VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUTMES DEPARTMENT OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES SYNONYMS AND THEIR CHALLENGES FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS. AT THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (Từ đóng nghĩa và những thách thức của nó đối với sinh viên năm thứ nhất khoa Anh, Đại học Ngoại ngữ, Đại học Quốc gia, Hà Nội) M. Minor Thesis Held: English Lingulstics Code: 60.15 HANOI, 2009 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUTMES DEPARTMENT OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES SYNONYMS AND THEIR CHALLENGES FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS. AT THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (Từ đóng nghĩa và những thách thức của nó đối với sinh viên năm thứ nhất khoa Anh, Đại học Ngoại ngữ, Đại học Quốc gia, Hà Nội) M.
Minor Thesis Field: English Linguistics Cade: 60. Ha Cẩm Tâm HANOI, 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ABSTRACT ‘TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCHON 1. Rationale of the study 2. Scope af the sturdy.
Aims of the study 4. Organization of the study. DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER |: LITERATURE REVIFW 1. Overview of synonyms.
Synonymy as a sense relation 1.2, Definition of synonyms. Characteristics of synonyms 1. Classification of synonyms. Non-absolute synonyms 1.
Factors distinguishing synonyms. Formality of the context. - To provide some recommendations for preventative and curative measures to help improve first year students’ use of synonyms. 4, Organization of the study: ‘There are three main parts in this thesis.
‘he first part is INTRODUCTION in which the ralionate, scope, aims, and design of the sludy arz presented sa thal readers ean have a general view of the thesis. The second part of the thesis is DEVELOPMENT. This part is sub-divided into three main chapters. The first chapter deals with theorctical background and review of literature, In this chapter, all the basic knowledge of synonyms, namely definition, characteristics, and classification arc reviewed, Chaptor 2 is about the methodology of the study.
Il describes the research questions, informants, data collection instruments, and analytical tiamework. Chapter 3, the backbone of the thesis, deals with data analysis and discussions. This chapter mainly presents the errors in using synonyms by first year students and discusses their causes as well as suggests preventative and curative mcasures, Through this last chapter, foachors and students may find useful methods to apply in their real teaching and learning The CONCLUSION part presents conchiding remarks, implications for teaching and learning synonyms, and suggestions tor fiuther reseaich. RODUCTION 1, Rationale of the study: Synonyms do exist in almost every language, including English Lnglish, as Iloward Jackson slat is a language rich in pairs of synonyms.
These pairs (or groups) af synonyms give us various choices when we want to convey one and the same idea, They make a language flexible and varied. However, to choose the appropriate word among a group of synonyms for a specific situation is not simple. If we can do this, we may fecl absolutely satisfied because we have expressed ourselves not only correctly but also lively and emotionally. We can create a mental picture for the reader by using words that are specific and accurate, Thank 10 this, our utlcranees or sonlonces arc very persuasive and appealing to readers or listeners, On the contrary, if the word we use is not suitable, we may feel embarrassed and even uneasy, This fact proves one thing that paixs or groups of synonyms arc not substitutable in every situation.
Two words may be synonymous and equally appropriate for one context, but nol so in anolher, There are some nnderlying faclors Ghat make them different from one another. Even native speakers, who are aware of these factors, sometimes find it hard to express themselves by not being able to choose the most suitable word, An example in Vietnamese is that when a young gitl wore a new orange T- shirt with the pattem of a butterfly on it, hor mother liked it very much and wanted fo pay a compliment to her. However, she happened to find no words to say what she wanted to. Her mind seemed to be empty, and she fell very confiased, Sho said Lo her daughler thai “Thoa hôm nay có cải áo sặc sỡ thết” Yet sho was completely dissatistied with her word choice because in Vietnamese “sic s8” bas a neutral, or sometimes rather negative sense, whereas her comment on her daughter's ‘T- shirt was entirely positive.
After a while, a friend of the git] came and saw the T- shirl, she exclaimed: “Oi, chi cé oAi áo thật lá rục rối” Then the girl’s mother appearedto be released from her uneasiness and confusion now that she found the key to her problem of vocabulary “Rực rỡ” is exactly the word she wanted to use for her compliment, and that word gives an extremely different impression of how she fell aboul the T- shir RODUCTION 1, Rationale of the study: Synonyms do exist in almost every language, including English Lnglish, as Iloward Jackson slat is a language rich in pairs of synonyms. These pairs (or groups) af synonyms give us various choices when we want to convey one and the same idea, They make a language flexible and varied. However, to choose the appropriate word among a group of synonyms for a specific situation is not simple. If we can do this, we may fecl absolutely satisfied because we have expressed ourselves not only correctly but also lively and emotionally.
We can create a mental picture for the reader by using words that are specific and accurate, Thank 10 this, our utlcranees or sonlonces arc very persuasive and appealing to readers or listeners, On the contrary, if the word we use is not suitable, we may feel embarrassed and even uneasy, This fact proves one thing that paixs or groups of synonyms arc not substitutable in every situation. Two words may be synonymous and equally appropriate for one context, but nol so in anolher, There are some nnderlying faclors Ghat make them different from one another. Even native speakers, who are aware of these factors, sometimes find it hard to express themselves by not being able to choose the most suitable word, An example in Vietnamese is that when a young gitl wore a new orange T- shirt with the pattem of a butterfly on it, hor mother liked it very much and wanted fo pay a compliment to her. However, she happened to find no words to say what she wanted to.
Her mind seemed to be empty, and she fell very confiased, Sho said Lo her daughler thai “Thoa hôm nay có cải áo sặc sỡ thết” Yet sho was completely dissatistied with her word choice because in Vietnamese “sic s8” bas a neutral, or sometimes rather negative sense, whereas her comment on her daughter's ‘T- shirt was entirely positive. After a while, a friend of the git] came and saw the T- shirl, she exclaimed: “Oi, chi cé oAi áo thật lá rục rối” Then the girl’s mother appearedto be released from her uneasiness and confusion now that she found the key to her problem of vocabulary “Rực rỡ” is exactly the word she wanted to use for her compliment, and that word gives an extremely different impression of how she fell aboul the T- shir w 2. Data collection instruments. CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS 3.
Discussion of the results of the test.1, Result of exercise 1.2, Result of exercise 2 3.3, Result of exercise 3. Result of exercise 4 3. Implications of the study results. Suggestions for further research.
RODUCTION 1, Rationale of the study: Synonyms do exist in almost every language, including English Lnglish, as Iloward Jackson slat is a language rich in pairs of synonyms. These pairs (or groups) af synonyms give us various choices when we want to convey one and the same idea, They make a language flexible and varied. However, to choose the appropriate word among a group of synonyms for a specific situation is not simple. If we can do this, we may fecl absolutely satisfied because we have expressed ourselves not only correctly but also lively and emotionally.
We can create a mental picture for the reader by using words that are specific and accurate, Thank 10 this, our utlcranees or sonlonces arc very persuasive and appealing to readers or listeners, On the contrary, if the word we use is not suitable, we may feel embarrassed and even uneasy, This fact proves one thing that paixs or groups of synonyms arc not substitutable in every situation. Two words may be synonymous and equally appropriate for one context, but nol so in anolher, There are some nnderlying faclors Ghat make them different from one another. Even native speakers, who are aware of these factors, sometimes find it hard to express themselves by not being able to choose the most suitable word, An example in Vietnamese is that when a young gitl wore a new orange T- shirt with the pattem of a butterfly on it, hor mother liked it very much and wanted fo pay a compliment to her. However, she happened to find no words to say what she wanted to.
Her mind seemed to be empty, and she fell very confiased, Sho said Lo her daughler thai “Thoa hôm nay có cải áo sặc sỡ thết” Yet sho was completely dissatistied with her word choice because in Vietnamese “sic s8” bas a neutral, or sometimes rather negative sense, whereas her comment on her daughter's ‘T- shirt was entirely positive. After a while, a friend of the git] came and saw the T- shirl, she exclaimed: “Oi, chi cé oAi áo thật lá rục rối” Then the girl’s mother appearedto be released from her uneasiness and confusion now that she found the key to her problem of vocabulary “Rực rỡ” is exactly the word she wanted to use for her compliment, and that word gives an extremely different impression of how she fell aboul the T- shir (b) Jack is a sailor Because the truth of (a) entails the truth of (b) and vice versa, and also the falsity of (a) entails the falsity of (b) and vice versa, seaman. and sailor are synonyms. Linguistic semantics with a famous representative, John Lyon, defines synonyms as “expressions wilh the same meaning”.
Similarly, Michacl MeCarthy (1997) says “synonysny means that two or more words have the same meaning.” He takes series of examples as begin and start, sof and settee, below, beneath and imderfneath), ete. Cruse (1986) in the book Lexical semantics states that synonyms arc pairs or groups of lexical items bearing a special sort ofsemantic resemblance to one another. Howard Jackson (2000-92) also mentions “sameness of meaning” (hal holds balweon te words when discussing synonyms, So each linguist uses a different expression, but they all agree that synonyms are pairs or groups ofwords with the same meaning. Only Lyon difiérs fiom other linguists in using the term “expressions”.
He makes clear this point by explaining that his definition does not restrict the relation of synonymy to lexcmes, so lexically simple expressions may be synonymous to lexically complex expressions. Denying this, Kreidler (2998:98) affirms that synonyms are typieally singlc Jexcmes of the same weight, Thorefore, Mr. Jenkins is ow postman and Mr. Jenkins is the person who delivers our mail may have the same meaning, but postman and the person who delivers our mail are not synonyms.
For the purpose of this siudy, synonyms arc confined to lexemes, but not nsecssarily “single Iexemes of the same weight”, and ccrtainly they must be categorized as the same pat of speech. So, die, pass away and kick the bucket are considered members of a group of synonyms. This will sorve as a working tool in this thesis 1.