A study of syntactic and semantic features of idioms containing the words ear, eye, lip, nose and mouth with reference to their vietnamese equivalents

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY

M.A. THESIS
A STUDY OF SYNTACTIC AND SEMANTIC FEATURES
OF IDIOMS CONTAINING THE WORDS “EAR”, “EYE”,
“LIP”, “NOSE” “MOUTH” WITH REFERENCE TO THEIR
VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS
(NGHIÊN CỨU ĐẶC ĐIỂM CÚ PHÁP VÀ NGỮ NGHĨA CỦA THÀNH
NGỮ TIẾNG ANH CHỨA CÁC TỪ ― TAI‖, ―MẮT‖, ―MÔI‖, ―MŨI‖ VÀ
―MIỆNG‖ TRONG SỰ LIÊN HỆ VỚI TƢƠNG ĐƢƠNG TIẾNG VIỆT)

ĐẶNG THÙY LINH

Hanoi, 2016


Front hard cover
Back hard cover

ĐẶNG THÙY LINH

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

2014 - 2016


MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY

M.A. THESIS

A STUDY OF SYNTACTIC AND SEMANTIC FEATURES
OF IDIOMS CONTAINING THE WORDS “EAR”, “EYE”,
“LIP”, “NOSE” “MOUTH” WITH REFERENCE TO THEIR
VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS
(NGHIÊN CỨU ĐẶC ĐIỂM CÚ PHÁP VÀ NGỮ NGHĨA CỦA THÀNH
NGỮ TIẾNG ANH CHỨA CÁC TỪ ― TAI‖, ―MẮT‖, ―MÔI‖, ―MŨI‖ VÀ
―MIỆNG‖ TRONG SỰ LIÊN HỆ VỚI TƢƠNG ĐƢƠNG TIẾNG VIỆT)

ĐẶNG THÙY LINH
Field: English Language
Code: 60220201

Supervisor: Assoc.Prof.Dr. Phan Van Que

Hanoi, 2016


CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY
I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project
report entitled ―A study of syntactic and semantic features of idioms
containing the words: ―Ear‖, ―Eye‖, ―Lip‖, ―Nose‖ , ―Mouth‖, with
reference to their Vietnamese equivalents‖ submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Linguistics. Except
where the reference is indicated, no other person‘s work has been used
without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis.
Hanoi, 2016
Đặng Thùy Linh

Approved by
SUPERVISOR

Phan Văn Quế

Date…………………………..…

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support
from a number of people.
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to
Assoc.Prof.Dr. Phan Van Que, my supervisor, who has patiently and
constantly supported me through the stages of the study, and whose
stimulating ideas, expertise, and suggestions have inspired me greatly through
my growth as an academic researcher.
My special word of thanks goes to all the lecturers at the Faculty of Post
Graduate Studies - Ha Noi Open University for their interesting lectures and
useful advice. I would also like to thank my colleagues and friends for idea
sharing and encouragement. It would never have been possible for me to have
this thesis accomplished without all of these valuable supports.
Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my family for the sacrifice they
have devoted to the fulfillment of this academic work.

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ABSTRACT
One of the most effective and colourful ways to transfer culture is the use
of idioms which, howerver, cause several troubles for English leaners
because of their confusing meanings.

To help learers have a better understanding of idioms, particularly idioms
containing the words Ear, Eye, Lip, Nose and Mouth. This thesis conducts a
study of syntactic and semantic features of idioms containing the words:
―Ear‖, ―Eye‖, ―Lip‖, ―Nose‖, ―Mouth‖, with reference to their Vietnamese
equivalents. Both descriptive and contrastive methods are used combined
with the qualitative and quantitative approach. The findings of this study are
presented based on a collection of 320 idioms in English and Vietnamese
together with a numerous number of examples taken from various linguistics
books, dictionaries, newspapers and from the Internet. From the study‘s
results, the thesis gives a remarkably detailed description of semantic and
syntactic features in English idioms containing the words Ear, Eye, Lip,
Mouth and Nose with reference to their Vietnamese equivalents and points
out some similarities and differences between them. The findings also aim at
offering some practical implications for teaching and learning English and
Vietnamese as a foreign language. Finally, some suggestions for further
studies are put forward.

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
N

:

Noun

V

:

Verb

Adj

:

Adjective

Adv

:

Adverb

Prep

:

Preposition

NP

:

Noun Phrase

VP

:

Verb Phrase

Adj.P

:

Adjective phrase

Adv.P

:

Adverbial Phrase

PP

:

Prepositional Phrase

EELM&N

:

Ear, Eye, Lip, Mouth and Nose

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 4.1: A summary of idioms conatning the words EELM&N in English
and their Vietnamese equivalents in terms of syntactic………………….....34

Table 4.2: A statistical summary of syntactic features of idioms contaning the
words EELM&N in English and their Vietnamese equivalents……………35
Table 4.3 A summary of for English and Vietnamese containing the words
Ear, Eye, Lip, Mouth and Nose……………………………………………..53

Table 4.4 Frequency of semantic features of idioms containing the word Ear.
Eye, Lip, Mouth and Nose in English and Vietnamese……………………..53

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TABLE CONTENTS
CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY ............................................................... 1
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................. 4
ABSTRACT..................................................................................................... 4
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.......................................................................... 4
LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................... 5
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................... 1
1.1. Rationale for the research ....................................................................... 1
1.2. Aims of the research ............................................................................... 3
1.3. Objectives of the research ....................................................................... 3
1.4. Scope of the research .............................................................................. 4
1.4.1. Academic scope .................................................................................. 4
1.4.2. Social scope ........................................................................................ 4

1.5. Significance of the research ..................................................................... 4
1.6. Structural organization of the research .................................................... 5
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................... 7
2.1. Review of previous studies ....................................................................... 7
2.2. Review of theoretical background ............................................................ 9
2.2.1. Theoretical framework ....................................................................... 9
2.2.1.1. Theory of syntax .......................................................................... 9
2.2.1.2. Theory of semantics ................................................................... 10
2.2.2. Theoretical background .................................................................... 11
2.2.2.1. Definition of idioms ................................................................... 11
2.2.2.2. Idioms containing Ear, Eye, Lip, Nose, and Mouth .................. 13
2.2.2.3. Typical Features of idioms ........................................................ 14
2.2.2.4. Idioms and Other language Units .............................................. 18
2.2.2.5. Overview of Phrase Structure .................................................... 20
2.2.2.6. Language and Culture Relationship ........................................... 21
2.2.3. Summary........................................................................................... 22
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOLY .................................................................. 23
3.1. Research-governing orientations ............................................................ 23
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3.1.1. Research questions ........................................................................... 23
3.1.2. Research setting ................................................................................ 23
3.1.3. Research approach ............................................................................ 23
3.1.4. Criteria for intended data collection and data analysis .................... 25
3.2. Research methods ................................................................................... 25
3.2.1. Major methods vs supporting methods ............................................ 25
3.2.2. Data collection techniques ............................................................... 26
3.2.3. Data analysis techniques .................................................................. 27
3.3. Summary ................................................................................................. 28

CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ............................................ 29
4.1. Syntactic features of idioms containing the words: Ear, Eye, Lip, Mouth,
and Nose in English ....................................................................................... 29
4.1.1. Phrase Structures .............................................................................. 29
4.1.1.1. Noun Phrases ............................................................................. 29
4.1.1.2. Verb Phrases ............................................................................ 30
4.1.1.3. Adjective Phrase ...................................................................... 32
4.1.1.4. Prepositional Phrases ............................................................... 33
4.1.2. Similarities and differences of idioms containing the words
EELM&N in English and their Vietnamese equivalents in terms of
syntactic features ........................................................................................ 36
4.1.2.1. Similarities ................................................................................ 36
4.1.2.2. Differences .............................................................................. 37
4.2. Semantic features of idioms containing the words: Ear, Eye, Lip,
Mouth, and Nose in English .......................................................................... 39
4.2.1. Meanings of Ear, Eye, Lip, Mouth, and Nose in idioms ............... 40
4.2.1.1. Meanings of Ear in idioms ....................................................... 40
4.2.1.2. Meaning of Eye in idioms ....................................................... 41
4.2.1.3. Meanings of Lip in idioms....................................................... 43
4.2.1.4. Meanings of Mouth in idioms ................................................. 44
4.2.1.5. Meaning of Nose in idioms ..................................................... 45

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4.2.2. Idioms containing the words EELM&N in English and their
Vietnamese equivalents in terms of semantics ........................................... 47
4.2.2.1. Idioms containing the word ―ear‖ in English and Vietnamese
equivalents. ............................................................................................. 47
4.2.2.2. Idioms containing the word ―eye‖ in English and Vietnamese

equivalents .............................................................................................. 48
4.2.2.3. Idioms containing the word ―lip‖ in English and Vietnamese
equivalents .............................................................................................. 50
4.2.2.4 Idioms containing the word ―mouth‖ in English and Vietnamese
equivalents .............................................................................................. 51
4.2.2.5 Idioms containing the word ―nose‖ in English and Vietnamese
equivalents .............................................................................................. 52
4.2.3. Similarities and differences of idioms containing the words
EELM&N in English and their Vietnamese equivalents in terms of
semantic features ........................................................................................ 55
4.2.3.1. Similarities ................................................................................. 56
4.2.3.2. Differences ................................................................................. 57
4.3. Possible implications for teaching and learning idioms contaning the
words EELM&N ............................................................................................ 58
4.4. Summary ................................................................................................. 60
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION ....................................................................... 61
5.1. Recapitulation ......................................................................................... 61
5.2. Concluding remarks ................................................................................ 62
5.3. Limitations of the research ..................................................................... 63
5.4. Suggestion for future research ................................................................ 63
REFERENCES .............................................................................................. 64
APPENDIX 1 ................................................................................................. 68
APPENDIX 2 ................................................................................................. 79

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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale for the research

Language is considered as a system of communicating among people
who use sounds, symbols and words in expressing a meaning, idea or
thought. This language can be used in many forms, primarily through oral
and written communications as well as using expressions through body
language.
As we all know, language has changed through various periods of
language development. Each language also conveys a particular aspect of its
culture which prevents people from communicating each other effectively
and clearly. In addition, nowadays in the stage of integration, the more
society develops, the more people have great demands in communication.
Moreover, it is undeniable that acquiring good command in English is
beneficial to one‘s career and self-development. Therefore, English has
become an essential means in many fields such as education, business, and
medicine.
However, in the process of teaching as well as learning English as a
foreign language, native speakers of Vietnamese have faced many
challenging problems of understanding and using idioms properly. Idioms
are considered as a special form of language that carries a large amount of
cultural information, such as history, geography, religion, custom, thinking
pattern and so on. In our daily life, in order to express ourselves more
obiviously, we frequently need to call upon idioms that are defined by
Palmer (1990,p.46) as expressions whole meanings cannot be inferred from
the meaning of its part. Idioms, therefore, have a considerable role in a
foreign language as in the mother tongue. A good understanding of idioms is
the key for learners to know more about the target language as well as and to
avoid culture shocking during communication. Take the following examples:
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(1) ―The government shut its eyes to poverty‖

[47, p.879]

The idiom means that is to show your refuse of seeing or take noticing of
something.
(2) ―Do you know what he said?‖
―Go on—I'm all ears.”

[26]

Idiom ―Be all ears‖ expresses that be listening attentively or eagerly.
(3) ―Các cụ xƣa bảo “miệng kẻ sang có gang có thép”. Nhà quan không chỉ
là ―kẻ sang‖ mà còn đầy ắp quyền lực trong tay nên không chỉ miệng có
gang có thép mà đến cung cách cũng phải rất ―quan‖, hay nói nôm na là
rất oách‖.

[51]

Idioms ― miệng kể sang có gang có gang có thép‖ means that money gives
one power and influence to help get things done or get one's own way.
(4) ―Computex là một trong những sự kiện công nghệ lớn trong năm, là triển
lãm nơi giới thiệu nhiều thiết bị phần cứng và công nghệ máy tính đột
phá. Thế nhƣng chƣa bao giờ Computex lại khiến ngƣời tham gia chán
đến tận cổ nhƣ năm nay.‖

[49]

―Chán đến tận cổ‖ means being very dull, very uninteresting.
Obviously, the idiomatic meanings of these sentences cannot be predicted
through an analysis of their individual word meanings. But when they are

used by native speakers, idioms sound natural and fit the situation. A nonnative speaker, on the other hand, may know the basic meaning of such
expressions but still not be able to use them appropriately. Thus, mastering
idioms requires a great deal of interaction, practice, and usage.
Here and there, many researchers have analyzed the semantic and
syntactic features of idioms denoting some topics such as fruits, colors,
animals, human feelings, weather, money, clothing etc. However, the
semantic and syntactic features of idioms containing words: Ear, Eye, Lip,
Nose and Mouth have not been investigated so far. There is a need to study
some syntactic and semantic features of idioms containing these words in
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English and Vietnamese in the hope that the result of this study can help
Vietnamese learners of English improve their understanding of idioms and
apply idioms in communication so that their speech is more adequate,
natural, interesting and imaginative. Moreover, the investigation hopes to
provide learners with background knowledge about cultural aspects related
to the idioms they are approaching.
For these reasons above, we would like to choose a study of syntactic
and semantic features of idioms containing the words: “Ear”, “Eye”,
“Lip”, “Nose”, “Mouth” with reference to their Vietnamese equivalents
for our thesis topic with my desire to help language learners achieve correct
comprehension of idioms.
1.2. Aims of the research
The study, as entitled, focuses on syntactic and semantic features of
English idioms containing the words: EELM&N with reference to their
Vietnamese equivalents. Thus, the study is aimed at:
The first is to identify and point out the syntactic and semantic
charateristics of English idioms containing the words: EELM&N with
reference to their Vietnamese equivalents in a comparative analysis so as to

find out similarities and differences between them.
The second is to provide learners with a basic knowledge about idioms in
general and idioms containing the word EELM&N in particular.
The third is that through this research, I do hope to be able to give some
possible suggestions for learners to improve the learners‘ understanding and
using idioms containing the words EELM&N.
1.3. Objectives of the research
With the aim mentioned above, the study tries to reach the following
objectives:
- To identify and describe the syntactic and semantic features of English
idioms containing the words: EELM&N.
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- To find out the similarities and differences between English idioms
containing EELM&N and their Vietnamese equivalents in term of syntactic
and semantic features.
- To suggest some implications for teaching and learning idioms the words:
EELM&N.
1.4. Scope of the research
1.4.1. Academic scope
The research is expected to contribute an in-depth description of idioms
containing the words: EELM&N in English when analyzing their syntactic
and semantic features in comparison with their Vietnamese equivalents.
1.4.2. Social scope
We all know that idioms are extensively used by a large range of
speakers in both languages - English and Vietnamese. Idioms can be easily
found almost everywhere from dictionary to daily speech and literature.
However, we have no ambition to cover all idioms as well as all kinds of
idioms containing humans body organs. This study concentrates on major

syntactic and semantic features of and idioms containing the words: Ear,
Eye, Lip, Mouth and Nose with inllustration examples are selected from
some reliable dictionaries , reference books and internet. It is hoped that the
outcome of this research thesis, to some extent, would be able to make a
certain contribution to enhance the quality of teaching and learning English.
1.5. Significance of the research
Idioms as a special form of language which makes people feel at a loss in
understanding conversations when they cannot guess the true meaning of
idioms in normal ways. From a dynamic view, learning English through
idioms is one of the effective ways to improve your English because idioms
carry a large amount of cultural features. Therefore, thanks to this research,
language learners can get a lot of advantages.

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First of all, this research could help learners grasp plentiful idioms
containing the words: Ear, Eye, Lip, Mouth and Nose in both English and
Vietnamese equivalents and use them better when learning English and
Vietnamese as a foreign language. Particularly, learners can make their
dream come true - to communicate more naturally, effectively and
successfully in conversations.
What is more, giving a description of semantic and syntactic features of
English idioms containing the words: EELM&N with Vietnamese
equivalents will be beneficial to learners to know how to use these idioms
properly get better results in translation. Besides, learning idioms provides
learners with a good opportunity to acquire information about a language‘s
culture because idioms enable learners to immerse in the way of speakers
expressing their inner thoughts, views, emotions and ideas.
As a whole, it is hoped that along with the understanding of the semantic

and syntactic features of these idioms in English and Vietnamese, this study
can be a useful material for learning and teaching of language through
idioms containing the words: EELM&N.
1.6. Structural organization of the research
The study is organized into five chapters:
Chapter 1: Introduction
This chapter includes the rationale, the aims, the objectives, the scope and
the significance and the organization of the study.
Chapter 2: Literature Review
This chapter introduces previous studies related to the thesis. Also, this is
an introduction to theoretical background which is designed to serve as the
basic foundation of data analysis and discussion of findings in the following
chapters.
Chapter 3: Methodology

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This chapter present the research questions and research approach with
various methods and techniques to conduct the research thesis.
Chapter 4: Findings and Discussions
This chapter concentrates on describing, analyzing and comparing the
semantic and syntactic features of idioms containing the words: EELM&N in
English and Vietnamese equivalents. Besides, this chapter gives some
implications for teaching and learning English and Vietnamese idioms.
Chapter 5: Conclusions
This final chapter gives the summary of the study. Furthermore, this
chapter also presents the limitations of the research and some suggestions for
further studies.

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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter will provide background knowledge of the terms concerned,
including knowledge of semantic and syntactic features of idioms so as to
lay the foundation in theory for analysis of the points mentioned in the first
chapter. Especially, this chapter also gives theories mentioning the
relationship between idioms and culture. However, before presenting the
theories background related to the research, a brief review of previous
studies related to the study will be introduced as a matter of first priority.
2.1. Review of previous studies
The prosperity of language in form and content not only brings the beauty
of language but also deeply contributes to successful daily communications.
Every language in the world has large numbers of idioms. Idioms make color
for language. Idioms carry a large amount of nationally or culturally specific
information with them. It can be said that idioms are an interesting and
popular phenomenon of every language.
Up to now, there have been several investigations of human body part
and their roles in language. In English, we have Andersen, the author of
―Lexical Universal of Body-Part Terminology‖ published in 1978 [1]. In her
book, she also mentioned to the role of body parts in language acquisition
and child development. Basing on diary studies and children‘s early
vocabulary lists, she found out that children learn terms showing parts of the
head earlier than other parts of the body. It means that their earliest terms
apply to parts of the face. Bc. Martina Němcová (2013) [22] in
―Comparative analysis of English and French body idiom‖ deals with a
comparative study of the selected group of English and French body idioms
that contain the following body organs: hand, head and foot. The theoretical

part focuses on specific features of idioms, their classification and structural
patterns. The practical part is devoted to the analysis and comparison of
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English and French body idioms from the lexical, formal and semantic points
of view. The idioms are analysed and divided into four categories according
to the level of their equivalence. PuXingYue ( 2012) [28] in “A Contrastive
Study on Japanese and Korean Idioms of Human Body”. This research paper
is to define purpose of the two countries with the body language in language
to express the feelings and the characteristics of the methods. ―Czech and
English Idioms of Body Parts: A View from Cognitive Semantics‖ written by
Ilona Bílková ( 2000) [2]. This thesis has analysed Czech and English idioms
containing parts of the human body in order to support the hypothesis that
these expressions are motivated by conceptual structures, such as general
conventional knowledge and conceptual metaphors and metonymies.
In Vietnamese, in ―A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese
idioms using the terms of human body parts‖, Nguy n Thị Hiệp (2001) [39]
investigated idioms in relation to their grammatical and semantic features.
From the cognitive point of view, Nguyen Huynh Ngoc Thanh (2003) [46]
compared and contrasted the use of body-part terms to locate in space in ―A
cognitive semantics study on the spatial terms derived from body-parts used
in English and Vietnamese‖. Vo Thanh Quyen (2006) [48] in ―A contrastive
analysis of idioms denoting human feelings in English and Vietnamese‖
stated that there are more differences than similarities both in terms of
structure and semantics. The complexity and dissimilarities between the
systems of English and Vietnamese human feeling idioms reflect not only
the different languages but also the way people in different cultures
conceive, think about and feel the practical world around. Hoàng Thị Bảo
Kim (2006) [40] has focused on analyzing and discussing ―the syntactic and

semantic features of collocations of the words “skin” and “da” in
advertising in English and Vietnamese‖.
In short, all of these books and theses above could, to some extent, serve
as the basis for the theoretical background of this thesis. However, a study
8


on idioms containing the words: EELM&N

has not been taken into

consideration. This is a reason why this thesis studies syntactic and semantic
features of English idioms containing the words: Ear, Eye, Lip, Nose and
Mouth with their Vietnamese equivalents. Thus, this study is thought to be
necessary.
2.2. Review of theoretical background
2.2.1. Theoretical framework
2.2.1.1. Theory of syntax
The term syntax is from the Ancient Greek sýntaxis, a verbal noun which
literally means ―arrangement‖ or ―setting out together‖. Traditionally, syntax
was the name of a branch of grammar dealing with the ways in which words,
with or without appropriate inflections, are arranged to show connections of
meanings within the sentence. The term syntax is then developed by Maggie
Tallerman as sentence construction (how words group together to make
phrases and sentences) and as a part of grammar. Maggie also added that
syntax ―is also used

to mean the study of the syntactic properties of

languages; in this sense it's used in the same way as we use "stylistics" to

mean the study of literary style‖ (1998). In fact, the former definition is
accepted more popularly than the second one.
In English, as well as in other languages, the arrangement of words
(syntax) is a vital factor on determining the meaning of a sentence. However,
as Van Valin et al. stated, not only syntax but also morphology take part in
the process of determine the meaning of a sentence. The roles of syntax or
morphology are minor or major depend on which language is analyzed. This
means that the cross-linguistic study of syntax cannot be carried out without
paying any attention to morphology and the functional overlap between two
terms syntax and morphology which can be summarized in only one word
―morphosyntax‖. As stated, syntax has come through a long development
with different notions which were based on different backgrounds.
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According to Van Valin et al., the current work in syntax - both theoretical
and descriptive - now is carried out under a certain linguistic background
whose goals are describing, explaining linguistic phenomena and
understanding the cognitive basis of language. These goals exist in an
interaction that the former is the condition or the supporter for the latter. The
first linguistic background comes from Chomsky‘s theory of universal
grammar (syntactocentric view of language). He considers syntax as the
central aspect of language, the phonological and semantic aspects are
derivative of and secondary to syntactic structures. Thus, language appears
as an abstract object whose structures are to be studied independently mainly
in terms of psycholinguistics. Therefore, issues raised in three goals of
linguistic study has not been solved in Chomsky‘s theory. This means that
there needs to be a more appropriate approach to this situation - systemic
functional linguistics, the theory that makes up the so-called communicative
and-cognitive point of view. In this theory, the status of syntax, as Van Valin

et al. state, "…is an issue with respect to which theories within this
perspective differ.‖ In terms of structures, syntax focuses on two main sub
objects: clause structures and phrase structures (sentence structures are also
taken into consideration, but not much). Each structure of clause/phrase is
then splitted into different layers with specific constituent(s) and displayed in
a tree-diagram. In both clause and phrase structures, there is always a part
called the head (the nuclear) element which makes the structures different
from each other.
2.2.1.2. Theory of semantics
Whereas syntax is the grammar, structure, or order of the elements in a
language statement, semantics is the meaning of these elements. According
to Robert Dixon, (1991, p.40), “The word semantics derived from the Greek
semaino, meaning, to signify or mean. Semantics is a part of a larger study
of signs, semiotics. It is the part that deals with words as signs (symbol) and
10


language as a system of sign (words as symbols)”. Knowing a language is
how to produce and understanding sentences with particular meanings. The
study of linguistic meaning, called semantics, is concerned with the meaning
of words, morphemes, phrases and sentences. The term meaning is, of
course, much more familiar to us all although there are numerous different
definitions of dictionaries. Palmer (1990) suggested that semantics is a part
of linguistics, a scientific study of language. Therefore, learners should
attempt to see what meaning is, or should be, within the framework of an
academic or scientific discipline rather than take the simple looking at the
common or even scholarly uses of the relevant terms. Semantics is a branch
of language study dealing with word meaning. Word meaning consists of
grammatical meaning and lexical meaning. Grammatical meaning unites all
grammatical characteristics of a word and lexical meaning is a realization of

a concept or notion. Lexical meaning includes denotative meaning and
connotative meaning. Semantics studies also other spheres of word meaning
such as polysemy, homonymy, synonymy, antonym, as well as development
of meaning including some figures of speech, namely metaphor, metonymy,
hyperbole and irony. These units also relate to the formation of semantic
structure of words in English.
2.2.2. Theoretical background
2.2.2.1. Definition of idioms
As dealing with the term idioms, linguists have given out a variety of
definitions. Although they almost share the similar points of view, opposing
viewpoints are inevitable and this is reflected in the following definitions:
According to Cowie (1994) [5], idiom is defined as ―groups of words with
set meanings that cannot be calculated by adding up the separate meaning of
the parts” and as “… peculiarity of phraseology having meaning deducible
from those of the separate words…‖

11


Laval (2003) [20, p.723], states: ―Idiomatic expressions are expressions
where there is a considerable difference between what said (literal
interpretation) is and what is meant (idiomatic interpretation). In other
words, the meaning of an idiomatic expressions depend largely on a
convention that relates a given linguistic form to a given meaning‖.
As for Richards et al in ―Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics.‖
[30] stated that ―An idiom is an expression which functions as a single unit
and whose meaning cannot be worked out from its separate parts‖
Collins Cobuild Dictionary of the English Language [4, p.718] defines
―an idiom is a group of words, which, when, they are used together in a
particular combination, have different meaning from the one they would

have if you took the meaning of all individual words in the group‖.
Idioms have attracted the interest of Vietnamese linguistic researchers as
well. Mai Ngọc Chừ, Vũ Đức Nghiệu and Hoàng Trọng Phiến in Cơ Sở
Ngôn Ngữ Học Tiếng Việt [35, p.153-165] affirm that ―idioms are groups of
words which are syntactically restricted and have a particular meaning.
Their meaning are often imaginative and figurative”(Thành ngữ là cụm từ
cố định, hoàn chỉnh về cấu trúc và ý nghĩa. Nghĩa của chúng có tính hình
tượng và gợi cảm).
Sharing the same idea with Mai Ngọc Chừ, Vũ Đức Nghiệu and Hoàng
Trọng Phiến, Hoàng Văn Hành [38] states that ―idioms are set expressions
which are stable in morpho-structure, complete and figurative in meaning,
used widely in communication‖. (Thành ngữ là một loại tổ hợp từ cố định,
bền vững về hình thái cấu trúc, hoàn chỉnh, bóng bẩy về ý nghĩa, được sử
dụng rộng rãi trong giao tiếp thường ngày).
Hồ Lê [41] states that ―an idiom is a word combination which has a
stable structure and a figurative meaning, and it is used to describe an
image, a phenomenon, a characteristic or a state.‖

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From the definitions mentioned above, it can be seen that the term
―idiom‖ should be understood as a whole, not word-by-word and idioms are
very various in their structures and forms.
With the aims of syntactic and semantic analysis of idioms in both
English and Vietnamese, I intend to adopt the definition of idioms given out
by Fromkin, Collins and Blair [11, p.231], in which idioms are defined as
―fixed phrases, consisting of more than one word, with meanings that cannot
be inferred from the meanings of the individual words.‖
2.2.2.2. Idioms containing Ear, Eye, Lip, Nose, and Mouth

According to Cambridge Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary,
Ear is: 1- (Body Part) is either of the two organs, one on each side of the
head, by which people or animals hear sounds, or piece of skin and tissue
outside the head connected to this organ; 2- (Plant Part) the flower part of a
plant like a grass, such as wheat, which later contains the grains which are
used as food.
Eye is: 1- (Body Part ) one of two organs in your face, which you use to see
with; 2-(Plant Part) a dark spot on a potato or similar plant part, from which
a new stem and leaves will grow; 3-( Hole) the hole in a needle through
which you put the thread.
Lip is : 1- ( Body Part ) one of the two soft, red edges of the mouth, 2(Edge) a part of an edge of a container that is shaped to allow liquid to be
poured easily from the container; 3- ( Speech ) when someone argues in a
rude way or in a way that shows little respect.
Mouth is : 1-( Body Part) the opening of the face of a person or animal,
consisting of the lips and the space between them, or the space behind
containing the teeth and the tongue; 2- the opening of a narrow contaniner,
the opening of a hole or cave, or the place where a river follows into the sea.

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Nose is: 1-(Body Part) the part of the face that sticks out above the mouth,
through which you breathe and smell; 2-(Vehicle) the front of a vehicle,
especially an aircraft.
In accordance with the above definitions, as is commonly understood,
the eyes, ear, lip, nose and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory
functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste.
This study will attempt to show that people in the Vietnam and English
cultures share images of idiomatic expressions containing parts of the human
body (ear, eye, lip, mouth and nose). The contention here is that idioms

which make use of parts of the human body are more predictable than other
idioms, simply because as human beings we are completely familiar with our
perceptions of the shape, size, and functions of individual parts of our own
bodies, because we experience them every day. This is why it is easier for us
to interpret the meaning of idiomatic expressions containing parts of the
human body than. We can say that idioms containing the words: EELM&N
are idioms which denote a certain aspect of human being aiming to criticize,
dispraise or express emotion in an indirect way. We can have a look at some
illustrations as follows:
(5) You shouldn‘t say things like that about people all the time. Everyone
will say you have a big mouth.

[53]

(6) Thật đúng với câu “cả vú lấp miệng em”. Phát biểu trên báo chí mà ông
này liên tục đập bàn, bọt sùi ra hai bên mép trắng xóa.

[50]

2.2.2.3. Typical Features of idioms
The English language abounds in idioms like any other highly developed
tongues. They consist of set phrases and short sentences, which are peculiar
to the language in question and loaded with the native cultures and ideas.
Therefore, idioms are colourful, forcible and thought provoking. Strictly
speaking, idioms are expressions that are not readily understandable from
their literal meanings of individual elements, for example, fly off the handle
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