VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOL UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES -.000 TRAN TII THU IIÈN A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF PERFORMATIVE VERBS IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE (PHẦN TICH DOL CHIEU DONG TỪ NGỮ VI TRONG TIENG ANH VA TIENG VIET) MLA, MINOR THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 622 15 HANOI- 2011 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOL UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES - 000. TRẢN THỊ THU IIÈN A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF PERFORMATIVE VERBS IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE (PHẦN TÍCH ĐỐI CHIẾU ĐỘNG TỪ NGỮ VI TRONG TIENG ANIIVA TIENG VIET) M. MINOR THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 6022 15 Supervisor: Assoc. Va Dai Quang HANOI- 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT.
TABLE OF CONTENTS. sa Vi CHAPTER ONE. Rationale of the study 1. Aims and objectivss of the siudy.
Scope of the smdy. 14, Method of the study. Organization of the study. CHAPTER TWO, THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 2.
Speech Act ‘Theory.1, Definition of speech acts. Components of speech A015 .3, Speech Act Classifivation. Mocutionary force indivating device 3. The relationship between speech acts and speech act verbs.7, Property of speech act verbs 2D 2.1, Performatives versus Constative on) 2.
Dcñnifion of Pcrformafives. Types of performatives 10 2.2, nglieif petJÐPMAHNE su. Definition o[ perfrimative verbs which 12 2. The function of performative verbs 12 3.3, Classification of performative verbs.1, Meta-linguistic performative verbs.2, Ritual performutive verls.3, Collaborate performative verbs.4, Summary - 14 CHAPTER THREE, A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH DIRECTIVE PERFORMATIVE VERBS AND F EQUIVALENT 15 3.
Syntactic (ealures of direelive PVs - - 1s 3.1, Directive PVs in English - co LS 3. Directive PVs in Vietnamese 17 3. Similarities and differences of directive PVs in English and Vietnamese in terms of syntactic features - - cone 3. Semantic features of directive PVs.1, Directive PVs in English.
Directive PVs in Victnarn 3. Similarities and differences of directive PVs in English and Viettamese in terms of semantic features 31 3. Differences - - 32 CHAPTER FOUR.1, Concluding remarks on objective1.2, Conrluding remarks on objeetive 2.3, Concluding remarkks on objeetive 3. Limitation of the study.
Suggostions for further sludy - - - ee REFERENCES. TABLE OF CONTENTS CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT. TABLE OF CONTENTS. sa Vi CHAPTER ONE.
Rationale of the study 1. Aims and objectivss of the siudy. Scope of the smdy. 14, Method of the study.
Organization of the study. CHAPTER TWO, THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 2. Speech Act ‘Theory.1, Definition of speech acts. Components of speech A015 .3, Speech Act Classifivation.
Mocutionary force indivating device 3. The relationship between speech acts and speech act verbs.7, Property of speech act verbs 2D 2.1, Performatives versus Constative on) 2. Dcñnifion of Pcrformafives. Types of performatives 10 2.2, nglieif petJÐPMAHNE su.
Definition o[ perfrimative verbs which 12 2. The function of performative verbs 12 3.3, Classification of performative verbs.1, Meta-linguistic performative verbs.2, Ritual performutive verls.3, Collaborate performative verbs.4, Summary - 14 CHAPTER THREE, A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH DIRECTIVE PERFORMATIVE VERBS AND F EQUIVALENT 15 3. Syntactic (ealures of direelive PVs - - 1s 3.1, Directive PVs in English - co LS 3. Directive PVs in Vietnamese 17 3.
Similarities and differences of directive PVs in English and Vietnamese in terms of syntactic features - - cone 3. Semantic features of directive PVs.1, Directive PVs in English. Directive PVs in Victnarn 3. Similarities and differences of directive PVs in English and Viettamese in terms of semantic features 31 3.
Differences - - 32 CHAPTER FOUR.1, Concluding remarks on objective1.2, Conrluding remarks on objeetive 2.3, Concluding remarkks on objeetive 3. Limitation of the study. Suggostions for further sludy - - - ee REFERENCES. vi ABBREVIATIONS A: Action CA: Contrastive analysis EPV: Enplish Performative Verb EPVs: English Performative Verbs EPs: Explicit Performatives HL Hearer IF; Hlocutionary Foree IFIDs: Mlocutionary Force Indicating Devices IPs: Implicit Perfonnatives PV: Performative Verb S: Speaker SA: Spocch act SAs: Speech acts U: Utterance Us: Ulerances VPV: Vietnamese Performative Verb VPVS: Viemamese Performative Verbs CHAPTER ONE.
Rationale of the study Language is an inscparable part in pcople’s life because it is employed to transmit information, to state facts, 1o express thoughts and to get so many things done. It is true that verbs referring to speech constitute one of the most important areas of the vocabulary of any language. Evary day, we use the verbs of ask, sell, require, apoloyize, promise, thank and so on to communicate together. Moreover, we try to interpret what kinds of speech acls they are performing, thal is, when someone says something, we have to categorize their ultcranccs as this or thal kind of sự h gels.
For inslanec, is this an advice? is this a suggestion? is this a request? or is this a warming? Among speech act verbs, PVs are crucially importance to the way we interpret what other people are saying ‘because PVs signal the performance of acts PVs play a very esential role in communication, so leamers of foreign language should pay muuch attention to PVs. Ilowever, there is a fact that leaners of English have not been well cquipped with a all-sided knowledge of EPVs and the meanings of PVs have never been systematically investigated. For example, leamers of English often make contusion about the meanings of the verbs “request” and “demand”, “suggest” and “propos “hog” and “antreat”, ele. As a result, they do vol aflen make proper uses of EPVs in communication and even may break their real communication.
Recognizing the importance of PVs in commmnication and the problems learners may face in using PVs, T decide to carry out a contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese directive PVs in tenns of syntaetic and semantic features. With this pecuiiar function, PVs that play an essential role in performing speech acts need being further studied to serve ‘better communication.2, Aims and objectives of the study 1. Aims ‘The study is aimed at: - raising Victnamese lcamer’s awareness of how to realize the meanings of EPVs and usc them appropriately in order to achieve communicative purposes, - providing teachers of English with useful materials about the knowledge of PVs. Objectives “Lo achieve these aims, the research tries to: + present and describe the slructiwes and the meanings of directive PVs in English and Vietnams - point ont the similarities and differences of directive EPVs and their Vietnamese cquivatenis in tors of syntax and semantics - suggest some implications for learning and teaching English directive PVs 1.3, Research questions ‘The objectives arc claboraled inlo the following research questions - What are the structures and meanings of directive PVs in English and Vietnamese ? - What are the similarities and differences of directive PVs in Unglish and Vietnamese? + Whal are the possible tzcommmendations for learning and leaching English directive PVs? 1.
Scupe of the sturdy Due lo the limited time and the seale of the minor thesis, the stady is foeused on directive PVs which are most fiequently used in written discourse in English and Vietmamese 1.4, Mettiod of the study ‘The main method in the study is the contrastive analysis (CA) of directive PVs in English and Vietnamese. The term CA is defined by James, C. (1980:3) as “a linguistic enterprise aimed at praducing inverted (ie. cantrastive, not comparative) two-valued typologies (a CA ts always concerned with a pair of languages), and founded on the assumption that language can be compared.” According to Richard, J.C et al (1992), CA is “the comparison of the linguistic systems of svo languages”.
As far as 1 know, CA is the systematic study of a pair of languages with a view to identifying the differcnecs and similanties, It is considered as a device for predicting and explaining difficult points and some errors that learners will make in leaming a target language. The author uses the following principles in order lơ aehieve the aims and objectives of the study: : Collecting data containing directive PVs + Choosing data sources from ebook ~ Choosing type of data; original texts in English and Vietnamese translation equivalents Choosing instrumental languages: Linglish is selected as the source language and Vietnamese as the targel language Important techniques which are employed in the study include: ~ observing data on translation texts syslemaliving and categorizing dala 1.5, Organization of the study Chapter one: Introduction. This part presents the rationals, aims, objectives, scope and method of the study Chapter two: Theoretical Background ‘This chapler provides the theoretical concepis and lermns thal are necessary and relevant to directive PVs. Chapter three: A contrastive analysis of directive PVs in English and in Victuamese ‘This chapter is focused on exploring the structures and meanings of directive LPVs and their Vietnamese equivalents.
Then, some sitilazitics and differences are drawn oul. ta illustrate the contrastive analysis of the two languages. Last but not least, some recommendations for learning and teaching will be suggested Chapter four: Conclusion ‘This is the last part of the thesis which summarizes main points, gives concluding remarks on objectives as well as suggestions for further study. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ‘This chapler is aimed al giving a gensral framework for analysing directive PVs later.
Firstly, the theory of speech acts including the notion, components, classification and felicity conditions is explored. Secondly, the important matters referring to performative verbs re pre ted in ordor to pave ths way for an investigation of dirsclive PVs in chapter 2 where the fonns and meanings of PVs will be examined in terms of syntactic and semantic features 2. Speech Act Theory 2. Definition of speech acts According to an American language philosopher JR.
Searle, spenking a language is performing speech acts. acts such as making statements, asking questions, giving command or making promises. (1996, p47) views thal spesch acts are actions that are performed via utterances to serve a fimction in communication, Speech acts are also defined as “the basic or minimal units of linguistic communication”. In English, there ao specific labels of speech aets such as compliment, apology, request, complaint, invitation, advice and so on, Vor example When a spcaker makes an ulleranec: “Fl! take you to the cinema tomorrow”.
The speaker snakes a promise (a speech act that commits the speaker to do something in the future).2, Camponents of speech acts ‘The maller of speech sets was pioneered by American language philosopher 11. In the book “How to do things with words” by Austin (1962), there are three related acts in the action of performing an utterance, including focutionary, Hocutionary and perlocutionary acis. Firstly, locutionary act can be viewed as a mare uttering of some words in certain language, while the #locutionary and perlecutinary acts convey a more complicated message for the hearer. Secondly, fMocutionary act communicates the speaker's intentions behind the locution.
Thirdly, perfocutionary act reveals the effect of the utterance on the listeners. Example: Give me an apple Looutionary act: the utterance is an imperative ~ TMocutionary act: Request from the parl of the s + Perlooutionary act: Hearer passes Speaker an apple Among three acts, the illocutionary act/force appears to be the most crucial and predominant one. The ioculionary acl is performed via the cornmmicative force of an ‘utterance which is known as the #locutionary force of the utterance. The illocutionary force of the utterance is what it “count as” ‘fhe same locutionary act can have different iMocutionary forces.
Example Jt see you later. > { Iwarn vou that] a. In this example, illocutionary forces can count as a prediction, a promise or a warning 2.3, Speech Act Classification On the hasis of Searle’s theory, a general classification system includes five types of functions performed by specch avis: representatives, dircetives, commissives, expressives and declarations. Representatives are those kinds of speech acts that state what the speaker believes to be the casc or not.
In using a rep nitative, the speaker makes words fit the world. They may +e statements of fact, assertions, conelusions and descriptions, ke The earth is flat. (Wile, 1996-53) Hiwas «warm sunay day.