VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES ---------- NGUYỄN THỊ DUYÊN A VIETNAMESE-AMERICAN CROSS CULTURAL STUDY ON THE USE OF HEDGING IN ARGUMENT NGHIÊN CỨU GIAO VĂN HÓA VIỆT - MỸ VỀ CÁCH RÀO ĐÓN KHI TRANH LUẬN M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS CODE: 60.15 HANOI-2012 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES ---------- NGUYỄN THỊ DUYÊN A VIETNAMESE-AMERICAN CROSS CULTURAL STUDY ON THE USE OF HEDGING IN ARGUMENT NGHIÊN CỨU GIAO VĂN HÓA VIỆT - MỸ VỀ CÁCH RÀO ĐÓN KHI TRANH LUẬN M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS CODE: 60.15 SUPERVISOR: PHAN THỊ VÂN QUYÊN, M.A HANOI– 2012 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I certify that the work contained in this thesis is the result of my own research. I confirm that this thesis has not been submitted for any other degrees to any other university or institution. Signature: ______________ Name: Nguyễn Thị Duyên Date: Octocber 2,2012 i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to send my great gratitude to my supervisor, Mrs. Phan Thị Vân Quyên for her insightful instructions, detailed comments and correction of my drafts of this thesis.
I am deeply indebted to her enthusiastic assistance as well as her encouragement during my course of writing this thesis. In addition, I wish to express my sincere thanks to my colleagues at ThaiNguyen Univeristy of Information and Communication Technology for their useful suggestions and cooperation to obtain indispensable data for this study report. I would also like to convey my big thanks to those who are candidates of Master course 19 – ThaiNguyen for their invaluable materials and references of this study. Last but not least, my thanks go to my family, my friends who stimulated and supported me to accomplish this research.
ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT This study aims to find out the similarities and the differences in the use of hedges in argument by American and Vietnamese students. Additionally, the goal of the thesis is to help Vietnamese learners of English avoid potential problems when using hedges to argue with English native speakers. Participants of the study were 30 American students and 30 Vietnamese students who are at the age of 20-25. The data was collected via a discourse completion task (DCT) which was accompanied by the sample of questionnaire.
The survey questionnaire was designed in two versions- one in English delivered to American participants, one in Vietnamese version for Vietnamese informants. Finally, contrastive analysis was discussed and some suggestions were made for Vietnamese learners of English in using hedges to argue with English native speakers. iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. vi PART A: INTRODUCTION.
Aims of the Study. Scope of the Study. Design of the Study. Non- verbal communication.
Cross-cultural communication. Potential problems in cross-cultural verbal communication. Cross-cultural study. Hedges and Use of hedges in argument .15 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Review of previous studies. Subjects of the Study. Data collection instruments. Methods of the study.
Realization of hedges used in argument. The frequency of using hedges in argument. Use of hedges as seen from informants’ parameters. Use of hedges as seen from communicating partners’ parameters.
Suggestions for further Studies. I v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABBREVIATION DCT Discourse completion task FTAs Face threatening acts H Hearer S Speaker vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES AND CHARTS TABLES Table 1: Holliday‟s view of culture .7 Table 2: DCT‟s features .21 Table 3: Frequency of using hedges in argument .25 Table 4: Frequency of hedging types used by American and Vietnamese informants .28 FIGURES Figure 1: Elements of Commnunication (Hybels & Weaver II, 1992:7-10) .4 Figure 2: Possible strategies for doing FTAs (Brown & Levison, 1987) .12 Figure 3: Use of hedge in argument from gender perspective .27 Figure 4: Use of hedges to different kinds of partners .30 Figure 5: Use of hedges from communicating partner as parents .31 Figure 6: Use of hedges from communicating partner as close friend .32 Figure 7: Use of hedges from communicating partner as classmate .34 CHART Chart 1: Distribution of hedging categories in argument.26 vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale In many species, human beings have the highest development with the use of language. It is the language that made human different from the other species and put an important mark in the human‟s evolution.
The appearance of language helps man communicate to each other easily. The more developing the society is, the more complicated the language is. In the trend of globalization, all countries together would like to be loyal friends and potential partners not only in economy but also such other field as cultures and politics. It is the opening-policy applied by many governments that stimulates the exchanging and studies different cultures which has been increased promptly.
Hence, cross-cultural communication attracts more and more attentions and the studies of the linguists. As the world has been so far changing, it is extremely essential to do researches on how people from different cultures communicate to each other. Therefore, there have been plenty of studies on cultural diversities as well as the differences between cultures. Language is indispensable factor affecting the intercultural communication.
Language is used to communicate but how to get a successful conversation concerns with different elements, for instance, the topic of the conversation, the mutually interesting connections among the speakers and the hearers, the understanding of each other. Obviously, argument is unavoidable in communication. The participants of the conversation, especially those in familiar relationship are at a high rate of having conflict in every communicating. Actually, the struggle may be developed to be a debate or a strong disagreement through the conversation.
However, as considered to be the most intelligent living creatures, human know how to put an end to a debate. That is when hedge is employed as a useful means of communicating. 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Actually, variety of researches on hedging has been carried out before. Hedging, however, is still a broad issue that needs further exploration.
Therefore, hedging in argument is chosen for the research. In this minor study – A Vietnamese- American Cross-Cutural Study on the Use of Heding in Argument - the basic emphasis is on comparing Vietnamese and American cultures on using hedges to argue, with the hope to pay contribution on the string of hedging studies. Aims of the Study The aim of the study is to find out the similarities and differences of using hedges in English and Vietnamese. At that time, the study examines whether cultures affect the way of using hedges in argument by the American and Vietnamese.
In addition, the paper wishes to help Vietnamese students avoid potential conflicts in cross-cultural communication when argue with English native speakers. Scope of the study The study is only confined the area of verbal communication, potential problems in communication by both American and Vietnamese. The data analysis of how participants of the study use hedges in argument is mainly done using the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The study mainly concentrates on the relations of student-student communication including Vietnamese and American students.
The situations of the questionnaire are issues between the students and their parents and friends. Design of the Study This paper contains 3 parts PART A: INTRODUCTION PART B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Theoretical background Chapter 2: Methodology Chapter 3: Findings and Discussion PART C: CONCLUSION 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND This chapter provides an overview of basic theories of the study. At the very two first of this chapter, the key notions of communication and culture are discussed in section 1.3 reviews the theories of cross-cultural communication. This is followed by section 1.4, in which potential problems in cross-cultural verbal communication are mentioned.5 focuses on the content of cross-cultural study.
Politeness, argument and hedges are in turn appeared in section 1.9 reviews previous studies about hedges and different strategies of using hedges in communication 1. Communication Obviously, human always interact to each other by various means. Without communication, it is extremely difficult for man to share ideas, information, and other complicates feelings. Human can communicate to each other in a various channels such as language, signs, writing, or behavior.
Yet, language is not the unique tools for man to express their thoughts and opinions. Consequently, the question raised is that “What is communication?” Hybels & Weaver II claimed that communication is “the process of sharing information, ideas and feelings” (1992:5). This process concerns with a sender and a recipient who are sharing and exchanging of messages. The recipient, of course, need not to be present of the sender‟s intention at the time of communication.
However, communication requires both participants to share the commonality. In another word, one of the most important factors leading the success of communicating is the mutual understanding of the sender and addressee who share the shame custom and culture. In a communication process, it takes into accounts the elements of communication. It is assumed that the communication consist of such elements as sender – receiver, message, channels, feedback, noise and setting of the 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
From the figure 1, it certainly shows that sender- receivers are those who get involved in communication. The ideas and feelings shared by a sender- receiver is called message, and feedback is the response of the receiver- senders to each other. Channels are the means which used to share massage including sound, sight, verbal and non-verbal signals. The figure also points that the interference that keeps a massage from being understood or accurately interpreted – the noise.
Setting is defined as where the communication occurs. Setting Channel Message- feedback Sender- Sender- Noise Receive Receive r r Channel Setting Figure 1: Elements of Commnunication (Hybels & Weaver II, 1992:7-10) From the figure, it can be shown that there exist different channels of commnunication which is consisted of verbal and non- verbal communication. Verbal communication Verbal communication is one way for people to interact to each other by different means such as sounds, words and language. Verbal communication, itself, refers to the transform the message and feedback of both senders and recipients.
Language, as a result, is a useful means for participants in communication to express their thoughts, ideas, and especially feelings. Words, or sentences themselves cannot be messages in communication without the participants‟ emotion and attitudes. It is likely that the purpose of using verbal communication is to 4 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com inform, inquire, argue, and discuss topics of all kinds, and so on. However, there has been variety of challenges in verbal communication.
Misunderstandings and language barriers appear to be attracted the most solutions even the senders and receivers face–to- face communicate and share the common language and culture. Anglicist, especially Americans, can have problems when talking to each other because of differences. For instance, New Yorkers tend to faster and respond more quickly (“high involvement”) than Californians (“high considerateness”). To some New Yorkers, Californians seem slower, less intelligent and not as responsive.
To some Californians, New Yorkers seem pushy and domineering (Nguyen Quang, 1998:40).Levels in verbal communication are mainly divided into interpersonal communication and public speaking. Additionally, verbal communication belongs to the intralanguage which takes grammar, lexis, phonetics, rules of language use and etc into account.