A study on idiomatic expressions containing words denoting food and drink in English and their Vietnamese equivalents from Cultural Perspective        i hc Ngoi ng Lu English Linguistics: 60 22 15 ng dn: Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thom o v: 2013 Keywords: Ting Anh;  hi chiu; Ting Vit;  Content PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale to the study Mastering a foreign language is a strong desire of all learners. However, it is not an easy task because of many obstacles that learners face during their learning. Moreover, their final target of learning a foreign language is the ability to communicate. A successful communication can only be reached when both the speakers and the listeners have a common understanding of each other. However, the differences in many aspects of the languages and cultures cause various problems for learners in the process of mastering a foreign language. One of the most effective and colourful ways to transfer culture is the use of idioms. Because idioms imply culture, we cannot understand idioms correctly without the cultural context. Besides, according to Cambridge International dictionary of Idioms (1998), on the one               sing them, for    most interesting English aspects but it has never been easy to learn as well. Thus, a good understanding of idioms is the key for learners to know more about the target language as well as its culture and to avoid culture shocks during communication. Making comparisons between English idioms and Vietnamese ones can help Vietnamese learners comprehend the similarities and differences of the two languages and cultures, which in turn help them improve their English. Because of the reasons above, I have wished to conduct some studies on English idioms and Vietnamese equivalent ones. However, due to the limitation of the graduation  and time, I would like to focus on English idioms containing food and drink and their equivalents in Vietnamese which have attracted me most for a long time in view of their variety in English idiom treasure. 2. Research aims and research questions This research has four main aims as the followings: 1. To investigate syntactic and semantic features of English and Vietnamese idioms related to food and drink, from which explore the cultural values underlying the literal words. 2. To find out the similarities and differences in the cultures of the two countries which are reflected through their idioms containing food and drink. 3. To equip both those learning English and those learning Vietnamese as their foreign language with rich knowledge on both English and Vietnamese idioms in general and on food and drink in particular. Moreover, to help teachers, learners and translators avoid difficulties in translating English idioms into Vietnamese and vice versa. 4. To supply some suggested implications for teaching and learning method, which contribute to improve ability of using English idioms in general, idioms related to food and drink in particular. To achieve the above aims, the following research questions are put forward: 1. What syntactic and semantic features are reflected in the food and drink idioms in both English and Vietnamese? 2. What are the similarities and differences between Vietnamese and English cultures through idioms related to food and drink? What factors lead to such differences? 3. Objectives of the research My study is carried out with the aim to help Vietnamese learners have a better understanding of English and Vietnamese idioms related to food and drink, which would encourage them to use idioms more confidently not only in receptive skills like listening and reading but also on productive skills like speaking and writing and avoid communication breakdown. 4. Scope of the research I have found idioms such an interesting English aspect that I decide to choose them as my thesis topic. However, due to the limited time and knowledge, I just focus on a small part of English idioms, “A study on idiomatic expressions containing words denoting food and drink in English and their Vietnamese equivalents from Cultural Perspective”. idioms containing food and drink“idioms of food and drink” for short. Food and drink play a very important role in many cultures including English culture and Vietnamese culture. Idioms containing food and drink account for a considerable large portion of idioms in English as well as in Vietnamese, between which there are some outstanding similarities and differences. A comparison between them can help Vietnamese teachers as well as learners deal with idioms much more easily. For this reason, this paper aims at analyzing the similarities and differences of idioms containing food and drink in English and Vietnamese from cultural perspectives. On this basis, it also offers some educational implications for English teachers and learners to make their teaching and learning idioms more effective. 5. Methods of the study The study utilizes descriptive and comparative methods combined with the qualitative and quantitative ones. In reference with quantitative method, the study has collected data for the study including both English and Vietnamese idioms containing food and drink from various reliable sources (referent books, stories, novels, dictionaries and Internet websites). The qualitative method is employed to describe and analyze the data of the study. The steps of the study are conducted in the order as follows: - Collect English and Vietnamese idioms containing food and drink from several sources and then categorize them. - Investigate and analyze the syntactic and semantic features of English and Vietnamese idioms containing food and drink. - Analyze the cultural features of English and Vietnamese hidden behind those idioms. - Compare and find the differences and similarities between English and Vietnamese idioms containing food and drink from cultural perspective. The descriptive method is used to describe the syntactic, semantic and cultural features of idioms containing food and drink in English and Vietnamese. The comparative method is used to identify the similarities and differences in their syntactic, semantic and cultural features. 6. Significance of the research (i) Theoretical significance: The study supplies Vietnamese teachers and learners with a deeper understanding of idioms in general and idioms containing food and drink in particular in term of their syntactic, semantic, and cultural features. (ii) Practical significance: The study provides Vietnamese learners with suggestions to improve their language skills when using idioms containing food and drink, particularly communicative skill and avoid culture shock. 7. Design of the research This thesis consists of three main parts Part one is the Introduction, which consists of the rationale, the aims and research question, the objectives, the scope, the methods, the significance and the design of the study. Part two is the Development, which is the main part of the study dealing with English idioms containing food and drink and their equivalents in Vietnamese. This part is divided into four chapters: Chapter I: Literature Review Chapter II: Theoretical background including Overview of idioms, The Relationship of Language and Culture, Idioms and Culture. Chapter III: Methodology and procedure Chapter IV: Findings and discussion as well as some implications for teaching and learning The last part is the Conclusion of the study and suggestions for further studies. The References and Appendixes are at the end of the thesis. REFERENCES ENGLISH 1. Baker, M. (1992). In Other Words: A Course Book on Translation. London: Routledge. 2. Berrada, K. (2007). 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Nguy u m - i hc qui. 31. Trn Ng   t Nam  Nhng v       i hc ngoi ngi. 32.    (2000),  . :     Websites: http://rongmotamhon.net/mainpage/thanhngu_anhviet_0_8.html http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ http://www.ldoceonline.com/ http://tudienthanhngu.com/ http://oxforddictionaries.com/ http://e-cadao.com/ http://digitaljournal.com/blog/829 . categorize them. - Investigate and analyze the syntactic and semantic features of English and Vietnamese idioms containing food and drink. - Analyze the cultural features of English and Vietnamese. containing words denoting food and drink in English and their Vietnamese equivalents from Cultural Perspective . idioms containing food and drink “idioms of food and drink for. more easily. For this reason, this paper aims at analyzing the similarities and differences of idioms containing food and drink in English and Vietnamese from cultural perspectives. On this basis,