VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES VY K* K3 4 ĐC ĐC PHAN THỊ QUYÊN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE JOKES: FROM A PRAGMATIC PERSPECTIVE (Phân tích truyện cười Anh- Việt trên bình diện ngữ dung hoc) M. Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Linguistics Code: 60 22 15 Course: 17 HA NOLI- 2010 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES VY K* K3 4 ĐC ĐC PHAN THỊ QUYÊN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE JOKES: FROM A PRAGMATIC PERSPECTIVE (Phân tích truyện cười Anh- Việt trên bình diện ngữ dung hoc) M. Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Linguistics Code: 60 22 15 Course: 17 Supervisor: CHU PHUONG VAN M. HA NOLI- 2010 ABBREVIATIONS cP : The Cooperative Principle QUAL.
; Qualitative data analysis : Relevance MAN. Manner EFL : Englishas a Foreign Language E. joke : English joke V. joke VioInamesc joke -10- PART A: INTRODUCTION 1.
Rationale of the study One of the best ways to understand peaple is to know what makes them laugh (11. Golden) It is worth saying that we can laugh when reading or hearing jokes if we can understand what make us laugh. Ience, we should know the communication between the participants in jokes, the context jokes take place, and the language uscd. Pragmatics, therefore, will let us know what make us laugh and then we may say jokes are interesting for our life ‘And we now also understand that we should pay more attention to the study of jokes pragmatically as semantic analysis, sociological analysis, ete.
on jokes have been studied quile extensively aver the years, Pragmatic aveilysis is, thus, a relalively new approach of language. And quite different tiom other linguistic studies, pragmatics puts more attention on language users and the context in which the languags is used. And in faet, in analyzing jokes pragmatically, we migh| find a harmany between langmage for humer, language users and contexts. It is so much hoped that the study may bring a good understanding of pragmatics and concepts of pragmatics via English and Vietnamese jokes.
When analyzing jokes, the author is trying to reveal how the matters are interpreted in the jokes. Another reason is thal, as a teacher of English, (he author wants to help Ha Tinh university lewners of English not only read a regular text but understand its functions in context. The study is also hoped to offer a suggestion about the pragmatic reading of any jokes, which, in tum, help shaping a scicntific view towards pragmatics, Lastly, the author wants to share a significant reference of jokes for others who are willing to make another further pragmatic research. Aims of the study The aims of this study are «To provide whether the theory of specch acts and thcory of conversational maxims has explanatory power on humor 1n English and Vietnamese jokes, -13- © Different breakings of maxims result in drifzrent ways of producmg humor in English and Vietnamese jokes 5, Format of the study ‘The study bepins with declaration, acknowledgement, table of contents, and abbreviation, ‘The main body of the study consists of three parts, ‘hey are introduction, development and conclusion Part one provides a brief account of relevant information about the rationale, aims, scope, methodology and format of the study.
Parl bwo includes three chapters © Chapter 1: This chapler is about theoretical notions necessary for the siudy including the theory of pragmatics, concepts of pragmatics, and theory of jokes. = Chapter 2: This chaplor offers an analysis of English and Vietnamese jokes onz by one, Firstly, the speech acts and conversational maxims are applied to interpret the set- up and the punch lines of the jokes. Secondly, the similarities and differences between Pnglish and Vietnamese jokes will be worked oul in lerms of speech acls and conversational maxims. * Chapter 3: This chapter is about some implication of the study for EFL teaching, and learning.
Part three includes concluding remarks, limitation of the study, and recommendations for further rescarch, ‘Apart from the three main parts, the references and the appendix of the study are cluded. ‘TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. TABLE OF CONTENTẽ. LIST OF CHARTS.
PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study 2 Aims of the study. Scope of the study 4,. Methodology of the study 3. Format of the study.
PART B: DEVELOPMENT -14- CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1 1. Theory of jokes. Definition of jokes 1. Theoties of pragmatics related to jokes.1, Definitions of pragmatics.
Speech act theory’. Perlocutional act “ye 1. Conversational implicature and context -19- 1. "The cooperative principle -30- 1.
The maxim of quantity. The maxim of quality. The maxim ofrclevanec, ae 1. The maxim 0Ÿ rrwtmer ae 1.
Principles of conducting maxims ae 1. Violating, -23- CHAPTER 2: ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS .1, Difficulties of joke analysis. các 24 ‘TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. TABLE OF CONTENTẽ.
LIST OF CHARTS. PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study 2 Aims of the study. Scope of the study 4,. Methodology of the study 3.
Format of the study. PART B: DEVELOPMENT -14- CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1 1. Theory of jokes. Definition of jokes 1.
Theoties of pragmatics related to jokes.1, Definitions of pragmatics. Speech act theory’. Perlocutional act “ye 1. Conversational implicature and context -19- 1.
"The cooperative principle -30- 1. The maxim of quantity. The maxim of quality. The maxim ofrclevanec, ae 1.
The maxim 0Ÿ rrwtmer ae 1. Principles of conducting maxims ae 1. Violating, -23- CHAPTER 2: ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS .1, Difficulties of joke analysis. Speech act analysis ofthe st- upinin Enlish and Vietnamese+2 jokes.
Maxim analysis of the punch line in English and Victnamese jokes. Maximn of quantily -28- 3. Maxim of quality -29- 3.4, Maxim of manner ese -39- 2.4, The analysis results. The speech act analysis result of the set-up.
The maxim analysis result of the punch line wn Be 2. Pragmatic analysis of English and Victnamwse jokes -35- 3. Difersnees -37- CHAPTER 3: PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY -38- 3. Introducing pragmatic knowledge -39- 3.
Uferanca teaching via English jokes. Utterance meaning teaching via English jokes. se seoeeeeee= ÂU — 3.4, Culture and pragmatic teaching via English jokes. Conversational maxim caching via English jokes.
Spsach neL tonching via English jokes -41- 3. Suggestions for classroam activities. Speech act exercise no -4- 3.2, Conversational maxim exereise -43- 3. Sample speech act quiz -43- 3.
Some constructive suggestions for pragmatic teaching ofjoles. cài 4= PART C: CONCLUSION we đổ 1. Coneluđing rornatks -45- 2. Limitation of the study -46- 3.
Suggestions for further study -46- REFERENCES. LIST OF CHARTS Table Chart 1: Mlocutionary acts of participants in English and Vietnamese jokes Chart 2: Non- observance of maxims of participants in English and Victnamesc jokes * Noticing: This step means gathering English and Vietnamese jokes and the theoretical preliminaries related to the topic. ‘This is done by producing a record of interesting things and coding them. Then, a descriptive scheme is develaped for the siudy s Collecting: ‘Che second step means sorting the date into cisorete parts under the analysis, The slatisties are done 10 adopt percentages and scales based on the analysis results for each part to determme significance of data.
«Thinking: In this step, Frglish and Vietnamese jokes are firsily cxarnined closely with the theorclical background. Sccondly, the constant comparisons arc imended to identify smnilarities and differences between English and Vietnamese jokes. Moreover, questions are always asked about the phenomena as reflected in the data ko goneralise findings (or the study and provide pedagogical implications The joke collection: * Five sample English jokes are selected ftom an English linguistic book and two teliable websites: http://rd. Reader's Digest, http://www.
* Five sample Vietnamese jokes are selected Viemamese funy story books and two reliable websites: http://www tuoitrecuoi,com, http://cuoinet/truyen-cuoi/pstory. The research questions: © Tlow are Rnglish and Viebwm ¢ jokes analyzed pragrnatically? « What are the similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese jokes as seen fiom a pragmatic perspective? » | Whal fips are utilized Lo improve the awareness of pragmatics of learners via the study? The hypotheses of the study are formulated = All the lypes of speech acts proposed by Austin (1955) and Searle (1969) are found in English and Vietnamese jokes. * Conversational maxims are broken to arouse humor. -13- © Different breakings of maxims result in drifzrent ways of producmg humor in English and Vietnamese jokes 5, Format of the study ‘The study bepins with declaration, acknowledgement, table of contents, and abbreviation, ‘The main body of the study consists of three parts, ‘hey are introduction, development and conclusion Part one provides a brief account of relevant information about the rationale, aims, scope, methodology and format of the study.
Parl bwo includes three chapters © Chapter 1: This chapler is about theoretical notions necessary for the siudy including the theory of pragmatics, concepts of pragmatics, and theory of jokes. = Chapter 2: This chaplor offers an analysis of English and Vietnamese jokes onz by one, Firstly, the speech acts and conversational maxims are applied to interpret the set- up and the punch lines of the jokes. Secondly, the similarities and differences between Pnglish and Vietnamese jokes will be worked oul in lerms of speech acls and conversational maxims. * Chapter 3: This chapter is about some implication of the study for EFL teaching, and learning.
Part three includes concluding remarks, limitation of the study, and recommendations for further rescarch, ‘Apart from the three main parts, the references and the appendix of the study are cluded. ‘TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. TABLE OF CONTENTẽ. LIST OF CHARTS.
PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study 2 Aims of the study. Scope of the study 4,. Methodology of the study 3. Format of the study.
PART B: DEVELOPMENT -14- CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1 1. Theory of jokes. Definition of jokes 1. Theoties of pragmatics related to jokes.1, Definitions of pragmatics.
Speech act theory’. Perlocutional act “ye 1. Conversational implicature and context -19- 1. "The cooperative principle -30- 1.
The maxim of quantity. The maxim of quality. The maxim ofrclevanec, ae 1. The maxim 0Ÿ rrwtmer ae 1.
Principles of conducting maxims ae 1. Violating, -23- CHAPTER 2: ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS .1, Difficulties of joke analysis. các 24 -11- * To figure out œ brief aocount of possible sinmlarittes and diff&reness bewesn English and Vietnamese jokes in terms of the speech acts and conversational Thaxims. * To provide some proposals for fiwther study and pedagogical implications for raising Ha ‘Tinh university students’ pragmatic awareness.
Scope of the study Many fields of pragmatics related to jokes need to be explored and a variety of jokes can be ed However, duc to the limited time, the study is confined 1o the following. aspects: © Only five English jokes and five Vietnamese jokes are selected to test the theoretical prstiminarics, and the jokes chosen must have the sot- up and the punch line (two way- communication). = Speed of Austin including locutionary, illocutionary and perlocutionary acl are oxplored lo interpret the sol- up of English and Victnamosc jokes © Types of Searle’s illocutionary act including directives, conmnissives, expressives, representatives and declaralives are used lo identify speech acts, * Non- observance of conversational maxims looked at only due to flouting and violating. = The inferences made in coniexl to inlorprel the way of conducting conversational maxims of joke participants.
© This isa linguistic stndy for acadsmic purpose only 4, Methodology of the study ‘The methodology employed is a qualitative research, ‘'his is a study of grounded theory. It has been acknowledged thal with this wnothod, the rescarcher as an instrument for gathering data during the study. The data is analyzed inductively, selected in the form of words, and done before finding out the research questions. The process for the qualitative data analysis (QDA), Corbin and Strauss (1990: 62) will be: -10- PART A: INTRODUCTION 1.