An english vietnamese cross cultural study of idioms with colors and its implications to ELT

Vietnam national university Hanoi College of foreign languages Department
of post-study

ĐẶNG THỦY TRINH

AN ENGLISH-VIETNAMESE CROSS-CULTURAL
STUDY OF IDIOMS WITH COLORS AND ITS
IMPLICATIONS TO ELT
Nghiên cứu giao văn hóa Anh-Việt về các thành ngữ chứa từ chỉ màu sắc
và áp dụng trong việc giảng dạy tiếng Anh

Minor Thesis

Code
60 22 15

hµ néi - 2009


Vietnam national university Hanoi College of foreign languages Department
of post study

ĐẶNG THỦY TRINH

AN ENGLISH-VIETNAMESE CROSS-CULTURAL
STUDY OF IDIOMS WITH COLORS AND ITS
IMPLICATIONS TO ELT
Nghiên cứu giao văn hóa Anh-Việt về các thành ngữ chứa từ chỉ màu sắc
và áp dụng trong việc giảng dạy tiếng Anh

Minor Thesis

Code
60 22 15
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Ph.D Nguyễn Xuân Thơm

hµ néi - 2009


iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT......................................................................................................................... i
ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................................. ii
A. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................. 1
1. Rationale for the study............................................................................................................................. 1
2. Scope of the study..................................................................................................................................... 2
3. Objectives of the study............................................................................................................................ 2
4. Methodology of the study....................................................................................................................... 3
B. DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................................................. 4
Chapter 1: Literature Review................................................................................................................. 4
1. Definition of idiom................................................................................................................................... 4
2. Cultural characteristics of English idioms.......................................................................................... 5
3. Classification of idiom ........................................................................................................................... 6
4. Use of idiom............................................................................................................................................... 9
5. Definition of color.................................................................................................................................. 10
6. Classification of colors.......................................................................................................................... 10
7. Denotational and connotational meaning of colors........................................................................ 11
8. The difference in colors’ meaning and symbolism......................................................................... 14
Chapter 2: English Vietnamese cross-cultural understanding and use of idioms
with colors and findings.......................................................................................................................... 16

1. Description of the survey...................................................................................................................... 16
1.1. Reasons for chosen methods to survey.......................................................................................... 16
1.2. Informants............................................................................................................................................. 17
1.3 Data collection methods..................................................................................................................... 18
2. Data analysis and findings.................................................................................................................... 19
2.1 Data collection ..................................................................................................................................... 19
v


2.2

Findings ................................................................................................................

2.3

Mistakes ...............................................................................................................

2.4

Causes .................................................................................................................

Chapter 3: Implications ..........................................................................................................
1.

Suggestions for teaching and learning idioms with color .................................................

2.

Some suggested exercises for better study of idioms with color ........................................

3.

Recommendations for further studies ...............................................................................

C. CONCLUSIONS . ..............................................................................................................
D. REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................
APPENDIX .................................................................................................................................


1

INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale for the study:
Up to now, English is one of the most widely used languages in the world. In
Vietnam, the number of schools and universities teaching English as a target and
compulsory subject has increased with every passing year. Moreover, due to the need for
integrating into the world, especially since the open door policy, more and more people
learn English. However, the differences between English and Vietnamese cause various
problems for Vietnamese learners of English in the process of mastering English. Many of
these problems are caused by English idioms. Idioms are embodiment of culture. They are
language essence and the most difficult part to handle with, which involve a country‘s
history, geography, local conditions, customs and cultural background. Thus you cannot
understand idioms correctly without the held of the cultural context, which in turn requires
that learners have the knowledge of the culture. Both English and Vietnamese are
expressive languages, which are very rich in idiomatic expressions. Therefore, it is greatly
necessary to make use of the cultural knowledge while learning English idioms.
Obviously, English idioms is a flexible and difficult aspect that even native
speakers cannot master well. Thus, it is necessary to take this into consideration. I myself
think that it is very interesting to research all types of idioms but because of the limitation
of graduation paper, I only focus on “An English-Vietnamese Cross-Cultural Study of

Idioms With Colors and Its Implications to ELT”, which impresses me most because
cultural approach can help achieve more accurate and lively study and learning. This urges
me much to try to do this research that may be helpful to some Vietnamese learners who
wish to use them exactly.
In summary, it is the importance of English language and correct use of English
idioms in successful communication, and the difficulties in using idioms with colors by
which my research is motivated. Moreover, the wish to help Vietnamese students be aware
of the necessity in using idioms with colors in mastering English and to improve their
language four skills has been constantly encouraging my choice of this study.
2. Scope of the study


2

My study concentrates on “An English-Vietnamese Cross-Cultural Study of
Idioms With Colors and Its Implications to ELT” with Vietnamese learners of English and
a small comparison between Vietnamese learners and English native speakers. In this
study, colors and idioms with colors shall be investigated through cross-cultural aspect.
However, Vietnamese people learning English are various in age, purpose, occupations,
etc. Therefore, the study is mainly concerned with the Vietnamese first year students at
CFL-VNU and some English native speakers.
3. Objectives of the study:
In communication, the most important goals for foreign language learners are
understanding and expressing one‘s points of view. To reach these goals, learners not only
need to master vocabulary, grammar but also the sound patterns of idioms. A good
knowledge of idioms that can help them fulfill this.
Having witnessed and personally faced difficulties in using English idioms with
colors, my study, therefore, is aimed to raise some useful suggestions to learners of English
in avoiding communication breakdown. The purposes of the study are hereunder:
1. To provide the theoretical review of English idioms and a specification is given

to English idioms with colors.
2. To show how well Vietnamese students are exposed to English idioms in general

and English idioms with colors in particular, and how they practice, use them in mastering
English. Also, it points out wrong interpretations that are usually encountered and made by
students when using English idioms with colors, at the same time, seeks the sources of
such mistakes.
3. To supply some suggested implications for teaching and learning method, and

some activities and exercises that can be useful for practicing English idioms with colors in
teaching and learning process, contributing to improve ability of using English idioms with
colors.
4. Methodology of the study:


3

During the completion of the study, both the quantitative and qualitative methods
were employed in order to gather reliable and sufficient information and data. Quantitative
data are numeric information that is subject to statistical analysis, and qualitative data are
text-based information that provides descriptive details, collected from interviews and
observations.
Specifically, the major methods are studying on reference materials and collecting
useful knowledge and theories. Besides, conducting survey questionnaires and in-depth
interviews along with observation are some other methods of the study.

DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

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1. Definition of English idioms
Idioms are a class of multi-word units ―which pose a challenge to our
understanding of grammar and lexis that has not yet been fully met‖ (Fellbaum et al.,
2006:349). They are commonly believed to be qualitatively different from ―normal‖
language, but the precise nature of this difference can be elusive. Even amongst idiom
scholars, it is difficult to find a consensus as to what precisely is, or is not, an idiom,
because of the heterogeneity of the class.
There is widespread agreement on one general principle: an idiom is an
institutionalized expression whose overall meaning does not correspond to the combined
meanings of its component parts. However, this criterion can be said to apply to a wide
range of phrase-ological structures, such as collocations, formulaic greetings, clichés, and
other conventionalized expressions which, although idiomatic to some extent, are not
idioms in the strict sense. The challenge for idiom researchers is therefore to formulate a
definition which is flexible enough to conclude all known idioms, yet exclude non-idioms
such as those mentioned above.
Current psycholinguistic views support the argument in favour of considering idiom
as a type of ―long word‖ whose meaning is accessed directly, and not through prior
decomposition or analysis of the constituents (Gibbs 1994, 2002). On the other hand, when
an idiom is encountered for the very first time, language users have no choice but to
decipher its meaning from the meaning of constituents, they usually do so by taking into
account the most salient, or prominent, meanings first (Giora 1997, 2002; Peleg & Giora
2001). That this tactic enjoys a limited success rate is due to the difficulty in identifying
which meaning of polysemous components is relevant, and the extent to which the idiom is
semantically motivated, or transparent.
If you look up the word idiom in Webster, you will be given the following definition:
Idiom is an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings
of its constituent element as kick the bucket, hang one's head etc., or from the general

grammatical rules of language, as the table round for the round table, and which is not a
constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics.


5

This definition seems a bit dry and doesn't really tell anything about the function of
idioms in English language.
English is a language particularly rich in idioms — those modes of expression
peculiar to a language (or dialect) which frequently defy logical and grammatical rules.
Without idioms English would lose much of its variety and humor both in speech and
writing.
2. Cultural characteristics of English idioms:
The abundance and variety of English idioms may be to a great extent accounted
for the historical development of the language. Many idiomatic expressions come from the
everyday life of the English people from all walks of life. The Bible is also one of the chief
source from which idiomatic expressions have sprung. After the Bible, Shakespeare's plays
are the rich literary sources of English idioms. Many idioms also come from fables, myths
or legends.
Besides, English idioms are created by people in different trades and occupations. A
large proportion of idioms are first created by working people such as seamen on the sea,
hunters in the woods, farmers in the fields, workmen at mills, housewives and cooks in the
kitchen and so on, using familiar terms that are associated with their own trades and
occupations. For example, ―in deep water‖, ―tide over‖ were first used by seamen; ―kill
two birds with one stone‖ used by hunters; ―have all one's eggs in one basket‖ used by
farmers; ―new brooms sweep clean‖ used by housewives; ―boil down‖ used by cooks,
etc. Such expressions prove terse, vivid, forcible and stimulating so that later they broke
out of their bounds and gradually gained wide acceptance. As a result, they became part of
the common of core of the language culture and are now used in different situations.
Because the cultural backgrounds between English and Vietnamese languages are

different, so there are some visible differences between the two. As a part of language,
idioms reflect the rich and colorful features of a nation. Therefore, there are some cultural
differences between English and Vietnamese idioms. They are as follows:
2.1 Living environment differences


6

Idioms have tight relationships with people's work and lives. England is an island,
so it cherishes water very much. Then in English, it has such idiom as ―spend money like
water‖.
2.2 Conventional differences
The typical conventional difference should be people's attitude towards the animal
dog. In most Western counties, dog is associated with ―loyalty, faithfulness‖, it is a
―close companion‖ to people, whereas in Vietnamese, the word dog usually has a negative
meaning. So in English, ―You are a lucky dog‖, the word dog here has no contemptuous
meaning.
2.3 Differences in religious belief
Religious belief has a great impact on the English idioms. They bring many new
ideas and customs that are related to religious belief. For example, ―God helps those who
help themselves‖; ―Go to hell‖.
2.4 Historical differences
Quite a few English idioms are born just due to particular historical events. ―To
cross the Rubicon‖, ―to meet one's Waterloo‖ come from Napoleon and the breakdown of
his empire; and the American Civil War is the source of ―by the grapevine‖ and so on.
3. Classification of idiom
Classification can be approached from different criterion. There are a variety of
criteria for classifying English idioms. This paper prefers the criterion of cultural style. By
this criterion, English idioms may be classified into five groups: colloquialisms, proverbs,
slang, allusions and phrasal verbs. Such classification will be more helpful in the actual

studying, learning, use and translation of idioms. Generally speaking, English idioms have
different styles, most of which are used in any situation, some in formal style or in slang.
The knowledge of this classification of English idioms will undoubtedly be beneficial to
learners and translators.
3.1. Colloquialisms


7

Colloquialisms are oral words or expressions used in daily conversation. For
example, ―The washing machine is on the blink.‖, ―on the blink‖ is a kind of
colloquialism, meaning ―not working properly; out of order‖; ―hang in (there)‖ ，means
―not to give up‖; ―big wheel‖，means ―an influential or important person‖.
3.2. Proverbs
A proverb (from the Latin proverbium), also called a byword or nayword, is a
simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based
on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A
proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim. If a proverb
is distinguished by particularly good phrasing, it may be known as an aphorism.
Proverbs are often borrowed from similar languages and cultures, and sometimes
come down to the present through more than one language. Both the Bible (Book of
Proverbs) and medieval Latin have played a considerable role in distributing proverbs
across Europe, although almost every culture has examples of its own.
Proverbs are short, pithy sayings in frequent and widespread use that express a
basic truth or practical precept. For instance, ―A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit.‖; ―Do
as they do at Rome.‖; ―Bitter pills may have wholesome effects.‖.
(Source: />3.3. Slang
Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered
standard in the speaker's dialect or language. It is often used as a way to say words that are
not appropriate, and it is also used to identify with others that are similar to you.

Slang is a kind of language occurring chiefly in casual and playful speech, made up
typically of short-lived coinages and figures of speech that are deliberately used in place of
standard terms for added raciness, humor, irreverence, or other effect. Slang enjoys popular
use, because it is colorful, blunt, expressive and impressive. ―Dough and bread‖, for
instance, means ―money‖; ―kick the bucket‖, means ―die‖; ―cancer stick‖, means
―cigarette‖.


8

( Source: />3.4. Allusions
Allusions are often used where the more general terms reference would be
preferable. Allusions apply to indirect references in which the source is not specifically
identified. For example, ―the Trojan horse‖ ， comes from the historical story of Trojan
War; ―a Sphinx riddle‖ among which, ―Sphinx‖ is from Greek Mythology, means ―A
winged creature having the head of a woman and the body of a lion, noted for killing those
who could not answer its riddle.‖
3.5. Phrasal verbs
Phrasal verbs are idioms which are composed of a verb plus a preposition and/or a
particle. For example, ―get away with‖, means ―do something wrong without being
punished‖; ―put down to‖, means ―state that something is caused or explained by‖;
―look into‖, means ―investigate‖.
There is another way to classify idioms as follows:
- Phrase idioms
All phrase idioms have a noun, verb, adjective, preposition or an adverb as the
central word; they correspond to the familiar parts of speech, and capable of a given
syntactic function in sentences.
Verb phrase idiom， Verb phrase idioms are combinations of a verb and an adverb
- look up, or a verb and a preposition -- make for, or a verb with both adverb and
preposition -- come round to.

The features，1，Often nearly synonymous with loan words of Roman origin, e.g.
work out (the salaries) can be respectively replaced by a single synonymous Roman loan
word -- calculate. 2，Can form noun compounds. e.g. A gang of thieves did a break-in last
night. 3，Usually more lively and expressive than single verbs. e.g. The firecracker went off
and scared my little sister. (more lively than exploded，
Noun phrase idiom，
Adjective phrase idiom，
Prepositional phrase idiom，
Adverial phrase idiom，
- Clause idioms


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Verb+complement pattern，
Verb+direct object pattern，
Verb+direct object +complement pattern，
Verb+indirect object +direct object pattern，
4. Use of idiom:
4.1 Stylistic features
Different idioms show different stylistic meanings. Some are casual, others formal,
still others neural in style. The same idiom may show stylistic differences when denoting
different meanings.
4.2 Rhetorical features
(1) Phonetic manipulation
a. alliteration such as "chop and change"
b. rhyme such as "toil and moil"
(2) Lexical manipulation
a. reiteration, which means the duplication of synonyms such as "chop and change"
b. repetition, which means the repetition of the same word, such as "by and by"

c. juxtaposition, which means the combination of two antonyms such as "day and
night"
(3) Figures of speech
a. simile: as proud as a peacock, as graceful as a swan, as mute as fish…
b. metaphor: white elephant, black sheep, dark horse, wet blanket…
c. metonymy: velvet glove, in the cradle, live by one …
d. synecdoche: earn one's bread, fall into good hands …
e. personification: Failure is the mother of success, actions speak louder than words,
The pot calls the cattle black …
5. Definition of color


10

Colors mean more to us than simply pigment. They are forms of energy, and as
such speak to us and interact with us on a nonverbal level. In a very real way, life is color.
Color affects every part of our lives, our emotions, our health (John Gage, 1999, Color and
Meaning: Art, Science, and Symbolism, University of California Press).
Moreover, color is one component of environmental language in non-verbal
communication.
6. Classification of colors
There are 3 kinds of colors.
- Primary color: Primary colors are sets of colors that can be combined to make a useful

range of colors. The primary colors normally used are red, green, and blue. For subtractive
combination of colors, as in mixing of pigments or dyes, such as in printing, the primaries
normally used are cyan, magenta, and yellow.
- Secondary color: is a color made by mixing two primary colors in a given color space.
- Tertiary color: A tertiary color is a color made by mixing one primary color with one

secondary color.
Unlike primary and secondary colors, these are not represented by one firmly
established name each, but the following examples include some typical names. Brown and
grey are sometimes known as Tertiary colors and are usually made by the complementary
color
This classification is cited from Nguyen Quang (2007), Giao tiếp phi ngôn từ qua các nền
văn

hóa

(Nonverbal

Communication

across

cultures),

CFL-VNU

/>7. Denotational meaning and connotational meaning of colors:
7.1 Denotational meanings:
Black -- Evil, falsehood, error, grief, despair, death.
Gray -- Formal, conservative
Blue -- Chastity, loyalty, fidelity, faith, modesty, eternity, immortality.
Green -- Love, joy, abundance, hope, youth, mirth, gladness, resurrection, spring.
Purple -- Temperance, royalty
Lavender -- Grace

and

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Red -- Magnanimity, fortitude
White -- Purity, truth, innocence, hope.
Ivory -- Elegance
Brown -- Wholesomeness, earthiness
Beige -- Conservative, relaxing
Orange -- Energy, spontenaeity
Yellow -- Faith, constancy, wisdom, glory, jealousy, inconsistency.
(Source: John Gage, 1999, Color and Meaning: Art, Science, and Symbolism, University of
California Press).
7.2 Connotational meanings:
Here is a table of colors and many of the meanings they tend to evoke. Notice how
colors can mean very different things - it is not that the colors themselves have meaning, it
is that we have culturally assigned meanings to them. For example, red means warmth
because of the color of fire. Likewise, it means anger because of the increased redness of
the face when it flushes with blood. Purple symbolizes royalty only because the only
purple dye that was available for many centuries was very expensive.
Color
RED:

ORANGE:

YELLOW:

GREEN:

BLUE:

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power, royalty, nobility, elegance, sophistication, artificial, luxury,
PURPLE:

mystery, royalty, elegance, magic

GRAY:
BROWN:
BLACK:
WHITE:

relaxing, confident, casual, reassuring, nature, earthy, solid, reliable,
genuine, Autumn, endurance
Elegance, sophistication, formality, power, strength, illegality,
depression, morbidity, night
Cleanliness, purity, newness, virginity, peace, innocence, simplicity,
sterility, snow

(Source: />Certain colors have been utilized in English to symbolize particular emotions or
reactions or flavors.
In the west, white is frequently significant of weddings and vanilla. Brown is
obviously chocolate. Green has come to indicate botanical fertility but also jealousy and
safety, and also something Irish. Magenta is frequently raspberry flavor while a warmer red
indicates strawberry, cherry or danger or flammability and is also associated with St.
Valentine's Day. Purple may indicate grape flavor, or injury in the line of duty (the Purple
Heart Medal) or radioactivity and combined with yellow is associated with Easter.

Yellow alone is associated with cowardice and also loyalty to the armed services in
the form of ribbons. Green and red are Christmas colors. Red and white stripes used to be
significant of barber shops and peppermint candy. Are many of these colors specific to
English, or are they universal?
Red is a hot color. Americans often use it to express heat. They may say they are
red hot about something unfair. When they are red hot they are very angry about
something. The small hot tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hots
for their color and their fiery taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may
say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland jazz.

.

Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they
are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the
twentieth century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice
pink color that shows that they are in good health.
Blue is a cool color. The traditional blues music in the United States is the opposite

.


13

of red hot music. Blues is slow, sad and soulful. Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded
a famous song – Mood Indigo – about the deep blue color, indigo. In the words of the song:
―You ain‘t been blue till you‘ve had that Mood Indigo.‖ Someone who is blue is very
sad.

. The color green is natural for

trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling
stomach may say she feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick
from high waves may look very green.
.
Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a
friend has, like a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are
green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called
greenbacks because that is the color of the back side of the paper money.

. The

color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day in which everything
goes wrong as a black day. The date of a major tragedy is remembered as a black day. A
blacklist is illegal now. But at one time, some businesses refused to employ
people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations.
8. The difference in colors’ meaning and symbolism
Most colors have some sort of symbolic interpretation associated with them. For
example, the color red is commonly linked to love; but did you know that blue is also
associated with love? This is the reason behind the bride carrying something blue at her
wedding. Were you aware that the color blue has the opposite effect on people than the
color red? Blue lowers a person‘s blood pressure and respiration. At times, this color has
even been connected to depression. For instance, when you are sad, you‘re said to have the
‗blues.‘ Ever heard of blue devils? These are feelings of depression as well. On a more
positive note, however, blue is one of the most popular colors. In fact, did you know that in
this country, blue is America‘s top choice when buying a toothbrush? Did you know that
black usually represents power or that brown suggests trueness? Were you aware that more
men pick brown as their favorite color than women do? Green is associated with nature;
did you know that it is also the most soothing color to the human eye? Purple tends to stir
up mixed feelings in people and often represents royalty. However, were you aware that
this color might also help to alleviate migraines? Pink usually goes hand-in-hand with red

when it comes to romance, but did you know that it relieves tension and is often used in


14

diet therapy as an appetite suppressant? White symbolizes purity which is why a bride‘s
gown is this color. Did you know that it is considered good luck to marry in white as well?
Were you aware that yellow is the first color our eyes notice?
Color has different meanings in many cultures, and we all respond to them in
different ways. The color for mourning is perceived differently throughout many cultures.
Black signifies mourning or death within the United States, Egypt, Rome, and most of
Europe. However, did you know that in China and Japan the color of mourning is white?
Were you aware that if a married woman in India wears white, she is inviting widowhood
or unhappiness into her life? Did you know the color red is associated with death in Celtic
regions or that it is the official color of mourning in South Africa? Yellow is the color of
mourning in Burma while it is blue in Iran. In Greece and Mexico, purple is considered the
color of death; and in Thailand this color shows mourning. Luck is believed to be brought
on by certain colors in some cultures as well. Did you know that Egyptians wore blue to
guard against evil or that black cats were said to hold divine power? In Greece, eggs are
dyed red at Easter for good luck and wearing white was thought to ensure pleasant dreams.
Did you know that China thinks red is good luck and it‘s used for holidays and weddings.
Were you aware that green is sacred in Egypt, the national color of Ireland, marks honor in
Scotland, and symbolizes victory in Greece? In many cultures, brides wear white. Did you
know that during the Middle Ages, brides wore green to symbolize fertility? Did you know
the Mennonites once painted their doors green to show a daughter‘s readiness for
marriage? A Zulu tradition actually uses patterns and colors to tell whether or not a woman
is single, engaged, married, etc. For example, a blue band signifies fidelity and shows
engagement while blue, white, and black represents marriage. Were you aware that the
color yellow was once worn by executioners in Spain and the doors of criminals were
painted this color in France? Did you know that Native Americans associate colors with the

four directions? Blue represents north and symbolizes cold or trouble, white represents
south and symbolizes warmth and peace, red represents east and success, while black
represents west and problems.


15

CHAPTER 2: ENGLISH-VIETNAMESE CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
AND USE OF IDIOMS WITH COLORS AND FINDINGS
In this chapter, the author of the study will deal with the description of the survey
and data analysis and findings.
1. Description of the survey:
With a view to having the real picture of how students at secondary school
understand and use English idioms, especially idioms with colors, I have carried out a
small survey among students of first year students at CFL-VNU.
The survey is a questionnaire and its result that was designed to investigate the
understandings about English idioms, colors, as well as the use of English idioms with
colors of students. I do this part in the hope that, theoretically, I can have some ideas about
students‘ typical knowledge and view point of English idioms, their difficulties, as well as
frequency of using idioms with colors in their language use.
There are 14 questions in the survey. These 14 questions are divided into 3 groups
based on the contents.
-

Question 1-3 are the first group that is to find out how well students know about
English idioms, frequency of using English idioms in their language skills and
their understanding on cross-culture.

-

th

th

The second group comprises questions from 4 to 12 concentrating on
students‘ understanding about English idioms with colors.


16
-

The last 2 questions are to work out difficulties that students are facing and their
own ways to practice using English idioms.

1.1 Reasons for the chosen methods to survey:
This study used questionnaires and in-depth interviews as the main sources of data
collection.
Survey questionnaire is an indispensable method in the research because it can be
administered to large groups of individuals with much less time than other methods for
reliable information. It is claimed to be ―easy to construct, extremely versatile, and
uniquely capable of gathering a large amount of information quickly in a form that is
readily processable‖; or as presented on Wikipedia, ―questionnaires have advantages over
some other types of surveys in that they are cheap, do not require as much effort from the
questioner as verbal or telephone surveys, and often have standardized answers that make it
simple to compile data‖.
The survey questionnaires are composed of a variety of questions including openended questions and styles of closed-ended questions.
 Opened-ended questions

Open-ended questions are questions to which there is not one definite answer. Fink
(1995) states that ―open-ended questions may be a good way to break the ice with a

survey, giving respondents an opportunity to answer in their own words. The responses to
open-ended questions can be very useful, often yielding quotable material‖. Accordingly,
this type of questions is mainly used to offer suggestions for teaching strategies, which may
require detailed descriptions and supporting arguments.
 Closed-ended questions

Closed-ended questions have a finite set of answers from which the respondent
chooses. Thus, ―the benefit of closed-ended questions is that they are easy to standardize,
and data gathered from closed-ended questions lend themselves to statistical analysis‖
(Fink, 1995)
The data gained from the questionnaires will provide the researcher an overview of
the students‘ understanding, frequency use of English idioms, idioms with color, their
difficulties as well as their own ways to master it.
1.2 Informants


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First year students are those who already have a good knowledge of language use
and they are quite aware of using idioms. Moreover, they are at the first stage of training
and gaining knowledge of culture and the differences among cultures. Therefore, the result
of the survey can reflect the achievements as well as the initial mistakes of English idioms
particularly.
50 questionnaire copies were delivered to first year students, regardless of their age,
gender and their English knowledge backgrounds. Students read questions and choose the
options that are appropriate. Besides, they can give their own opinions out of the given
optional answers.
Interviewing English native speakers, regardless of their age, gender and
occupations is another method. When asking English native speakers, I hope to find out if
there is any differences in use of idioms in general and idioms with colors in particular.

Accordingly, I can make a small comparison between Vietnamese learners and English
native speakers in correct use, mis-interpretation of idioms.
1.3 Data collection methods:
1.3.1 Interview:
Teachers of English are experienced advisers in pointing out the mistakes that first
year students often make in English idioms. All the ten teachers I interviewed come from
English Department, CFL-VNU, and they have been teaching English for at least 4 years,
hence, they are quite knowledgeable in this field. The questions I asked them are:
- How long have you been teaching English?
- What are mistakes do you think the first year students often make when they use

English idioms and idioms with colors?
- Can you tell me the way you often do to help them correct their mistakes when

using idioms?
English native speakers also find English idioms difficult to well master and use
them properly. However, from their points of view on learning English idioms, it can help
me to find out ways that can apply for Vietnamese students when learning English idioms.


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After getting all the answers from these teachers and English native speakers, I
classified the mistakes as well as the solutions they suggested. Although the typical
mistakes they showed me are still the same as those found out, solutions to these problems
they recommended are very useful.
1.3.2 Questionnaire:
In the hope to find out a real picture of teaching and learning English idioms,
idioms with colors, I combine the above method with survey questionnaire. The author of
the study would like to see how the first year students understand about the English idioms

and English idioms with colors.
2. Data analysis and findings:
2.1 Data collection
The survey is to find out figures about students‘ knowledge and their opinion, ways
to master English idioms (Table of figures is shown in the Appendix).
According to the data collection of the first three answers, the fact about how well
students know about English idioms and cross-culture is revealed. The data collected
shows that, 78% students know what English idiom is, among them 70% students have the
most appropriate definition of English idiom – A class of multi-word units ―which pose a
challenge to our understanding of grammar and lexis that has not yet been fully met‖. 32/50
students say that they apply idioms in their language use which account for 64% and 18/50
students rarely and never use English idioms, this is about 36% of the total. 42/50 (84%)
students agree that colors have different meanings in each culture, while 8/50 (16%)
students do not say that.
The figure of answers of the next nine questions (questions 4 to 12) provides
information about student‘s knowledge on English idioms with color and the correct
answers of students when they are asked about the meaning of English idioms with color.
(This result is shown in the Appendix).
As being presented in the table, the data collected of the last two questions supplies
information about difficulties and their own solutions to master English idioms.


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2.2 Findings:
In general, Vietnamese students of English have good knowledge of English idioms
with color. They use wrong for idioms which are not literal as the words exposed or some
cultural differences. For example, ―Blue in the face‖ means very angry or upset. The word
blue is so familiar with them as the meaning of sad. Another example is the question
number 8. ―Grass is always greener on the other side‖ is to indicate a place that is far

away or different seems better than where we are now, not the literal meaning of green tree
and green grass in the idiom. There is the equivalence in Vietnamese ―Đứng núi nọ đọ núi
kia‖. Though the use of word is different, the meaning and uses in context is the same
between Vietnamese and English.
However, for questions about English idioms that use colors which have similarity
inference of Vietnamese culture, most students give the correct answers. For example,
―Red-carpet treatment‖ means receiving special/royal treatment. As we all know, redcarpet is only used for special events to welcome important or governmental-level people.
2.3 Mistakes
It can be divided into two types of mistakes. One is mistake of mis-understanding
word use in English idioms. English idioms have meanings that make no literal sense. It
can be said that an English idiom is a figure of speech. Another is due to the differences of
cultural background or in other words, it is the mis-interpretation for use of color.
English idioms can be confusing for people learning English as a second language
as they defy all the rules they may have already learnt. They can be confusing as the same
idiomatic term may be a literal term that means something entirely different.
2.4 Causes:
As mentioned above, the data have shown a lot of problems facing Vietnamese students of
English, and these problems are caused by different reasons.

2.4.1 Inference of mother tongue


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It is difficult for students to avoid the inference of the mother tongue into second
language. They are affected by the concepts, symbolism and culture of its country.
2.4.2 Learners
Vietnamese students are not much aware of the use of English idioms since English
idiom is not easy to well master and use properly. Sometimes, they really want to apply
English idioms in their four language skills, nevertheless, it is difficult to do so because

their teachers do not always well explain to them and remembering to use the English
idiom correctly in context should be done step by step along with more practices.
2.4.3 Teaching methods
At high school, Vietnamese students are taught mostly grammar not the crossculture or much of English idioms.
2.4.4 Teachers
According to the teaching method at high school in Vietnam, teachers who have
much influence on their students. Therefore, the guidance, control and supervision of the
teachers to help students master English idioms is very important.
3. Summary
English idiom is very complicated and it becomes even more difficult when being
applied into producing four language skills to students. The real percentage of students
who are aware of English idioms with right uses in their language competence has been up
to the expectation. However, there is still remained mistakes and mis-interpretation made
by Vietnamese students of English. Therefore, after finding out their difficulties and
mistakes, some suggested methods to be applied in English idiom teaching and learning as
well as recommended types of exercise shall be introduced to teachers and learners in this
research.
4. Concluding remarks
Thanks to all the constructive comments from both the teachers and students
together with my self-research materials, some practical recommendations shall be offered
in the next chapter. They are suggestions for teaching, learning English idioms as well as
some suggested types of exercises to improve English idioms study.