VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOL UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST — GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYEN THE HOANG MY AN INITIAL INVESTIGATION OF U.S AND VIETNAMESE CULTURES IN CONTRAST THROUGH EVERYDAY CONVERSATIONS (BƯỚC BẦU NGHIÊN CỨU ĐÓI CHIẾU VĂN HÓA MỸ - VIỆT THONG QUA CÁC CUỘC BỞI THOẠI HÀNG NGÀY) MLA. MINOR THESIS: Field: English Linguistics Code: 60 22 15 Hanoi, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ABSTRACT TABLE OF CONTENTS: LIST OF TABLE AND FIGURES PART I: INTRODUCTION ¬ Ralionale of the study Research questions Whe we Aims and Objectives of the study Scope of the study Methodology of the study Awe Design of the study AWW PART I: DEVELOPMENT CIIAPTER [: TIEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1A bricf overview on Contrastive Analysis A 0 08 ANAARAY 1.2 Macro-linguistic Contrastive Analysis 1.2A brief overview on Conversation Analysis 1 1 Conversation, 1.3 Language and Culture 1.1 What is Language? 1.2 What is culture? me ee 1.3 The relationship between language and culture Bus 1.4An overview on l'riendship 1.2 Types of friendships 12 1.3 Friendship in the U.4 Friendship in Viemam culture 15 CHAPTER I: METHODOLOGY 16 2.1 Dala collection instruments 16 2.1 Survey questionnaire > dio taping 2.3 The procedure of data collection and analysis 2.2 Audio tapes CHAPTER I: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Data analysis of the survey questionnaire 3.4 Question 4 3,2 Data analysis of the audio tapes 3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS The present study focused on the contrast of American and Vietnamese cultures through everyday conversations, particularly the topic of friendship, within the framework of contrastive analysis, conversation analysis as well as the looks at the relationship between culture and language. Therefore, the study was aimed at pointing oul.
the answers for the two queslions: (1) What are the similarities between American culture and Vietnamese culture reflected through the topic “Friendship” in daily conversations? (2) What are the differences between American culture and Victnamese culture reflected through the topic “Friendship” in daily conversations? 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY This study was aimed at promoting communicative competence through everyday conversations between the U.S and Vietnamese cultures, which was done based on the theoretical background of contrastive analysis, conversation analysis and the points of view of language-culture tie. Thereupon, the main objective of this study was to analyze and reflect the similarities as well as differences between the two targeted cultures 4, SCOPE OF THE STUDY Since theoretical background is vital to the processes of data analysis, the writer expected to deal with a varicty of scts of theories conccming contrastive analysis, conversation analysis and viewpoints on culture-language relationship, etc. Due to the constraint of time and personal ability, the writer had no ambition for covering a wide range of everyday conversations; instead, some featured situations telaled to Friendship were chosen Lo lake inte consideration.
This study was intended. vii LIST OF TABLE AND FIGURES TABLES Table 1: Answers for question] of Vietnamese students and American students Table 2: Answers for question 2 of Vietnamese students and American students Table 3: Answers for question 3 of Vietnamese students and American students ‘Table 4: Answers for question 4 of Vietnamese students and American students Table 5: Analysis of conversations for situation 1 Table 6: Analysis of conversations for situation 2 Table 7: Analysis of conversations for situation 3 ‘Table 8: Analysis of conversations for situation 4 Table 9: Summary of Vietnamese-American contrasts FIGURES Vigure 1: Iceberg model of Culture Figure 2; Answers for question 1 of Vietnamese students and American students Figure 3: Answers for question 2 of Vielnamese studerls and Amenean students Figure 4: Answers for question 3 of Vielramese students and American students Vigure 5: Answers for question 4 of Vietnamese students and American students PART IT: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 A brief overview ou Contrastive Analysis 1.1 Definition In an attempt to minimize the problems that foreign language leamers encounter on their acquisition process, linguists proposed the conceptual theory of conmastive analysis. The term ‘Contrastive Linguistics’ was fast suggested by Whorf (1941), meaning of ‘a comparative study which emphasizes on linguistic differences’. However, not until the publication of ‘Linguistics Across Cultures’ by Lado, R.
(1957) was the in-depth excavation into this field commenced. Later on, the original term changed to ‘Conirastive Analysis’ (CA) as we know it today ‘As Visiak (1981:1)’s redefinition, CA is ‘a sub discipline of linguistics concerned with the comparison of two or more languages or subsystems of languages in arder to determine hoth the differences and similarities between them.’ In olher wards, CA tà the systematic study of a pair or more of languages with a view to identifying their structural differences and stunlariies. The goal of CA is to find out the differences between the first language and the target language: simullancously, via contastive arulysis, problems can be predicted and considered, Robert Lado (1957) noted: “Undividuals tend to transfer the forms and meanings and the distribution of forms and meanings of their native language and culture to the foreign language and 3.3 Discussions 3 CHAPTER 1H: CONCLUSION 33 1. Limitations of the study 35 4.
Suggestions for further stucky 36 REFERENCES APPENDICES to discover how university students of American and Vietnamese cultures reacted to the same circumstances ‘The database of this study consisted of elicited written questionnaires and audio-tapes of natural conversations. METHODOLOGY OF ‘THE STUDY The study has been carried out based ơn a combination of different methods of quantitative and qualitative approach which arc as follows, - Document; = Syrthesize, - Analyze and contrast, Questionnaires and audio tapes of native American and of Vietnamese university students were adopted to collect the data for analysis and discussion. DESIGN OF THE STUDY The study is comprised of three parts: Part l, “Yntroduction”, includes the rationale, objectives of the study, research questions, research methods, the scope and the design of the study. Part LL, “Development”, consists three chapters - Chapter 1 — Theoretical background - presents the prehminary knowledge of some basic theories and a review of related literature to the study, - Chapter 2 - Methodology - describes the research method, data collection iustruments, anc] detailed information about the research procedures.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS The present study focused on the contrast of American and Vietnamese cultures through everyday conversations, particularly the topic of friendship, within the framework of contrastive analysis, conversation analysis as well as the looks at the relationship between culture and language. Therefore, the study was aimed at pointing oul. the answers for the two queslions: (1) What are the similarities between American culture and Vietnamese culture reflected through the topic “Friendship” in daily conversations? (2) What are the differences between American culture and Victnamese culture reflected through the topic “Friendship” in daily conversations? 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY This study was aimed at promoting communicative competence through everyday conversations between the U.S and Vietnamese cultures, which was done based on the theoretical background of contrastive analysis, conversation analysis and the points of view of language-culture tie.
Thereupon, the main objective of this study was to analyze and reflect the similarities as well as differences between the two targeted cultures 4, SCOPE OF THE STUDY Since theoretical background is vital to the processes of data analysis, the writer expected to deal with a varicty of scts of theories conccming contrastive analysis, conversation analysis and viewpoints on culture-language relationship, etc. Due to the constraint of time and personal ability, the writer had no ambition for covering a wide range of everyday conversations; instead, some featured situations telaled to Friendship were chosen Lo lake inte consideration. This study was intended. RATIONALE OF THE STIDY Iluman beings have been endued with a powerful engine to assist them in the process of expressing their thoughts, feelings and transmitling emotions as well as information to others: language.
However, there is a question remaining “Why are misinterpretation, communication breakdown and cultural conflicts still inevitable?” Hymes, D. (1966) coined those im one term: “communicative competence” which literally denotes the capability of using one language appropriately under any circumstances. The (acl is that. language and culture are so closely interlaced, which means the impossibility of separating thom, The focus of the study is on conversations upan everyday topics, which will, to some extent, raise an awareness of cultural similarities as well as differences among speakers, aiming for a successful and fruitful interplay, or at least a reduction in the effeat.
socio-cullural factors. The study on everyday conversations, specifically the topic of friendship, made by American and Vicluamese students, has been selected lo invesligale as il was one of the great interests to the researcher and of great help to language insiders and outsiders. Tt is undeniable thal how American native speakers reacl on friendship-related situations in everyday life is far different from how Vietnamese people, second- language speakers, do. Thereupon, a contvastive analysis of the ways American and Vivtnamese deal with disparate cases is regarded practival, necessary and worthy for a mutual understanding, to discover how university students of American and Vietnamese cultures reacted to the same circumstances ‘The database of this study consisted of elicited written questionnaires and audio-tapes of natural conversations.
METHODOLOGY OF ‘THE STUDY The study has been carried out based ơn a combination of different methods of quantitative and qualitative approach which arc as follows, - Document; = Syrthesize, - Analyze and contrast, Questionnaires and audio tapes of native American and of Vietnamese university students were adopted to collect the data for analysis and discussion. DESIGN OF THE STUDY The study is comprised of three parts: Part l, “Yntroduction”, includes the rationale, objectives of the study, research questions, research methods, the scope and the design of the study. Part LL, “Development”, consists three chapters - Chapter 1 — Theoretical background - presents the prehminary knowledge of some basic theories and a review of related literature to the study, - Chapter 2 - Methodology - describes the research method, data collection iustruments, anc] detailed information about the research procedures. RESEARCH QUESTIONS The present study focused on the contrast of American and Vietnamese cultures through everyday conversations, particularly the topic of friendship, within the framework of contrastive analysis, conversation analysis as well as the looks at the relationship between culture and language.
Therefore, the study was aimed at pointing oul. the answers for the two queslions: (1) What are the similarities between American culture and Vietnamese culture reflected through the topic “Friendship” in daily conversations? (2) What are the differences between American culture and Victnamese culture reflected through the topic “Friendship” in daily conversations? 3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY This study was aimed at promoting communicative competence through everyday conversations between the U.S and Vietnamese cultures, which was done based on the theoretical background of contrastive analysis, conversation analysis and the points of view of language-culture tie. Thereupon, the main objective of this study was to analyze and reflect the similarities as well as differences between the two targeted cultures 4, SCOPE OF THE STUDY Since theoretical background is vital to the processes of data analysis, the writer expected to deal with a varicty of scts of theories conccming contrastive analysis, conversation analysis and viewpoints on culture-language relationship, etc.
Due to the constraint of time and personal ability, the writer had no ambition for covering a wide range of everyday conversations; instead, some featured situations telaled to Friendship were chosen Lo lake inte consideration. This study was intended.
