(Luận văn thạc sĩ) the role of extra verbal factors in understanding the vietnam war protest songs by pete seeger

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
----------o0o----------

NGUYỄN HÀ NHẬT CHI

THE ROLE OF EXTRA-VERBAL FACTORS
IN UNDERSTANDING THE VIETNAM WAR PROTEST SONGS
BY PETE SEEGER
Vai trò của những yếu tố ngoại ngôn trong việc hiểu những ca khúc
chống chiến tranh Việt Nam của Pete Seeger

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS
Field: English Linguistics
Code: 8220201.01

HANOI – 2018


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
----------o0o----------

NGUYỄN HÀ NHẬT CHI

THE ROLE OF EXTRA-VERBAL FACTORS
IN UNDERSTANDING THE VIETNAM WAR PROTEST SONGS
BY PETE SEEGER
Vai trò của những yếu tố ngoại ngôn trong việc hiểu ca khúc

chống chiến tranh Việt Nam của Pete Seeger

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Linguistics
Code: 8220201.01
Supervisor: Dr. Ngô Tự Lập

HÀ NỘI – 2018


DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it are my own and
have been generated by me as the result of my own original research. I confirm that:
This work was done wholly while I am in candidature for a Master degree at this
University;
This thesis has never been submitted partially or wholly for a degree or any
other qualification at this University or any other institution;
Where I have consulted the published work of others, this is always clearly
attributed;
Where I have quoted from the work of others, the source is always given.
With the exception of such quotations, this thesis is entirely my own work;
I have acknowledged all main sources of help;
Where the thesis is based on work done by myself jointly with others, I have
made clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself.
I am fully aware that should this declaration be found to be false, disciplinary action
could be taken and penalties imposed in accordance with University policy and rules.
Hanoi, 2018

Nguyễn Hà Nhật Chi

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
During the course of this thesis, I received tremendous help from the school,
teachers, family and friends. I would like to send my sincere thanks to those who
support me.
Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Dr.
Ngô Tự Lập for giving me huge motivation, providing me meaningful lessons, and
instructing me enthusiastically. His enthusiastic supervision and valuable advice
helps me complete this research in the best way possible.
I would like to thank the teachers of Faculty of Postgraduate Studies,
especially Dr. Huỳnh Anh Tuấn, for their enthusiastically guidance during the
process of study and research. I will never forget the very useful knowledge that the
teachers brought me.
Futhermore, there are no words to show my appreciation to linguists whose
books and pieces of research. Without this support, I would not have been able to
enrich my knowlegde and conduct this research smoothly.
I, finally, would never forget the kindness of my friends, supporters and my
family who has given me strength all the time to encourage me complete this thesis.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything!

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ABSTRACT
For the purpose of evaluating the influence of extra-verbal factors on literary
cognition, this study was based on the theoretical framework developed by Valentin
Nikolaevich Voloshinov in the 1920s, especially in his works ―Discourse in Life

and Discourse in Art‖ and "Marxism and Philosophy of Language‖. For this study,
we selected Pete Seeger's anti-war songs as study materials. The study was
conducted on English-speaking participants, including English language students
and employees who use and work with English. During the study, participants were
asked to translate protest songs into Vietnamese twice, before and after being given
information about Pete Seeger and the songs. Survey questionnaires were used to
examine individual cognitive abilities for the meaning of the songs. The analysis of
collected translations and questionnaires shows that: (1) There is a significant
difference in the participant’s understanding of the songs before and after they
explored the extra-verbal factors underlying their creation. (2) The kinds of extraverbal factors that underlie their perception difference include historical background
knowledge on the US, information about the author, and knowledge about Vietnam
- relationship. In addition, the research shows that extra-verbal factors contribute
very much to the participants’ perception of aesthetic value of songs and help
increase significantly effectiveness of teaching reading comprehension.

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TABLE CONTENT
DECLARATION ....................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. iii
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ...................................................................... vi
PART A: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................1
PART B: DEVELOPMENT.....................................................................................5
CHAPTER 1:

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE

REVIEW ....................................................................................................................5

1.1. Theory of Structuralism Linguistics ....................................................................5
1.2. Voloshinov’s Meta Linguistics ............................................................................6
1.2.1. Discourse in Life and Discourse in Art (1926) .................................................6
1.2.2. Voloshinov’s other viewpoints .........................................................................9
1.3. Pragmatics and Socioliguistics ...........................................................................10
1.3.1. Pragmatics .......................................................................................................11
1.3.2. Sociolinguistics ...............................................................................................12
1.4. Extra-verbal factors and comprehension of texts, the case of song lyrics .........14
1.5. Review of previous research ..............................................................................16
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES ..................................19
2.1. The Data .............................................................................................................19
2.1.1. The anti-war songs ..........................................................................................19
2.1.2. Overview of the songs to be studied ...............................................................21
2.2. Research methodology .......................................................................................24
2.3. Participants .........................................................................................................24
CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ......................................26
3.1. Translation of the song lyrics with and without knowledge of extra-verbal
factors .......................................................................................................................26
3.1.1. General literaral translation errors ..................................................................26

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3.1.2. Lyrics perception without the knowledge of extra-verbal factors ..................28
3.2. The role of extra-verbal factors in teaching language........................................35
3.3. Discussion and Findings ....................................................................................36
PART C: CONCLUSION.......................................................................................39
1. Conclusion.............................................................................................................39
2. Limitation and suggestions for future research .....................................................40
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................41

APPENDICES ........................................................................................................... I

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LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Table 3.1. Common mistakes in translations ............................................................27
Table 3.2. The meaning of ―Nuremberg‖ .................................................................28
Table 3.3. The meaning of proper names ..................................................................30
Table 3.4. Meanings of the phrase ―Beans in my ears‖ ............................................32
Table 3.5.The messages conveyed in the songs (with extra-verbal factors) .............33
Table 3.6. Reasons of misunderstanding the songs ..................................................34
Table 3.7. Role of Extra-verbal Factors in Teaching Languages by Using Songs ...35

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PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Teaching reading comprehension is one of the most important missions in
teaching foreign languages. But one of the difficulties of teaching reading
comprehension, especially teaching comprehension to children, is that boring texts
can quickly discourage the learners. Hence, teachers usually choose some special
texts, such as those in games, cartoon, or song lyrics, to teach hoping that they can
help create better learning motivation of students. For that reason, the author of this
research work decides to use songs, namely Pete Seeger’s Vietnam War protest
songs, as materials for this purpose.
But there is another, probably greater, difficulty that is the fact that any text
is in relation with other texts and with the contexts of its creation and perception, so
readers must put it in comparison and connection to related texts and contexts to

understand its meanings.
It is useful to remind that according to Saussure’s structuralism, the meaning
of a text can be perceived based on verbal factors in the text itself. But, that theory
has been criticized by many researchers, who argue that meaning of a text depends
not only on verbal factors in the text, but also on extra-verbal factors. V. N.
Voloshinov might be the earliest writer to develop these ideas. The ideas of
Voloshinov in his works ―Discourse in Life and Discourse in Poetry‖ (1926) and
―Marxism and the Philosophy of Language‖ (1929) became later the foundation of
modern pragmatism.
Song lyrics are certainly not an exception. To understand the message of a
song, singers as well as listeners must not only ―read‖ the lyrics, but also be aware
of the context in which it is created, its author’s background, and many other factors
that affect the song writing and comprehending.
All the above said are true while speaking about Pete Seeger and his songs,
especially his Vietnam War protest songs, that have inspired so many musicians and

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singers of later generations. The songs written by Pete Seeger are said to be the
voice of millions of people who stood up against the Vietnam War in the 1960s and
1970s. However, many of his songs, like the folk songs of traditional music, despite
their great artistic values, are unknown for young people. The youth of today,
instead, listens to cliché or commercial songs that often have no meaning and that
are easily forgotten soon after listening. Not many people try to do research about
the life and the career of Pete Seeger as well as the historical background
underlying the meanings of his songs. Hence, many protest songs by Seeger get into
oblivion and this is a huge lost for the arts in general and music in particular.
Nowadays, in Vietnam, the number of people who know Seeger and his
songs is even more limited. When being asked about the meaning of those songs,

the answers of many people are often vague. Sometimes, people do not understand
them at all. Many teachers and learners of English, who understand the meaning of
all the words of song lyrics as they are described in dictionaries, cannot get their
deep meanings. Whilst, if we want to apply any song into teaching, learning or
researching, we must understand the root of the song.
This study is aimed to evaluate the roles of extra-verbal factors in
comprehension of song lyrics. As mentioned, to understand a text, it is not enough
for readers to have certain competences of the language of the text. To understand
as well as to translate a foreign song, readers must have good knowledge of the
songs’ historical, social and political backgrounds, and even the author’s personal
experience. All of those criteria are defined as ―extra-verbal factors‖ which are
mentioned, probably for the first time, in the 1920s, in the works of V. N.
Voloshinov.
2. Research questions
This study is carried out with the aim to demonstrate the importance of the
factors not expressed verbally in the text, such as social context, historical context
and relationship to other texts. In order to achieve these aims, the following
questions are addressed:

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1.

How people perceive differently with and without the knowledge of

extra-verbal factors?
2.

What kind of extra-verbal factors underlined their perception

background?
3. Scope of the study
For this study, the researcher selects two songs of Pete Seeger – the famous
folk singer and activist of America – in order to examine how extra-verbal factors
affecting the comprehension of their meaning. The two songs are:
 Last train to Nuremberg
 Beans in my ears
4. Significance of the study
It was shown after observation that there are many papers written in English
is circulating. And, there are thousands of English songs are being listened and
favorite in Vietnam every year. However, the number of listeners who get the whole
meaning of those songs is not so much. Hence, researcher selected four songs of
Pete Seeger – the famous folk singer and activist of America – in order to examine
some factors affecting the meaning of songs. In specific, it is the role of extra verbal
factors in the protest songs by Pete Seeger. Throughout the study, the researcher,
and eventually learners and teachers of English, will be able to:
 Understand the role of extra-verbal factors in texts
 Improve the ways of teaching, translating and learning song lyrics, and text
in general.
5. Organization of the thesis
This thesis consists of three parts:
Part A: Introduction, aims to give the background of the study, including
the rationale, the aims of the study, research questions, scope, significance and
organization of the thesis.
Part B: Development, the main part and also the focus of the study consists
of three chapters:

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Chapter 1: Literature review presents a review of previous research, in
which an important part is dedicated to the language theory of Voloshinov in his
two works ―Discourse in Life and Discourse in Art‖ and ―Marxism and the
Philosophy of Language‖. This chapter also introduces Pete Seeger and his protest
songs which are related to the war in general and the Viet Nam War in detail.
Chapter 2: Methodology and Procedures offers a detailed explanation on the
choice of data and method of analysis, and describes how the study is conducted.
Chapter 3: Data-analysis and discussion analyzes the data collected after
doing research with questionnaires, classifies and arranges the results in an
appropriate manner and discusses on the collected data from which certain findings
are formulated.
Part C: Conclusion recapitulates what has been analyzed and found, the
limitations of the study and suggestions for further research.

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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE
REVIEW
1.1. Theory of Structuralism Linguistics
It cannot be refused Saussure’s contribution to linguistics. He is one of the
first authors who set the foundation for the achievements of linguistics during the
twentieth century. His theory becomes almost absolute in the first half of the
twentieth century, creating the dominant philosophy for many researchers.
Saussure's most influential work, Course in General Linguistics (Cours de
linguistique générale), was published posthumously in 1916 by his students Charles
Bally and Albert Sechehaye on the basis of notes taken from Saussure's lectures in
Geneva. This book brings a huge influence not only in linguistics but also in other

social sciences. (Any following quotation about Saussure’s theory is quoted from
the book ―Course in General Linguistics‖, English version published in 1959 by
Philosophical Library).
According to Saussure, language is a system of signs, in which each sign
includes two sides which are the signifier and the signified. The signifier is the
sound itself and the signified is something out of the sign system that it presents. He
also describes that there is no logical relation between the pronounced sound and
the concept in our brain, but it simply is the negotiation among members in a
language group. We call it the arbitrariness of language.
Saussure says: ―Language is a system that has its own arrangement‖ and
―everything that changes the system in any way is internal‖ when discussing about
internal and external elements of language (1959). Although he admitts that
language and discourse cannot be separated, and language, ―which is purely social
and independent of the individual‖, but for some reasons he arbitrarily summarizes
language as a system of signs in which we just need to concern about the symbol
nature of language not the external elements such as posture, gesture, concept or

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agent. The study of language just bases on synchronic dimension and dismissed
diachronic dimension has made Saussure’s theory become an incomplete viewpoint.
According to synchronic linguistics’ viewpoint, researcher must focus only in
language in the static state at a certain moment. Hence, they ignore the changes of
semantics over time as well as the way a person uses language in different
moments. Simultaneously, Saussure does not point out the relationship between
language and extra-linguistic factors. This became a topic for arguments later on,
especially in literary and artistic fields.
Saussure’s viewpoint affects a lot of later linguists that created a tenet in
linguistics called ―Structuralist Linguistics‖. Structuralist linguistics highly supports

internal linguistics where the linguists analyze language in order to find out its
structure, as well as the internal relationship among elements. It means that all the
elements related to speech such as context or speaker will be eliminated out of the
research scope. Under the influence of Saussure, in the first thirty years of the
twentieth century, most of studies about linguistics were just research of language
as an ―internal and a structural system that knows the order itself only‖. Therefore,
those studies go into impasse and extremity. Saussure’s theory, plays a very
significant role in the history of linguistics, however it drives the picture of
language into insensitivity which is only the outline but not colored, a skeleton
without fleshes. After all, the theory still cannot resolve the important question of
semantics that is ―word meaning and extra-word meaning‖.
1.2. Voloshinov’s Meta Linguistics
1.2.1. Discourse in Life and Discourse in Art (1926)
―Discourse in Life and Discourse in Art‖, one of the most outstanding works
by Voloshinov, was first published in 1926 (Here we use the English version
translated by I.R.Titunik and Neal H. Bruss, 1987). It contains many significant
ideas about the social nature of language and suggests new approaches in
researching language for later researchers.

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When analyzing the social nature of literary texts, Voloshinov rejects what
he calls ―the two fallacious views.‖ The first one is “the fetishization of the artitic
work artifact” that believes that ―The creator of the work and the work’s
contemplator remain outside the field of investigation‖. The other one believes that
―all art is exhausted by the experience of the person doing the contemplating or
doing the creating‖ (p.96). He states that ―both points of view are guilty of the same
fault: They attempt to discover the whole in the part‖. (p.97). Voloshinov says:
―…literature becomes subject to ―causal‖ influence of the extraartitics social milieu.

(…) The sociologial method can succesfully study only the causal interaction
between literature and its surrounding extraartitics social milieu. Moreover,
immanent (nonsociological) analysis of the essense of literature, including its
intrinsic, autonomous governance, must precede sociological analysis‖ (p.94).
Voloshinov argues that in living language, i.e. in discourses in life, the real
units of language communication are not sentences, that include only verbal factors,
but utterances. About utterances, Voloshinov claims that ―together with the verbal
factors, they also take in the extraverbal situation of the utterance‖ (p.98). Talking
about the concept of ―extra-verbal factors‖, Voloshinov offers an example as
illustration:
“Two people are sitting in a room. They are both silent. Then one of them
says, “Well!”. The other does not respond” (p.99).
For us, as outsiders, this entire "conversation" is utterly incomprehensible.
Taken in isolation, the utterance "Well!" is empty and unintelligible. Nevertheless,
this peculiar colloquy of two persons, consisting of only onealthough, to be sure,
one expressively intoned-word, does make perfect sense, is fully meaningful and
complete.‖ (p.99).
What do we lack? Voloshinov answers: ―We lack the ―extraverbal context‖
of the utterance is comprised of three factors: (1) the common spatial purview of the
interlocutors (…), (2) the interlocutors’ common knowledge and understanding of
the situation, and (3) their common evaluation of that situation.‖ (p.99).

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When we put the sentence above in the context, what we ―assumed‖, that is,
the ―shared patial and ideational purview‖ is almost clear. Then ―the sense of the
utterence ―Well‖ is perfectly clear to us and we also understand its intonation‖
(p.99). Voloshinov concludes ―the discourse does not at all reflect the extraverbal
situation in the way a mirror reflects an object‖ and ―the situation enters into the

utterance as an essential constitutive part of the structure of its import‖. (p.100).
―…Thus, every utterance in the business of life is an objective
enthymeme… like a ―password‖ known only to those who belong to the same social
purview. The distinguishing characteristics of behavoiral utterances consists
precisely in the fact that they make myriad connections with the extraverbal context
of life and, once several from that context, lose almost all their import – a person
ignorant of the immediate pragmatic context will not understand these utterances‖
(p.101). This ―assumed‖ may be a room but might be ―that of the family, clan,
nation, class and may encompass days of years or whole epochs‖.
When verbal discourse is a ―scenario‖ of an event then speakers and hearers
plays the role of performers, ―reenact it‖ respectively, and they must have some
relationships as mentioned above. However, in actuality poetic work where author,
listener, and other participants ―come in to contact in the first time‖, does it cause
any difficulties in understanding? Voloshinov replies that: ―a poetic work is a
powerful condenser of unarticulated social evaluations – each word is saturated with
them. It is these social evaluations that organize form as their direct expression‖
(p.107). Here, we cannot refuse the important role of what we ―assumed‖.
He believes, in a conversation. listeners are not to be ―regarded as equal to
the author‖ but they have their own ―independent place‖ in the event of artistic
creation. In any case, the relationship between authors and readers and listeners
must be considered carefully to avoid misunderstanding the meaning of a discourse.
What we call the style of author is not the same as ―style‖ of audiences. Once those
two styles can find out a similar point, content of a works and its meaning would be
clearly perceived.

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The analysis of Voloshinov constitutes a new turning point in the study of the
nature of language. Developed further by Voloshinov in ―Marxism and the

Philoshophy of Language (1929), it creates the basis for discourse analysis,
pragmatics, and socio-linguistics that became important branches of linguistics today.
1.2.2. Voloshinov’s other viewpoints
Voloshinov mentions what idealism and structuralist linguistics omit, in
other words, not concentrating on the study of language in a way that interrelates
referring to external factors. What is quoted below comes from the English
version of the book ―Marxism and the Philoshophy of Language‖ which is
published in 1973.
Voloshinov states that ―all factors having a determinative effect on a
linguistic phenomenon (physical, political, economic, and other factors) have no
direct relevance for the linguist, according to Vossler; what is important for him is
only the artistic sense of any given linguistic phenomenon‖, (p.51). In terms of
analyzing Saussure's linguistics theory, he also expresses his views on pointing out
the mistakes of abstract objectivism. Accordingly, ―an overiding chacracteristic‖ of
this trend is ―its assuming a special kind of discontinuity between the history of
language and the system of language‖ (p.55). What mentioned as the history of
language here is synchronic dimension of language. And he concludes ―The
utterance is a social phenomenon‖, (p.82).
According to Voloshinov's analysis and criticism, the social context of
language is particularly important. In addition, the listener element is considered as
part of the semantic meaning of a speech. On the basis of determining the social
status and social relationships of the participants in the dialogue, he states that every
statement was directed to a true listener rather than an abstract listener. From this
point of view, it is understandable that each statement must be fully understood
based on its social correlation and the role of the speaker and the alternate listener in
order to form a complete conversation. No matter when or where a speech is
formed, the agents involving in conversation must base on the same communication

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background, such as, the same language, the same background of culture, society,
politics or education, etc. Voloshinov has referred to the so-called "social audience"
which, according to him, ―the more cultured a person, the more closely his inner
audience will approximate the normal audience of ideological creativity; but, in any
case, specific class and specific era are limits that the ideal of addressee cannot go
beyond.‖ (p.86).
Here, the social nature of language is expressed in the word level.
Voloshinov asserts that an absolutely word was totally social oriented. In fact, when
a single word is spoken, both the speaker and the listener formulate in their mind a
concept that is built and promoted on the social basis of a community over the
years. Extensively, from the word level to the text level, many conceptual layers are
stacked so that the text is a collection of complex social contexts that are
interrelated. Voloshinov says that the more deeply structured the language is, the
more determined they are by the basic and lasting social relationships that the
speaker is exposed to. ―The organizing center of any utterance, of any experience, is
not within but outside – in the social milieu (social environment) surrounding the
individual being.‖, he says.
1.3. Pragmatics and Socioliguistics
The concept of language as a system of sign which is independent with
objective thoughts in Saussure’s theory have been challenged by many later authors.
Hymes (1974) puts that language is not influenced by its systematic, or this
systematics exists out of language, respectively. It can be shortly said that a person
with basic language competence should not only be able to pronounce, use the
words, grammatical structures but also able to use suitable words in specific
communication contexts. This statement sounds similar to what Voloshinov said in
1929: language, in terms of speaker, is not a ―stable and always self-equivalent
signal‖ but ―an always changeable andadaptable sign‖. Therefore, it cannot say that
speaker’s subjective consciousness interacts with language as a system of signs but
speaker must imply a purpose when telling something. In addition, the speaker also

needs to apply a standardized self-equivalent format in a certain context.

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1.3.1. Pragmatics
―Pragmatics is the study of the relationships between linguistic forms and the
users of those forms (…) The advantage of studying language via pragmatics is that
one can talk about people’s intended meanings, their assumptions, their purposes or
goals, and the kinds of actions (…) that they are performing when they speak‖
(Yule.G; 1996). Based on analyzing of the shortcomings of Sausurre linguistics and
the need to study discourse as a social object, pragmatics was born as a new
approach in linguistis. Much like Voloshinov, Yule. G (1996) gives an example:
Her: So – did you?
Him: Hey – who wouldn’t?
He says: ―…without providing any clear linguistic evidence‖, those two
persons still convey fully their meaning in their speech but the third party has no
―idea about what was communicated‖. If we put those sentences in a formal system
of analysis, it is very hard to understand. Obviously, both speaker and listeners must
share the same concept of background which determines the meaning of
conversation. Van Dijk (1977) also states: ―Pragmatics draws mainly upon
philosophy of language and the THEORY OF SPEECH ACTS in particular, as well
as the ANALYSIS OF CONVERSATIONS and of cultural differences in verbal
interaction as viewed in the social sciences.‖ Relating to the scope of this research,
we just want to emphasize what previous writers discussed on context, background
knowledge and culture in discourse analysis.
Van Dijk, in the same works, addresses context as a ―communication
situation‖ in which speaker and hearer ―belong to at least one speech community‖
and they communicate to each other at a ―certain time period‖. He also claims that
context does not ―remain identical in time, but change.‖ (p.191) This point of view

coincides with the theory of Voloshinov that we mentioned above. Moreover,
Yule.G (1996) claims that ―Pragmatics is the study of contextual meaning‖. The
role of context is considered as a significant element that influences what is said.

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The ―background knowledge‖ is the second term the the author of this thesis
want to mention. Yule.G (1996) believes that ―the reader uses a pre-existing
knowledge structure to create an interpretation of what is not stated in the text‖.
People belongs to the same cultural community will share the same ―script‖ that
helps them understand what is not said. Accordingly, individuals in different
cultures might misunderstand others without the background knowledge.
Hoang.N. H (2012) argues that ―the more life experience or/and education
the communicative participant has, the more fluent s/he is‖ and ―cultural knowledge
is unspoken but is what makes discourse coherence‖. Previously, in terms of
language comprehension, Carrell.P. L (1983) identifies ―the process of
comprehending a text is an interactive one between the listener or reader’s
background knowledge of content and structure, and the text itself. The text alone
does not carry meaning‖.
1.3.2. Sociolinguistics
Another new branch of linguistics is Sociolinguistics. It helps to resolve
problems related to using language variances in the relationship with other criteria
such as psychology, culture, sociology, etc. According to sociolinguists, there are
many factors that influence the relationship between language and context include
the elements inside the context such as the role of speaker and listener, verbal or
non-verbal factors, and so on. (Hymes. D.H (1974); Trinh Cam Lam (2006). Ngo
Huu Hoang (2012) describes the role of background knowledge as a tool in
discourse formation and perception. Whereby, each person in a language
community has his or her own language competence: the more knowledge was

accumulated the more ability of information cognition and notification are
increased. This perspective is clearly explained in the field of researching idioms,
proverbs or special speech where researchers need to concern about understanding
competence between speaker and listener. For example:
Wife: What’s the matter, Jack? Why are you getting up too early?
Husband: It’s a Black Friday today, honey!
Wife: Oh, I see, good luck, honey!
(Ngo Huu Hoang, 2012)

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In terms of verbal communication, what speaker says and what listener hears
are not only impacted by the nature of signs but also by the synthesis of a sequence
of factors including context as criteria. Moreover, the factors out of language as
type of communication (verbal or extra-verbal), and of course the communication
environment also should be considered. Hoa.N (2008) claims that language
elements reflect content beyond language, and non-language content influences the
appearance of language elements. In the example above, both speaker and listener
understand the concept of ―Black Friday‖ in their culture so they can probably share
the same knowledge and easily get each other’s ideas.
Sociolinguistics was born not to refuse all the arguments of predecessors but
develop it deeper and broader, opening up a new ground for language research
based on the relationship between language and the social factors surrounding
language. "Sociolinguistics is aimed to determined who speaks, by which language
and speak to whom. Thus, social studies study the characteristics of different forms
of language, the characteristics of their function, and the characteristics of their
users, because these three elements are constantly intertwined and transformed
within the linguistic community. " (Fishman, 1971). According to Labov (1972),
whether it is "a theory" or "a rich linguistic activity," they are all have the nature of

social. The analytic unit of sociolinguistics is variable sociolinguistics, or a
covariated language component with variable extra-linguistics such as social
classes, genders, ages, and language level, etc. (Ai.T. T, 2013).
In brief, one sees what Voloshinov pointed out since the 1920s: a
conversation is not formed basing only on verbal factors. It includes also extraverbal factors, i.e. the factors lying out of speech, like postures, gestures, facial
expression, eyes contacts, and also the broader atmosphere in which it happens,
including culture, customs, history, politics, etc. Voloshinov.V. N (1930) mentions
that it is difficult to catch the extra-verbal factors of a language system, depending
on signal itself, like personal psychology, emotional status or something hired
behind a speech. Sausurre, himself, also agrees that culture, customs, history,

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politics, etc, affects language and creates language changes in which he mentions
―External linguistics can add detail to detail without being caught in the vise of a
system‖ (Saussure, 1959). With extra-verbal factors, it means the factors inherent to
a situation which can have an influence on the act of communication, i.e. the time,
the situational condition, technical means, clothing, expectations (Ebermann, 2012).
The following parrt of this paper will discuss the role of extra-verbal factors in
writing language with a focus on song lyrics.
1.4. Extra-verbal factors and comprehension of texts, the case of song lyrics
Blake. R.W. (1973) after analyzing Darwin theory identifies that extra-verbal
communication has been expended upon man’s use language, especially in written
language. Extra-verbal communication might include the distance between
speakers, kinesthetic factors, touching, visual communication, and so on. Generally,
sending a message through verbal communication with the support from non-verbal
communication will reach the highest effect.
However, to comprehend message of writing texts is much more difficult due
to the differences in understanding competence, language and social environment,

etc. Hoa.N (2008) mentions a concept call ―background knowledge‖ in which
speakers and listeners know each other as well as understand the world they live in.
To figure out a message conveyed through writing channel, reader must have ability
firstly in reading comprehension then the knowledge of what is written. The related
events are also concerned when reader wants to make the message clear, for
example, a historical event or social event happening in the past.
Nystrand (1986, 1989) draw a model in which discussed meaning of a text
that is text meaning is dynamic (in Smagorinsky, P., & Coppock, J. (1995)). As it
goes: ―it is not exactly the same from reader to reader; and it manifests the cultural
and ideational assumptions readers bring to the text‖. Apparently, reading
comprehension ability shows a person’s background knowledge about the society
he lives in, the education he received, the political and economic environment he
faces up every day, respectively. Each person will perceive the text in different

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ways, it might be true or false, might be adequate or inadequate. So, what might
impact the cognition of a reader when analyzing a text? It is hard to cover all of the
criteria and it might not true for everyone. However, as many researchers show that
language external elements contribute in understanding a text which are context,
environment, history, etc.
In addition, as Smagorinsky and Coppock (1995) show it, ―there is a
semiotic social-interactive perspective therefore views the act of reading as a
transaction between reader and text, with both the reader's history and the context of
reading informing and influencing the associations the reader makes with the signs
of the text‖. This is the argument of Voloshinov (1929, in trans. 1973): no one can
just read a text and understand it word by word but must put it in a certain context
with certain background knowledge and in the relationship with other texts. The
content of a text will not be separated out of the correlation of the time it was written

or the event it talked about. Voloshinov insists that meaning of a word is detemined
by its context: a word has different meanings in different contexts of its use.
When researching the components of background knowlegde in reading
comprehension, Carrell comments that ―nonnative speakers of English (…) don’t
read like native speakers; they do not process text as native speakers do. Neither
advanced nor high-intermediate ESL readers appear to utilize context or textual
clues.‖ (1983:199). Hence, teaching reading comprehension for nonnative speakers,
Vietnamese for example, must base on the context of the text.
Due to the dynamics of language as well as the impact of extra-verbal factors
on language, we should never be constrained in any fixed language space when
conducting analysis of literary works, including song lyrics. The space in
Voloshinov’s example above is just a room, but the space of a song is much larger.
Historical, political and social events implied in a song lyric may be much more
complicated. Those events might happen only in a short time but its consequences
might last for a long time after the event finished. Therefore, songs can be a tool
that help writers show their own attitude, oppinion, and feeling about events in a

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period of time or history. The value embodied in a song is greater than what its
lyrics present verbally.
Analyzing and comprehending song lyrics requires researchers not only to
study verbal factors in the texts (sounds, words, syntax, etc.) but also extra-factors.
This means that analyzing song lyrics must be of pragmatic nature – it is the idea of
Akhutina (2003) who raised the question concerning speaker-listener relationship.
To understand deeply literature works, especially song lyrics, it is important
to understand the author's writing situation and biography. Because circumstances
advent of works and biographies of the author are the elements of the context of
communication between author and reader. Works written in a period of history

bears the spirit and idea belonging to that time. Readers look at it like a mirror
reflecting events in the past and through it find the past values as well as current
related experiences.
The stylistic elements of a song also express the social position of the writer,
the taste of listeners, and the social contexts that influence the writer’s choice of
what and how to write. His purposes are almost decided inside the way he choose
every words and grammatical structures. In terms of song lyrics, it also depends on
how the lyrics match the melody to reach the largest spreading and deposition in
community. However, there is no harm to aesthetics than to ignoring the role of the
listeners (Voloshinov.V. N – 1926). If writer can decide who his target audiences
will be, listener will also perceive meaning of a song in their own way.
1.5. Review of previous research
The study of the content of the songs is a relatively broad field of research
which includes studying the translation of foreign songs, researching the purpose of
the songs, or studying the use of artistic techniques used by writers. However, the
number of works on the topic is rather limited.
Some authors, like Frith.S (1986), focus on social factors on song lyrics.
Frith claims that focusing on lyrics does not just reflect musical ignorance.
Reseachers find out that there is something called ―social forces‖ contributing in

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song writing process. Song lyrics, like any literary work, have a compositional
context, a compositional purpose, and a target audience. Musicians are also
influenced by many factors, such as background knowledge, level of understanding,
attitude and personal thought, etc. In previous studies, researchers have pointed out
that understanding the meaning of a song cannot be just through the study of lyrics
alone, but also about the factors that affect the song.
In terms of translation, apart from grammatical errors, pragmatic problems

are common mistakes of translators. Some authors argue that in many cases,
although the translation is grammatically correct, it has not yet reached the
smoothness expected (Pham Thu Quynh Na, 2005). Franzon.J (2008) listed five
choices in song translation as: 1) Leaving the song untranslated; 2) Translating the
lyrics but not taking the music into account; 3) Writing new lyrics to the original
music with no overt relation to the original lyrics; 4) Translating the lyrics and
adapting the music accordingly – sometimes to the extent that a brand new
composition is deemed necessary; and 5) Adapting the translation to the original
music. He also draws a question how we combine three layers (prosodic, poetic and
semantic reflexive match) in a song.
In terms of reading comprehension, the study of the lyrics along with the
implications of its contents has been pointed out in numerous articles on social or
semantic linguistics. When researching rock songs, Dunbar-Hall. P (2004) states
that: ―Rock songs worldwide appear both in the languages of the geographic and
cultural contexts of the musicians who create them, and as reification of the
sociolinguistic practices of the cultures from which they arise‖. Frith.S (1986)
expresses:
―Song words work as speech and speech acts, bearing meaning not just
semantically, but also as structures of sound that are direct signs of emotion and
marks of character. Singers use non-verbal as well as verbal devices to make their
points - emphases, sighs, hesitations, changes of tone; lyrics involve pleas, sneers
and commands as well as statements and messages and stories.‖

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