Ways of greeting and a comparison between vietnamese and english greetings

Acknowledgements
Without receiving help, advice from my teachers and my friends, I could not have
completed this thesis.
Firstly, I would like to express my deep thanks to teacher Le Thi Khang - my
supervisor - who gives me a lot of guidance, advices. I also acknowledge. Vu Viet Huong
(M.A)– my objector – who gives me a lot of useful advice and comments.
Furthermore, I would like express thanks to the Foreign Languages Department,
especially the scientific council for giving me chance to do the thesis and to the library for
lending me books, materials.
I also express my gratitude to all teachers of Foreign Languages Department.
Finally, I am grateful to my friends who give me encouragement and support.

Trần anh Phợng
Vinh, May 2004

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Part I:

Introduction

1. Reasons for choosing the topic
“Greeting is much more precious than a feast(lời chào cao hơn mâm cỗ), that
Vietnamese saying indicates how important greeting is.
People’s interactions always begin with greetings. People greet each other with the
aims of showing interest, friendliness and establishing relationships.
Communication is one of the most important interactions of human-being. People use
language (verbal and non-verbal) to communicate. Greeting is a small process of
communication process. It occurs at the beginning of the conversation. People use language
to greet each other. Language of greeting is the most popular language in every country.

People use it very often whenever they meet. So, when learning a foreign language, people,
firstly learn how to greet (language of greeting).
Each country has its own language, including greetings. The greetings often convey
information about cultural characteristics, religious rules of the countries. And through
greetings between greeters, we can know something about the relationships, social status of
the greeters.
When I started learning English, first of all I learned greeting in English such as:
“Hi”, “Hello”, “Good morning”, “Good afternoon”, “How do you do ?”, etc..” and learn
how to use them. Since then, I have used greeting when communicating in English. And I
always take notes to comparing English greeting with Vietnamese greeting, I find a lot of
interesting points to study. That is the reason why I have chosen this topic.

2. Aims of the study
- To help the Vietnamese learners understand the behavior principles, greeting principles
and use greetings in appropriate time and places so that they can communicate
successfully.
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- To help learners in translating, especially translating a conversation into Vietnamese.
- To provide some conventional greetings and responses in some circumstances in
English.

3. Scope of the study
- Greetings, greeting culture.
- Greetings in English and Vietnamese.
- Differences and similarities of greetings in Vietnamese and English.

4. Methods of the study
- Contrastive and comparative methods

-

Statistic method

- Descriptive method

5. Design of the study
Part I: Introduction
1. Reasons for choosing the topic
2. Aims of the study
3. Scope of the study
4. Methods of the study
5. Design of the study
Part II: Contents
Chapter 1: Theoretical preliminaries
Chapter 2: General introduction to greeting
Chapter 3: Greetings in English and Vietnamese
Chapter 4: A comparison between English and Vietnamese greeting
Part III: Conclusion

Part II: Contents

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Chapter 1: Theoretical preliminaries
1. Communication and means of communication
1.1. What is communication?
The English word “communicate” comes from the Latin word communicare”. It
means “to give” or “to share”. And most common today it means to give or to share

information and ideas.(1;11)
“Communicate” can mean “talk together, discuss, consult, and tell” (1;11).
According to Advanced dictionary: “communicate” means to exchange information,
news, ideas and to share feelings, thoughts. etc, with somebody.
Communication is the activity or the process of expressing ideas, feelings with
somebody and of exchanging ideas, information.
It is natural for people to communicate. However, we must learn how to understand
words, expressions of face, greetings and actions. These “languages of communication”
are not natural in the sense that we are not born with them. They are even different in
each region, culture, and street and sometimes between families.
Successful communication means that the other person receives the message you
intend. To communicate successfully, you must understand the other person’s needs,
feelings and ideas as well as the way he or she uses language. So it is essential to study
and listen to the other person. To reach to these aims communicators have to use a
common means of communication which is known as languages.

1.2. Language
1.2.1. What is language?
People use the system of signals which are called language to communicate.
Language is considered to be the greatest achievement of humanity. It is the system of
special signals which people use to communicate and it is the basis means of
communication and of developing thought of people. People use language to impart
tradition, culture, history and experiences from the old generation to the young
generation. (translated from the book DÉn luận ngôn ngữ học.(8;5)
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1.2.2. Functions of language
Basing on this definition, language has following functions:
-

Language is the means of communication (communicative function). When people

want to tell each other something, language appears. Apparently, without language
people can not exchange information, experiences and share feelings, thoughts with each
other. People can not co-operate to produce. And our society would not develop any
more.
- Language is the means of thought. People’s thoughts, feelings, ideas, and experiences
are expressed in language. Language is the reality of thought. People use language not
only to express thoughts, feelings, ideas but also to think. (translated from the book Dẫn
luận ngôn ngữ học.(8;5)
According to Michael Mc Carthy, language has two functions: transactional and
interactional function.

The function which language serves in the expression of

“content” will be described as transactional function. The function involved in expressing
the social relations and personal attitudes will be described as the interactional function.
-

According to the transactional view, Linguists and linguistic philosophers tend to

adopt a limited approach to the function of language in society.(7;2). They frequently
acknowledge that language may be used to perform many communicative functions. The
value of the use of language to transmit information is well embedded in our cultural
mythology. We all believe that it is the faculty of language, which has enabled the
human race to develop diverse cultures, each with its distinctive social customs,
religious observance, law, oral traditions, pattern of trading, and so on. (7;3)
- According to the interactional view, whereas linguistic, philosopher of language and
psycho-linguists have, in general, paid particular attention to the use of language for

transmission of "factual or propositional information" sociologists and sociolinguists
have been particularly concerned with the use of language to establish and maintain
social relationships. Conversational analysts have been particularly concerned with
the use of language to negotiate role-relationships, peer-solidarity, the exchange of
turns in a conversation, the saving of face of both speaker and hearer. (7:3). It is clear
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that a great deal of everyday human interaction is characterized by the primarily
interpersonal rather than the primarily transactional use of language.
For example: When two people who do not know each other are sitting in the bus in
the hot weather, one turns to the other and says “my goodness it is so hot”. In this case, it
is difficult to suppose that the primary intention of the speaker is to convey information.
It seems more reasonable to suggest that the speaker is indicating a readiness to be
friendly and to talk with the other.
1.2.3. Types of language
In fact, there are many kinds of language: language of music, language of science,
language of art, etc. And they are used to communicate.
Speech (and words) is the fastest and simplest method of communication. There
are, however, many other ways of communication such as: signals, gestures, postures,
etc. All these ways are classified into two kinds: verbal language and non-verbal
language.
Verbal language is words and speech (sounds).
Non-verbal language is signals, gestures, postures, etc.
And communication is also classified into two types: verbal communication and
non-verbal communication basing on the methods used in the process of communication.

2. Types of communication
2.1. Verbal communication
Verbal communication is the kind of communication in which words and speech

(sounds) are used. It is known as "spoken communication", including the use of words
and tone to convey meaning. (4; 61)
In language, there are unwritten rules of speaking. These rules exist in every
language, but differ significantly from culture to culture. The rules have to do with
permissible degrees of directness, politeness, and formality and they affect many of
functions of communication such as: offer, request, refusal, compliment, etc. For
different functions of communication, there are different languages (speech or sounds),
used with different tone.
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2.2. Non-verbal communication
Non-verbal communication is the kind of communication in which people
communicate without using words or speech. Non-verbal communication is known as
"silent communication" including the use of gestures, facial expression, eye contact
and conversational distance. (4; 61)
People use not only words, speech but also gestures facial expressions to
communicate, to convey meaning, especially emotional meaning. One study in the
United States showed that 93 percent of massage was transmitted by speakers” tone of
voice and facial expressions. Only 7 percent of person’s attitude was conveyed by words.
Apparently, we express our emotion more non-verbally than verbally. (4;62)
In the process of communication, people do not always start going directly to the
topic of the conversation. Before going to the main topic of the conversation, people often
greet each other then they have “small talk” together. Those are the usual steps of a
conversation.
3. Greeting
When meeting, people greet each other by expressions (saying some words) or
gestures, or both. So, greetings are words, gestures people say or make at the beginning
of the conversation when they meet. Greeting is the activity of giving a sign or words of
welcome or pleasure when meeting somebody or receiving a guest.(12;915)

People use language to communicate, greeting is a process of communication. So,
there are also languages to greet which are known as greeting language. There are verbal
communication and non-verbal communication, therefore, as a small process of
communication, greeting is also classified into verbal greeting and non-verbal greeting
basing on the language people use in the process of greeting (verbal or non-verbal).
3.1. Verbal greeting
Verbal greeting is the way people greet each other by using speech or words. It is
known as greeting expressions. For examples: Hello, Good morning, How are you ?
3.2. Non-verbal greeting

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Non-verbal greeting is the way people greet each other without using words or
speech but they use gestures, posture or facial expressions. etc. It is known as greeting
gestures.
4. Small talk
Conversation often begins with “small talk”. “Topics of general interest are
called small talk”.(4:31). For example: topics of weather, local events, work or school.
According to the English English Vietnamese Dictionary, small talk is a kind of
conversation about everyday matters, usually at a social event (12; 1911). It is
important because it often helps to maintain conversation (i.e. keep them going), and it
can lead to interesting discussion. In an introductory meeting, maintaining a conversation
is easier when two people find that they have something in common. Small talk can be
discussed easily without knowing the other person well. It is the good conversation
starter. For examples:
In classroom:
You

: Hello, aren’t you in English class?

Other person: Yes, I thought I’d seen you before?
You

: Did you finish the essay?

Other person: No, I had troubles in organizing my thoughts.
At a dance:
You

: Excuse me. Do you know when the band is going to
start playing?

Other person: I believe they are going to start playing at nine-thirty
You

: Have they recorded any song yet? I don’t think have
never heard of them before.

Other person: I don’t think so, but they are supposed to be really good.
(4; 31)
Greeting and small talk are important in communication. These are the process in
which people often share feelings, common interest. They help the communicators
understand each other and co-operate easily.
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We have already asserted that languages of communication are different in each
country, region, and culture. And greetings are different from culture to culture.
And to understand more about greeting - the starting process of communication –

let us come to the study of the ways of greeting and a comparison between Vietnamese
and English greetings.

Chapter 2: General Introduction To Greeting

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1. Definition of greeting
When you see a friend or someone you may probably say “Hi”, “Hello”, “Good
morning” to them or you may wave or smile or maybe you do all of them. These actions
are called greetings.
Greetings are things people say or do to show that they recognize the presence
of the others (1;4) Greeting is an important communicative etiquette and it is a cultural
etiquette.
Because of differences in culture, language, every country has its own ways to
form greetings.
For examples:
- “Good evening”, “Hello”, “Hi”, “How do you do?”

(In English)

- “Chµo”, “Xin chµo”, “Chµo bác ạ, etc.

(In Vietnamese)

- Bonjour, Bonsoir, etc.

(In French)

2. Functions of greeting
Perhaps, greeting is one of the most popular interactions among people. Everyone
in the world greets each other, every country has its own greeting culture. Greeting is an
important activity.
Firstly, it is clear that almost every human interaction begins with greetings.
When meeting, people do not start talking directly, first of all they greet each other then
they talk about the topics. In other words, every communication begins with greetings.
Greetings are not just sayings, gestures used to start the conversation, they also
conveys messages. People’s greetings can show the relationships among greeters.
A good greeting helps to maintain the conversation and leads the communicators
to take interest in talking to each other. Through greetings, you can express your
friendliness, respect, politeness, etc, o your friends by choosing suitable greetings and
intonation. That is the key for you and your friends to have successful conversation.
The ways people greet (gestures or saying) can tell us information about culture,
customs, religion, etc.
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Basing on greetings, we can also indicate something about the social status, agerange of the greeters.
3. Classification of greetings
There are some ways of classifying greetings. Basing on the method people use to
greet (verbal or non-verbal) there are two main kinds: greeting gestures or greeting
expressions.
3.1. Greeting expressions
Greeting expressions are words (utterances) people say during the process of
greeting. There are a lot of languages in the world, so there are a lot of different greeting
expressions.
In Vietnamese, people often say:
“Chµo, xin chµo” or Đi đâu đấy?, khoẻ chứ?, bác mời cơm cha?
In French, people say:

“Bon jour, bon soir, ca va ”
In English speaking countries, people say:
“Good morning”, “Good afternoon”, " Good evening”
“ Hello”, “Hi”, “Hey”, etc.
“How are you?”, “How do you do? ”
These greetings are not equivalent both in structure and in meaning to each other,
because of the differences of language and culture. Their meaning may be wishes as in
English or questions as in Vietnamese. Their structures may be some simple words as in
some languages such as Vietnamese, Chinese, etc.
Greeting expressions convey characteristics of culture, traditional habits,
religions, etc.
Greeting expressions are generally classified in two kinds: direct greeting
expressions and indirect greeting expressions.
3.1.1.

Direct greeting expressions

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Greeting expressions which contain verbs of greeting or direct greeting words
like: Hello, Hi, Greet, welcome, chào, xin chào, đón chào. etc, are direct
greetings expressions.
For examples:
-

Welcome to our shop!

-

Hello, David!

-

Hi, boys!

-

Chµo bạn!

-

Hoan nghênh các bạn đà đến nhà tôi!

-

Chào bác Nam ¹!

3.1.2. Indirect greeting expressions
Greeting expressions which contain no verbs of greeting or direct greeting words
are indirect greeting expressions. These expressions may be questions, or exclamatory
words, however, if we put them into certain contexts they are greetings.
For examples:
What”s up?, what”s new?
How are you getting on? (1; 29)
Or in Vietnamese:
Mạnh khoẻ chứ ? Khoẻ chứ ? Đi đâu vậy ? Ăn cơm cha ?
3.2. Greeting gestures
Greetings are not just words, sayings. Body language –the way people stand,
people look at the other’s faces, the movement you make during greeting process are the

greeting gestures. There are a lot of greeting gestures, and greeting gestures vary from
culture to culture.
The gestures listed below are some popular ones that people use quite widely
through out the world
3.2.1. Kissing

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This gesture is very popular in some European countries, Middle East and Latin
America. Friends kiss each other whenever they meet. The number of kiss depends on
countries and their own culture.
Egyptian kiss three times first on one cheek, second on the other and then return
to the first (1;8)
Italian kiss four times two on each cheeks. In France and some other Western
countries,(1;8) in the old time (the Middle age), a generous man usually kissed on the
hands of women when greeting.
As the cultural characteristics, In some Asian countries like Vietnam, Japan,
Korea, China, people never kiss when greeting.

Friends greet each other with a kiss. In the past, a man greeted a woman by kissing her
hand.
3.2.2. Handshake
Shaking hands is one of the most popular greeting gestures in the world. It has
been with human for thousands of years. Originally, men shook hands with each other
to show that they were not carrying weapons, gradually, it becomes a way of greeting.
(1;9)
In some places, like in Germany, friends greet each other with a handshake.
However, in America, handshake tends to be used mainly when meeting someone for
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the first time or in formal situations like a business meeting or job interview (1;10).
The ways people shake hands are different from cultures to culture.
In Russia, a good, firm handshake with direct eye contact is the customary
greeting. (2;153)
In Australia, shaking hands is also the customary greeting gesture, and it is the
same in France (2;175). A woman will offer or extend her hands first. To be polite, we
shake hands with woman first. And the people with higher position often stretch their
hands first. In Britain, handshake is done less frequently than some other countries.
Members in a family seldom greet each other by a handshake.

Handshake is a popular greeting gesture
3.2.3. Bow
This gesture seems to be very popular in Asian countries, especially in Japan
and Korea, even in Vietnam but not in Europe.
When greeting each other, greeters bow their heads. Usually, the person with
lower social position greets the higher ones with a low bow. In Japan, a light bow is for
friends, medium bow for people who you are not close or you do not know well, and a
low bow for a very important person. (1; 6)
In some sport games or in Karate or Judo competitions, the competitors usually
bow to greet each other before starting playing.

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When a person stands in front of a crowd, he/she usually greets the people by a
bow, like a singer before and after performing a song. For Japanese, a bow signals
respect and humility, these two qualities converted through out Asia, in many Western
countries, this gesture is viewed as an act of subservience. (2; 22)

Japanese businessmen’s greeting
3.2.4. Waving
This is a common greeting in many parts of the world. It is used when you spot your
friend at a distance or when you are in hurry but you want to greet your friends, it is the
most visible way to catch some one’s attention, so it is used widely.

Waving hand
3.2.5. Eye contact

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Eye contact is a part of body language. It is certain that when greeting, you have to
look at your greeters’ face. But how to look varies from culture to culture. Indonesians,
Chinese and Japanese consider that too much eye contact is a sign of bad manners
(2;23). In some countries, people think that looking straight into the eye means that you
do not believe what person is saying. However, in some cultures people believe that
direct eye contact shows interest in the other person. Arab for example, they tend to look
deeply in each other’s eyes. (2;175)
Though greetings are divided into two groups-greeting expressions and greeting
gestures, it is worth noting that during the process of greeting people always use both.
While you are saying “Good morning” to your friend, and you are probably shaking
hands with him. The polite gestures handshake or bowing and polite greeting expressions
such as “Good morning, Good after noon” or “How do you do or in Vietnamese Xin
kính chào các quí vị, Cháu chào bác ạ

often go together. The casual greeting

expressions such as Hello, Hi, Hey, or in Vietnamese chào bác, anh ạ, khoẻ không?,

đi đâu đấy and greeting gestures waving, kissing, hugging, etc go together.
Greeting expressions and greeting gestures are very various and plentiful. Each
greeting expression and greeting gesture is used in certain contexts or situations, it is not
written rules of how, where and when to use but everybody has to know to follow it.
They should always have a choice of what kinds of greetings to use for the situations
they meet. In daily life, there are a lot of situations but they all belong to two main kinds:
formal situations and informal situations. In each kind of situations, people use different
greetings. That is the behaviour rules.
3.3. Greetings used in formal situations
A lecture, a speech in a court, a business meeting, a talk in the crowd. etc, are
considered informal situations. In these situations, greeters have to choose suitable
greetings that are considered to be polite enough. By doing this, people show they respect
their greeters and they are interested in having a conversation with their friends.
English people “how do you do” when meeting for the first time. In English speaking
countries, people often greet each other formally with expressions:
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“Good morning”, “ good afternoon”, “good night.”
“How are you?”
In France: “Bon jour, bon soir.”
In Turkey: “Nasilsiniz?” (How are you? ) (1;12)
Or “Buon sera” (good morning ), “Buon gioun” in Italy (1;12).
In formal situations, handshakes are used most widely
Bow is used in Asian countries, kissing is never used. Sometimes, greeting is a sequence of
gestures: bow, handshaking then hugging. In formal situations, greeters usually call each
other with their titles, noun of social status, professional duty to express the attitude of
respecting each other.
- Good morning, sir!
- Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen!

- Good evening, Professor !
- Good morning, Mr. John !
In Vietnamese,
- Chµo sÕp !
- Chào thủ trởng !
- Xin kính chào quí vị và các bạn ! (authors examples)
3.4. Greetings used in informal situations
Situations, in which communication occurs between family members, friends,
relatives, etc, are informal situations.
Informal situation is relaxed, free and easy, familiar and unpretentious and the ways
people greet each other show this. So in informal situations people choose the suitable
greeting so that they can send massage to their friends that they want to be friendly, they
want to have free talk. These are unwritten rules, however, everyone has to know in order to
communicate successfully.
For example:
In Vietnamese:
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- Chào bạn, đi đâu vậy?
- Khoẻ chứ?
Greeting gestures: waving hands, nodding head, some eye contact or some smiles.
In English:
- “Hi”, “Hello”, “what’s up”, “what’s new”. etc.
In Europe, people who have close relationship usually greet each other with a kiss.
In informal situations, while greeting the greeters usually avoid using their titles:
- Good morning, Tom ! (not “Good morning, Mr. Tom” )
- Hello, Jerry (not “Hello, Mrs. Jerry”)
3.5. Special greetings
In special situations such as ceremonies, sub-mit, special greetings are greeting

expressions or greeting gestures are used. English speaking countries, in festivals, such as
birthday, New Year, Christmas, wedding party people often say:
- Happy Birthday!
- Happy New Year!
- Merry Christmas!
People in England and Canada greet their Queen by saying: “God save the Queen”
(2;136). This seems to be a wish and it is similar to the Vietnamese and Chinese society in
the old time
In many countries, members of the armed forces greet their commander officers with
a salutation. (1;14)
In Middle East, it is the custom for a child to greet an old person by taking that
person’s hand, kissing it and bringing to his or her forehead. (1;24)

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Salutation
3.6. Religious greetings
Greetings can show something about a person’s belief. In some religions, people use
special greetings with each other.
The Muslims - people who are known as the flowers of the Islam greet each other by
saying: “As-xasalaam’alaykum”(peace be with you). The other replies: “Wa”alaykum
asxalam” (peace be with you, too) (2;18)
In India, the traditional greeting among Hindus is called “Namaste” which means “I
bow to you”. People bow their heads, place their palms together and bring them to their
chests. This greeting expresses the Hindus’ belief that God exists in everyone (2; 19).
By greeting in these ways, they not only greet each other but also show that they
share the same religious faith.

Hindu’s greeting

4. Factors controlling greeting
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As we grow up, we are taught how to speak, how to behave and we also learn them
naturally by viewing the old’s activities, saying and behaviour we learn the way to greet
like this whenever we meet a person, we take a consideration about how to greet and we
must choose a suitable greeting. And there are a lot of factors affecting the choice.
4.1. Social status
In every society, there have been many social positions, classes and there are ranks
between classes, social positions, the poor and the rich, etc. That is the reason why there are
titles, the nouns referring to social status like Sir, Lord, Madam, Ladies, Professor.etc or
tha thầy, tha ngài, lạy ông, lạy cụ ạ in daily life. We now live in modern life we have
the right of equal behaviour and free communication. However, we have to follow some
behaviour principles communication style because we are educated naturally. I divide social
status into two main kinds: equal social status and unequal social status.
4.1.1. Equal social status
For people who are in upper classes they greet each other formally. The words they
use during communication are often formal and learned words even they meet each other in
informal situations such as in a restaurant or in the park, etc. Speakers use the hearers’ title,
nouns referring to social status.
For examples:
- Good morning, sir!
- Good afternoon, chief!
- Good morning, Professor!
They greet each other in such ways because of social etiquette and politeness and they
want to show that they are well-educated and polite people.
People who are in medium classes often greet each other less formally. They greet
each other informally and freely. Though they know formal greetings, they do not want to
use. They want to be friendly and familiar with each other. They rarely use the titles of the

hearers.
A: Hi, Jane!
B: Hi, Anna
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4.1.2. Unequal social status
The people who are in lower classes often greet the people of the higher class formally.
The lower expresses the modest and the respective attitude to the higher. They greet each
other because of social etiquette not because of interest in each other.
Usually, the lower greet first and the superior offer their hands first (if they want to
shake hands)
- Good morning, Director!
- Good morning, Mr. Brown!
It is clear that social status affects greeting much. It controls the ways people greet each
other and it is necessary to study about the social status.
4.2. Age
We would not greet the old people and the young people in the same ways. Children
would not greet the old as the same ways as they greet their friends. For the older, you have
to express the respective attitudes and to your friends you certainly want to express your
friendliness. Obviously, age plays an important role in the ways of greeting (expressions
and gestures). When you greet a person who is not at the same age to you, you should
choose a suitable way of greeting. For the older people, it should be formal greeting. For
the younger ones, it might be informal greeting.
For examples: A boy greets Mr. Garret
The boy:

Good morning, Mr. Garret!

Mr. Garret: Good morning, boy!

Or in Vietnamese
The boys: Chóng ch¸u chào bác Nam ạ !
Mr. Nam: ừ chào các cháu!.

(authors examples)

In the examples above, the younger greet the older first and use formal greeting style
and the older can use informal greetings. These greetings are used among the people of
different ages. How are the greetings among people at the same age?

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People who are at the same age often greet each other quite informally as they want to
show their friendly attitude in order to be in relaxed atmosphere in which they can talk
comfortably. So, they use informal greetings, sometimes even with humorous words.
For examples:
-Hello!
-Hi !
-Good heaven ! Fancy bumping into you
-Well cheerio for now ! (bye for now) (Marystephen, practice writing, 7)
Or in Vietnamese:
- Chào, khoẻ chứ !
- A, Nam! đi ®©u vËy?
However, two people who are at the same age but in different social classes greet
differently. Of course, the people with lower position would greet the higher ones formally
and politely. In some cultures, the social position seems to be more important than the age,
and the old may greet the younger formally if the younger person is at higher social
position.
As age is an important factor in greeting culture, so when being about to greet each

other, people habitually take consideration of the age to see how are people, younger or
older or at the same age.
4.3.

Greeters’ relationships
Greeting, as showing above, can tell us about the greeter’s social positions and

greeter’s age level. Furthermore, greeting can also give us information about the greeter’s
relationship. When you see a person you do not know and you do not need to talk to or to
ask him / her anything you will not greet that person. That’s because you do not have any
relationship with him/her.
When you meet someone who is your dear friend, the ways you greet him/her differ
from the ways you greet the others. When you are introduced to a strange person, your
greetings may be different from your greeting to a person who you have ever got to know. It
is the controlling of the greeter’s relationship in greetings. In daily life, there are many
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relationships among people. And these relationships are divided into two levels: close
relationships and normal relationships
4.3.1. Normal relationships
Normal relations are social temporary relationship. People who have relationship with
each other because of work, job, affairs, etc. set up this kind of relationship. Those people
often greet each other formally and communicatively.
For examples:
- Good evening, Ladies and gentlemen!
- Kính chào các quí ông quí bµ!
These are greetings in meeting or in a performance, the following greetings are the ones
between two managers who get contact with each other for a contract.
A.

Good morning, Mr. B!

B.

Good morning, Mr. A!

Relationships among people who do not know each other well are also normal
relationships. These people would never greet each other casually. When greeting, gestures
such as shaking hands and bow are mainly done, gestures of closeness like kissing or
waving are not used.
4.3.2. Close relationship
The relationship between people who know each other well such as close friends,
relatives, the lovers, family members, etc, are close relationships. In communication, these
people treat each other casually and freely. So, their greetings are often informal as they
want to show their friendliness, closeness to their greeters.
Tom and Marry know each other quite well, they are classmates, they will not greet
each other, “How do you do” or “How are you?”, they may say:
-Hello, Tom.
-Hello, Marry.
Two students in a class may greet each other
-What’s up, Tim
-Nothing, What about you, Jone?
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Lovers say good bye:
- Good night, Honey!
- Sleep well, Baby!
Among these kinds of people, greeting gestures are quite plentiful. It may be kissing,

waving, or hugging.
4.4. Gender
In many places, the way people greet each other is different depending on they are
male or female. The way a man greets a female friend is different from the way he greets a
male friend, especially, greeting gestures.
For example, people in Thailand say “swa-dee-ka” to greet females and “swa-deekup” to greet males. In Russian, males shake hands when they meet while females do not
(1; 16).
In few countries, it is traditional for women to be more reserved in their greetings
than men are. In Afghanistan, for example, men and women have their own ways of
greeting strangers. A man will greet by saying “manda na bashi” (may you not be tired).
And a women will raise her hand to cover her mouth (1; 16).
In Vietnamese, males may greet each other with a hug or embraces, but a male will
never greet a female with these greeting gestures.
5. Greeting culture and factors affecting greeting culture
5.1. Greeting culture
It is clear that anything that happens regularly and commonly becomes habit, routine.
Greeting is the interaction that occurs every day and it is a routine. This routine includes
ways people greet each other (words and gestures) when meeting, and greeting routine is
called greeting culture.
As having mentioned, each country has its own languages, and ways of greeting. So
greeting culture is different from culture to culture. It is affected by many factors such as
religion, culture, social development.

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5.2. Factors affecting greeting culture
5.2.1. Culture
Referring to culture, there have been many definitions of culture. Here are two
definitions taken from writings of Tran Ngoc Them and Nguyen Quang.

According to Tran Ngoc Them, culture is a system of material and intellectual values,
it is created by human kind and accumulated through real activity. (translated from the
book Cơ sở văn hoá Việt Nam, (6;10) )
According to Nguyen Quang, the term culture is considered as a shared background
(for examples national, ethnic, religion. etc.) resulting from a common language,
communication styles, customs, beliefs, attitudes and values. According to his definition,
culture is like an iceberg, most of it is under water. The underwater part is communication
styles, beliefs, attitudes values and perceptions. Appearance and language belong to the
abovewater part. (4;3)
Culture has great influence on communication styles. Communication style includes
the ways people talk together (they talk directly about the topics or not), the time for small
talk (a few minutes or longer) and the ways people greet each other as well. Apparently,
culture affects greeting culture much. Each country, each group of people has their own
culture, this leads to the differences in greeting culture.
5.2.2. Religions
In the old time, people could not explain the natural phenomena, which bring them
damage and fear like: thunder, rain, light, volcanoes. etc. Therefore, they regarded that they
are Gods and they believe in the existence of the super-natural power. That is the origin of
religions. In the world, there have been a lot of religions, Jewish religion, Christianity,
Islam, Buddhism, Hindu, etc. Each religion has its own system of strict rules about
behaviour, life style, clothing and greeting as well and all followers of the religions has to
obey these rules without any thinking.
For examples:
At certain point of the traditional Roman Catholic service, the priest says “let us
offer the sign of peace” the members of the congregation turn to each other and shake
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