A cross cultural study on the economicality and redundancy in requesting in english and vietnamese

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF
LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST –
GRADUATE STUDIES
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HOÀNG THỊ MỴ
A CROSS – CULTURAL STUDY ON THE
ECONOMICALITY AND REDUNDANCY IN
REQUESTING IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

Nghiên cứu giao văn hóa về tính kiệm ngôn và rườm
ngôn trong hành vi yêu cầu của người Anh và người Việt

M.A Minor Thesis
Field: Linguistics
Code: 602215

HANOI – 2010
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI


UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES
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HOÀNG THỊ MỴ
ON THE ECONOMICALITY AND REDUNDANCY IN
REQUESTING IN ENGLISH A A CROSS –
CULTURAL STUDY ND VIETNAMESE
Nghiên cứu giao văn hóa về tính kiệm ngôn và rườm
ngôn trong hành vi yêu cầu của người Anh và người Việt

M.A Minor Thesis
Field: Linguistics
Code: 602215

By: Hoang Thi My – K16C
Supervisor: Do Thi Mai Thanh, M.A

HANOI - 2010


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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration ............................................................................................................................
Acknowledgements ...............................................................................................................
Abstract .................................................................................................................................
List of abbreviations .............................................................................................................
List of tables ..........................................................................................................................
PART A: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................
1. Rationale and the statement of the problem .........................................................................
2. Aims of the study ................................................................................................................
3. Significance of the study .....................................................................................................
4. Scope of the study ...............................................................................................................
5. Method of the study ............................................................................................................
PART B: DEVELOPMENT .................................................................................................
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................
1.1. Speech acts and classification of speech acts ....................................................................
1.2. Requesting as a speech act................................................................................................
1.3. Redundancy and classification of redundancy...................................................................
1.3.1. Redundancy ..................................................................................................................

1.3.2. Classification of redundancy .........................................................................................
1.3.2.1. Modality redundancy ..................................................................................................
1.3.2.2. Habitual redundancy ...................................................................................................
1.3.2.3. Insufficient redundancy ..............................................................................................
1.4. Economicality and classification of economicality ...........................................................
1.4.1. Economicality .............................................................................................................
1.4.2. Classification of economicality ......................................................................................
1.4.2.1. Modality economicality ..............................................................................................
1.4.2.2. Habitual economicaltiy ...............................................................................................
1.4.2.3. Insufficient economicality ..........................................................................................
1.5. Lexico modal markers ......................................................................................................


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1.6. Previous studies on lexico modal markers, addresser’s/addressee’s gender and relative
age when making requests. ......................................................................................................
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY........................................................................................
2.1.

Research design ................................................................................................

2.2.

Participants .......................................................................................................

2.3.

Data collection instrument ................................................................................

2.4.

Data collection procedures. ..............................................................................

2.5.

Data analysis methods and procedures .............................................................

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION...................................................................
3.1.

The popularity of economicality and redundancy in requesting ......................

3.2.

The link between the addresser’s/ addressee’s gender and relative age and the

lexico modal makers seen as redundancy – creating factors .....................................................
3.2.1. The use of lexico modal markers for communicative partner of same sex and
younger ...................................................................................................................................
3.2.2. The use of lexico modal markers for communicative partner of same sex and older. ......
3.2.3. The use of lexico modal markers for communicative partner of opposite sex and
younger. ..................................................................................................................................
3.2.4. The use of lexico modal markers for communicative partner of opposite sex and
older .......................................................................................................................................
PART C: CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................
1. Conclusions ........................................................................................................................
2. Pedagogical implications .....................................................................................................
3. Suggestions for further study ...............................................................................................
REFERENCES .....................................................................................................................

APPENDIX ...........................................................................................................................