a study on structural and semantic components of typical english and vietnamese idioms = nghiên cứu thành tố cấu trúc và ngữ nghĩa của mốt số thành ngữ cố định (đặc ngữ) điển hình trong tiếng anh và tiếng việt

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
.............. οOο..............

ĐẶNG NGUYÊN GIANG

A STUDY ON STRUCTURAL AND SEMANTIC COMPONENTS
OF TYPICAL ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE IDIOMS
(Nghiên cứu thành tố cấu trúc và ngữ nghĩa của một số thành ngữ
cố định (đặc ngữ) điển hình trong tiếng Anh và tiếng Việt)
Major: English Linguistics
Code: 62 22 15 01
A Thesis Submitted in Total Fulfillment of the Requirements for
the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

HANOI – 2013


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
.............. οOο..............

ĐẶNG NGUYÊN GIANG

A STUDY ON STRUCTURAL AND SEMANTIC COMPONENTS
OF TYPICAL ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE IDIOMS
(Nghiên cứu thành tố cấu trúc và ngữ nghĩa của một số thành ngữ

cố định (đặc ngữ) điển hình trong tiếng Anh và tiếng Việt)
Major: English Linguistics
Code: 62 22 15 01
A Thesis Submitted in Total Fulfillment of the Requirements for
the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Võ Đại Quang
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lê Hùng Tiến

HANOI – 2013


DECLARATION BY AUTHOR
Except where reference has been made in the text, this thesis contains no material
previously published or written by another person.
I, Đặng Nguyên Giang, hereby state that this thesis is the result of my own research and
the substance of the thesis has not, wholly or in part, been submitted for any degrees to
any other universities or institutions.

i


PUBLISHED WORKS BY THE AUTHOR RELEVANT TO THE THESIS
Giang, Đ. N. (2009). Idiomatic Variants and Synonymous Idioms in English. VNU
Journal of Science, Foreign Languages, 25 (2), 81-85.
Giang, Đ. N. (2011). Idiom Variants and Synonymous Idioms in English and
Vietnamese: The Similarities and Differences. VNU Journal of Science, Foreign
Languages, 27 (4), 273-280.
Giang, Đ. N. (2011). Bàn thêm về đặc tính ngữ nghĩa của thành ngữ tiếng Anh [On the
semantic properties of English idioms]. Bản tin thông tin khoa học và công nghệ Trường Đại học Tây Bắc, 1-6, 27-33.

Giang, Đ. N. (2012). Bàn thêm về đặc tính ngữ nghĩa của thành ngữ tiếng Việt [On the
semantic properties of Vietnamese idioms]. Từ điển học và Bách khoa thư, 15
(1), 38-43.

ii


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The completion of this dissertation is credited to many people’s contributions and
support. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all most sincerely, knowing
that my thanks are never adequate.
I am greatly indebted to my supervisors Assoc. Prof. Dr. Võ Đại Quang and Assoc.
Prof. Dr. Lê Hùng Tiến for their encouragement, insightful comments and interest in my
study. I would like to thank the staff of Post Graduate Department for their assistance
that has made the finalization of the dissertation possible in a very short time.
My sincere thanks also extend to Prof. Dr. Hoàng Văn Vân, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn
Văn Độ, Dr. Nguyễn Đức Hoạt, and Dr. Nguyễn Văn Trào for their invaluable
suggestions, highly constructive comments on several issues related to the dissertation.
Their willingness to support me, answer my questions, and comment on my dissertation
content and organization has made me more confident to pursue the research in this
challenging area.
I give my sincere thanks to all my students, colleagues and friends who patiently
listened to my frustrations, and provided me with encouragement, understanding and
collegiality.
As custom dictates, I have saved the most important people for last. My gratitude goes
to my mother and father. Their constant love and unconditional support are simply
beyond words. A big thank goes to my wife, Thanh Hà, and my gorgeous son, Bảo
Nam, for their patience, endless love, and devotion. Whatever choices I have made, they
have always stood by me and believed in me. I am immensely thankful for all the
assistance they have given me.

iii


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration by Author……………………………………………..…………….

i

Published Works by the Author Relevant to the Thesis……………...….…….

ii

Acknowledgements……………………………………………………...………..

iii

Abstract…………………………………………………………….……...……...

viii

List of Figures………………………………………………………...…………..

x

List of Tables……………………………………………………………...……… xiv
List of Abbreviations and Symbols Used in the Thesis………………....……...

xv

List of Vietnamese – English Terms…………………………………..….……..

xvi

PART A: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………....……….

1

1. Rationale…………………………………………………………..……..…….. 1
2. Aims and Objectives of the Study………………………………...…..………

3

3. Research Questions………………………………………………....…………

3

4. Scope of the Study………………………………………...………….………..

3

5. Contributions of the Study………………………………...……….…………

3

6. Methodology………………………………………………..……...…..………. 4
6.1. Theoretical Framework…………………………………..….……………

4

6.2. Analytical Framework………………………………...…….…………….

7

6.3. Data Collection…………………………………………...….…………… 9
6.4. Data Analysis……………………………………………...….…………..

10

6.5. Procedure………………………………………………...…….…………. 12
7. Structure of the Study………………………………………...…….…………

13

PART B: DEVELOPMENT…………………………………………....……….. 14
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW………………………...….………….

14

1.1. Theoretical Background………………………………………...…….…….

14

1.1.1. Idioms Defined…………………………………………...…….……….

14

1.1.2. Idioms from Traditional View…………………………...…….……….. 16
1.1.3. Idioms from Cognitive View……………………………...…….……… 18
1.1.4. Idioms from Taxonomic View…………………………...…….……….

19

1.1.5. Idioms from Cultural View……………………………...…….………..

28

1.1.6. Idioms in the Relationship to Other Linguistic Units………....……...… 29
1.2. Previous Research………………………………………………....…….…..

33

1.2.1. Previous Research Works on Idioms in English…………...….…….….

33

iv


1.2.2. Previous Research Works on Idioms in Vietnamese………..……….…. 35
1.2.3. Previous Research Works on Idioms in English and Vietnamese under
Comparison and Contrastive Analysis………………………………......….…

38

1.3. Summary……………………………………………………….…….….…...

39

CHAPTER 2: STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF ENGLISH AND

VIETNAMESE IDIOMS…………………………………………...……………

41

2.1. Canonical Structural Components……………………………...………….

41

2.1.1. Symmetrical Idioms……………………………………...……………..

41

2.1.1.1. Realization……………………………………..…..…………… 41
2.1.1.2. Structural Patterns………………………………..….………….

42

2.1.1.3. Structural Components…………………………....…………….

43

2.1.2. Similized Idioms……………………………………..……..…………... 51
2.1.2.1. Realization……………………………………..…..…………… 51
2.1.2.2. Structural Patterns……………………………..…..……………

52

2.1.2.3. Structural Components………………………..….…….……….

53

2.1.3. Non-symmetrical idioms…………………………………....…………..

59

2.1.3.1. Realization……………………………………..…..…………… 59
2.1.3.2. Structural Patterns……………………………..…….………….

60

2.1.3.3. Structural Components………………………….....……………

62

2.2. Non-canonical Structural Components………………..…..……………….

69

2.2.1. Idiom Variants………………………………………….....…………….

70

2.2.1.1. Realization……………………………………..…..…………… 70
2.2.1.2. Structural Components………………………...…..……………

72

2.2.2. Synonymous Idioms………………………………..…..……………….

78

2.2.2.1. Realization……………………………………..…..…………… 78
2.2.2.2. Structural Components…………………………....…………….
2.3. Structural Components of English and Vietnamese Idioms Compared

80
85

2.3.1. Similarities……………………………………………..…..…………… 85
2.3.1.1. Canonical Structural Components Found in both Languages…... 85
2.3.1.2. Non-canonical Structural Components Found in both Languages 85
2.3.2. Differences…………………………………….…………..……………

86

2.3.2.1. Canonical Structural Components Unique to English………..… 88
2.3.2.2. Non-canonical Structural Components Unique to English…......

v

89


2.3.2.3. Canonical Structural Components Unique to Vietnamese..…….

90

2.3.2.4. Non-canonical Structural Components Unique to Vietnamese… 91
2.4. Summary………………………………………………………..………..…..
CHAPTER

3:

SEMANTIC

COMPONENTS

OF

ENGLISH

92

AND

VIETNAMESE IDIOMS………………………………………..……..…..…….

93

3.1. Canonical Semantic Components………………………………..…..…..…

93

3.1.1. Semantic Components of Symmetrical Idioms………………....………

93

3.1.1.1. Motivation Degree of Semantic Components………..…...…….

93

3.1.1.2. Composition of Semantic Components………………….……... 100
3.1.2. Semantic Components of Similized Idioms……………………....…….

102

3.1.2.1. Motivation Degree of Semantic Components………..…..…….

102

3.1.2.2. Composition of Semantic Components……………..……..…...

105

3.1.3. Semantic Components of Non-symmetrical Idioms……………....……

107

3.1.3.1. Motivation Degree of Semantic Components………….....…….

107

3.1.3.2. Composition of Semantic Components………………….……... 112
3.2. Non-canonical Semantic Components……………………………...………

114

3.2.1. Semantic Components of Idiom Variants………………………………. 115
3.2.1.1. Realization……………………………………………....……… 115
3.2.1.2. Semantic Nuance……………………………………..…..…….. 116

3.2.2. Semantic Components of Synonymous Idioms……………..……..…… 118
3.2.2.1. Realization……………………………………………..…..…… 118
3.2.2.2. Semantic Nuance……………………………………….....……. 118
3.3. Formation of Semantic Components of Idioms……………………....……

119

3.3.1. Formation Mechanism……………………………………….…...……..

119

3.3.2. Main Factors Affecting the Formation of Semantic Components…….... 124
3.3.2.1. Living Circumstance……………………………...…….………

124

3.3.2.2. Historical Allusion…………………………………....………...

126

3.3.2.3. Religions and Beliefs………………………………...…………

128

3.3.2.4. Traditions and Customs……………………………..…..……… 128
3.4. Semantic Components of English and Vietnamese Idioms Compared…..

130

3.4.1. Similarities……………………………………………....……………… 131

3.4.1.1. Canonical Semantic Components Found in both Languages….... 131
3.4.1.2. Non-canonical Semantic Components Found in both Languages

vi

132


3.4.1.3. Formation of semantic components found in both Languages....

133

3.4.2. Differences…………………………………………………….….…..… 134
3.4.2.1. Canonical Semantic Components Unique to English……….….

135

3.4.2.2. Canonical Semantic Components Unique to Vietnamese….......

136

3.4.2.3. Differences between English and Vietnamese in Terms of Main
Factors that Affect the Formation of Semantic Components….. 136
3.5. Summary…………………………………………………………………..…

141

PART C: CONCLUSION…………………………………………….…………. 142
1. Recapitulation……………………………………………………...….……….

142

2. Conclusions………………………………………………………...…..………

146

3. Implications for Idiom Teaching and Translation……………...……….…..

149

4. Suggestions for Further Studies……………………………………....………

151

REFERENCES………………………………………………………….....……..

153

APPENDIX 1…………………………………………………………...….……..

I

APPENDIX 2…………………………………………………………...….……..

VII

APPENDIX 3…………………………………………………….…...…………..

XII

APPENDIX 4………………………………………………………....…………..

XVI

vii


ABSTRACT
An investigation of idioms in English and Vietnamese in terms of structural and
semantic components is carried out in the present study. Componential analysis,
describing, comparing and contrasting are regarded as the main methods used in the
present thesis. The findings of the study are concerned with the similarities and
differences between English and Vietnamese idioms in terms of (1) structural
components, and (2) semantic components and their formation. In order to collect the
data, a hand search approach of the dictionaries in both languages has been conducted,
which helps to establish a corpus of 4,134 idioms in English and 4,053 idioms in
Vietnamese.
In the present study, a common theoretical framework on idioms is applied to both
English and Vietnamese. The canonical structural and semantic components involve
three types of idioms existing in our data: symmetrical, similized, and non-symmetrical
(Đức 1995; Hành 2008). The canonical structural components of each idiom type are
realized, described and analyzed according to grammatical rules suggested by Quirk,
Greenbaum, Leech, & Svartvik (1985). The non-canonical structural components
involve two types of idioms: idiom variants and synonymous idioms.
The semantic components of each idiom type involve the motivation degrees
(transparent, semi-transparent, semi-opaque, and opaque) (Fernando & Flavell 1981;
Fernando 1996), the association between the literal readings and the idiomatic meanings
(Langlotz 2006), and the semantic composition of component parts (Hành 2008). The
findings of the current study also reveal that most of the idioms in both English and
Vietnamese are analyzable and have meanings that are at least partly motivated

(Geeraets 1995; Gibbs 1990, 1995; Kövecses & Szabo 1996; Nunberg et al. 1994;
Fernando 1996; Langlotz 2006; etc). The formation mechanism of the semantic
components of idioms is motivated by external semantic cognition including metaphors,
metonymies and conventional knowledge (Gibbs 1990, 1995). It is a natural process
implicitly affected by several different factors such as living circumstance (geographical
environment, climate), historical allusion (historical events, fables and mythologies,
literary works), religions and beliefs, and traditions and customs (food and cooking,
animals). This leads to a fact that the component parts forming idioms in the two

viii


languages are different although they denote similar concepts. The thesis also presents
the implications for idiom teaching and translation.
Keywords: idioms, idiomaticity, symmetrical idioms, similized idioms, non-symmetrical
idioms, idiom variants, synonymous idioms, underlying factors, motivation degree,
literal reading, idiomatic meaning

ix


LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1.1: Classification of symmetrical figurative idioms in Vietnamese
(Hành 2008: 76)………………………………………………….….. 26
Figure 1.2: Classification of non-symmetrical figurative idioms in Vietnamese
(Hành 2008: 100)……………………………………………….…… 27
Figure 1.3: Classification of similized idioms in Vietnamese (Hành 2008: 115)

27

Figure 2.1. Distribution of symmetrical idioms in English and Vietnamese….…

42

Figure 2.2: Structural patterns of symmetrical idioms in English……….…….…

42

Figure 2.3: Structural patterns of symmetrical idioms in Vietnamese……..…….

43

Figure 2.4: Structural components of A and B symmetrical idioms in English.…

44

Figure 2.5: Structural components of A or B symmetrical idioms in English…...

45

Figure 2.6: Structural components of A but B symmetrical idioms in English..…

46

Figure 2.7: Structural components of A to B symmetrical idioms in English........

46

Figure 2.8: Structural components of A, B symmetrical idioms in English….…..

47

Figure 2.9: Symmetrical relationship between A and B of mẹ trịn con vng in
Vietnamese………………………………………………………......

48

Figure 2.10: Symmetrical relationship between A and B of chạy ngược chạy
xuôi in Vietnamese…………………………………………………..

49

Figure 2.11: Canonical structural components of symmetrical idioms in
Vietnamese………………...…………………………………...……..

50

Figure 2.12: Distribution of similized idioms in English and Vietnamese….…...

52

Figure 2.13: Structural patterns of similized idioms in English…………….……

52

Figure 2.14: Structural patterns of similized idioms in Vietnamese………….….

53

Figure 2.15: Structural components of as A as B similized idioms in English.….

54

Figure 2.16: Structural components of A like B similized idioms in English….… 54
Figure 2.17: Structural components of […] like B similized idioms in English…

55

Figure 2.18: Structural components of […] as B similized idioms in English.….. 56
Figure 2.19: Structural components of A như B similized idioms in
Vietnamese…………………………………………………………....

57

Figure 2.20: Structural components of (A) như B similized idioms in
Vietnamese……………………………………………………...…….

58

Figure 2.21: Structural components of như B similized idioms in
Vietnamese………………………………………………...……….....

x

59


Figure 2.22: Structural components of AB similized idioms in Vietnamese….…

59

Figure 2.23: Distribution of non-symmetrical idioms in English and
Vietnamese……………………………………………………………

60

Figure 2.24: Structural patterns of non-symmetrical idioms in English……..…... 61
Figure 2.25: Structural patterns of non-symmetrical idioms in Vietnamese..……

61

Figure 2.26: Structural components of A HN (B) non-symmetrical idioms as
noun phrases in English……………………………………………... 62
Figure 2.27: Structural components of AB non-symmetrical idioms as adjective
phrases in English…………………………………………………… 63
Figure 2.28:

Structural components of Prep B non-symmetrical idioms as

prepositional phrases in English…………………………….….…… 64
Figure 2.29:

Structural components of A Adv non-symmetrical idioms as

adverbial phrases in English…………………………………...……. 64
Figure 2.30: Structural components of (A) V/PV B non-symmetrical idioms as
verb phrases in English……………………………………………… 65
Figure 2.31: Structural components of non-symmetrical idioms as sentences in
English…………………………………………………………......... 66
Figure 2.32: Structural components of AB non-symmetrical idioms as noun

phrases in Vietnamese……………………………...………………..

67

Figure 2.33: Structural components of AB non-symmetrical idioms as adjective
phrases in Vietnamese…………………...…………………………..

68

Figure 2.34: Structural components of AB non-symmetrical idioms as verb
phrases in Vietnamese…………………………...…………………..

68

Figure 2.35: Structural components of non-symmetrical idioms as sentences in
Vietnamese………………………………………...……...……….... 69
Figure 2.36: Distribution of idiom variants in English and Vietnamese…….…...

71

Figure 2.37: Realization criteria of idiom variants in English and Vietnamese.… 72
Figure 2.38: Distribution of synonymous idioms in English and Vietnamese..….

79

Figure 2.39: Realization criteria of synonymous idioms in English and
Vietnamese…………………………………..………………...……. 80
Figure 2.40: Distribution of idiom types in English and Vietnamese……….…...

87

Figure 2.41: Distribution of idiom variants and synonymous idioms in English
and Vietnamese……………………………………….………...…..
Figure 3.1. Distribution of transparent symmetrical idioms in English and

xi

87


Vietnamese………………………………………………...…..……

94

Figure 3.2: Semantic components of transparent symmetrical idioms in English
and Vietnamese……………………………………………………..

94

Figure 3.3: The relationship between the literal reading and idiomatic meaning
of slowly but surely in English and bày mưu tính kế in Vietnamese.

95

Figure 3.4: Transformation of quốc sắc thiên hương (from Sino-Vietnamese
into Vietnamese)……………………………………...……………... 95
Figure 3.5: Distribution of semi-opaque symmetrical idioms in English and
Vietnamese………………………………………………...……..….

96

Figure 3.6: Semantic components of semi-opaque symmetrical idioms in
English and Vietnamese………………………………..……………

97

Figure 3.7: The relationship between the literal reading and idiomatic meaning
of day and night in English and mồm năm miệng mười in
Vietnamese…………………………………………..………………

97

Figure 3.8: Distribution of opaque symmetrical idioms in English and
Vietnamese…………………………………………...…………..….

98

Figure 3.9: Semantic components of opaque symmetrical idioms in
Vietnamese…………………………………………...……………... 98
Figure 3.10: The relationship between the literal reading and idiomatic meaning
of già kén kẹn hom in Vietnamese……………………………...…… 99
Figure 3.11: Distribution of semi-transparent similized idioms in English and
Vietnamese…………………………………………...…………..….

102

Figure 3.12: Semantic components of semi-transparent similized idioms in
English and Vietnamese……………………………………………..

103

Figure 3.13: The relationship between the literal reading and idiomatic meaning
of as busy as a bee in English and chậm như rùa in
Vietnamese…………………………………………………………..

103

Figure 3.14: Distribution of semi-opaque similized idioms in English and
Vietnamese…………………………………………...……………...

104

Figure 3.15: Semantic components of semi-opaque similized idioms in English
and Vietnamese……………………………………………….……..

104

Figure 3.16: The relationship between the literal reading and idiomatic meaning
of as black as coal in English and đen như chó in
Vietnamese…………………………………...……………………...

xii

105


Figure 3.17: Distribution of transparent non-symmetrical idioms in English and
Vietnamese…………………………………………………..…...….

108

Figure 3.18: Semantic components of in any case in English……………….…... 108
Figure 3.19: Distribution of semi-opaque non-symmetrical idioms in English
and Vietnamese…………………………………………...…………

109

Figure 3.20: Semantic components of semi-opaque non-symmetrical idioms in
English and Vietnamese……………………………………………..

109

Figure 3.21: The relationship between the literal reading and idiomatic meaning
of throw a spanner into the works in English and áo gấm đi đêm in
Vietnamese……………………………….…………………...……..

110

Figure 3.22: Distribution of opaque non-symmetrical idioms in English and
Vietnamese………………………………………………..…………

110

Figure 3.23: Semantic components of kick the bucket in English and đẽo cày
giữa đường in Vietnamese………………………………...………...

111

Figure 3.24: The relationship between the literal reading and idiomatic meaning
of kick the bucket in English and đẽo cày giữa đường in

Vietnamese…………………………………...……………………...

111

Figure 3.25: The semantic composition of kick the bucket in English and đẽo
cày giữa đường in Vietnamese (drawn from Fernando & Flavell
1981)………………………………………………………………… 113
Figure 3.26: The formation of an idiom in English and Vietnamese (drawn from
Fernando & Flavell 1981: 26)…………………………….…………

120

Figure 3.27: The formation mechanism of semantic components of idioms in
English and Vietnamese…………………………...………………...

123

Figure 3.28: Main factors that affect the formation of semantic components of
idioms in English and Vietnamese………………………………….

133

Figure 3.29: Motivation degrees of symmetrical idioms in English and
Vietnamese………………………………………………………….

134

Figure 3.30: Motivation degrees of similized idioms in English and
Vietnamese………………………………………………………….. 134
Figure 3.31: Motivation degrees of non-symmetrical idioms in English and

Vietnamese………………………………………………………….. 135

xiii


LIST OF TABLES
Table 1.1: Traditional view of kick the bucket in English..………………….….… 17
Table 1.2: Traditional view of mì chính cánh in Vietnamese…….……..…….......

17

Table 1.3: Types of Idioms (Fernando 1996: 32)………………….…….....….…... 21
Table 1.4: Distinguishing criteria of idioms…………………….……...………….

32

Table 2.1: Possible variabilities of idiom variants in English…………………….. 75
Table 2.2: Possible variabilities of idiom variants in Vietnamese…………...……

78

Table 2.3: Possible variabilities of synonymous idioms in English……..…..……. 82
Table 2.4: Possible variabilities of synonymous idioms in Vietnamese……....…..

84

Table 2.5: Possible variabilities of idiom variants found in both English and
Vietnamese…………………………………………….…….………… 86
Table 2.6: Possible variabilities of synonymous idioms found in both English
and Vietnamese…………………………………………….…………..

86

Table 2.7: Structural components of non-symmetrical idioms unique to English..

89

Table 2.8: Possible variabilities of idiom variants and synonymous idioms
unique to English………………………………………………………

89

Table 2.9: Structural components of non-symmetrical idioms unique to
Vietnamese………………………………………………….………...

90

Table 2.10: Possible variabilities of idiom variants and synonymous idioms
unique to Vietnamese…………………………………….….………… 91
Table 3.1: Nuances of different idiom variant types in English and Vietnamese....

117

Table 3.2: The coordination of semantic components of symmetrical idioms
found in both English and Vietnamese…………………..……………

131

Table 3.3: The existential relationship between A and B of similized idioms
found in both English and Vietnamese…………………..……………

132

Table 3.4: Differences between English and Vietnamese in terms of main factors
that affect the formation of semantic components of idioms…….……. 140

xiv


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS USED IN THE DISSERTATION
[…]

absence of constituents

Adj

adjective

AdjP

adjective phrase

Adv

adverb

AdvP

adverbial phrase

Cl

clause

De

determiner

DCl

dependent clause

Ger

gerund

HN

head noun

InCl

independent clause

LT

language teaching

NePa

negative particle

N

noun

NP

noun phrase

Mo

modifier

Op

operator

PV

phrasal verb

Prep

preposition

PrepP

prepositional phrase

Pro

pronoun

TL

target language

To-inf

to-infinitive

Sen

sentence

Sim

similized

SL

source language

Sub

subordinator

Syn

synonymous

V

verb

VP

verb phrase

xv


LIST OF VIETNAMESE – ENGLISH TERMS
bán mờ

semi-opaque

bán tường minh

semi-transparent

biến thể thành ngữ

idiom variant

chuyển đổi theo nghĩa đen

literalized transformation

đẳng kết

coordination

đồng đại

synchronic evolution

hình ảnh biểu trưng

mental image

mờ

opaque

khuynh hướng nghiên cứu

approach

phi đẳng kết

non-coordination

phương pháp phục nguyên

etymologizing

tâm nguyên

etymology

thành ngữ đồng nghĩa

synonymous idiom

thành ngữ đối xứng

symmetrical idiom

thành ngữ phi đối xứng

non-symmetrical idiom

thành ngữ ví von hóa

similized idiom

hợp phần

component

tường minh

transparent

sắc thái nghĩa

nuance

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PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
‘The accurate and appropriate use of expressions which are in the broadest sense
idiomatic is one distinguishing mark of a native command of the language and a reliable
measure of the proficiency of foreign learners’ (Cowie, Mackin & McCaig 1993: x). In
fact, I started learning English in 1994. And I am now working as a teacher of English
in a university in Sonla. Indeed, my students and I all desire to master English as the
native speakers; nevertheless, we usually face a lot of difficulties that prevent us from
gaining natural conversations. One of the reasons for these problems lies in the way we
perceive and use idioms. The structural and semantic problems posed by idioms puzzle
us a lot. Of all the difficulties the most familiar is that of meaning: most idioms do not
mean what they appear to mean. The sense of the whole idiom is usually different from
the meanings of the combination of its component parts. The study is carried out with
the hope that, to some extent, our problems will be solved.
Actually, studying idioms is not new; nonetheless, it has never been old. In Vietnam,
there exist three approaches in studying idioms: etymology, synchronic evolution, and
comparison and contrastive analysis (Hành 2008). Firstly, the investigations on idioms
under etymology go into macro field. These studies focus on the formation and
transformation of each idiom during its existence. It is hard work taking a lot of time
and energy. The method mainly used in these studies is the etymologizing, i.e. the
origins of idioms are recovered in order to make the forms and the idiomatic meanings
transparent. Hành (2002) and Minh (2007) are the typical authors who pay attention to
this area. The second approach in studying idioms is synchronic evolution. Descriptive
method is used in these studies from which the underlying cultural factors behind the
idioms are partly interpretable. This area of study attracts a lot of authors such as San
(1974), Việt (1981), Lực & Đang (1978), Đức (1995), Hành (2008), etc. Studying
idioms under comparison and contrastive analysis is the third approach. The studies

under original recovery and synchronic evolution are the backgrounds for comparison
and contrastive works. Several attempts have been made to work out the similarities and
differences between English and Vietnamese in terms of emotion expressing idioms
(Trào 2009), idiomatic verb phrases (Long 2010), idiom translation (Lan 2001; Phúc
2009), etc. An in-depth investigation of the structural and semantic components of
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idioms will also offer excellent opportunities for cross-language comparison and
analysis.
Structurally, English and Vietnamese are very different. English is regarded as a semiinflectional language (Crystal 1997) while Vietnamese is completely isolating. It is
interesting, nevertheless, that several idioms in English have the same structural patterns
as those in Vietnamese. For example, like water off a duck’s back in English and như
nước đổ đầu vịt in Vietnamese are both prepositional phrases. It is more interesting that
the idiomatic meanings of the two idioms are also similar, and they are paraphrasable as
‘have no effect’. In terms of structural components, these idioms have both similarities
and differences. They are similized idioms introduced by prepositions as the first
component parts (like in English and như in Vietnamese). The differences lie in the rest
of component parts forming the idioms. The component parts after like in English
together form a noun phrase whereas those after như in Vietnamese together form a
clause. To the best of my knowledge, the structural components of idioms in both
English and Vietnamese have not yet been investigated in this way.
Although the component parts forming idioms expressing the same concepts in English
and Vietnamese are usually different, they have some features in common. The idioms
in both languages appear from totally transparent to the totally opaque: transparent, i.e.
all the components are explicit (e.g. slow but sure in English and bàn đi tính lại (discuss
something carefully) in Vietnamese); semi-transparent, i.e. some components are
explicit (the meaning focused) and the other are implicit (e.g. as busy as a beaver (very
busy) in English and đẹp như tiên (very beautiful) in Vietnamese); semi-opaque, i.e. all
the components are implicit but possibly interpretable (e.g. like a duck to water (feel

comfortable) in English and như chó với mèo (be always conflictive) in Vietnamese);
and opaque, i.e. all the components are implicit (e.g. kick the bucket (die) in English and
đẽo cày giữa đường (be indeterminate in one’s position) in Vietnamese) (Fernando &
Flavell 1981; Fernando 1996). Investigating semantic components of idioms based on
these semantic criteria in both English and Vietnamese is still the gap. In addition, what
main factors lie behind the differences between the two languages in terms of the
formation of semantic components of idioms also need uncovering (Hành 2008).
For the reasons presented above, we state that studying the structural and semantic
components of idioms in both English and Vietnamese in order to fill in the gap in
research is necessary.
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2. Aims and Objectives of the Study
The study attempts to find out the similarities and differences between English and
Vietnamese idioms from structural and semantic perspectives.
In order to achieve the aims, the study is expected to reach the following objectives:
- to study how idioms are organized structurally and semantically in English and
Vietnamese;
- to establish the similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese idioms in
terms of structural and semantic components;
- to provide main factors lying behind the similarities and differences between English
and Vietnamese idioms.
3. Research Questions
The objectives of the study can be elaborated into the following research questions:
i) How are idioms in English and Vietnamese organized structurally and semantically?
ii) What are the similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese idioms in
terms of structural and semantic components?
iii) What main factors lie behind the similarities and differences between English and
Vietnamese idioms?

4. Scope of the Study
The present study focuses on everyday idioms selected from recently published
dictionaries (see Section 6.3). All the authors of these works affirm that the idioms in
their books are both current and used, or at least understood, by most native speakers. It
means that the study is deliberately limited to idioms usually used in daily
conversations. It is noteworthy that the study investigates idioms in both English and
Vietnamese from structural and semantic components perspective. The components in
the current inquiry are regarded as elements which are hardly varied and together form a
unit.
5. Contributions of the Study
Scientifically, a common theory on idioms is applied to both English and Vietnamese.
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This approach helps to find out the similarities and differences between English and
Vietnamese idioms in terms of structural and semantic components. This is a major
contribution to the knowledge of linguistics in general and that of idioms in particular.
Since language and culture are closely intertwined, the findings will help improve the
knowledge of the two underlying cultures, which are expressed through those idioms.
Practically, for language teaching (both English and Vietnamese), the study facilitates
learners’ communication because language is for communication, and idioms are an
indispensable part of common expressions (Cowie, Mackin & McCaig 1993: x). The
work will provide assistance to English-speaking learners of Vietnamese and
Vietnamese learners of English to distinguish one kind of idioms from others in each
language. The work will also enable learners to tell when idioms in English and
Vietnamese are similar and different, which is likely to be useful for their study.
Language teachers will be aided to help their learners reach this communicative goal
(see Section 3 in Part C). For translation, knowledge of idioms from this work will help
translators find closest equivalents to the expressions in the source language. Idioms and
idiomatic expressions are the most culture-bound part of any language, so their transfer

is one of the most problematic issues in translation. It is because transfer of language
also involves that of culture, which is not always transferable. In this way, knowledge
from this sort of work will be of great benefit to translators, who should be able to find
the possible equivalents in the target language.
6. Methodology
6.1. Theoretical Framework
As presented in Section 4, idioms in the present study are investigated from both
structural and semantic perspectives. According to Katz & Fodor (1963: 170), ‘a full
synchronic description of a language is a grammatical and semantic characterization of
that language’. The term ‘grammatical’ refers to the description of pholology,
phonemics, morphology, and syntax. ‘Semantic’ belongs to a theory which must be
constructed ‘to have whatever properties are demanded by its role in linguistic
description’ (Katz & Fodor 1963: 171).
Structurally, idioms are generally described and analyzed according to typical

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grammarical rules. In fact, there are different kinds of grammars. Fromkin (1998)
mentions three types of grammars: descriptive, prescriptive and teaching. The
descriptive grammar involves the description of what the speakers of a language do
when they speak their language. That certain language uses are categorized as
acceptable or unacceptable according to a standard form of the language is called
prescriptive grammar. The teaching grammar is used to learn a foreign language or a
dialect. Yule (1996) also gives three types of grammar as follows:
Each adult speaker of a language clearly has some type of ‘mental grammar’,
that is, a form of internal linguistic knowledge which operates in the production
and recognition of appropriately structured expressions in that language. This
‘grammar’ is subconscious and is not the result of any teaching. A second, and
quite different, concept of ‘grammar’ involves what might be considered

‘linguistic etiquette’, that is, the identification of the ‘proper’ or ‘best’ structures
to be used in a language. A third view of ‘grammar’ involves the study and
analysis of the structures found in a language, usually with the aim of
establishing a description of the grammar of English, for example, as distinct
from the grammar of Russian or French or any other language
(Yule 1996: 87)
The models of Immediate Constituent Analysis suggested by Bloomfield (1933) are
used in the present study. These models are then principally developed by Wells (1947),
Harris (1957) and Chomsky (1957). The central issue underlying these models is that
the structure of an expression can be presented by dividing the expression into parts
(immediate constituents), which are then further divided into smaller parts until
syntactically indivisible units are obtained. Gleason (1955: 151), who represents the
relations held between immediate constituents, describes:
The process of analyzing syntax is largely one of finding successive layers of
immediate constituents and of immediate constructions, the description of
relationships which exist between immediate constituents and the description of
those relationships which are not efficiently described in terms of immediate
constituents. The last is generally of subsidiary importance; most of the
relationships of any great significance are between immediate constituents.
Specifically, the structural components of an idiom are exhibited by dividing the idiom
into successive layers or constituent parts. The constituent parts can be labelled as
belonging to different grammatical constituents like noun phrase, verb phrase,

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prepositional phrase, etc which can be further divided into categories such as noun,
adjective, verb, etc (Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, & Svartvik 1985). This can be shown by
taking a simple example of the idiom body and soul (completely). This idiom is divided
into two parts which are connected by a coordinator (and). The first part (body) and the

second one (soul) are both nouns.
The semantic components of idioms in the current study are analyzed according to Katz
& Fodor’s (1963) componential theory. According to Katz & Fodor (1963), ‘semantic
components may be combined in various ways in different languages yet they would be
identifiable as the ‘same’ component in the vocabularies of all languages’. Generally,
this theory determines how expressed signs, usually vocabulary items called lexemes, in
a language are related to the perceptions and thoughts of the people who speak the
language. In this theory, word meanings are broken down into semantic features and
their specifications. In other words, the meanings of lexemes are analyzed into
components, which can then be compared across lexemes or groups of lexemes. Since
idioms are regarded as special linguistic units functioning as words (Fernando & Flavell
1981; Fernando 1996; Đức 1995; Hành 2008; etc), they can be analyzed in this way.
Finegan (2004) supposes that words are tangible. They can have one meaningful part
(e.g. car, sing, tall, etc), or more than one meaningful part (e.g. bookstore, laptop,
headset, etc) (Finegan 2004: 40). According to Fromkin (2000: 26), words which are not
the smallest units of meaning may be simple or complex. For example, the word stayed
has two parts, stay and –ed; headmaster includes two words, head and master, which
form a compound; and beautifully may be divided into beautiful and -ly. The
relationship between the form and meaning of a word is an arbitrary one (Fromkin
1998: 5). Fromkin (1998) also states that the sounds represented by the letters of a word
(in the written form of the language) signify a concept. Indeed, both words and idioms
are used to express pure concepts, and they are analyzable.
The canonical structural and semantic components of idioms in the present study are
formally established according to three types of idioms: symmetrical, similized, and
non-symmetrical (Đức 1995; Hành 2008). The structural components of each idiom
type are coded in separate component parts, which are then realized, described and
analyzed according to grammatical rules suggested by Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, &
Svartvik (1985). It is noteworthy that the component parts are realized under words,
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phrases and clauses. The canonical semantic components of idioms are analyzed
according to the transparent-opaque axis introduced by Fernando & Flavell (1981) and
Fernando (1996) and the association between the literal reading and idiomatic meaning
suggested by Langlotz (2006). The transparent-opaque axis involves the different
motivation degrees of each idiom type: transparent, semi-transparent, semi-opaque, and
opaque. The association between the literal reading and idiomatic meaning refers to the
possible analyzability of each idiom type.
The non-canonical structural and semantic components of idioms are generally based on
two types of idioms: idiom variants and synonymous idioms (This issue is partly
discussed in the author’s article published in 2009).
The theoretical framework is used for the present study for several specific reasons.
First of all, the components are regarded as the criteria to classify idioms from both
structural and semantic perspectives. For example, similized idioms are structurally
realized through the components as comparative means (Đức 1995; Hành 2008), and
these idioms are also semantically classified due to the explicitness and implicitness of
their components (Fernando & Flavell 1981; Fernando 1996). Second, this theoretical
framework can be applied to a large number of idioms belonging to different types in
both English and Vietnamese. And finally, it is the framework that helps to achieve the
objectives of the study.
6.2. Analytical Framework
According to Krzeszowski (1990: 35), ‘No exact or reliable exploration of facts can be
conducted without a theoretical background, providing concepts, hypotheses, and
theories which enable the investigator to describe the relevant facts and to account for
them in terms of significant generalizations’ (cited in Trào 2009: 12).
In the present inquiry, the theories of contrastive linguistics of König and Gast (2008)
and Chaturvedi (1973) are applied to the investigation of the idioms collected.
König and Gast (2008) suppose that contrastive linguistics is a branch of comparative
linguistics that is concerned with pairs of languages which are ‘socio-culturally linked’.
According to these authors, two languages can be said to be socio-culturally linked

when (i) they are used by a considerable number of bi- or multilingual speakers, and/or
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