VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES CHU THỊ THU HUYỀN TYPICAL CULTURAL FEATURES FOUND IN DAILY LIFE OF THE COMMUNITY IN SERIES THE LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE BY LAURA INGALLS WILDER FROM PERSPECTIVES OF LANGUAGE-CULTURE (CÁC ĐẶC TRƯNG VĂN HOÁ TIÊU BIỂU TRONG ĐỜI SỐNG HÀNG NGÀY CỦA CỘNG ĐỒNG QUA TÁC PHẨM “NGÔI NHÀ NHỎ TRÊN THẢO NGUYÊN” – LAURA INGALLS WILDER DƯỚI GÓC ĐỘ VĂN HOÁ-NGÔN NGỮ) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 60220201 Hanoi - 2013 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES CHU THỊ THU HUYỀN TYPICAL CULTURAL FEATURES FOUND IN DAILY LIFE OF THE COMMUNITY IN SERIES THE LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE BY LAURA INGALLS WILDER FROM PERSPECTIVES OF LANGUAGE-CULTURE (CÁC ĐẶC TRƯNG VĂN HOÁ TIÊU BIỂU TRONG ĐỜI SỐNG HÀNG NGÀY CỦA CỘNG ĐỒNG QUA TÁC PHẨM “NGÔI NHÀ NHỎ TRÊN THẢO NGUYÊN” – LAURA INGALLS WILDER DƯỚI GÓC ĐỘ VĂN HOÁ-NGÔN NGỮ) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 60220201 Supervisor: Dr. Ngô Tự Lập Hanoi - 2013 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and certify the best of my knowledge.
This thesis contains no materials that have been accepted as part of requirements for any other degree or diploma in any educational institution nor previously published is written unless the reference to the material is made. Signature Chu Thị Thu Huyền i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like first and foremost to thank Dr. Ngo Tu Lap, my thesis supervisor, for his critical comments and valuable instructions without which this thesis could not have been completed. My indebtedness is also to my beloved family members whose help and encouragements contributed greatly to the completion of my study.
Last but not least, I am grateful to my colleagues and my friends for their support throughout the process of writing this thesis. ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT The end of nineteenth century in America is considered the ―Frontier time‖, which had great impact on American culture and history. Taking inspiration from this period, this study is an investigation into American culture of the Frontier time through the series The Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Basing on the Frontier Theory of F.
Turner, the study focuses on analyzing Frontier Spirit expressed in the Westward movement tendency, the Self-provision activities, Self-reliance attitude and the Evolution in attitude toward Native Americans of the main characters in the series. Through the study, the author would like to suggest that teaching literature is inseparable with teaching culture; moreover, culture will be more accessible for students through studying literature work. iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Part 1: INTRODUCTION. Language and Culture.
Literature as Verbal Manifestation of Language. The Little House on the Prairie – a Typical Literary Work of the Frontier Time in American History. Aims of the Study. Scope of the Study.
Methods of the Study. Outline of the Study. 7 Chapter 1: MAJOR CULTURAL FEATURES OF THE SOCIETY IN FRONTIER PERIOD ACCORDING TO TURNER‘S FRONTIER THEORY. Frontier Period in American history.
Turner‘s Frontier Theory. Frontier Spirit in Turner‘s Frontier Thesis. 11 Chapter 2: LAURA INGALLS WILDER AND HER LITTLE HOUSE SERIES 15 2. Laura Ingalls Wilder.
The Little House Series. Reviews on The Little House Series. 19 Chapter 3: EXPRESSIONS OF THE FRONTIER SPIRIT IN THE LITTLE HOUSE SERIES. Expression of the Frontier Spirit in the Westward Movement Tendency.
Frontier Spirit Expressed in the Self-provision Activities. Expression of the Frontier Spirit in the Self-reliance Attitude. Expression of the Frontier Spirit in the Evolution of the Racial Problems. Issues Addressed in the Study.
Implications of the Study. Suggestions for Further Studies. 43 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Part 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Language and Culture Language, our primary tool of thought and perception, is at the heart of who we are as individuals.
Language is constantly changing, sometimes into entirely new verbal varieties, leading to subtle differences in how we present ourselves to others. Understood as particular sets of speech norms of a particular community, language is also a part of the larger cultural spheres of the community that utilize them. Languages do not differ only in pronunciation, vocabulary, or grammar, but also through having different "cultures of speaking." Humans use language as a way of signaling identity with one cultural group and difference from others. Even among speakers of one language, there are different ways of using language existing, and each is used to signal affiliation with particular subgroups within a larger culture.
Culture, on the other hand, is the humankind‘s treasure that individuals inherit from their ancestors (including experience like knowledge, skills, values and norms), develop them, and then pass onto future generations. In his book Language Shock – Understanding the Culture of Conversation (1994), the American linguistic anthropologist Michael Agar declares that ―Culture is … what happens to you when you encounter differences, become aware of something in yourself, and work to figure out why the differences appeared. 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Culture is awareness, a consciousness, one that reveals the hidden self and opens paths to other ways of being‖ (Agar, 1994, p. Culture and language have a long history and constantly develop throughout the flow of history.
Since ―cultures spread across languages and likewise languages spread across cultures‖ (Risager, 2007, p.153), for many years, authorities have been engaged in exploring the relationship between the two entities and have concluded that the study of a language cannot be separated from culture studies and vice versa. Literature as Verbal Manifestation of Language Among various language manifestations, literature is undoubtedly the most sophisticated. ―Language is the medium of literature as marble or bronze or clay are the materials of the sculptor‖, whereas ―the literature fashioned out of the form and substance of a language has the color and the texture of its matrix,‖ – says Edward Sapir (1921). They are complementary as they enrich and glorify each other.
Also, literature and culture have a reciprocal relationship. Literature takes its inspiration from the daily life and the social context; therefore culture affects literature what to write and how to write, while the product of this writing process will be used to interpret culture. Language of literature works, therefore, has been the subject of many studies by linguists because it presents particularly the relation of language and culture. Socio-cultural background should be taken into account when analyzing a literary work; vice versa a literature work, more or less, always reflected the social condition of its time.
Therefore, a literary work can help readers widen their knowledge of a certain historical period. 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com When referring to the West of American in the second half of the 19th century, enormous popular attention in the media often focuses on the "Wild West", symbolized by wars and treaties, cowboys and the gold rush. Nevertheless, fewer people know that this period is a remarkable milestone in American history, known as the Frontier time. Since knowledge about this period still somehow insufficient, this paper hopefully provides more information about that time.
The Little House on the Prairie – a Typical Literary Work of the Frontier Time in American History This study is an investigation into American culture of the Frontier time through the famous series entitled The Little House on the Prairie written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, with which many Vietnamese people may be more familiar thanks to its adaptation The Little House on the Prairie drama television series. This series, often known as Little House series, is based on decades-old memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder's childhood in the Midwest region of the United States during the late 19th century. As Wilder noted in 1937, she wrote the series to show children who had grown up in a post-frontier age "what it is that made America as they know it." Although these books are classified as children‘s books, they still provide a ―real‖ picture of America at that time, a kind of historical chronicle offering both a detailed record of how the pioneers lived and an illustration to the values that built America. As Wilder declared, in her own life, she "represented a whole period of American history", and it was through the details of her own life that she wanted to tell the story of the frontier experience.
3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Aims of the Study The aims of the study are to investigate some major cultural features of American society in the Frontier time of the nineteenth century, and to show how these features are reflected in the series The Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. To realize these aims, answers for the following research question are sought out: 1. What are the major cultural features of the American society in the Frontier time of the nineteenth century? 2.
How are these features reflected in the series The Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder? 3. Scope of the Study This study will focus on expressions of the Frontier Spirit in Laura Ingalls Wilder‘s series through four main points: the west-wards movement, self- provision activities, self-reliance and the evolution of racial problems However, within this minor M. thesis, the author will not analyze the whole nine-book series. The second book in the series, Farmer Boy, which focuses on the childhood of Laura's future husband, will be excluded in order to keep the mainstream of the whole story (focus on the life of Laura only).
Methods of the Study In the research process, both qualitative and quantitative methods are employed. Generally the study relies on the qualitative analysis of cultural features, while 4 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com the quantitative method is applied in forms of statistics when required to demonstrate and support the arguments. The theoretical background in chapter 1 relies on the published literature on the Frontier Theory by Frederick Jackson Turner, which supplies the framework for the whole study. Moreover, a brief introduction to the social background, the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House series is also included.
Outline of the Study The study consists of three main parts. Part 1: Introduction This part comprises the rationale, scope, aims, methodology, and design of the study. Part 2: Development This is the main part, consisting of three chapters. Chapter 1: Major Cultural Features of the society in Frontier period according to Turner’s Frontier Theory This chapter includes an overview about the Frontier period in American history, the Frontier Theory developed by F.
Turner, and major cultural features according to this theory. Chapter 2: Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House series 5 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com This chapter supplies a brief introduction to Laura Ingalls Wilder‘s life, her Little House series and some reviews on the value of this series. Chapter 3: The Expressions of Frontier Spirit in the Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This chapter is the heart of the study.
It illustrates how the issues of the Frontier Spirit reflected in the Little House series Part 3: Conclusion This part summarizes the main findings; then draws important conclusions and offers implications for culture teaching and learning as well as suggestions for further studies. At the end of the study, one can find the references including articles and book concerning the study‘s issues to help the analysis of the author clearer and easily accessible. 6 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.