MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY M.A THESIS A STUDY ON ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE GREETINGS FROM A CROSS- CULTURAL COMMUNICATION PERSPECTIVE (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ LỜI CHÀO TRONG TIẾNG ANH VÀ TIẾNG VIỆT TỪ PHỐI CẢNH GIAO TIẾP GIAO VĂN HÓA) NGUYEN THI PHUONG THANH Hanoi, 2016 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY M.A THESIS A STUDY ON ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE GREETINGS FROM A CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION PERSPECTIVE (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ LỜI CHÀO TRONG TIẾNG ANH VÀ TIẾNG VIỆT TỪ PHỐI CẢNH GIAO TIẾP GIAO VĂN HÓA) NGUYEN THI PHUONG THANH Field: English Linguistics Code: 60220201 Supervisor: Assoc Prof VÕ ĐẠI QUANG, Ph.D Hanoi, 2016 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled “A study on English and Vietnamese greetings from a crosscultural communication perspective” submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Language Except where the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis Hanoi, 2016 NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG THANH Approved by SUPERVISOR Date:…………………… i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support from a number of people First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Assoc Prof Dr.Vo Dai Quang, my supervisor, who has patiently and constantly supported me through the stages of the study, and whose stimulating ideas, expertise, and suggestions have inspired me greatly through my growth as an academic researcher A special word of thanks goes to all the teachers of the Post Graduate Department of Hanoi Open University for their valuable lectures on many aspects of my concern which laid the foundation for this thesis and many others, without whose support and encouragement it would never have been possible for me to have this thesis accomplished Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my family, my friends for the sacrifice they have devoted to the fulfillment of this academic work ii ABSTRACT Mastering a new language does not only consist of the ability to master its system of form but also the ability to use its linguistic units appropriately This is because languages differ from one another not only in their systems of phonology, syntax and lexicon but also in their speakers’ manners of pattering their discourse and relating speech act Therefore, people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds come into contact; there always exists the possibility for misunderstanding This thesis is an attempt to provide a cross-cultural comparison of greeting categories in English and Vietnamese The greeting categories are analyzed with data taken from the questionnaires for the Vietnamese and English informants Utilizing contrastive analysis, the author analyzed the greeting categories in English and Vietnamese Results of the study showed that greeting is a socially significant even in universal terms Especially in Vietnamese, greeting is an important part in cultural life Some issues considered as “a taboo” in English are used popularly in Vietnamese These are the specific cultural features in two languages Then, some suggestions for the Vietnamese learners of English are presented based on the theory and the conductor’s personal experience after studying iii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Austin’s classification of illocutionary act 13 Table 2: Searle’s classification of speech acts 14 Table 3: Politeness Strategies (according to Brown and Levinson, 1987) 17 Table 4: Classification of illocutionary acts 22 Table 5: Survey for background 34 Table 6: Number of English and Vietnamese people using greeting categories (direct and indirect greetings) 48 Table 7: Some examples indirect greeting in English and Vietnamese 48 Table 8: Some examples of strategic greetings in English and Vietnamese.53 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF TABLES iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale for the study 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Objectives of the study 1.4 Scope of the study 1.5 Significance of the study 1.6 Structural organization of the study Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Review of previous studies 2.2 Review of theoretical background 2.2.1 Language and communication 2.2.2 Cultural traits in greeting 2.2.3 Overview of speech acts 10 2.2.3.1 Definition of speech acts 10 2.2.3.2 Components of Speech acts 11 2.2.3.3 Classification of Speech Act 12 2.2.3.4 Politeness Theory 14 2.2.4 Cross-cultural communication 18 2.2.5 Overview of Greetings 19 2.2.5.1 Greeting as a speech act 19 2.2.5.2 Definition of Greetings 19 2.2.5.3 The pragmatic functions of Greetings 20 2.2.5.4 Types of greetings 24 2.2.6 Summary 30 v Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY 31 3.1 Research-governing orientations 31 3.1.1 Research questions 31 3.1.2 Research setting 31 3.1.3 Research approach 32 3.1.4 Principles for data collection and data analysis 33 3.2 Research methods 34 3.2.1 Major methods and supporting methods 34 3.2.2 Data collection techniques 35 3.2.3 Data analysis techniques 35 3.3 Summary 35 Chapter 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 36 4.1 The categories of greeting in English and Vietnamese 36 4.1.1 Based on the structural and functional dimensions 36 4.1.1.1 Direct greeting 36 4.1.1.2 Indirect greeting 38 4.1.2 Based on the contextual dimension 42 4.1.2.1 Greeting on the run 42 4.1.2.2 Speedy greetings 43 4.1.2.3 The chat 44 4.1.2.4 The long greeting 44 4.1.2.5 The intimate greeting 45 4.1.2.6 The business greeting 46 4.1.2.7 The introductory greeting 46 4.1.2.8 The re-greeting 47 4.2 Similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese greeting categories in terms of a cross- cultural perspective 47 4.2.1 Similarities 47 4.2.2 Differences 49 vi 4.2.2.1 The differences about the structural and functional dimensions of greeting categories 49 4.2.2.2 The differences about the strategically dimensions of greeting categories 52 4.3 Implication in using greeting categories for Vietnamese learners of English 60 Chapter 5: CONCLUSION 62 5.1 Recapitulation 62 5.2 Concluding remarks 63 5.3 Limitation of the research 63 5.4 Suggestion for further studies 64 vii Chapter INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale for the study In recent years, English has become an international language used widely all over the world It is not only the language of communication and media but also the language of knowledge and culture Mastering English is considered an obligated condition for everyone in Vietnam and it is implied to be a “passport” for a good job because English serves their job and their promotion Therefore, people pay more and more attention to learning English They no longer grammar and translation exercises only but listening skill and speaking skill have been invested more time and better attention as well As a result, English has been learnt more properly and used more effectively However, in reality, Vietnamese learners of English often make mistakes in communicating with English speakers This is mostly caused by the effect of Vietnamese culture and the limitation of understanding about English culture One of the most important parts in almost every conversation is greeting which generally plays an important role in communication and functions as a start of a conversation or indentify the appearance of speakers or to express the respect to the listener In addition, greetings help to establish, maintain a relationship and facilitates the conversation As in Vietnam, greetings play an important role as these sayings “Lời chào cao mâm cỗ” or “ Dao liếc sắc, người chào quen” It means that Vietnamese are extremely serious in greeting In fact, many Vietnamese people failed to continue their conversation in English due to not only language ability but also understanding about the The English often uses 8 strategies are often strategic strategies in greeting used in Vietnamese dimensions (Greeting on the run; Speedy greeting; The S greeting (Greeting on the run; Speedy chat; the long greeting; greeting; The chat; the the intimate greeting; long greeting; the the introductory intimate greeting; the greeting; the all- introductory greeting; business greeting; the the all-business re-greeting) greeting; the regreeting) The choice of topic The English often ask The question “How are D In English: the health status of the you?” can only be asked -How are person or family being when they have time to you? offered The question chat and have a special - Hello “How are you?” relationship John! Did appears in most There is not a specific you watch greeting situations, topic the film in even in the greeting on Vietnamese all of greetings “Lost” last the run and speedy The greetings, such as, night? greeting “Bác ạ?” or - Hi! How If the questions “Đi đâu mà đẹp thế?” are things “Where are you appear quite often in going? going?” or “ What are Vietnamese In you doing?” are used Vietnamese: in English, they will -Cô chợ make the listener à? confused because they - Sao sáng think those questions mày 59 inappropriate and an khơng học invasion of privacy -Kìa! Nga phải không? 4.3 Implication in using greeting categories for Vietnamese learners of English By comparing the greeting categories in English and Vietnamese, to find out the cultural similarities and differences, I would like to give out some implications for the Vietnamese learners of English; Implication 1: It is observable that there is a close relationship between language and culture In order to master a language, it is necessary for learners to know its culture Therefore, for Vietnamese learner of English, they should be aware that learning only grammar does not mean success in communication Therefore, they incessantly learn more about culture and life style of other peoples in the world in order to be confident in communicating Additionally, it is advisable to know the reason why there are differences in pragmatic linguistics in different cultures, which helps them understand the nature of the problem Implication 2: Greeting habit of English people is different from that of Vietnamese people For instant, English people not like to greet each other with such personal questions, such as, age, marriage and income This study can help Vietnamese learners have to know how to greet someone naturally as the native speakers’ greeting habit, understand the behavior principles in greeting and use greetings in appropriate time and places Implication 3: They should be encouraged to learn about Vietnamese history and linguistics which are served as the foundation to comprehend clearly English Such contrastive knowledge in student’s mother tongue and 60 the second language also give them a clear distinction in order to avoid misunderstanding in transference 61 Chapter CONCLUSION This final chapter summarizes the results of the analysis, finding of the study and works out the implications for Vietnamese learners of English the use of greeting categories Some limitations are also pointed out and suggestions for further research are provided in this chapter 5.1 Recapitulation The focus of this study is on the cultural similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese greeting categories The theoretical background of the thesis is based on theories of language, communication, cross-cultural communication, definition of speech acts, classifications of speech acts, politeness theory including positive and negative politeness strategies, etc., A brief description of the method is presented and this also shows the way we reach the aim of the research The features of English and Vietnamese greeting categories were pointed out Furthermore, the study gives out the cultural similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese greeting categories by the contrastive method I use qualitative research design and analytical method to collect data as well as analyze them The combination of these methods will be the best tool to research the goal of the research By comparing the greeting of Vietnamese and English to find out the cultural similarities and differences, the study can suggest some implications in using greeting categories for Vietnamese learners of English to help them communicate properly 62 5.2 Concluding remarks As presented all above, the concluding remarks of the study are: - General English and Vietnamese greeting categories are listed and described clearly - After the describing and detailed comparative analysis between English and Vietnamese greeting categories, it is discovered that the greetings in the two languages have not only similarities but differences as well Similarities:  Direct and indirect greetings are used in both English and Vietnamese  Both English and Vietnamese often used strategies in greetings (Greeting on the run; Speedy greeting; The chat; The long greeting; The intimate greeting; The introductory greeting; The all-business greeting; The re-greeting) Differences:  Greeting structures  The usages in direct greetings  Questions used as greetings  Topic choices  Cultural differences in greetings - The study also a suggestion for Vietnamese learners of English in using greeting categories properly in order to be confident in communicating Besides that, the learner should study about English culture in order to avoid misunderstanding in transference 5.3 Limitation of the research 63 This study is only partial investigation into greeting categories in verbal communication both in English and Vietnamese from a cross-cultural perspective Many important factors are not mentioned, such as: - Formality – informality in greeting - Non-verbal cues in greeting - Paralinguistic factors in greeting Though great efforts have been made in this thesis to work out the best results, mistakes and limitations are un-avoidable Therefore, any comments for the author’s better work would be highly appreciated 5.4 Suggestion for further studies The thesis has focused on English and Vietnamese greetings from a cross-cultural communication perspective Therefore, there will be some topics related to this problem left for further research: (i).The study of semantic features of English greeting with reference to Vietnamese equivalents (ii) A study on English politeness strategies for greetings with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents 64 REFFERENCES ENGLISH Austin, J.L.(1962) How to things with words Harvard University Press Brown, P., & Levinson, S (1987) Politeness: Some language universals in language use Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Brown, P.,& Levinson, S (1990) Politeness: Some language universals in language use Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Bruce Tillitt (2006) Speaking naturally Communication Skills American English Cambridge University Press Ebsworth, T.J (1992) Appropriateness of Puerto Rican/ American cross-cultural communication Unpublished Ph.D dissertation New York University Eibl- Eibesfeldt’s, I (1997) The biology of human behavior Weyarn : Seehamer Verlag Firth, J R (1972).Verbal and Bodily Rituals of Greeting and Parting La Fontaine J S The Interaction of Ritual Hill et al Hill, (1986) Universals of linguistic politeness: Quantitative evidence from Japanese and American English Journal of Pragmatics Lakoff, R (1975) Language and women’s place New York, NY: Harper and Row 10 Leech, Geoffrey N., (1983) Principles of Pragmatics Longman, London 11 Levinson, Stephen C (1983) Pragmatics Cambridge, England: Cambridge University 12 Maysa’a Kadhim Jibreen The speech act of greeting: A theoretical Reading 65 13 Nodoushan, M (2007) Greeting forms in English and Persian: A sociopragmatic perspective Pakistan Journal of Social Science, 4, 355-362 14 Qian Housheng (1996) Greetings and Partings in English and ChineseA Contrastive Study of Linguistic Routines and Politeness Beijing: The Commercial Press 15 Richards, Jack C, John Platt & Heidi Platt (1992) Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics Harlow: Longman 16 Schegloff, E (1973) An evaluation of greeting exchanges in textbook and real life setting New York Blackwell Publishers 17 Searle, J.R (1969) Speech acts: An essay in the philosophy of language London: Cambridge University Press 18 Thomas, J (1996) Meaning in interaction London: Longman 19 Wierzbicka, Anna (1987) English speech act verbs A Semantic Dictionary Sydney: Academic Press 20 Williams, K.E (1997) An Evaluation of Greeting exchanges in textbooks and real life settings 21 Yule G (1996) Pragmatics, Oxford University Press VIETNAMESE Huỳnh Thị Thanh Châu Greeting in English and Vietnamese: A contrastive analysis Graduation thesis Hoàng Thị Kim Dung (2001) A cross-cultural study of dressing forms in greeting Vietnamese and English Graduation thesis Nguyễn Thị Bích Hằng English and Vietnamese greeting Graduation thesis Trần Thị Bích Hạnh (2010) Vietnamese and English Greetings: A contrastive analysis Graduation thesis Bùi Thị Nhinh (2015) A study on English expressions of greeting with the reference to Vietnamese Equivalents Graduation thesis 66 Nguyễn Quang (2002) Giao tiếp giao tiếp văn hóa, Nhà xuất Đại Học Quốc Gia Hà Nội Phạm Thị Thành (1995) Nghi thức lời nói tiếng Việt đại qua phát ngôn chào, cảm ơn, xin lỗi luận án PTS ngữ văn Huyền Vũ (2009) Cách chào hỏi người Việt người Mỹ Trần Anh Vương (2004) Ways of greeting and comparison between Vietnamese and English greeting Graduation thesis 67 Appendices A Appendix 1: Survey Questionnaires on greeting among English People This questionnaire is designed for my study to research into “A study on English and Vietnamese greetings from a cross-cultural perspective ” Your assistance in completing the questionnaires is greatly appreciated It is certain this questionnaire is for research purpose only Please feel free to complete the questionnaire as all information is confidential Would you kindly return these completed questionnaires? Thank you very much for your assistance Your nationality: Your age: Your occupation Please tick (√) where appropriate Your sex: Male  Female  Your marital status: Single  Married  How you greet your relative in the daily life and she or he is Grandparents  Parents  How you greet your friend if she or he is Close friend  Normal friend  How you greet someone on business and she / he is Your manager  Your colleague  How you greet someone you not know before and she / he is Younger than you  Same age  Older than you  If you are a student, how you greet your teacher In a group comprising of various social statuses, in what order are people generally greeted? The older first  The young  The best known  The most familiar  There is no order  Do you use interrogative forms in greeting? (e.g., How are you doing?) Never  Occasionally  Often  Always  Do you often refer to the time of year or occasion in your greetings? (e.g., Happy New Year, Merry Christmas) Never  Occasionally  Often  Always  How often you greet by using exclamation? (e.g., Good day to you!, Pleased to meet you!) Never  Occasionally  Often  Always  The end Appendix 2: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT VỀ CÁCH CHÀO HỎI Ở VIỆT NAM Chúng soạn tiến hành điều tra nhằm phục vụcho đềtài nghiên cứu: “NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ LỜI CHÀO TRONG TIẾNG VIỆT VÀ TIẾNG ANH TỪ PHỐI CẢNH GIAO TIẾP GIAO VĂN HÓA” Muc đích câu hỏi nghiên cứu cốgắng tìm hiểu xem cách chào phổ biến tình cụ thể ngôn ngữ Anh Việt Xin quý vị vui lòng dành chút thời gian giúp chúng tơi hồn thành điều tra Chúng tơi khẳng định khơng nêu danh tính q vị tình Xin chân thành cảm ơn quý vị Quốc tịch Tuổi Nghề nghiệp Quý vị điền thơng tin cách tích vào ô vuông bên cạnh Giới tính: Nam  Nữ  Tình trạng nhân: Đã lập gia đình  Chưa lập gia đình  Bạn chào người họ hàng bạn gặp hàng ngày người Ông bà  Bố mẹ  Bạn chào bạn bạn người Bạn thân bạn  Bạn bình thường bạn  Bạn chào người làm quan bạn người Sếp bạn  Đồng nghiệp bạn  Một người bạn không quen , bạn chào Người nhỏ tuổi bạn  Bằng tuổi bạn  Người lớn tuổi bạn  Nếu bạn học sinh, bạn chào thầy giáo nào? Trong nhóm người có nhiều độ tuổi khác nhau, thường người chào trước Người già  Người trẻ tuổi  Người tiếng  Khơng theo thứ tự  Bạn có thường chào câu hỏi không? Không  Thi thoảng  Thường xuyên  Luôn  Bạn có thường chào lời chúc liên quan đến dịp lễ hội năm không? (Chúc mừng năm mới!, Chúc mừng giáng sinh!) Không  Thi thoảng  Thường xuyên  Luôn ln  Bạn có thường chào câu cảm than không ? (Chúc bạn ngày tốt lành!, Rất vui gặp bạn) Không  Thi thoảng  Thường xuyên  Luôn  Chân thành cảm ơn quý vị dành thời gian cho điều tra! ... part of cross- cultural communication may vary from lexical choices to substantial differences in cultural norms and values Greetings in American English consist of a range of linguistic and non-verbal... important parts in almost every conversation is greeting which generally plays an important role in communication and functions as a start of a conversation or indentify the appearance of speakers... OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY M .A THESIS A STUDY ON ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE GREETINGS FROM A CROSS- CULTURAL COMMUNICATION PERSPECTIVE (NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ LỜI CHÀO TRONG TIẾNG ANH VÀ