consisting of more than one clause. In a somewhat narrower sense, it
refers to a sentence consisting of a main clause and at least one subordinate
clause, thus contrasting with such notions as compound sentence.‖ (Crystal,
2008: 95)
Example: It doesn't matter a cat is black or white as long as it catches
mice – Mèo đen hay mèo trắng không quan trọng, quan trọng là bắt được chuột.
g.

Comparative Sentences
Comparative sentences are often understood as a structured sentence that

can "follow the use of a comparison", and it has both inflection (-er) and
periphrastic (more) structure to express this concept. (Crystal, 2008: 91)
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Example: (As) white as a sheet / ghost - Trắng bệch như ma, trắng như tờ
giấy.
1.2.5. Definition of colours
In ―Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English‖ (1995:
221), A S Hornby defined colour as "the appearance that things have, resulting
from the way in which they reflect light".
Furthermore, in ―Từ điển tiếng Việt‖ (Viện Ngôn ngữ học, 2003: 614),
colour is defined as ―thuộc tính vật thể hiện ra nhờ tác động của ánh sáng và
nhận biết được bằng mắt‖ (the property of object shows through the effect of
light and can be identified with the eye) (the author’s translation)
In this matter, my research is largely in agreement with A S Hornby
(1995). Because it outlines the most basic and understandable principle of
colour.
1.2.6. Idioms and Proverbs denoting colours in English and Vietnamese
a.

Idioms and Proverbs denoting black colour
Black is the darkest colour that results from the absence or absorption of

visible light, it has no hue or wavelength of light. This colour has played an
important role within the development of art and literature.
In Western countries black is that the colour of mourning, death and
sadness, it often represents negative traits such as separation, sadness,
pessimism, frustration, emptiness and concealment. In addition, black is a
mysterious colour that is often associated with power, mystery, strength,
authority, luxury and elegance. From there, we are able to understand that black
may be a colour that is quite semantically diverse because it has a different
symbolic meaning for everyone and every individual may have different

reactions to the present colour.
However, Vietnamese idioms and proverbs about black colour do not
seem to be so diverse. Vietnamese people always consider it to be the colour of
darkness, a representative of the dark forces, so our idioms and proverbs about

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black colour often only have negative meanings and not have positive aspects as
in English.
b.

Idioms and Proverbs denoting white colour
In stark contrast to black colour, white is the brightest colour, having the

most effective absorption and reflection of all colours. This is the purest colour.
In both languages, white usually has positive nuances and could be a
symbol of purity, innocence, wholeness and perfection. According to "A
contrastive analysis on the connotational meaning of colour words in English
and Vietnamese idioms" (2015), Ngo Thi Khanh Ngoc said that "Trong tự nhiên
trắng là sắc màu của mây, tuyết trắng, ánh nắng ban mai, etc" (In nature, white is
that the colour of clouds, white snow, morning sunlight, etc) (the author’s
translation). Additionally, for a protracted time ago in English, this colour also
denotes faith, heaven, sincerity, virginity and new beginnings because it has
been associated with images of angels, brides in pure white dresses, or
represents a bright future.

However, for Eastern countries like Vietnam, this colour features a
negative shade because it's sign of sickness, disease and mourning.
c.

Idioms and Proverbs denoting red colour
Red is a warm colour that stands out and attracts almost everyone. That is

why its inner meaning is as strong and fierce as it's outer appearance.
Whenever we discuss or see the red colour, we can't help but think about
intense emotions such as the frenzy infatuated, the fierceness in fighting, or the
overflowing anger, etc. It is all due to the stimulation that this colour brings. On
the positive side, red is commonly used to represent love, success, luck,
determination and, of course, strength. In addition, it also increases appetite
together with other stimuli. On the negative side, red represents danger,
violence, anger, and stress. It may be said that this colour represents both love
and hatred, both good and evil. Given the meanings that red represents, it seems
impossible to determine the difference in idioms and proverbs of English and
Vietnamese that are associated with it.
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d.

Idioms and Proverbs denoting blue colour
Unlike red, blue is a cool colour. It symbolizes the sky and the sea, so it

gives people a sense of tranquillity, peace, and comfort. Besides, blue also
represents for the confidence, optimism, intelligence and also creates strong
inspiration. However, there are some English idioms and proverbs about the
colour blue that have quite negative connotations such as expressing anger,
frustration, sadness and sometimes conservatism. In Vietnamese, blue almost
does not exist this meaningful shade, but only carries a symbol of peace,
relaxation, and chilly. Therefore, it is often utilized in designs to form people
feel relaxed, cool, and it is also an agent to assist us reduce cravings.
e.

Idioms and Proverbs denoting green colour
Nowadays, green is not only meant for colour but also an emblem of

nature and ecology. It is also the colour of spring, growth, renewal and rebirth.
Green is a positive colour because it gives a sense of harmony, security,
lightness, and youth. This colour also symbolizes pure, sensitive and frugal
feelings such as love of nature, family and friends, as opposed to love between
men and women like red colour. On the negative side, it represents weakness,
illness, disappointment, and in English idioms and proverbs, green also
describes immaturity, envy, and greed.
f.

Idioms and Proverbs denoting yellow colour
Yellow is that the brightest colour in the spectrum. It is the colour of

summer, of sunshine, happiness and energy.
This colour brings about psychological states like hope, positivity, joy,
and optimism. Studies have shown that yellow features a great stimulating effect
on people, it helps to activate memory, encourages communication, enhances
eyesight, creates confidence and stimulates the systema nervosum. In Vietnam,

this colour is additionally used to express wealth, honour, and loyalty. But on
the other hand, yellow also cause negative effects, such as making people feel
isolated, afraid, insecure, and sometimes it also shows the cowardice and
dishonesty in English idioms and proverbs.
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1.3. Summary
The content of this chapter is extremely important because it is the
concepts and theories that have been drawn from the predecessors. This
information is the foundation theory, serving to build the thesis for the next
chapters.

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Chapter 2: METHODOLOGY
2.1. Research question revisited
To further clarify the purpose of the study, the research questions that
need to be answered are:
1. What are the syntactic and semantic features of idioms and proverbs
denoting colours?

2. What are the differences and similarities between English and
Vietnamese idioms and proverbs denoting colours?
2.2. Research methods
Due to the nature of the topic and the scientific tasks that the topic poses,
comparison - contrast method is used as the major researching method of this
study. This is an indispensable method to find the similarities and differences
between English and Vietnamese idioms and proverbs denoting colours in terms
of the syntactic and semantic features.
In addition, the study also uses 2 more research methods to support the major
method:
- Statistical method: It used to list all the idioms and proverbs denoting
colours in English and equivalent idioms and proverbs in Vietnamese in order to
document the research submission.
- Analytical method: This method used for analysing the syntactic and
semantic features of idioms and proverbs denoting colours expressions in
English and idioms and proverbs with equivalent meanings in Vietnamese.
- Descriptive method: It focuses on describing the nature of idioms and
proverbs denoting colour, without focusing on ―why‖ those are combined like
that. In other words, it ―describes‖ the subject of the research, not covers ―why‖
it happens.
2.3. Research procedures
According to "Linguistics across Cultures: Applied Linguistics for
Language Teachers" (Lado, 1957), this research is divided into four stages as
follows:
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•

Description: Through descriptive method, learning the concepts and

materials needed for analysing idioms and proverbs denoting colour in English
and Vietnamese.
•

Selection: Using the statistical method and analytical method to list all the

idioms and proverbs denoting colours in English and equivalent idioms and
proverbs in Vietnamese, then sort them into groups for analysis in order to
document the research submission.
•

Contrast: Compare and contrast the syntactic and semantic features of the

above idioms and proverbs denoting colour in English and Vietnamese by
comparison - contrast method to search out the similarities and differences.
•

Prediction: Signify out the similarities and differences of idioms and

proverbs denoting colour in English and Vietnamese.
During this study, Contrastive vs comparative research type is used with
the aim of clarifying the similarities and differences, taking the main objects are
the two languages English and Vietnamese.
2.4. Data collection
To achieve the set aims and objectives, the research uses 67 idioms and

proverbs denoting colour in English collected from "Oxford dictionary of
English idioms" by Cowie A.P, Mackin R., Mc Caig I.R, ―The Concise Oxford
Dictionary of Proverbs‖ (John Simpson, Jennifer Speake, 2003), ―Colour idioms
frequently used in English language‖ (Ivana Jardas Duvnjak, p, 2018).
Specifically, there are 14 idioms and proverbs about "black colour", 16
sentences about "white colour", both "red colour" and "blue colour" have 14
sentences, 8 ones about "green colour" " and only 1 sentence about "yellow
colour".
For the statistics of Vietnamese idioms and proverbs denoting colour in
Vietnamese, 50 phrases in dictionaries of reputable authors such as ―Từ điển
thành ngữ tục ngữ Việt Nam‖ (Lan, 2010), ―Từ điển thành ngữ tục ngữ ca dao
Việt Nam‖ (Chuong, 2005) are utilized. In which, there are 13 proverbs and

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