i MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING DONG THAP UNIVERSITY LE THU HA DIRECTNESS IN CONVERSATIONS IN AMERICAN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE – A COMPARATIVE STUDY Branch: English Pedagogy Degree: Higher education BA THESIS Supervisor: Phan Ngoc Thach M.A DONG THAP, 2012 i DECLARATION I confirm that the thesis entitled “Directness in conversations in American English and Vietnamese - A comparative study” has been performed and interpreted exclusively by myself I clarify that the work is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the BA degree and has not been submitted elsewhere in any other form for the fulfillment of any degree or qualification The author Le Thu Ha ii ACKNOWLEGMENTS I would first and foremost like to thank my supervisor, Phan Ngoc Thach M.A for giving me support, guideline, and feedback when I carried out my thesis I would also like to extend my gratefulness to all of the teachers in Foreign Language Department who provide me with necessary help as well as good suggestions whenever I get into trouble Last but not least, my special thanks are sincerely sent to my parents, my friends and so many others who continuously offer spiritual support and encouragement during the process of doing this thesis Le Thu Ha iii ABSTRACT Students of English in Vietnam need a general consciousness of directness and indirectness since they will benefit in many aspects First, knowing how and when to use directness and indirectness for communicating purposes is a way serving politeness and face saving That good point is for social interaction In the field of teaching, directness and indirectness can be used by the teacher to balance the quality and quantity of work- share between the teacher and the students and improve the teacher-student relationship Vietnamese students of English have difficulties in adjusting the degree of directness and indirectness in their conversations Evidently, various cross- cultural values build up diverse language styles Directness and indirectness in conversations not except and the cultural gap between Eastern and Western countries unintentionally causes difficulties for the students Moreover, the condition for students to sharpen their flexibility in choosing appropriate degrees of directness and indirectness is still limited because their sensitivity to directness and indirectness is not put in the adequate attention The thesis “Directness in conversations in English and Vietnamese- A comparative study” is carried out with four specific purposes The first purpose is to remind students of English of the values of directness and indirectness in aspects of life and career as discussing about the importance of directness and indirectness Secondly, a general summary about directness and indirectness is given to provide people with a firm foundation about directness and indirectness Thirdly, directness in English as well as indirectness in Vietnamese is investigated to find out similarities and differences between the two Lastly, hopefully, this research can give some indications for directness and indirectness to teachers and students of English CONTENT DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEGMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii CONTENT .1 Chapter INTRODUCTION 1.1Motivation 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 The research questions 1.4 Significance of the study 1.5 Related previous study 1.6 Organization of the thesis Chapter LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Related theory 2.1.1 A successful conversation 2.1.2 Cooperation in conversation 10 2.1.3 Speech acts 11 2.2 Directness in conversations 13 2.2.1 Definition of directness in conversations 13 2.2.2 The significance of directness in conversations 14 2.2.3 The influences on directness usage 14 2.2.4 Indirectness versus directness 16 2.3 High-context versus low-context culture 17 Chapter 20 METHODOLOGY 20 3.1 Research questions 20 3.2 Research participants 20 3.2.1 The author .20 3.2.2 The subjects 20 3.3 Research procedure 20 3.4 Research methods 21 3.4.1 Material analysis 21 3.4.2 Material generalization 21 3.4.3 Comparison 21 3.5 Summary 21 Chapter 22 COMPARISION 22 4.1 Similarities .22 4.1.1 Both Vietnamese and American English involve some commonly general purposes of using directness and indirectness in conversations 22 4.1.2 Devices of indirectness are the same in Vietnamese and American English 22 4.1.2.1 Rhetorical strategies and markers 22 4.1.2.2 Lexical and Referential Markers 24 4.1.2.3 Syntactic Markers and Structures 26 4.1.3 Both Vietnamese and American use directness and indirectness abiding the Cooperative principles 26 4.2 Differences .27 4.2.1 Styles 27 4.2.2 Degrees of directness 33 4.2.3 Reasons and purposes of using directness and indirectness 37 4.3 Conclusion about directness and indirectness in American English and Vietnamese 41 Chapter five 42 IMPLICATIONS 42 5.1 What should people notice about directness and indirectness in conversations 42 5.2 Some exceptions of directness and indirectness in Vietnamese and American English 43 5.3 Implications for teachers 44 5.4 Implications for students 45 REFERENCES .47 Chapter INTRODUCTION 1.1Motivation Ochs states that humans learn norms and rules of social interaction through socialization in specific contexts (1986) Gayle (2002) also affirms that different contexts regulate people‟s interaction behaviors and perceptions of behavioral interactions of others in various ways Therefore, people in different areas of the world behave differently Their behaviors also vary from one group to another in the same nation Differences also exist among various communities in terms of status, gender, and context Inevitably, it causes culture shocks According to Deena and Mara (1982), directness is one of the most necessary parts in the American English using Meanwhile, Jeffrey and Chinh (1997) believe that in Asian cultures including Vietnamese one, directness is not a valued trait Hence, there are significant differences in using directness between American English and Vietnamese, particularly in conversations Certainly, these differences can cause certain cross-cultural problems for American and Vietnamese speakers Approaching cross-culture seems to be one of the good ways to help students get used to diverse conducts and improve their communicative competence Learning the use of directness in conversations in the two languages is a very essential part to promote interactive effectiveness Cross-cultural study demands learner remarkable efforts Therefore, doing research on the use of directness in conversations is believed to be one of the very first steps to approach it Because of the limited time of exposure to crossculture, an absolute perception is obviously unconceivable to students of English at Dong Thap University However, learners‟ capacity for understanding and interpreting communication styles and patterns will be widened once they work hard to deal with intercultural problems They not only can use appropriate styles and patterns of communication, contact naturally but also can be more confident in their conversations with less misunderstanding, shocks, disappointment, anxiety, and unexpected events Conversations are very important in researches as well as in daily life People can raise communication effectiveness when they know the right way of exchange either directly or indirectly in daily language However, the number of communication styles is uncountable, which cause problems for students of English at Dong Thap University, especially students who work in Englishspeaking environment and communicate with English-speaking people Consequently, it is more and more essential for them to know how to use conversations effectively to promote their communication skills Actually, suitable directness in conversations and teaching support more flourishing communication, improved achievements, better relationships, and successful teaching Such complexity and problems mentioned above, it makes the necessity of this thesis “Directness in conversations in American English and Vietnamese - A comparative study” The research needs to be done A desire to enrich knowledge of English is indispensible In addition, if the research is exact and becomes a factual science one, it will be an adding reference about directness in conversations for students of English at Dong Thap University 1.2 Aims of the study The research aims to: - Realize similarities and differences between American English and Vietnamese directness in conversations - Indicate implications of learning and using directness in conversations for students - Support students in using conversations‟ directness in both English and Vietnamese more effectively in order to avoid culture shocks 1.3 The research questions Are there any similarities and differences in using directness in conversations between American English and Vietnamese? What are some implications for learning and using directness in conversations? 1.4 Significance of the study Directness plays a very essential role in daily life of American people as Deena and Mara say, “American English strongly emphasizes directness in verbal interaction” (2002, p 20) They need brief and straight dialogues Deborah (2007) supposes that sometimes telling the complete truth can actually get communicators into trouble When people converse daily, unpredicted situations may occur with their directness In addition, Gayle asserts, “The more direct the refusal, the more the threat to the person‟s face.” (2002, p 3) Brown and Levinson (1987) affirm “some degree of indirectness usually exists‟‟ (p 56) To balance directness and indirectness in conversations is not easy Conversing used in the right way brings about a lot of advantages It gives people chances to develop their personality and emotion, spend time more effectively, and improve relationships and confidence Appropriate directness in conversations helps people understand and support each other They could recognize what the partner needs and what they should Also, they could acknowledge their strong points and weak points from which they could get lessons and experiences through frank advice Apposite conversations are good for community‟s sake because it could increase the solidarity Clever and straight conversations have positive psychological effects on students In teaching, the teacher evaluates his students constructively and gives them advice in a frank way, which could support students to know their strengths and shortcomings They may learn from the mistakes Teacher‟s advice shows students exactly what they need to to perfect themselves Sincere and straight comments from the teacher could inspire students This makes the students feel that they are well-treated and cared In addition, the teacher offers them positive points of view Clear and honest conversations can be the motivation for students They become interested in their study They want to overcome their shortcomings Furthermore, students can give their idea straight, which helps the teacher know what they need so that the 35 Ngan (2010) affirms that offering and responding in Vietnamese is more indirect than in American English An typical example about the Ty, the first daughter of the Dau sister, in chapter ten of the novel “Tắt đèn” by Ngo Tat To can show directness of offering and responding in Vietnamese When her mother asks her to eat sweet potatoes, she responds indirectly that she is not hungry even though she is very hungry that time The conversations which are similar to the conversation between the daughter and her mother are not rare in Vietnam It partly represents Vietnamese communicating culture The indirectness in the example is not on the purpose of politeness, but it is a tolerance and sacrifice Example: Vietnamese A: Con ăn kẻo đói (Would you American English A: Would you like some more? like some more? / Eat more, please!) B (hungry): Con khơng đói (It‟s B (hungry): Yes, I would like some enough I‟m full now.) more, thank you C (full): Con no (It‟s enough I‟m C (full): No, thank you full now) (Deena & Mara, 1982, p 21) (To, Tat den) From the table above, a conclusion is inferred that American people usually offer and respond directly while most Vietnamese people choose indirectness in offering and responding Americans just simply express their thought when they offer They also accept the offer in a direct way if they think it‟s helpful and necessary However, Vietnamese people respond the offer in the same ways no matter that they want it or not Often, they refuse the offer even though they feel like it They act in that way out of politeness To sum up, offering and responding in American English are much more direct than them in Vietnamese 36 iii Refusing Mark and Diep (2005, p 87) states that a refusal in Vietnam causes a loss of face like the Vietnamese expression “Better to die than to lose face.” They also say that ways of communicating disagreement and negative decisions are certainly available, but Westerners often misunderstand and misinterpret these messages Vietnamese usually say “No” indirectly through expressions like these: “It‟s complicated”, “It‟s a little difficult”, “It‟s not the right time” or “There‟s a problem.” They hardly say “No” frankly and immediately In addition, Vietnamese people show nonverbal indications “No” with silence However, American people can say “No” more freely In short, the degree of directness in Vietnamese refusals is reduced as much as possible In refusing, Vietnamese people often maintain a lower level of directness comparing to Americans Example: (Mark & Diep, 2005, p 87) Vietnamese Phức tạp thật (It‟s complicated) American people Sorry I can‟t Hơi khó (It‟s a little difficult) Rắc rối đây.(There‟s a problem) Không lúc (It‟s not the right No, thanks time) Tiếc thật (What a pity!) A: Anh giúp em tập với? A: Could you help me with this (Could you help me with this exercise, exercise? brother?) B: Rắc rối thật Tao bận (There‟s B: Sorry I can‟t I‟m too busy to help a problem I‟m busy.) you A: Would you like some cake? A: Ăn miếng bánh Lan? (Would B: No, thanks I‟m really full now you like some cake, Lan?) L: Tiếc thật Tớ vừa ăn tối xong (What a pity! I just finished my dinner.) In the example above, Vietnamese communicator refuses the request without saying “No” or “Not”, which means that they‟re usually indirect in this situation 37 On the other hand, American communicator refuses the request with “No” and “Not”, which partly shows that the degree of directness used in this situation is rather high iv Using hedges Chi (2010, p 1) states that Vietnamese hedges are the product of circuitous communication and the result of living in a collectivism in Vietnam Hedges are representative of indirect interaction However, hedges exist in not only Vietnamese but also American English The frequency of using hedge in conversations in Vietnamese and American English is different Nhung (2011) concludes that hedge is richer in English vocabulary than it is in Vietnamese However, Vietnamese people always try to diversify the hedges through the advantages of mono-phonology aspect so that they can use hedges in different sentence structures She also affirms that hedges are mostly used in Vietnamese but they are not used as frequently in American English as in Vietnam Therefore, we can infer that Vietnamese conversations are more circuitous than American ones It means the directness degree of conversations in American English is higher than it is in Vietnamese because of less frequent use of hedges 4.2.3 Reasons and purposes of using directness and indirectness i Expressing ideas Mark and Diep (2005) say that indirectness is used Vietnamese for the purpose of building personal relationship They communicate indirectly to maintain in good relationship, show their respect, and to get along with their partner However, Americans believe that directness is honesty Therefore, they usually interact in direct way as a rule of honesty (Deena & Mara, 1982) Moreover, Americans are known as people with “time is money” orientation, so they show their ideas directly to save time some way (Mark & Diep, 2005) ii Responding an offer Vietnamese usually respond an offer indirectly It can come from the concept of politeness They so out of politeness as Ngan says, “In Vietnamese culture, 38 the face of Vietnamese involved the respect of hierarchy, the status admission of interlocutor Therefore, politeness behavior is not only personal politeness strategies but also forcefully is the clever choice in vocabulary” (2010, p 18) However, in some cases, they so out of tolerance or sacrifice as in the example about the Ty in “Tắt đèn” in the previous section Dislike Vietnamese people, Americans respond an offer with directness just to be honest and direct “A host will assume that a guest‟s refusal is honest and direct.” (Deena & Mara, 1982, p 21) iii Refusing According to Ngan (2010) the doctrine of collectivism and social hierarchy influenced Vietnamese Therefore, when refusing Vietnamese people don‟t tell directly because they want to be in harmony and self-restrain in the social communication On the other hand, Americans are influenced by individualism and equality, so their association is more simple and direct What they mean is expressed through explicit verbal messages to help the listeners understand easily iv Using hedges Nhung (2011) concludes some different purposes of using hedges in both Vietnamese and American English as in the table below Example: (Nhung, 2011, p 23-30) No Vietnamese American English To ask for permission when carrying out an action such as declaring, announcing, giving remarks To soften expressions (base on the quality maxim) Sau lắng nghe kiến nghị ngài, tơi xin mạo muội có ý kiến sau…(After listening your proposal, I presume to have some ideas…) B: Well, she can have an orange juice or something A: she doesn‟t like coffee 39 A: Do you enjoy the film? To be modest and friendly to the listeners To resume expressions (base on relevance maxim) Thiển ý muốn đem vấn đề bàn bạc thật kĩ đơn vị (My humble opinion is to bring this matter carefully discussed in the unit) To shift expression (base on relation maxim) Theo ý kiến tơi, rau xanh tốt (In my humble opinion, vegetables is better.) To show the subjective impact to the crowd when talking A: Is that your writing? To prepare listeners before giving scolding and criticism To reformulate expressions (basing on the maxim of manner) Là bạn bè nên tơi có ý kiến, bạn nên quan tâm đến việc học tập (As a friend of you I want to remind you that you should pay more attention to your study.) B: Well, we enjoy the first half but after that I am not sure B: No Don‟t know why that‟s there Cos I put that on But I lent it to this…Do you know that girl I hate; I can‟t remember her name, whatever So, what was I saying? I don‟t like bananas In other words, I hate them To monitor shared knowledge (base on the quantity maxim) You see, it‟s a good question To close expression (base on the maxim of relation) A: Well, I‟d rather go home now B: Okay then Take care The purposes of American English hedges‟ usage are completely different from Vietnamese ones 40 v Using euphemisms Euphemism is a way of indirect communication Euphemisms are available in both English and Vietnamese The purposes of using them in the two languages are also dissimilar According to Giang (2010), the purpose of using euphemisms in English is very various Euphemisms can be used to reduce the sensibility of the matter, satirize, or amuse, for example “written out of the script” for “dismissed from employment”, or “we look forward to prompt settlement of your account” for “you owe us money” However, in Vietnamese, people use euphemisms for the purpose of replacing unusual qualities and states which make people uncomfortable, and avoiding hurting others‟ felling such as, for example “không thông minh lắm”, “không sáng dạ” (not very bright) for “yếu”, “kém”, “dốt” (stupid), or “thu nhập thấp” (low income), “mức sống thấp” (low standard of living), “khó khăn kinh tế” (difficult in finance) for “nghèo” (poor) In addition, Vietnamese and American people have many different ways of expressing “die” Vietnamese use “nhắm mắt xi tay, khơng cịn bên nữa,hy sinh, từ giã cõi đời, nằm xuống, qua đời, từ trần,lâm chung, đi, tạ thế, trút thở cuối cùng, lên đường, nhắm mắt, yên nghỉ, , chín suối, lên thiên đàng, xuống địa ngục, khuất núi, xa, ngừng thở, tắt thở, qui tiên, ,rời bỏ chúng ta, mất,về cõi vĩnh hằng, nơi suối vàng, an nghỉ, khơng cịn nữa, hai năm mươi, đứt bóng” instead of “die” for the purpose of reducing the pain They also use “hy sinh, cõi vĩnh hằng, xa” and “toi, nghoẻo, tiêu đời, đứt, mạng, ngủm củ tỏi, chầu diêm vương, buôn chuối” expressing “die” to show their respect and contempt In addition, Vietnamese tend to recall and worship their ancestors and consider that dead means “về với tổ tiên, với ông bà, thăm cụ, với cụ" (Anh, 2010, p 6-7) Differently, American people use “pass away, decease or depart, go to a better place, No longer with us, be no more, cease to breathe, cease to liv, close one’s eyes, left us, lost, breathe one’s last” to avoid a taboo American people are afraid of speaking out the word "death" because they think that it‟s a way to 41 invite death- a bad fortune Moreover, people who are religious in Christianity, which is the most popular religion in the US, want to show their respect to the Christ, Jesus, they use “asleep with Jesus, fall asleep in the arms of Jesus, fallen asleep in the Lord, gone to his heavenly Father; in the arms of Father, come to Jesus, departed to God, met his Make, go home, called home, go to one’s last home” instead of the word “die” (Anh, 2010, p 7-8) The two languages have euphemisms of “die” but the purposes of using them in each language are totally different 4.3 Conclusion about directness and indirectness in American English and Vietnamese The usage of directness in both Vietnamese and English is similar in some ways Some similarities are showed through general purposes, devices of indirectness, and the state of abiding Cooperative principles There are differences in some ways between the two languages‟ directness The differences are analyzed in terms of styles, degrees of directness, as well as purposes of using directness and indirectness 42 Chapter five IMPLICATIONS 5.1 What should people notice about directness and indirectness in conversations The first thing is that people should notice is that they must adjust the degrees of directness in their conversations to make sure it abides the Cooperative principle (George, 1996) They should use directness at an appropriate level to ensure that they are informative enough (maxim of quantity), truthful enough (maxim of quality), relevant enough (maxim of relation), and brief and orderly enough (maxim of manner) If not, their conversations are unsuccessful or failed Moreover, it is very important to recognize the four maxims as unstated assumptions people have in conversations George (1996, p 37) affirms that people usually follow these maxims of the principle However, there are some certain kinds of expressions speakers use to mark that “they may be in danger of not fully adhering to the principles” They are indirect expressions including hedges Therefore, directness and indirectness usage abiding the Cooperative principle is very important The second thing people should pay attention to is the culture, especially the distinction between high-context culture and low-context one Fathi (1978) says that some misunderstandings could arise when people from high-context cultures interact with people from low-context cultures It is because low-context communication is direct and high-context communication is not as indirect It is why people should consider the degree of directness and indirectness when they communicate in low-context cultures or high-context cultures to decrease misunderstandings as much as possible People should recognize the importance, functions, as well as purposes of directness and indirectness in American English and Vietnamese Once they know them clearly, they can identify direct and indirect utterances in 43 conversations easily, explain the meaning of the utterances, communicate in an appropriate degree of directness, and vary their expressions 5.2 Some exceptions of directness and indirectness in Vietnamese and American English As mentioned many times in this research, Vietnamese people who live in highcontext culture communicate indirectly and American people who live in lowcontext culture are direct in most situations However, there are some exceptions for the judgment In some cases, we find directness for Vietnamese and indirectness for Americans Mark and Diep say that when being offered a present, when being shown something nice, when presenting some work, Americans tend to praise too much, which makes Vietnamese wonder, “Do they really like it or not? Are they just saying it because they want to be polite? Are they fake?” Yes, in some cases, Americans are indirect and fake while Vietnamese need directness Mark and Diep prove the exception with their example (2005, p 148) I once had an English guy keep saying the food I gave him was nice, fantastic, but left half of it in his plate He is lucky because I am not that difficult, but if that had been my mom, she would have been very angry Not finishing the food offered is bad enough, telling a lie is even worse Vietnamese people will not mind at all if guests just tell the truth They not like the “polite game” Just opening mouth and saying, “Sorry, I can‟t take any more food!” or “Well, I don‟t feel like doing that now” is expected They would just laugh and love the guests for that In the cases like this, Vietnamese people refer a direct utterance while American people are not usually direct (Mark & Diep, 2005, p 148) Here is another example for the exception of directness used by Vietnamese people Once, I was taken to a good restaurant in Hanoi by my American co-worker Before we got there he told me that he had found the best restaurant in Hanoi After dinner, he asked 44 me what I thought of the restaurant I said, “It‟s not the best.” I saw the smile disappear right away from his face I knew something was wrong but could not understand what it was and why On the way home, I asked him what I had said wrong He said that I told him that he took me to the worst restaurant in Hanoi But in fact in Vietnamese we meant it was not the “best best” it was second best (Mark & Diep, 2005, p 144, 145) In this case, the Vietnamese speaker is very direct and his directness makes a great misunderstanding Directness here to the American is not suitable In this case he had better give idea in an indirect way which is slightly milder Moreover, directness of Vietnamese can hurt American people‟s feeling Mark and Diep (2005, p 145) say that when an American let a Vietnamese know that he was doing something to help the Vietnamese on the Vietnamese person‟s behalf, the Vietnamese said, “Yes, I know, thank you” which in Vietnamese language means “I really acknowledge and appreciate it” but in fact, the American thought that the Vietnamese ungrateful by meaning “I didn‟t need your help” Clearly, the Vietnamese very direct in this case, which causes misunderstanding and hurt the American‟s feeling 5.3 Implications for teachers It is the very significant requirement that teachers are aware of directness, indirectness, as well as its related theories Only when they are conscious of directness and indirectness usage, they can use them effectively Moreover, teachers play the role of model in the language for students to follow Therefore, it is really a danger if they cannot use directness and indirectness in an appropriate way They must master their knowledge of this item to make sure that they can be good models and wonderful instructors who can train good students and communicators The teacher‟s introductory to directness and indirectness makes a great contribution the students‟ knowledge of directness and indirectness The instruction can be given directly through lessons on the topic of directness such as hedges, euphemisms, slangs etc and indirectly in the daily conversations between the teachers and students with many ways of expressing ideas, requests, 45 offers, etc Other noticeable thing is that teachers had better cause the students‟ attention to directness and indirectness in conversations They will be motivated to apply direct and indirect communication when they have to deal with tasks such as a discussion or a role-play with the topics they experience and are interested in Directness and indirectness are very crucial aspects of culture To use directness and indirectness in a right way, teachers must have a deep knowledge of the target language‟s culture, particularly American English and Vietnamese in this research In other words, they can recognize what should be said in low-context and high-context culture Directness and indirectness are also very helpful in educational environment When lecturing, criticizing, giving ideas etc teachers needs suitable degrees of directness and indirectness If teachers can adjust the degree to different situations, it helps students to comprehend the knowledge, inspires students to study better, and improve the relationship between teachers and students Otherwise, unqualified teachers will make their students confused, erode their students‟ will, and break the relationship Directness and indirectness play an important role in education In addition, as teachers of English, they may teach English to Vietnamese learners and teach Vietnamese to American leaners Therefore, they partly can understand the two cultures They can help American learners understand more about Vietnamese culture and indirect communicating style Like American learners, Vietnamese learners are provided knowledge of American culture and direct quality Teachers are the ones who take this responsibility 5.4 Implications for students The standard for directness and indirectness should be set up appropriately with the student group‟s level Students at elementary level should be introduced directness and indirectness in conversations and made to contact with them Intermediate students should be required higher a little bit They should apply directness and indirectness in class environment in combination with other 46 subjects which related to directness such as cross-culture, pragmatics, and semantics Students at advanced level must practice conversations with directness and indirectness in and out class environment, widen their flexibility in using directness in conversations The students will get great result if they learn and practice regularly Cross-culture, pragmatics, and semantics also help a lot in this field Crossculture helps students to understand communicating styles, avoid culture shocks and misunderstandings Pragmatics and semantics provide an enormous amount of knowledge about devices, words, as well as structures of directness and indirectness Therefore, cross-culture, pragmatics, and semantics which are premise of using directness and indirectness in conversation effectively should be learned in an enthusiastic way by students Moreover, movies, news programs, and newspapers are also potential resources providing students real language in which directness and indirectness are showed clearly Students should watch more movies, listen to news, and read newspaper to contact more with the real language This helps them use language more naturally and effectively In conclusion, all implications above are hoped to help communicators, teachers, and students, in some ways, improve their speaking skill as well as communicating conversations skill with appropriate directness and indirectness in 47 REFERENCES English References [1] Anh, L T M (2010) Contrastive Analysis: Euphemisms in English and Vietnamese with DEATH as examples Ho 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