the language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process between vietnamese and english ( viewed from language, cultural and social perspective

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
POSTGRADUATE DEPARTMENT
0O0

GIÁP THỊ BÍCH HẠNH

THE LANGUAGE MIXING PHENOMENA IN VERBAL
COMMUNICATIVE PROCESS BETWEEN
VIETNAMESE AND ENGLISH
(VIEWED FROM LANGUAGE, CULTURAL AND SOCIAL PERPECTIVES)

HIỆN TƯỢNG PHA TRỘN NGÔN NGỮ TRONG QUÁ TRÌNH
GIAO TIẾP BẰNG LỜI GIỮA TIẾNG VIỆT VÀ TIẾNG ANH
(NHÌN TỪ GÓC ĐỘ NGÔN NGỮ, VĂN HÓA VÀ XÃ HỘI)
PROGRAM I
MA. MINOR THESIS

Major: Linguistics
Code: 60 22 15

Hanoi, 2009

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
POSTGRADUATE DEPARTMENT
0O0

GIÁP THỊ BÍCH HẠNH

THE LANGUAGE MIXING PHENOMENA IN VERBAL
COMMUNICATIVE PROCESS BETWEEN
VIETNAMESE AND ENGLISH
(VIEWED FROM LANGUAGE, CULTURAL AND SOCIAL PERPECTIVES)

HIỆN TƯỢNG PHA TRỘN NGÔN NGỮ TRONG QUÁ TRÌNH
GIAO TIẾP BẰNG LỜI GIỮA TIẾNG VIỆT VÀ TIẾNG ANH
(NHÌN TỪ GÓC ĐỘ NGÔN NGỮ, VĂN HÓA VÀ XÃ HỘI)
PROGRAM I
MA. MINOR THESIS

Major: Linguistics
Code: 60 22 15
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Văn Độ

Hanoi, 2009
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART A – INTRODUCTION 1
I. Rationale 1
II. Aims of the study 3
III. Scope of the study 3
IV. Methodology 3
V. Design of the study 4

PART B – DEVELOPMENT 5
CHAPTER I: THEORITICAL BACKGOUND 5
I.1. Comparison of languages and cultures 5
I.2. Borrowing (language) and pidgin 6
I.2.1. What is borrowing? 6
I.2.2. What is pidgin? 7
I.3. Relationship between language, culture and society 7
CHAPTER II: BASIC FEATURES OF THE VIETNAMESE AND 10
ENGLISH MIXING PHENOMENA 10
II.1. Morphological features 10
II.1.1. Fully English forms 11
II.1.2. Half English-half Vietnamese 13
II.2. Phonological features 14
I.2.1. Fully English pronunciation 14
II.2.1. Half English – half Vietnamese pronunciation 15
II.3. Grammatical features 16
II.3.1. Function as nouns 16
II.3.2. Function as verbs 17
II.3.3. Function as adjectives 17
CHAPTER III: DISCUSSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR SOLUTION 18
III.1. Origin of Vietnamese and English mixing phenomena 18
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)
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III.2. Impacts of Vietnamese and English mixing phenomena 19
III.2.1. Positive impacts 19
III.2.2. Negative impacts 20

III.3. Ages and different views on Vietnamese -English mixing phenomena 21
III.3.1. Ages and frequency of using Vietnamese-English mixing 22
III.3.2. Ages and different views on Vietnamese - English mixing phenomena 25
III.4. Suggestions for solution 28
PART C: CONCLUSION 31
I. Summary of the findings 31
II. Suggestions for further study 32
BIBLIOGRAPHY 34
APPENDIX A I

MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
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TABLES AND CHARTS

Table 1 – Frequency of using Vietnamese-English mixing by people under 35 22
Chart 1 – Distribution of frequency of using Vietnamese-English mixing by people under 35
23
Table 2 – Frequency of using Vietnamese-English mixing by people under from 35 to 50 23
Chart 2 – Distribution of frequency of using Vietnames-English mixing by people from 35 to
50 23
Table 3 – Frequency of using Vietnamese-English mixing by people above 50 24
Chart 3 – Distribution of frequency of using Vietnamese-English mixing by people above 35
24
Table 4 - Ages and English qualification 25
Chart 4 – Ages and different views on Vietnamese – English mixing phenomena 26

MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)
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PART A – INTRODUCTION

I. Rationale
As from implementation of renovation, then joining in WTO, Vietnam has much more chance
of communicating with and learning people from other countries, however, we have been
facing many challenges. One of the challenges is how to preserve the traditional culture from
negative effects of other cultures during the process of integration. The communication and
use of language in communication is a cultural feature of the whole culture. More and more
foreigners come Vietnam for different purposes such as business, tourism, working, etc.
Therefore, the use of foreign language in communication, especially the international language
as English, is indispensable.

Wherever you go, wherever you are, you can hear English words used by many Vietnamese
people, especially the young ones at work, at home, on street such as ok, bye bye, stress, email,
fan, chat, game, tuổi teen, sale off, shop, shopping, etc or sentences like:
“- Thằng cha đó trông giống gay lắm, chẳng thấy manly chút nào.
- Cần gì manly. Biết gallant và nhiều money là OK rồi!”

Not only at speaking, such sentences are also presented in written, especially in emails.
Instead of saying “Kính gửi/chào bà H/ông D”, they write “Dear/Hi Ms H/Mr D” and the

content of the email is written in Vietnamese, but at the end of the email under their full name
is their titles at work in English like: HR Manager, PR Manager, Sales Executive, …. and the
good bye like Best regards, Pls contact, …or the content of the email only need “FYI” (For
your information).

Thanks to the integration process, Vietnamese people have been accessed to diversified
products with competitive and reasonable prices. More and more producers produce the same
product, so the competitiveness is fierce. They always change the labels, packages and
advertise noisily on mass media. I do not want to discuss about the quality of the products
here, I just want to discuss about the language used for the names, slogans, labels and on the
packages of many products in Vietnam current market are English, even many products are
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
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made in Vietnam and its producers are Vietnamese such as Vinatext mart, Vinatexco,
Fivimart, hapro, Lavi, Diana 4teen, safeguard, lifebuoy, kotex xì-tin, saigontourist, FPT
Telecom, khaisilk, vietravel, vinamilk, etc.
For example, the advertisements for soft drink:
- “Trà barley không độ - Thức uống không thể thiếu cho mọi bữa ăn” (Marketing &
Family Magazine issued on March 2008, pp.9).
- “Number 1 Juicie – căng tràn sự tươi mát” (Marketing & Family Magazine issued on
March 2008, pp.13).
- “Khăn giấy ướt All care – Chăm sóc cho cả gia đình (Marketing & Family Magazine
issued on March 2008, pp.80).
Or the advertisement of Diana on Television: “Diana 4teen, Hello ngày mới”; “Bobby fresh-
Hiểu cả những điều bé yêu chưa nói”; Or “Xmen-Đàn ông đích thực”, etc.

The reason for this is originated from the psychology of most of Vietnamese people that the
imported products are always better than the domestic ones. The producers grasp the
psychology and produce the goods with the use of English for their products of names,
slogans, packages…

The use of Vietnamese in mix with English like this becomes more and more popular in our
society, and it is not only used by ordinary people but also used on mass media. There are
many different ideas and discussions around these phenomena. Anyway, it keeps spreading
and has both positive and negative impacts on our mother tongue, culture and, to some extent,
our society. Whatever the reasons are, and whatever we should do to preserve the purity of our
mother tongue and maintain our cultural and national values. This is the main reason why I
have chosen the title “The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)”
for my Thesis. It is expected to be an interesting and helpful material for those who care for the
purity of the mother tongue and national cultural values while using a foreign language like
English.


MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)
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II. Aims of the study
The study is mainly aimed at:
- Pointing out the spread of the language mixing phenomena between English and
Vietnamese in verbal communicative process and the impacts of the phenomena on
the culture and society;
- Characterizing these phenomena;

- Suggesting ways to improve the situation in Vietnam

III. Scope of the study
Within the framework of a MA Minor Thesis, I will focus on the Vietnamese and English
mixing phenomena in the following fields:
- Science and technology;
- Mass media;
- Daily life.
The study will rather focus on getting the ideas from people at different ages but not at
different social classes.

IV. Methodology
The Thesis is done by the following methods:
 Comparative method
 Descriptive method
 Statistical method

These methods are used in carefully collecting materials from various sources to have a
comprehensive view on the positive and negative sides of the language mixing phenomena
between English and Vietnamese in Vietnam Society. Besides, the discussions and talks with
people, friends at different ages and careers bring me more ideas on developing the study.
Moreover, the analysis of survey questionnaire over 90 people helps the study more persuasive
and objective. Last but not least, the study is carried out based on the observation and
cherishable idea of the author for a long time.

MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)
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V. Design of the study
The study is divided into three main parts:
PART A: INTRODUCTION
This part includes the rationale for choosing the topic, the aims, the scope, the methodology
and the design of the study.
PART B: DEVELOPMENT
This part contains the main content of the study and is divided into three chapters:
Chapter I: Theoretical background
I.1. Comparison of languages and cultures
I.2. Borrowing (language) and pidgin
I.3. Relationship between language, culture and society
Chapter II: Basic features of Vietnamese and English mixing phenomena
II.1. Morphological features
II.2. Phonological features
II.3. Grammatical features
Chapter III: Discussions and suggestions for solution
III.1. Origin of Vietnamese – English mixing phenomena
III.2. Impacts of Vietnamese – English mixing phenomena
III.3. Ages and different views on Vietnamese – English mixing phenomena
III.4. Suggestions for solutions
PART C: CONCLUSION
This part recapitulates the main findings of the study and draws out the significance of the
study and gives out some suggestions for further study.
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)
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PART B – DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER I: THEORITICAL BACKGOUND

I.1. Comparison of languages and cultures
Language mixing phenomena seem to be indispensable during the globalization process in
Vietnam in particular and other countries in general. Today, many Vietnamese people,
especially the young ones and the ones who have been studying English as their focus, who
are working for foreign and joint venture businesses, have tendency to use the Vietnamese in
mix with English. The systematic comparison of English language and English culture will
help us to recognize the nature of the phenomena, then improve the situations.

According to Robert Lado (1960:1), many linguistic distortions heard among bilinguals
correspond to describable differences in the languages involved. He also found that
individuals tend to transfer the forms and meanings, and the distribution of forms and
meanings of their native language and culture to the foreign language and culture – both
productively when attempting to speak the language and to act in the culture, and receptively
when at attempting to grasp and understand the language and the culture as practiced by
natives.

Robert Lado (1960) found some points in learning a foreign language:
In learning the sound system of a foreign language, the sounds that are physically
similar to those of the native language, that structure similarly to them, and that are
similarly distributed. “Learning” of such phonemes occurs by simple transfer without
difficulty. On the other hand, the sounds that are not part of the sound system of the
native language, that structure differently, or that are differently distributed. Learning
of these occurs more slowly, and difficulty with them is more persistent.
In learning a foreign grammatical structure, it is observed that the grammatical
structure of the native language tends to be transferred to the foreign language. Learner
tends to transfer the sentence forms, modification devices, the number, gender, and

case patterns of his native language.
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)
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To understand the nature of language mixing phenomena, it is also necessary to compare two
cultures. Robert Lado (1960:111) also confirmed that we cannot hope to compare two cultures
unless we have more accurate understanding of each of the two cultures being compared. We
must be able to eliminate the things we claim to do but actually don‟t do. We must be able to
describe the things we do without being conscious of doing them, and we must make sure we
are able to describe practices accurately, not haphazardly or ideally. And we must be able to
describe the situations in which we do what we do.

We can assume that when the individual of culture A trying to learn culture B observes a form
in culture B in a particular distribution spot, he grasps the same complex of meaning as in his
own culture. And when he in turn engages in a unit of behavior in culture B he chooses the
form which he would choose in his own culture to achieve that complex meaning (Robert
Lado, 1960:114).

It is obvious that by comparing the two culture systems, we can predict what the trouble spots
will be as the native culture habits are transferred.
o Same form, different meaning: we will expect trouble when the same form has
different classification or meaning in the two cultures.
o Same meaning, different forms: We can expect another kind of trouble spot when the
same meaning in two cultures is associated with different forms. The alien observer
seeking to act in the culture being learned will select his own form to achieve the
meaning, and he may miss altogether the fact that a different form is required.

I.2. Borrowing (language) and pidgin
To have a comprehensive view on the language mixing phenomena, it is necessary to
distinguish the borrowing and pidgin.

I.2.1. What is borrowing?
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
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A borrowing or loan word is a word directly taken into one language from another with
little or no translation ( In other word, borrowing is
word derived from another language.

The ones who use loan words may loan information or loan meaning. Words borrowed into
different languages are sometimes spelled as in the original language (such as many of the
loanwords above). Sometimes loanwords retain original (or near-original) pronunciation, but
undergo a spelling change to represent the orthography of the adopting language. In fact, most
languages modify loanwords to fit native pronunciation patterns.

I.2.2. What is pidgin?
A pidgin is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or
more groups that do not have a language in common, in situations such as trade. Pidgins are
not the native language of any speech community, but are instead learned as second languages.
Pidgins usually have low prestige with respect to other
languages.( )
The creation of a pidgin usually requires:
 Prolonged, regular contact between the different language communities

 A need to communicate between them
 An absence of (or absence of widespread proficiency in) a widespread, accessible
interlanguage.
So, the English words are used by Vietnamese people at present are borrowing or pidgin?
Chapter II will give the answer with further discussion.
I.3. Relationship between language, culture and society
Language, culture and society have a close and interactive relationship. Language is the verbal
expression of culture. A culture's language contains everything its speakers can think about
and every way they have of thinking about things. According to Kramsch (2003:3), language
is the principle means whereby we conduct our social lives. When it is used in contexts of
communication, it is bound up with culture in multiple and complex ways.
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
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Simply, as Alleen Pace Nilsen writes, "Language and society are as intertwined as a chicken
and an egg. The language that a culture uses is telltale evidence of the values and beliefs of
that culture."

According to Nguyen Van Do (2004:71), language, culture and society are inseparable with
the nuclear of people as they cannot exist without people. The diagram shows somewhat this
relationship. It is unable to consider this factor without considering the others. Language and
culture are always together, affect the development of one another and also the development
of society, in which people always play the main role.

According to Kramsch (2003), language expresses, embodies and symbolizes cultural reality.
Language expresses cultural reality: the word people utter express facts, ideas or events that
are communicable. Words also reflect their author's attitudes and beliefs, their point of view,
that are also those of others.
Language embodies cultural reality: members of a community or a social group do not only
express experiences; they also create experience through language. They give meaning to it
through the medium they choose to communicate with one another, for example, speaking on
the telephone or face-to-face, writing a letter or sending an email message, reading the
newspaper or interpreting a graph or chart. The way in which people use the spoken, written,
or visual medium itself creates meanings that are understandable to the group they belong to,
People
Language
Culture
Society
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
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for example, though a speaker's tone of voice, accent, conversational style, gestures and facial
expressions.
Language symbolizes cultural reality: language is a system of signs that is seen as having

itself a cultural value. Speakers identify themselves and others through their use of language;
they view their language as a symbol of their social identity. The prohibition of its use is often
perceived by its speakers as a rejection of their social group and their culture.
In short, language, culture and society have a close relationship. The social development, the
cross-culture are synonymous with the development and the change of language. All of us
who wish to improve social relation across cultures and groups of people must be concerned
with the effects on others of the way they talk and write.

MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)
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CHAPTER II: BASIC FEATURES OF THE VIETNAMESE AND
ENGLISH MIXING PHENOMENA

Vietnam has been integrated into the world for more than 20 years, therefore the exchange of
trade and culture is indispensable requirement. No need to say much, we all recognize our
society has been significantly changed in the context of globalization. The prominent change
is shown in the growth of infrastructure and living utilities. Visiting any Vietnamese house, we
also see “the air” of the East-West civilization through the modern equipments like Television,
fridge, air conditioner, gas oven, washing machine, multi rice cooker,…The offices,
departments, agents all are equipped with modern machines like fax machine, photocopy
machine, internet, mobile,…It is as a matter of course.

Beside the above mentioned changes, our language has been affected and changed to some
extent. Many new words appear, foreign languages are used widely by Vietnamese people at
work and life, especially English which is considered as an international language of
integration process.

Frequent use of English should be encouraged, however, the issue is discussed here is the use
of Vietnamese and English mixing phenomena by many Vietnamese people at current
Vietnam society in which the people do not speak the whole Vietnamese sentences but they
only mix some English word in their communication. For examples, “Sorry mày nha tối qua
papa với mama cắt cơm, money hết sạch, chứ không thì tao đi overnight với tụi bay rồi. Từ
giờ tới chiều có chương trình gì thì “phôn” cho tao một tiếng. See you!”.

The Vietnamese and English mixing phenomena are presented through the following basic
features:

II.1. Morphological features
To analyze the morphological features of the language mixing phenomena, it is necessary to
know what morphology is. According to Mark Aronoff and Krinsten Fudeman (2004:1-2),
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
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morphology refers to the mental system involved in word formation or to the branch of
linguistics that deals with words, their internal structure and how they are formed.

Morphology plays a vital role in our understanding of the nature of language. This is because
words are at the hub of language – and hence linguistics (Francis Katams (2003:1)).

Meanwhile using English in mix with Vietnamese, the Vietnamese people sometimes borrow
the fully English words, but they sometimes change the form of the English words and
“create” a “new English” – half English and haft Vietnamese.

II.1.1. Fully English forms
Fully English means the English words used in their full form by many Vietnamese people. It
seems most of Vietnamese people no longer feel strange to the English words like sale off
10%, Jeans shop, spa, salon auto, hotel, seafood restaurant, coffee, etc…shown at the
advertising board, restaurant and shop signs, which are easy to see on the streets, especially in
big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Many English words are used in their full form
without any change.

It does not exaggerate that coming into the offices, first and foremost Joint venture companies,
the businesses working with foreign partners or multiculture working environment, we seems
to be in another world or like a fish out of water.









MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
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At the monthly meeting of a Cosmetics Distributing company, manager of Business
Department reminded her staffs that “Chúng ta cần thêm feedback của người tiêu dùng để
order sản phẩm. Nếu cần ta phải làm survey để có hiệu quả…”.

Or discussing about the difficulties in the ground clearing, a staff said “Với project này, em
nghĩ cần phải có cuộc face to face talk với người dân để…”.

Or sentences like:
- Anh “review” cho em mấy bản “record” này trước khi em đem đi làm “present” cho
khách hàng!
- Căn cứ vào cái “purpose” của nó, em “confirm’ với các bác rằng đề án này cực kỳ vớ
vẩn, cực kỳ “impossible”!
- Chú cho anh cái “contact” của nó để anh tiện giải quyết công việc!
(Conversations among IT staffs at their office).

These phenomena are also used widely on mass media like Television, Newspapers,
Magazines,…It becomes popular in Vietnam and many Vietnamese people now can
understand and pronounce well the English words used regularly by MC, journalist,
broadcasters like hat trick, fair play, World Cup, live show, Miss world, Miss Universe, V-
League, …

Just skipping some newspapers, it is not difficult to see sentences like:
- “Giải bóng chuyền bãi biển quốc tế tour châu Á năm nay đã cho chúng ta nhiều bài
học” (Duc Truong, “Ket thuc giai bong chuyen bai bien nu quoc te 2009- Nhieu
chuyen vui buon”. Sport & Culture Newspaper No.18 (29/4-7/5/2009), pp.13)
- “Khán giả Việt giờ đây có thể xem tức khắc những bộ phim tranh giải Oscar trước cả
khán giả Mỹ, có thể down load những ca khúc hoặc album đang trên top ten của
Billboard, có thể đọc những cuốn sách best-seller qua bản dịch nóng hổi, …” (Pham
Thi Thu Thuy, „The gioi lam gi tren san khau”. Sport & Culture Newspaper No.18
(29/4-7/5/2009), pp.49).
Even at the title of the article, our journalists also use the English words such as:
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
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- “Iran cáo buộc báo chí quốc tế kích động "hooligan" biểu tình”. (Nhat Vi.
18 June 2009).
- “MobiFone thu hồi pano quảng cáo 'xấu chơi'” (Hong Anh. />doanh/2009/06/3BA104AE/. 20 June 2009);
- “Mạnh tay lobby cho giá dầu” (Thanh Bình. />te/2009/06/3BA10580/. 20 June 2009).

It is irrefutable that advanced science and technology, especially internet contribute to the
development of the country economy and people‟s life. Most of the advance facilities are used
with English for their names, logos, slogans, packages and guidelines for use. Meanwhile we
have not enough time to form the equivalent words or cannot find the Vietnamese words that
cover full meaning of English ones. Therefore, the language borrowing is unavoidable and
gradually understandable and used widely in Vietnam. For example, software, email, file,
folder, blog/blogger, online, offline, laptop, website, password, wireless, phone,…

II.1.2. Half English-half Vietnamese
Many English words used in mix with Vietnamese are not kept with their full forms, but
changed into a new form (half English and half Vietnamese) to create meaningful phrases or
sentences. We can hear and see the following words and phrases everywhere in Vietnam from
the street to the office and even on mass media: cửa hàng photocopy/fotocopy, máy fax, gara ô
tô, bye nhé, câu lạc bộ Dance Sport, gala cười, chơi game, dân gay, fan hâm mộ, chat với
sao, đường link, đồ second hand, vốn ODA, tuổi teen, chạy sô (show), 4U (for you), 4 teen
(for teen), etc.
Or sentences like:
- “Con bye bye cô chú đi”
- “Chat với Lâm “kinh kông” trong “Lập trình cho trái tim”
( 19 June 2009)
- “Hiện tại Nhà văn hóa thanh niên có khá nhiều môn học năng khiếu như khiêu vũ,
thanh nhạc, người mẫu, MC Bên cạnh đó chương trình teen năng động thời @ với

những buổi dã ngoại kết hợp…” (Hai Duyen, “Gioi tre Sai thanh dua nhau hoc nang
khieu”. , 19 June 2009).
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
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Giáp Thị Bích Hạnh – K15A - 14-
- Or “Tự đến trường với xe đạp điện, Miss Teen Huyền Trang dí dỏm kể, nhiều bạn trai
trong phòng thi để ý khiến cô thiếu tập trung…” (Dam Vinh-Tra Bang, “Hoa hậu Thùy
Dung và Miss Huyền Trang kể về thi tốt nghiệp”. />dieu-tre/2009/06/3BA0FCEE/, 20 June 2009).

II.2. Phonological features
Phonology is the study of the sound patterns found in human language; it is also the term used
to refer to the kind of knowledge that speakers have about the sound patterns of their particular
language. Everyone who knows a language knows (unconsciously of course) its phonology.
Despite the infinitive variatios, which occur when we speak, all speakers of a language agree
that certain utterances are the “same” and other are “different”. Phonology tells us why this is
the case. (Ha Cam Tam, pp.1-2).

The study of the phonological features of the Vietnamese – English mixing phenomena is to
study the sound of the English pronounced by Vietnamese people. Sound of some English
words are kept the same but some are changed by the non-native users.

I.2.1. Fully English pronunciation
Many Vietnamese people can understand and pronounce well such English words as World
Cup /wə:ld kʌp/, Fair play /feə plei/, SEA GAMES / si: geim/, MC/ em'si:/, live show /liv ∫ou/,
download/ daun'loud/, top ten/ tɔp ten/, tour/ tuə/, shopping/ '∫ɔpiη/, resort/ ri:'zɔ:t/,, Number 1
/'nʌmbə wʌn/, etc…

For examples,
- “ Cuối tuần này tụi mình đi shopping nhé!”
- “Ông gửi bản hợp đồng vào email cho tôi nhé!” – “Ok! Chiều nay tôi gửi cho ông”
- “Anh có đôi giầy xịn thế? – Đồ secondhand đấy!”
- “Em mặc size M hay S?”

We are not surprised to hear the English song “Happy birthday” sang by Vietnamese people at
someone‟s birthday party, even little children can sing this song well:
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)
____________________________________________________________________________

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Giáp Thị Bích Hạnh – K15A - 15-
“Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, happy birthday
Happy birthday to you”

II.2.1. Half English – half Vietnamese pronunciation
Although all the Vietnamese consonants except one are written the same as in English, their
distribution (their occurrence, either at the beginning or at the end in syllables) often differs
from English, and their pronunciation differs in subtle but noticeable ways from the
pronunciation of their English counterparts. Although some combinations of consonants can
be difficult, the fact that a Vietnamese word is always based on only one syllable will help
western people to say the word easily. In contrary, an English word is often combined by more
than one syllable, which makes Vietnamese people face difficulty in pronunciation.

Therefore, as using English in mix with Vietnamese, Vietnamese people have tendency to
change sound of English and pronoun the word with half English and half Vietnamese. For

instance,

No.
English
Correct
pronunciation
Pronounced by Vietnamese people
1
Gallant
/’gælənt/



Ga lăng
2
Container
/kən’teinə/


Công-ten-nơ
3
Valentine
/’væləntain/

Va-len-tin
4
Festival
/’festivəl/

Fés-ti-van

5
Design
/di’zain/

Đì dzai
6
Hooligan
/’hu:ligən/

Hu-li-gân
7
Style
/stail/

Xì tin
8
Garage
/’gærɑ:ʒ/

Ga ra
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)
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Giáp Thị Bích Hạnh – K15A - 16-
No.
English
Correct
pronunciation

Pronounced by Vietnamese people
9
Chat
/t∫æt/

Chát
10
Salon
/’sælɔn/

Sa-lông
11
Diva
/’di:və/

Đi-va
12
Fan
/fæn/

Fan
13
Album
/’ælbəm/

An-bum
14
Model
/’mɔdl/

Mô-đen
15
Gangster
/’gæηstə/


Găng-tơ
16
Visa
/'vi:zə/

Vi-za
17
Mode
/moud/

Mốt

Or the sentences like:
- “Trong buổi họp khách hàng tới, phải mời đại diện các ban, ngành tới dự vì họ là
những chuyên gia rất pro /pờ rồ/”
- “Cảnh sát Anh và Xcốtlen mới đây cho biết, bất chấp đã có luật chống /hu-li-gân/
(hooligan) và các đạo luật tăng cường cho luật này của quốc hội hai nước, nhưng nạn
/hu-li-gân/ Anh vẫn tiếp tục tăng” (Minh Hạnh, “8 triệu đô la vẫn không trị được /hu-
li-gân/ Anh,
- “"/Vi-lic/"(V-League) đã lên chuyên nghiệp từ nhiều năm, sân bóng có đủ các màu da
và quốc tịch nhưng vẫn nghiệp dư…”(Nguyễn Bỉnh Quân, “Từ bóng đá tới bóng đá”,


II.3. Grammatical features

The English words are mixed in Vietnamese sentences with various functions, they may
function as nouns, verbs, adjectives.

II.3.1. Function as nouns
- “Theo anh chương trình này đang có quá nhiều problem, các chú phải tìm cách xử lý
khẩn cấp tất cả các error của nó trước khi nó die”
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)
____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________
Giáp Thị Bích Hạnh – K15A - 17-
- “Các anh xem thế nào chứ, budget năm nay của bọn em cứ bị xén liên tục thế này thì
mấy cái program của em run thế nào được.”
- “Hai tay golf nữ xuất sắc nhất sẽ được tham gia vòng trung kết Golf Her World khu
vực châu Á 2009” (P.V, “Giải Golf Her World Việt Nam 2009 khởi động”, Sport &
Culture Newspaper, No.18, issued on 29 April-7 May 2009, pp.4).
- “Theo dự báo của trưởng đại diện WB tại Thái Lan, …IMF dự báo tăng trưởng kinh tế
của Thái Lan năm 2009 đạt 4,5% ” (Vu Le, “Triển vọng kinh tế Thế giới 2009”.
Banking Times No.31, issued on 23 February 2009, pp.9).

II.3.2. Function as verbs
- “Ba tuần nữa em finish dự án sẽ cùng với các anh xử lý cái case đó”
- “Chị nghĩ là với problem này, chúng ta nên discuss lại. Các bạn mà không sure là các
bạn không thể handle được!” (Manager of Marketing Department of Even Organizing
Company discussed with her staffs).
- “Anh có thể arrange cho em một appointment với director bên đó được không, em
cần collect một số thông tin về mấy cái project này”.
- “Nếu ngày mai đi shopping thì phone cho tôi một tiếng nhé!”
- “Bà make up một tí đi. Tôi ra khỏi nhà mà không make up cứ thấy không tự tin thế

nào ấy”.

II.3.3. Function as adjectives
- “Một phong cách cực kỳ kool (cool) qua các mẫu thời trang phá cách, qua các mái tóc
cực kỳ hiphop…”(“Dân teens với Yomost, ngày hội thử thách”).
- “Cậu may mắn quá đấy, có người yêu vừa handsome, vừa ga-lăng”
- “Cô ta lúc nào cũng ăn mặc rất mốt (mode)”





MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)
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Giáp Thị Bích Hạnh – K15A - 18-
CHAPTER III: DISCUSSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR SOLUTION

III.1. Origin of Vietnamese and English mixing phenomena
First of all, the present use of Vietnamese mixed with some English words of many young
Vietnamese people, especially those who learn English is originated as from the Government
implementation of Open-Door Policy to integrate into the world. English becomes the main
communication tool of Vietnamese people with outsiders. More restaurants, hotels and resorts
appear to serve the international tourists and their names and menus are used in English
accordingly. For example, Sea food restaurant (in Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hanoi), Sunspa
Resort (in Quang Binh Province), Vinpearl Land (in Nha Trang) Furthermore, many Joint
Venture Companies and foreign factories have been opened in Vietnam, more Vietnamese
people start studying English with the hopes of getting a good job and earning more money in

foreign businesses. As a result, English is used and practiced everywhere, at home, at office,
on the street, …English is used in mix with Vietnamese like: “Partner của tụi em chiều nay sẽ
tới thành phố, em book 2 single room nhé. Coi như em đã confirm luôn rồi nhé, chị khỏi cần
phải check lại”.

Besides, the professional translators and interpreters also contribute to the language mixing,
especially in the field of advanced science and technology. We all know that the scientific and
technological standard of Vietnam is still backward compared to other countries in the world
before intergration. Meanwhile the advanced science and technology overflows into Vietnam
very fast, we do not have enough time to prepare and form the new words or relevant words to
express the meanings of the English words. In this case, the professional translators and
interpreters create the new words or if impossible they use the English words. Gradually, they
are accepted and used widely by Vietnamese people and understandable among Vietnamese
community. For example, Internet, máy fax, máy photocopy, modem, chip, RAM, ROM,
CDROM, etc.

One more reason is the booming of internet, which contributes significantly to the language
mixing phenomena. We all know English is the main language used for computer and internet,
meanwhile Internet is now one of the most useful tools which helps people around the world
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)
____________________________________________________________________________

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Giáp Thị Bích Hạnh – K15A - 19-
come closer in a shortest way. Computer and internet present at all offices and families in
cities and many Vietnamese people are familiar with such words as upload, download, email,
online, offline, messenger, message, send, inbox, chat, blog, blogger, password, email address,
send, file, folder, etc.

Last but not least, some people prefer using English words because they see English words are
shorter than Vietnamese ones. For example, resort, email, World Cup, video clip, phone, chat,
mobile phone, marketing, lobby, etc.

III.2. Impacts of Vietnamese and English mixing phenomena
The language mixing phenomena between English and Vietnamese have given impacts on the
Vietnam culture and other social values. They cause both positive and negative impacts on
Vietnam cultural values and society.

III.2.1. Positive impacts
It is undeniable that many English words contribute to the development of Vietnamese
vocabulary and make it more diversified. For example, fair play, fan hâm mộ, hat-trick,
album, internet, website, tuổi teen, gala cười, gara ô tô, cát-xê, laptop, chat, email, video clip,
World Cup, Sea Games, WB, vốn ODA, marketing, festival, tour, resort, etc. Many
Vietnamese people, even the people who have not learned any English can pronoun and
understand these words.

Secondly, some English words are shorter and contain full meaning than the equivalent
Vietnamese words. For instance, it is shorter to say “email” than “thư điện tử” and it seems
“email” are used much more than “thư điện tử” by Vietnamese people;
or the word “marketing” (means the systematic study of the best conditions including market,
advertisement, interest and taste of customers,…to sell products) translated into Vietnamese is
“Tiếp thị” that cannot cover the full content of the word “marketing”;
or recently, we often use the word “lobby” (To try to influence the thinking of legislators or
other public officials for or against a specific cause…) are commonly used and it is translated
MA Minor Thesis - The language mixing phenomena in verbal communicative process
between Vietnamese and English (viewed from language, cultural and social perspectives)
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Giáp Thị Bích Hạnh – K15A - 20-
“vận động hành lang” in Vietnamese. However, it seems the Vietnamese words themselves
are unable to present the whole meaning of this word.

Furthermore, the use of English in some cases brings positive effect, especially for the purpose
of tourist promotion. For example, Festival Hue, Vinpearl Land.
It seems better and more effective to use the word “Festival Hue” instead of “Le Hoi Hue”.
The word “Festival Hue” makes positive effects in bringing Hue picture to the outside and
attracts more international tourists to visit Vietnam.

It is not unintentional that the name “Khu du lịch Hòn ngọc Việt” was changed to “Vinpearl
Land” as from the 15 December 2006. As from the change of the English name, the “land”
seems more well-known and attracts more domestic and international tourists.

III.2.2. Negative impacts
Beside the above mentioned positive effects, the use of Vietnamese in mix with English is
criticized by many scholars and linguists.

First of all, the language mixing phenomena impure the purity of Vietnamese language. The
borrowing and creation of new words to enrich the vocabulary of the Vietnamese language.
However, many people, almost the young, have not had the awareness of the national
language and create a “strange” Vietnamese language. In a Journal of a Youth Union (issued
on the 1
st
and 15
th
monthly), there is a very “impressive” article in the use of Vietnamese and
English mixing with the title “Dân teens với Yomost, ngày hội thử thách”: “Một ngày hội
thử thách tràn đầy phong cách teen. A lê hấp! Này nhá, có một sân khấu chuyên trị các nốt
nhạc dưới sự hoạt náo sôi nổi đầy màu sắc Yo! của MC vui nhộn Thanh Bạch. Một sân khấu

cá tính cho chương trình đinh của ngày hội mà bất cứ một B-boy hay B-girl nào cũng không
thể bỏ qua cơ hội được ngắc ngư với các break-dancer trứ danh trong giới teen đầy phong
cách: W.E.B Crew, Free Style, Bad Boy, T&A và Web Style ( ) Một phong cách cực kỳ kool
(cool) qua các mẫu thời trang phá cách, qua các mái tóc cực kỳ hiphop ”. (Văn Thành Lê,
“Khi người Việt sính tiếng nước ngoài”,