VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES ANI INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRATHUATE STUDIES, NGUYEN THI QUE HUONG LINGUISTIC MEANS TO EXPRESS MODALITY IN OFFERS IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE - A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS (Phan tích đối chiếu các phương Liện ngôn ngữ thễ hiện tình thái trong câu để nghị tiếng Anh và tiếng ViệD M. Minor Thesis Field: English Linguistics Code: 60 22 15 MANOT - 2011 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES ANTE INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYEN THI QUE HUONG LINGUISTIC MEANS TO EXPRESS MODALITY IN OFFERS IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE - A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS (Phân tích dối chiếu các phương Liện nuân ngữ thể hiện tình thai trong câu đề nghị tiếng Anh va tiéng Viet) M. Minor Thesis Field: English Linguistics Code: 60 22 15 Supervisor: Assoc. Nguyén Xuan Thơm HANOI - 2011 ABSTRACT Natural languages offer speakers many and various linguistic devices to facilitate their communication.
That is, these devices are supposed to support the speakers in terms of sharing information together with expressing their emotions and attitudes. It can be said thal modality is an important part in conmmunicaling activities. This study investigates haw speakers of English and Vietmamese express the modal meaning in different offering, strategies in terms of linguistic means. It attempts to seek what is the similarities and differences of the modal tools in English and Vietnames offers.
Finally, the siudy suggests how teachers of English ean help leamers with the we of modal markers in the speech act of offering to produce the natural and appropriate utterances ‘The stuily slarls with pravidity same theoretical preliminaries, in which the notion of modality and offer with its detimtion, classification and characteristics is presented, The main part focuses on analysis and comparison of modal linguistic means used in Linglish and Vietnamese offers. Data used in this study are collected from various sources of textbooks, cspecially English practical textbooks, articles, and stories in English and Vietnamese. To obtain the main objective of the study which is to show the similarities and differences of the modal tools in the two languages, we take examples in both Dnglish and Vietnamese into consideration. Finally, some major findings are pointed out.
‘I'he results show that in offers, both two languages have three kinds of modal markers, which are lexical markers, grammatical markers, and prosodic markers. However, the usage of the these markers is not the same in English and Vietnamese. - ixploring the modality markers in making offers in English and Vietnamese - Comparing and contrasting the range of modatity markers in order to clarify the similanties and differences in the way Vietnamese and English people use lingniste means to express modality in offering in their own language and culture + Conlribuling 10 promoting awareness among foreign language leachers and learners of the mentioned issue 3. Research (Questions In gencral, with the aims above, the following rescarch questions will be address - What are linguistic means to express modality in offers in English and Vietnamese? - What are the similarities and differences between linguistic means to express modality in offers in Rnglish and Vicinamosc? 4.
Scape of the stu ‘The study gives a description and analysis of linguistic means to express modality in offers in terms of (1) lexical markers, (2) grammatical markers, and (3) prosodic markers, It centers on the similarities and differences in using modality markers in the speech act of offering between English and Vietnamese. The materials on offers int English are taken fron some Fnglistr practical lexthooks such as Functions of English, Headway Intermediate, Life Lings, Streamlines, Business Objectives. and examples of offers in Vietnamese are taken from some short stories by Thạch Tam, Nam Cao, Thé Lit, Nguyễn Huy Thiệp 5. Methui the study ‘A combination of different methods of analysis will be used in this study.
The first is the descriptive method. Linglish and Vietnamese modal markers used in offering will be described irrtums in cach kind of offering stralegy in ordor to find aut. their øtnrss However, the major method utilized in this study 1s the coniraste analysis between the use of linguistic means to express modality in offéring in English and the use of them in Victnamesc. Significance of the study Theoretical significance: T tuily gives a selecied defiriitions and explanations by linguists related to the notions of modblity and specch acl of offering.
Thronygh the study, readers can also see the comparison of this topic between English and Vietnamese. Rationale ‘A language is used as a means of social interaction and it expresses various social roles and performs various communicative functions like questioning, requesting, offering or commanding somebody or Lelling somebody something. Such (ypes of interpersomal functions of language are reflected in various sentence types like declarative, interrogative and imperative and also through the system of modals. ‘rhe three choices in the mood system perform various comumumivative fimelions like declaring, asking a question, making a request or giving a command, With these sentence types, modal verbs like ‘can’, ‘may’, ‘will, ‘must’ help in expressing various social fmotiơns such as making a request, seeking ponmission, expressing tights, obligation and possibility.
Senlenee lypes, mood choices and modal verbs are examples of modal markers. Thus, it can be said that modality is directly related to the social fimetions of language. ‘The notion of modality as well as linguistic means to express modality has been studied by a lot of scholars so far; however, research on the way of using modal tools in a specific kind of specch act has been limited, Offering is one common type of speech act, which shows consideration towards zach olher and thersfore iL can reinforce social telationstip. In different countries, or cultures, people make offers in different ways.
Modality is closely related to the emotion and attitude of the speaker; therefore, in olfering, modal tools are usually used. When thinking of modality, what. appears first in our mind may be the modal verbs, which is a familiar concept. Besides modal verbs, there are many other lexical markers such as modal adverbs, modal adjectives., grammatical markers such as mood and vocative, and prosodic markers.
Llowever, the use of linguistic means to express modality in offering is nol the samme in all languages. English and Vietnamese have their awn specific features, which leads to a lot of difterences in using language. For the above reasons, the author would like to choose the topic “Lingulstic means to express modality in offers in English and Vietnamese - a contrastive analysis” with the attempt to find out the similarities and differences of the modal tools in English and Vietnamese offers, 11’s also hopelil that this minor thesis wilt be of some hetp to those who are inlerested in this aspect. Aims of the study.
"The study aims at - ixploring the modality markers in making offers in English and Vietnamese - Comparing and contrasting the range of modatity markers in order to clarify the similanties and differences in the way Vietnamese and English people use lingniste means to express modality in offering in their own language and culture + Conlribuling 10 promoting awareness among foreign language leachers and learners of the mentioned issue 3. Research (Questions In gencral, with the aims above, the following rescarch questions will be address - What are linguistic means to express modality in offers in English and Vietnamese? - What are the similarities and differences between linguistic means to express modality in offers in Rnglish and Vicinamosc? 4. Scape of the stu ‘The study gives a description and analysis of linguistic means to express modality in offers in terms of (1) lexical markers, (2) grammatical markers, and (3) prosodic markers, It centers on the similarities and differences in using modality markers in the speech act of offering between English and Vietnamese. The materials on offers int English are taken fron some Fnglistr practical lexthooks such as Functions of English, Headway Intermediate, Life Lings, Streamlines, Business Objectives.
and examples of offers in Vietnamese are taken from some short stories by Thạch Tam, Nam Cao, Thé Lit, Nguyễn Huy Thiệp 5. Methui the study ‘A combination of different methods of analysis will be used in this study. The first is the descriptive method. Linglish and Vietnamese modal markers used in offering will be described irrtums in cach kind of offering stralegy in ordor to find aut.
their øtnrss However, the major method utilized in this study 1s the coniraste analysis between the use of linguistic means to express modality in offéring in English and the use of them in Victnamesc. Significance of the study Theoretical significance: T tuily gives a selecied defiriitions and explanations by linguists related to the notions of modblity and specch acl of offering. Thronygh the study, readers can also see the comparison of this topic between English and Vietnamese. -iv- TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
TABLE OF CONTENTS: PART A: INTRODUCTI Rationale. Aims of Ihe siudy = Research Questiois. woe ow Scope of the study Method of the study Significance of the study. Organization of the study.
PART B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Theoretical background. Definition of modality 1. Classifäcation of modality. Linguistic means to express modality 1.
Offering as a speech act 1. Speech acts and classification of spesch a0ÄS.2 Offering and forms of offérs. Offering as a speech act. Forms of offering 1.
Politeness in offering. Chapter 2: 4 contrastive analysis af linguistic means to express modality in offering between English and Vietnamese. Modal markers in direct offers. Modal particles in direct offers in Vietnamese.
Rationale ‘A language is used as a means of social interaction and it expresses various social roles and performs various communicative functions like questioning, requesting, offering or commanding somebody or Lelling somebody something. Such (ypes of interpersomal functions of language are reflected in various sentence types like declarative, interrogative and imperative and also through the system of modals. ‘rhe three choices in the mood system perform various comumumivative fimelions like declaring, asking a question, making a request or giving a command, With these sentence types, modal verbs like ‘can’, ‘may’, ‘will, ‘must’ help in expressing various social fmotiơns such as making a request, seeking ponmission, expressing tights, obligation and possibility. Senlenee lypes, mood choices and modal verbs are examples of modal markers.
Thus, it can be said that modality is directly related to the social fimetions of language. ‘The notion of modality as well as linguistic means to express modality has been studied by a lot of scholars so far; however, research on the way of using modal tools in a specific kind of specch act has been limited, Offering is one common type of speech act, which shows consideration towards zach olher and thersfore iL can reinforce social telationstip. In different countries, or cultures, people make offers in different ways. Modality is closely related to the emotion and attitude of the speaker; therefore, in olfering, modal tools are usually used.
When thinking of modality, what. appears first in our mind may be the modal verbs, which is a familiar concept. Besides modal verbs, there are many other lexical markers such as modal adverbs, modal adjectives., grammatical markers such as mood and vocative, and prosodic markers. Llowever, the use of linguistic means to express modality in offering is nol the samme in all languages.
English and Vietnamese have their awn specific features, which leads to a lot of difterences in using language. For the above reasons, the author would like to choose the topic “Lingulstic means to express modality in offers in English and Vietnamese - a contrastive analysis” with the attempt to find out the similarities and differences of the modal tools in English and Vietnamese offers, 11’s also hopelil that this minor thesis wilt be of some hetp to those who are inlerested in this aspect. Aims of the study.