The use of metaphors in english business news articles by vietnamese and foreign journalists

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

------------------------------------------

NGO THU THAO

THE USE OF METAPHORS IN ENGLISH
BUSINESS NEWS ARTICLES BY VIETNAMESE
AND FOREIGN JOURNALISTS

Major: English Language
Course code: 60220201

HCM City, July 2020


MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

------------------------------------------

THE USE OF METAPHORS IN ENGLISH
BUSINESS NEWS ARTICLES BY VIETNAMESE
AND FOREIGN JOURNALISTS
Submitted to the
Faculty of English Language
in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in English Language

Course code: 60220201
By

NGO THU THAO
Supervised by
TRAN QUOC THAO, PhD

HCM City, July 2020


The thesis entitled
The Use of Metaphors in English Business News Articles by Vietnamese and
Foreign Journalists
was defended and approved on
28 May, 2020 at Hochiminh City University of Technology (HUTECH).

Academic supervisor : Tran Quoc Thao, PhD

Signature: ………………

Examination Committee
1. Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, PhD.

Chair

2. Nguyen Thu Nhu Ngoc, PhD.

Reader 1

3. Cao Thi Phuong Dung, PhD.

Reader 2

4. Nguyen Tien Hung, PhD.

Member

5. Le Van Tuyen, PhD.

Secretary Member

On behalf of the Examination Committee
Chair

Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, PhD.


MASTER’S THESIS REPORT
HCMC, July, 2020
Student name: Ngo Thu Thao

Sex: Female

Date of birth: 24/01/1991

Place of birth: HCMC

Major: English Language

Student code: 1741900065

I- Thesis title:
The Use of Metaphors in English Business News Articles by Vietnamese and

Foreign Journalists
II- Objectives and contents:
This study was conducted with the aim of exploring the differences in the use
of metaphors in business news articles by Vietnamese and foreign journalists.
Specifically, the three objectives of this study are to investigate what types of
metaphors are used, what functions they serve, and whether Vietnamese and foreign
journalists differ in the use of metaphors. The research findings indicate that there
are quite a few differences in the language and the functions of metaphors deployed
by two groups, although they use the same categories of structures of metaphor. In
specific, Vietnamese journalists used metaphorical language less frequently and less
variously, and employed fewer functions of metaphors. These reflect a few
limitations in the use of English metaphors by Vietnamese advanced EFL learners.
III- Starting date: 04/05/2019
IV- Completing date:

/7/2020

V- Academic supervisor: Tran Quoc Thao, PhD
SUPERVISOR

DEAN OF FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Tran Quoc Thao, PhD

Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, PhD


i

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled:

THE USE OF METAPHORS IN ENGLISH BUSINESS NEWS
ARTICLES BY VIETNAMESE AND FOREIGN
JOURNALISTS
In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s programs issued by
the Higher Degree Committee of Faculty of English Language, Ho Chi Minh
City University of Technology.
Ho Chi Minh City, July

2020

Signature …………………………….

NGO THU THAO


ii

RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS
I hereby state that I, NGO THU THAO, being a candidate for the degree of Master
of
Arts (English Language) accept the requirements of the University relating to
the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library.
In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis
deposited
in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in
accordance
with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan,
and

reproduction for theses.
Ho Chi Minh City, July

2020

Signature …………………………….
NGO THU THAO


iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This thesis would not have been possible without the support from many
individuals. I consider myself very fortunate to receive the valuable guidance and
assistance during my research. Words are inadequate to express my gratitude to
them.
First and foremost, I am heartily grateful to my supervisor Dr. Tran Quoc
Thao for his valuable guidance through all the subtleties of my scientific writing. I
cannot forget his insightful comments and constructive approach. He was always
available there, with big doses of patience, to offer us constant feedbacks and
encouragements which helped us developed knowledge and ideas.
I would like to extend my deep gratitude to the Board of Examination
including Dr. Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu, Dr. Nguyen Thi Nhu Ngoc, Dr. Cao Thi
Phuong Dung, Dr. Nguyen Tien Hung, Dr. Le Van Tuyen, and all of our MA
lecturers in the Department of English Language at HCM University of
Technology. Their valuable suggestions, comments, and guidance helped develop
my academic writing skills and improve the quality of my Linguistic research.
Many thanks also go to my dear colleagues, Mr. Ngo Minh Hien, Mr.
Nguyen Thanh Phuong, and Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh An, who spent their precious
time to help me deliberate and crosscheck during the data analyses, in order to

ensure the reliability and objectivity of the results. Without their assistance, these
phases could have not been completed.
The last and surely the most, I am greatly indebted to my family for their
love and unconditional support. My parents have always been a great source of
encouragement throughout my academic journey. Words cannot express my
gratitude and thankfulness to them.


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ABSTRACT
Metaphors have been considered as powerful tools to strengthen the
attractive and persuasive effects in communication, especially in newspaper
discourse. Recognizing their vital roles, this study aims to examine the use of
metaphors in English news articles by Vietnamese and foreign journalists.
Accordingly, the three research questions include what types, what functions, and
what differences in terms of types and functions of metaphors used in business
news by two groups. Research sample contained 60 English business news articles
written by Vietnamese and foreign journalists collected from 4 popular newspapers
in Vietnam, UK, and US. The type analysis in this study was based on the
conceptual categorization adapted from Lakoff and Johnson (2003) and Kheovichai
(2010); while the functions of metaphors were analyzed using the frameworks
adapted from Searle (1990), Stefanowitsch (2005), and Krennmayr (2011). The
findings showed that although both groups shared the same types of structures of
metaphors, Vietnamese journalists used English metaphorical language less
frequently and less variously, and employed fewer functions of English metaphors
compared to foreign journalists. These findings imply a number of limitations that
Vietnamese EFL learners should overcome to better their communication and
writing in English.
Keywords: business news articles, foreign journalists, functions, metaphors, types,

Vietnamese journalists.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY .....................................................................i
RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS ......................................................... ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .................................................................................... iii
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................ v
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................ix
LIST OF FIGURES ...............................................................................................xi
LIST OF ABREVIATIONS................................................................................. xii
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1
1.1. Rationale ......................................................................................................... 1
1.2. Statement of the problem ................................................................................ 3
1.3. Aims and objectives of the study .................................................................... 4
1.4. Research questions .......................................................................................... 4
1.5. The scope of the study..................................................................................... 5
1.6. Significance of the study ................................................................................. 5
1.7. Definitions of key terms .................................................................................. 6
1.8 Organization of the thesis................................................................................. 8
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................. 10
2.1. Definition and general features of metaphors ................................................ 10
2.2. Vital roles of metaphors in newspaper discourse .......................................... 13
2.3. Types of metaphor ........................................................................................ 14
2.3.1. The classification based on level of representation ................................. 14
2.3.1.1. Conceptual Metaphor...................................................................... 15
2.3.1.2. Visual metaphor .............................................................................. 16

2.3.1.3. Linguistic metaphor ........................................................................ 17
2.3.1.3.1. Distinguish Explicit Metaphors from Similes and Metonymies
................................................................................................................. 19


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2.3.1.3.2. Distinguish Implicit Metaphors from Metonymies .................. 19
2.3.2. The classification based on source-target mapping of metaphors ........... 20
2.3.2.1. ONTOLOGICAL METAPHOR ..................................................... 22
2.3.2.2. ORIENTATIONAL METAPHOR ................................................. 22
2.3.2.3. STRUCTURAL METAPHOR ....................................................... 23
2.3.2.3.1. WAR metaphors ...................................................................... 23
2.3.2.3.2. GAME metaphors .................................................................... 24
2.3.2.3.3. JOURNEY metaphors.............................................................. 24
2.3.2.3.4. MACHINE metaphors ............................................................. 25
2.3.2.3.5. ORGANISM metaphors........................................................... 25
2.3.2.3.6. BUILDING metaphors ............................................................ 26
2.3.2.3.7. Other PHYSICAL metaphors .................................................. 27
2.4. A cognitive linguistic approach to metaphor ................................................. 28
2.4.1. The identification of metaphor ................................................................ 29
2.4.2. Impacts of linguistic conventionality on the analyses of metaphors ....... 31
2.4.2.1. Impacts of linguistic conventionality on MIP ................................. 31
2.4.2.2. Conventional metaphors and their secondary use ........................... 33
2.5. Functions of metaphors ................................................................................. 35
2.6. Previous research on the use of metaphors .................................................... 38
2.6.1. Research on the use of metaphor in newspaper....................................... 39
2.6.2. Research on the metaphor production of non-native speakers ................ 42
2.6.3. Research on metaphors in the context of Vietnam .................................. 44
2.7. Conceptual framework .................................................................................. 46
2.8. Summary ....................................................................................................... 48

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY......................................................................... 50
3.1. Research design ............................................................................................ 50
3.2. Research sample............................................................................................ 51
3.3. Data collection procedures ............................................................................ 53
3.4. Framework for data analysis ......................................................................... 54


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3.5. Validity and reliability .................................................................................. 58
3.5.1. Validity and reliability of the sampling................................................... 58
3.5.2. Validity and reliability of the data analyses ............................................ 60
3.6. Summary ....................................................................................................... 64
CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS................................................... 65
4.1. Introduction ................................................................................................... 65
4.2. Results........................................................................................................... 65
4.2.1. Types of metaphors ................................................................................. 65
4.2.1.1. Simple Ontological metaphors ........................................................ 70
4.2.1.2. Orientational metaphors.................................................................. 73
4.2.1.3. LIVING ORGANISM metaphors ................................................... 76
4.2.1.4. JOURNEY metaphor ...................................................................... 78
4.2.1.5. PHYSICAL SENSORY metaphor .................................................. 81
4.2.1.6. WAR metaphor ............................................................................... 83
4.2.1.7. GAME metaphor ............................................................................ 86
4.2.1.8. BUILDING metaphor ..................................................................... 88
4.2.1.9. MACHINE metaphor...................................................................... 90
4.2.1.10. WEATHER metaphor ................................................................... 91
4.2.2. Functions of metaphors ........................................................................... 93
4.2.2.1 Stylistic functions of metaphors....................................................... 93
4.2.2.2. Cognitive functions of metaphors ................................................... 98
4.2.2.2.1. Informative functions of metaphors ......................................... 98

4.2.2.2.2. Expressive functions of metaphors ........................................ 104
4.2.2.2.3. Directive functions of metaphors ........................................... 107
4.2.3. Differences in terms of types and functions of metaphors used by two
groups ............................................................................................................. 112
4.3. Discussion ................................................................................................... 114
4.4. Summary ..................................................................................................... 119
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION............................................................................. 120


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5.1. Implications................................................................................................. 120
5.2. Limitations of the study .............................................................................. 122
5.3. Recommendations for further research ....................................................... 123
LIST OF REFERENCES.................................................................................... 125
APPENDICES ..................................................................................................... 132
Appendix 3.1: Publication information of Corpus A.......................................... 132
Appendix 3.2: Publication information of Corpus B .......................................... 135
Appendix 3.3: Sample of articles by Vietnamese journalists ............................. 138
Appendix 3.4: Sample of articles by foreign journalists .................................... 139
Appendix 4.1: Sample of metaphor identification and categorization ................ 140
Appendix 4.2: Frequencies of root-words in A and B ........................................ 142
Appendix 4.3: Sample of function analysis ........................................................ 143
PLAGIARISM CHECKING REPORT............................................................. 146


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LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1. Example for the use of MIP by Pragglejaz Group (2007) ....................... 30
Table 2.2. Example for the vague metaphorical use of prepositions........................ 32

Table 2.3. Major functions of metaphors in newspaper discourse synthesized from
Searle (1990), Stefanowitsch (2005), and Krennmayr (2011) ................................. 38
Table 3.1. Sources and sizes of business news articles in two corpora .................... 52
Table 3.2. Example of comparing basic and contextual meanings in MIP .............. 54
Table 3.3. Principles for categorizing metaphors adapted from Lakoff and Johnson
(2003) and Kheovichai (2010)................................................................................. 56
Table 3.4. Results across the replications of metaphor identification ...................... 61
Table 3.5. Results across the replications of the categorizations of structures of
metaphors ................................................................................................................ 62
Table 4.1. The numbers and types of English metaphors used by Vietnamese and
foreign journalists.................................................................................................... 66
Table 4.2. Distribution of metaphors among major categories ................................ 67
Table 4.3. Numbers of root words of simple Ontological metaphors used by
Vietnamese and foreign journalists ......................................................................... 71
Table 4.4. Numbers of root words of Orientational metaphors used by Vietnamese
and foreign journalists ............................................................................................. 74
Table 4.5. Numbers of root words of LIVING ORGANISM metaphors used by
Vietnamese and foreign journalists ......................................................................... 76
Table 4.6. Numbers of root words of JOURNEY metaphors used by Vietnamese
and foreign journalists ............................................................................................. 79
Table 4.7. Numbers of root words of PHYSICAL SENSORY metaphors used by
Vietnamese and foreign journalists ......................................................................... 81
Table 4.8. Numbers of root words of WAR metaphors used by Vietnamese and
foreign journalists.................................................................................................... 84
Table 4.9. Numbers of root words of GAME metaphors used by Vietnamese and
foreign journalists.................................................................................................... 86


x
Table 4.10. Numbers of root words of BUILDING metaphors used by Vietnamese

and foreign journalists ............................................................................................. 88
Table 4.11. Numbers of root words of MACHINE metaphors used by Vietnamese
and foreign journalists ............................................................................................. 90
Table 4.12. Numbers of root words of WEATHER metaphors used by Vietnamese
and foreign journalists ............................................................................................. 92
Table 4.13. Functions of metaphors used by Vietnamese and foreign journalists . 110


xi

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1: Conceptual framework .......................................................................... 48
Figure 3.1: Framework for data analysis ................................................................. 58
Figure 4.1: Frequencies per 1000 words of English structural metaphors used by
Vietnamese and foreign journalists ......................................................................... 70


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LIST OF ABREVIATIONS

EBNA: English business news articles
EFL: English as foreign language
ENL: English as native language
ESL: English as second language
ESP: English for specific purposes
EU: European Union
MIP: metaphor identification procedures
UK: United Kingdom
US: United States

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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale
Newspaper and social media play a crucial role in all socio-cultural
backgrounds, serving as the primary sources of news and information on the matters
of public importance (Moser & Dilling 2007). Over the last two decades, the
booming of smartphone industry and web-based platforms connecting people on a
global scale has reinforced the development of newspaper. As recognized by Chan
(2017), in the modern time, news articles have become a “commodity” distributed
not only among domestic “markets” but also to international community. This leads
to a major worldwide trend that newspapers and businesses build their websites in
the global language – English, in order to disseminate news and ideas beyond
linguistic frontiers and reach out to a wider global audience.
In the context of Vietnam, publishing English newspapers has been an
inseparable part of the country’s promotion and marketing campaigns, providing
foreign readers with latest information about the country’s socio-economic
situations and culture. According to Hang and Loi (2011), social media, online
newspaper, and their English versions have constituted the effective channels for
promoting Vietnam’s image to the world. Therefore, the era of globalization has
assigned Vietnamese journalists a principal mission of continually enhancing their
expertise, especially their English writing skills, in order to sustain the community
connection and Vietnam’s integration. Discussing this issue, Aribisala (2011) holds
a view that the wide spread of English news on internet platforms has been creating
favourable conditions for the non-native journalists and editors to perfect their
English writing techniques. Accordingly, the non-native (such as Vietnamese
journalists and editors) can utilize internet and “Google scholar” to deepen their

understandings on English culture and to widen their specialized terminology as
well as conventional figurative language. This means that Vietnamese journalists


2
can definitely ensure a basic quality of their English news works by making use of
their exposure to journalistic and literary style of the English native writers.
However, Hoa and Mai (2016) argue that acquiring the adequate English
levels for professional purposes like journalism is never simple for Vietnamese, due
to the a large gap between the cultural backgrounds of Vietnamese and English
languages. They emphasize that the socio-cultural differences are the key factors
hindering the understanding and production of English vocabulary, such as
etymology or figurative language. Meanwhile, a prerequisite in writing the
newspaper genre requires the journalists to master the flexible use of figurative
language, especially metaphors, in order to maintain the attractiveness and the
persuasiveness of news articles (Krennmayr, 2011). As recognized by Lakoff and
Johnson (2003), metaphors are used unconsciously by the native as a vital tool for
implying abstract ideas, while learning them is considered as a challenge for nonnative speakers. Kecskes (2003, as cited in Sasaki, 2010) explains that, because
non-native speakers usually map language forms on the conceptual model shaped
by their mother tongue fluency, they have difficulties comprehending and producing
metaphors in target language. Littlemore, Chen, Koester, and Barnden (2011) also
observed the difficulties experienced by non-natives when interpreting metaphors in
English professional materials. They claim that, although metaphors are intrinsic in
humans’ conceptual system, the metaphor competence of advanced EFL leaners are
about 22% to 26% lower than that of the native, due to their insufficient exposure to
the target language and culture. The lack of knowledge on metaphors can negatively
affect the English comprehension and production of these non-natives, resulting in
their ineffective communication (Sasaki, 2010). These assertions point at possible
shortcomings in the use of English metaphors by the EFL learners like Vietnamese
journalists, which may restrict and lower the quality of their English news articles.

Considering the assumptions on the difficulties of the non-native in learning
metaphors, this thesis aims to address this issue in the context of Vietnam’s


3
business journalism, in order to examine the English metaphorical language used by
Vietnamese journalists. As a vital tool for conceptual innovation, metaphors are
expected to be used effectively by Vietnamese journalists, in order to deepen the
connection with their international audience and strengthen the persuasiveness of
their news articles. However, it seems that Vietnamese journalists, with their
sporadic exposure to target culture and the interference from Vietnamese
metaphorical models, may encounter quite a few difficulties to master their use of
English metaphors. This theoretical recognition, coupled with the lack of empirical
research into the metaphor production of Vietnamese journalists, has raised doubts
concerning the limitations in their English writing skills. Therefore, this study is set
out to fill the gap by exploring and comparing the types and functions of metaphors
used in English business news articles by Vietnamese and foreign journalists, in
order to find out the restrictions in their metaphor production. These outcomes may
help the researcher draw out implications for the teaching, learning and using
English metaphorical language of EFL learners in general and Vietnamese
journalists in specific.
1.2. Statement of the problem
Metaphors are vital tools for conveying implicit meanings and abstract ideas,
helping us maintain the attractiveness and the persuasiveness of discourse,
especially in the field of newspaper. However, learning and using this type of trope
have been considered as the key challenges for EFL learners like Vietnamese
journalists, due to the cultural interference of their source language (Lakoff &
Johnson, 2003; Kecskes, 2003). Accordingly, the inefficient use of metaphors by
Vietnamese journalists may restrict or lower the quality of their English news
articles, thus lessen the attraction to international audience. Clearly, the difficulties

and weaknesses of these advanced EFL learners in using English metaphors are still
in need of further research.


4
Therefore, this study aims to examine and compare the types and functions
of metaphors used in English business news articles by Vietnamese and foreign
journalists. Findings on the differences between two groups may provide insights
into the shortcomings in the metaphor production of Vietnamese EFL learners,
hence help draw out implications for the teaching and learning of English in
Vietnam.
1.3. Aims and objectives of the study
This study aims at providing an insight into the types and functions of
metaphors used in English business news articles by Vietnamese journalists and
foreign journalists in English-speaking countries, in order to draw out conclusions
on the similarities and differences in the way Vietnamese and native writers make
use of metaphorical language for their informative and persuasive purposes in the
field of journalism.
The objectives of this study include:
 To identify the types of metaphors in English business news articles written
by Vietnamese and journalists;
 To examine the functions of metaphors in English business news articles
written by Vietnamese and foreign journalists;
 To find out differences in the use of metaphors in English business news
articles by Vietnamese and foreign journalists, in terms of types and
functions.
1.4. Research questions
Given the purpose of the study, the fundamental questions guiding it are as follows:
1.

What types of metaphors are used in English business news articles written

by Vietnamese and foreign journalists?


5
2.

What are the functions of metaphors used in English business news articles

written by Vietnamese and foreign journalists?
3.

What are the differences in the use of metaphors in English business news

articles by Vietnamese and foreign journalists, in terms of types and functions (if
any)?
1.5. The scope of the study
This thesis aims to investigate the use of metaphors in the latest online
English news articles in field of business which are written by Vietnamese and
foreign journalists in English speaking countries.
The scope of the study focuses on examining and comparing the types and
functions of metaphors that are deployed in economic newspaper discourse by
Vietnamese and foreign journalists. The discourse analysis is conducted on two
corpora: the corpus A involving 30 business news articles published by online
newspapers in Vietnam, and the corpus B involving 30 articles written by
journalists in English speaking countries including US and UK. Metaphors used in
news articles unrelated to the columns of business are outside the scope of the study.
Furthermore, it should be noticed that the ultimate aims of this study is to highlights
the differences between the use of metaphors by Vietnamese journalists and that of

foreign journalists whose English writing production and journalistic specialization
are proven to be positively received worldwide. Therefore, the comparisons
between the English metaphors used by foreign journalists across dialects or across
levels of English writing proficiency are all out of scope for this paper.
1.6. Significance of the study
With the continuing progress of globalization greatly increasing the
importance of English news articles in Vietnamese journalism, there is a need for
solid empirical research into the English writing skills of our journalists, in order to


6
provide useful insights for the development of journalism in Vietnam. This thesis
aims at contributing to such understanding through the empirical study on the use of
metaphors in English business news articles written by Vietnamese and foreign
journalists.
Findings on the way foreign journalists make use of English metaphors for
their informative and persuasive purposes, and the limitations of Vietnamese
journalists in using English metaphors, are expected to benefit the teaching and
learning of EFL and ESP in Vietnam. These findings may also help EFL and ESP
teachers recognize the Vietnamese’s disadvantages in learning English as well as
their difficulties in perceiving and producing English metaphorical language.
Accordingly, teachers and educators may develop appropriate teaching materials to
overcome these barriers. Besides, understanding on the types and functions of
metaphors might benefit Vietnamese learners, translators and writers of English, by
raising their awareness on why, what, and how metaphors are used as a powerful
tool to attain the fluency, the attractiveness, and the persuasiveness in
communication. This might help them recognize the importance of learning
metaphors and exploring the cultural knowledge embedded in metaphors, in order
to enhance their English competence as a whole.
Moreover, this study also contributes to further research on metaphor, by

synthesizing different theories on the categorization of metaphors and their
theoretical and practical functions in discourse. Future researchers might base on
the review and findings of this study as useful references to carry out deeper
research into the related areas.
1.7. Definitions of key terms
This section provides the definitions for key terms used throughout the
document, in order to clarify the intended perspective on the issues discussed.


7
Corpus (plural corpora) is defined by Richards and Schmidt (2002) as a collection
of naturally occurring samples of language used for analysis purpose, which may
vary from a few sentences to a set of texts. In this study, corpus refers to the
collection of English business news articles written by Vietnamese or foreign
journalists.
Metaphor is defined by Lakoff and Johnson (2003) as “a way of concieving one
thing by referring to another” (p.36). In other word, metaphor is a mechanism to
“provide a partial understanding of one kind of experience in terms of another kind
of experience” (p.153).
Business news articles refer to those published in the business columns of
newspapers, providing readers with temporary information, reports, or professional
assessments about economic events.
English business news articles by Vietnamese journalists refer to those English
business news articles written and revised by Vietnamese journalists for publishing
in Vietnam newspapers. This is because it is difficult to prove that journalists
complete their own English news articles without the assistance and revision of
editorials/translators, whether or not their names are cited in the news. Nguyen
(2006) and Grant (2003) explain that each publication in Vietnam’s newspapers is a
result of the collaboration between its author, the editorials, and senior managers:
the editorials first edit English articles submitted by journalists (or even translate

from Vietnamese versions) to ensure their literacy; before submitting those to
deputy chiefs (who are senior journalists) for final revision. These steps of revision
are for ensuring the standard quality of publications, and do not mean any poor
writing skill of author journalists, because each journalist in Vietnam’s English
newspapers graduated with an English certificate (Nguyen, 2006). In this sense, for
the revision of news is unavoidable, English news produced by Vietnam’s editorials
reflect the best ideal English production of author journalists, hence can make up
the appropriate representative of Vietnam’s English journalism when comparing to
the world.


8
English business news articles by foreign journalists, used in contrast to those
“by Vietnamese journalists”, refer to business news written in English by journalists
in foreign countries, typically in US and UK. News items produced by native
journalists in US and UK are chosen as representatives for comparing with those by
Vietnamese because English writing productions of these native authors are at the
ideal standards that leaners all over the world are striving for (Aribisala, 2011). For
a sake examining differences and shortcomings of Vietnam’s English journalistic
language, a comparison between two samples of the top English writing productions
of the native and Vietnamese may help highlight the typical limitations of
Vietnamese journalists.
1.8 Organization of the thesis
The first chapter, or Introduction, provides a general overview of the study.
This chapter introduces the importance of metaphors in discourse and different
assumptions about the limitations on metaphor competence of the nonnative in
general and of Vietnamese journalists in specific. It then sets out the research
objectives and research questions. Scope of this study is illustrated afterwards,
followed by Significance of the study and the definitions of major key terms.
Chapter 2 attempts to review the relevant literature and research related to

the types and functions of metaphors in different genres of discourse. This chapter
begins with the characteristics of metaphors which have been observed by previous
scholars. In the next part, different types of metaphors are reviewed. It is followed
by the approaches to categorizing functions metaphors. Empirical research on the
types and functions of metaphors in English newspaper discourse and experimental
studies on the metaphor competence of nonnative speakers are also reviewed as
well. This chapter ends with the conceptual framework for this study.
Chapter 3 first introduces the research design and materials of this study
including the sources and the size of two corpora. Next, data collection and data


9
analysis procedures are described. Lastly, reliability and validity of the sampling
and data analysis are discussed.
Chapter 4 presents the in-depth analyses of metaphors used in business news
articles by Vietnamese and foreign journalists. The descriptive analyses focus on
the types, the functions, the similarities and differences between the use of
metaphors by Vietnamese and foreign journalists.
Finally, the chapter 5 shows the conclusions and implications of this study,
followed by its limitations and recommendations for further research.