Comparison of Vietnamese and English Language: Idioms

AbstractLanguage is a system of communication of a nation. Every nation has their own historical, civilized, cultural, climatic characteristics, so every nation has their own language. However, different nations have similarities and differences in expressing their ideas. Studying similarities and differences between idioms of comparison in English and Vietnamese is liable to help the researcher to affirm that. Moreover, making some comparisons is a good way to memorize English idioms of comparison effectively and enjoyably. Hence, translation skill can be improved thanks to more knowledge about idioms. In addition, making comparisons between English and Vietnamese idioms can help the researcher to understand more about cultures of both of countries since similarities and differences in culture reflect coincidences and dissimilarities in ways of thinking and looking at the world of English and Vietnamese people.Idioms of comparison in Vietnamese and English: A Contrastive AnalysisIntroductionIdioms of comparison are applied frequently in literature and in daily life. It serves as a tool to make the language more graphic. However, every language has differences in ways of expressing the same idea using idioms of comparison.The goal of the study is to discover some common types of comparison used in English and Vietnamese idioms. In addition, the study chiefly aims at finding out some similarities and differences between comparison idioms in both English and Vietnamese.Because there are so many comparison idioms in both languages, it is impossible to include all of them in the study. The study can just explore comparison idiomatic expressions which play an important part in the purpose of the study.Theoretical FrameworkTheoretical background of idioms in EnglishDefinition of idioms in EnglishThe Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines idioms as: “A group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words” (Hornby, 2006, p.740).The viewpoint is supported in A Dictionary of Linguistics & Phonetics. The author regards an idiom as “a term used in grammar and lexicography to refer to a sequence of words which us semantically and often syntactically restricted, so that they function as a single unit” (Crystal, 1985, p.225).According to A Dictionary of Linguistics, an idiom is “any expression peculiar to a language, conveying a distinct meaning, not necessarily explicable by, occasionally even contrary to, the general accepted grammatical rules” (Pei & Gaynor, 1954, p.95).Feature of English idiomsWhen mentioning semantic features of idioms, we had better focus on the figurative meaning of idioms. It is the most important characteristic of idioms to know whether an expression is an idiom or not. According to Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary:A idiom is a group of words which, when they are used together in a particular combination, has a different meaning from the one they would have if you took the meaning of the individual words in the group. (Sinclair, 1987, p.718)Smiley & Goldtein (1998) also suggest that “idioms are certainly more than the sums of their parts” (p.76). That means the meaning of components of an idiom is different from the meaning of the whole idiom. That we can guess the meaning of an idiom or not depends on open or closed classes. As Yong and Peng (2007) suggest:In open class combinations, individual components are freely recombination and are used in a common literal sense. As co-occurrence of individual components is expected of this class of combinations, both their meaning and structures are predictable amenable to analysis. (p.178)For instance, we can guess the meaning of the idiom “turn over a new leaf”. “Turn over” means to “make something change position so that the other side is facing towards the outside or the top” and “a new leaf” is a leaf which is more beautiful, more perfect. Therefore, the meaning of the idioms can be guessed as “to change your way of life to become a better, more responsible person”.However, in close class combinations, we cannot guess the meaning of idioms. That is because “they are characterized by semantic opaqueness, syntactic restrictions and structural stability” (Yong & Peng, 2007, p.178). For example, the idioms “spread oneself too thin” or “for the birds”.Idioms have “a fixed form – that usually cannot be changed” (Heacock, 2003, p.ix). However, Heacock (2003) also claims:Not all fixed phrases are idioms. For example, “close your eyes” is a common fixed phrase, but not an idiom because each word in it is used in its standard meaning. The phrase “keep your skirt” is an idiom, however, because the phrase does not mean “do not take off your skirt” – it means “stay calm”. (p.ix)Idioms can be divided into six different forms or structures:+ Idioms located at noun entries such as “in addition to’”, “for the birds”…+ Idioms located at verb entries such as “look forward to”, “take off”, “hear about”…+ Idioms located at adjectival entries such as “in short”, “hot under the collar”…+ Idioms located at adverbial entries such as “once again, “worse off” …+ Idioms located at pronominal entries such as “give it up”, “come to nothing”…+ Idioms located at numeral entries such as “give a hundred percent”, “one by one”…It’s really important to know that modifying any components and functional words can lose the idiomatic meaning (Yong & Peng, 2007).Theoretical background of idioms in VietnameseDefinition of idioms in VietnameseAccording to Từ Điển Thành Ngữ và Tục Ngữ Việt Nam:Thành ngữ Tiếng Việt là những tổ hợp từ ngữ cố định có cấu trúc từ hoặc câu nhÆ°ng hoàn toàn thuộc phạm trù cấp từ, được mã hóa hầu hết đều có tính chất cách điệu nghệ thuật, và chỉ làm một thành phần trong câu nói. (Nguyễn, 2010, p.5)As Nguyễn (2007) has noted in his book, “thành ngữ là tập hợp từ cố định đã quen dùng mà nghÄ©a của nó thường không thể giải thích được một cách đơn giản bằng nghÄ©a của các từ tạo nên nó” (p. 8).Features of Vietnamese idiomsIdioms are characterized by figurative and metaphorical meanings. Therefore, it’s too difficult to comprehend although we know the meanings of all their components. For example, “lấy thúng úp voi”, “gà để gà cục tác”, “Ä‘i guốc trong bụng”… Especially idioms are originated from fairy tales, folk tales…such as “ba que xỏ lá”, “thằng chết cãi thằng khiêng”, “nợ nhÆ° chúa Chổm”, “sÆ° tá»­ Hà Đông”… (Nguyễn, Nguyễn & Phan, 2009).Idioms usually consist of more than 3 components whose counterpoint, alliteration and rhyme are combined with each other in many different ways. There are some idioms of comparison such as “nóng nhÆ° lá»­a”, “khóc nhÆ° mÆ°a”, “nhanh nhÆ° chớp”… Also, there are some idioms which are created according to counterpoint, alliteration such as “tai to mặt lớn”, “miệng hùm gan sứa”, “cùng hội cùng thuyền”, “ong bướm lả lÆ¡i”… Besides, some idioms are originally spoken words in everyday speech which are usually used again and again for a long time and then develop figurative meanings to become idioms, for instance “chở củi về rừng”, “theo voi hít bã mía”, “nước chảy chá»- trÅ©ng”, “Ä‘i guốc trong bụng”… (Nguyễn et al, 2009).Theoretical background of English idioms of comparisonAt first, we should find out the definition of idioms of comparison which are also called similes. There are a lot of definitions of simile. According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, “simile is a word or phrase that compares sth to sth else, using the words “like” or “as”, for example “a face like a mask” or “as white as snow”; the use of such words and phrases” (Hornby, 2006, p.1369).An idiom of comparison is also defined as:the comparison of two nouns with different meanings, using the words like or as to make the connection. Friendship is like ice cream, fear moved like lighting, and leaves feel as slippery as fish are examples of similes”. (Tucker, 2002, p.41)There is also a similar but shorter definition in The Challenge of Effective Speaking: “A simile is a direct comparison of dissimilar things using the word “like” or “as”” (Verderber, Verderber & Sellnow, 2008, p.197).The meanings of similes are figurative. Take the simile “as tall as a tree” as an example. When you say: “Minh is as stubborn as a mule”, you mean Minh is so stubborn, not Minh is as stubborn as a mule. Therefore, the simile “as stubborn as a mule” is considered figurative.Learners can sometimes be confused between similes and metaphors but they are really different:A metaphor, like a simile, is a comparison between two essentially unlike things. In contrast to a simile, however, where an explicit comparison is made (The eye is like a lamp for the body), the metaphor makes an implicit comparison (The eye is lamp of the body). (Robert H. Stein 15)Huff (2004) asserts that “the only difference between simile and metaphor is that metaphor does not use the words “like” or “as” to make the comparison” (p.98). In other words, two distinctly different things in a simile are connected by “like” or “as” while a metaphor “is an implied but in many ways even more direct than comparison because the reader is expected to identify the comparison without the word “like” or “as”” (Osborne, 1997, p.124). However, “because similes merely join two disparate ideas or images, they are generally less fertile than metaphors, which can evoke additional and fresh shades of meaning” (Ehrenhaft, 2008, p.145).Theoretical background of Vietnamese idioms of comparisonIn Vietnamese, there are 2 kinds of idioms of comparison: one employs the word “nhÆ°”, “tá»±a”, “tày”, “bằng”, “tá»±a nhÆ°” or “cÅ©ng nhÆ°” and one doesn’t.Based on similarities of characteristics of 2 things, 2 phenomena, 2 actions, the Vietnamese create a large number of idioms which use A to name or to modify B.Eg: Mặt trái xoan: oval-shaped face.Star: a famous and talented person (usually in art, sport, culture).(Nguyễn, 2010)The other kind of idioms of comparison includes the word “bằng”, “tày”, “tá»±a”, “sánh”, “nhÆ°” or “cÅ©ng nhÆ°” which divides an idiom into 2 parts.Both of parts can be a noun, verb, phrase or clause. The second part whose function is predicating and complementing the first part is counted from comparative word.Eg: In the idiom “tội tày đình”, “tày đình” is the complement of the noun “tội”.In the idiom “chạy nhÆ° bay”, “nhÆ° bay” is the complement of the verb chạy.(Nguyễn, 2010)A contrastive analysis of comparison idioms in English and VietnameseQuantity comparisonThere are about 700 idioms of comparison in English, for example, “as warm as sunbeam”, “to follow like a shadow”, “to work like a Trojan”,… There are a similarity in the number of idioms of comparison in English and Vietnamese. Some examples of Vietnamese idioms of comparison are “lạnh nhÆ° tiền”, “xanh nhÆ° tàu lá”…Similarities of idioms of comparison in English and VietnameseAlthough the culture of two nations is different, ways of thinking and looking at the world of English and Vietnamese is somehow similar. Hence, both Vietnamese and English express ideas and concepts in the same way. In fact, a large number of Vietnamese idioms of comparison are similar with English idioms of comparison in terms of both concept and image to express.English idioms Vietnamese idiomsAs black as coal Đen nhÆ° thanAs black as crow Đen nhÆ° quạAs black as ink Tối đen nhÆ° má»±cAs sweet as sugar Ngọt nhÆ° đườngAs black as soot Đen nhÆ° bồ hóngAs brief as a dream Ngắn nhÆ° một giấc mộngAs bright as day Sáng nhÆ° ban ngàyAs brilliant as stars Sáng nhÆ° saoAs changeable as the weather Hay thay đổi nhÆ° thời tiếtAs cold as ice Lạnh nhÆ° băngAs cheerful as a lark Vui nhÆ° sáoAs cunning as a fox Xảo quyệt nhÆ° cáoAs dark as midnight Tối nhÆ° ná»­a đêmAs dumb as a an oyster Câm nhÆ° hếnAs fair as a rose Xinh nhÆ° hoaAs fast as a hare Nhanh nhÆ° thỏAs fat as a pig Mập nhÆ° heoAs fierce as a tiger Dữ nhÆ° cọpAs firm as rock Vững nhÆ° đáAs fleet as the wind Nhanh nhÆ° gióAs fresh a rose TÆ°Æ¡i nhÆ° hoaAs gay as a lark Vui nhÆ° sáoAs gruff as a bear Há»-n nhÆ° gấuAs good (valuable) as gold Quý nhÆ° vàngAs green as a leaf Xanh nhÆ° tàu láAs heavy as an elephant Nặng nhÆ° voiAs hard as a stone Cứng nhÆ° đáAs heavy as lead Nặng nhÆ° chìAs hot as fire Nóng nhÆ° lá»­aAs keen as a razor Sắc nhÆ° dao cạoAs light as down Nhẹ tá»±a lông hồngAs light as a feather Nhẹ tÆ°a lông hồngAs mum as an oyster Câm nhÆ° hếnAs pretty as a picture Đẹp nhÆ° tranhAs quick as lightning Nhanh nhÆ° ánh sángAs quick as a flash Nhanh nhÆ° chớpAs red as blood Đỏ nhÆ° máuAs red as a beetroot Đỏ nhÆ° gấcAs sharp as a razor Sắc nhÆ° dao cạoAs silly as a calf Ngu nhÆ° bòAs sour as vinegar Chua nhÆ° giấmAs stink as a polecat Hôi nhÆ° chồnAs swift as lightning Nhanh nhÆ° chớpAs smooth as velvet Mịn nhÆ° nhungAs slow as a snail Chậm nhÆ° sênAs swift as an arrow Nhanh nhÆ° tên bắnAs steady as rock Cứng nhÆ° đáAs timid as a rabbit/ hare Nhát nhÆ° thỏ đếAs thick as ants Đông nhÆ° kiếnAs transparent as glass Trong suốt nhÆ° thủy tinhAs yellow as saffron Vàng nhÆ° nghệAs wet as a drowned mouse Ướt nhÆ° chuột lộtAs white as snow Trắng nhÆ° tuyếtAs white as a sheet NhÆ° tờ giấy trắngLike father like son Cha nào con nấyTo fight like cat and dog NhÆ° chó với mèoTo stick like a leech Bám dai nhÆ° đỉaTo stick like glue Dính nhÆ° keoTo cry like a baby Khóc nhÆ° đứa trẻTo follow like a shadow Theo nhÆ° hình với bóngTo swim like fish BÆ¡i nhÆ° cáDifferences of idioms of comparison in English and VietnameseThe same content but different images to expressImages of idiomatic comparisons in twp nations are different result from differences in culture. Vietnam has the cultural tradition of the wet rice production. Therefore, animals have a strong attachment to Vietnamese daily life. That’s why Vietnamese idioms of comparison consist of images related to buffaloes which are an animal familiar with rice production agriculture. Buffaloes pull ploughs, work very hard everyday to help farmers in their farming. As a result, wanting to mention strength, people often refer to buffaloes. In fact, to talk about someone very strong, the Vietnamese have the idiom “khỏe nhÆ° trâu” while the English have the idiom “as strong as a horse”. That’s because English people prefer horses to buffaloes. Horses can not only pull ploughs but also transport and entertain. They are really energetic and strong enough to help people in life.In spite of that, it doesn’t mean that English people don’t consider buffaloes strong animals or Vietnamese people don’t regard horses as strong animals. That results just from the difference in culture.Also, dragons are a kind of animal which is very close in fertile imagination of Vietnamese people. Because of that, the image as a dragon appear in the Vietnamese idiom of comparison “ăn nhÆ° rồng cuốn” to talk about eating large quantities of food while the image of a horse is used in the idiom “to eat like a horse”.Lamp, butter are so familiar with English life while sweet potatoes, pig are familiar with Vietnamese life, as a result there are differences in images to express their ideas of gentleness and fatness:English idioms Vietnamese idiomsAs gentle as a lamp Hiền nhÆ° củ khoaiAs fat as butter Béo nhÆ° lợnBesides, the differences in the ways of thinking and observing the world make differences in the images of idiomatic comparisons. Take some following examples to illustrate that:English idioms Vietnamese idiomsAs easy as ABC Dễ nhÆ° trở bàn tayAs easy as pie Dễ nhÆ° trở bàn tayAs easy as anything Dễ nhÆ° trở bàn tayAs smooth as butter Mượt nhÆ° nhungAs pale as a ghost Xanh nhÆ° tàu láAs lazy as a lizard Lười nhÆ° hủiAs soft as wax Mềm nhÆ° búnAs merry as a cricket Vui nhÆ° tếtAs cheerful as the birds Vui nhÆ° tếtAs glad as a fly Vui nhÆ° tếtAs happy as a child Vui nhÆ° tếtAs happy as a clam Vui nhÆ° tếtAs dark as midnight Tối nhÆ° đêm ba mÆ°Æ¡iAs black as midnight Tối nhÆ° đêm 30As dark as midnight Tối nhÆ° hÅ© nútAs close as herrings Chặt nhÆ° nêmAs soundly as a log (Ngủ) say nhÆ° chếtAs cold as marble Lạnh nhÆ° tiềnAs dry as a biscuit Khô nhÆ° ngóiAs red as lipstick Đỏ nhÆ° gấcAs thin as finger Gầy nhÆ° bộ xÆ°Æ¡ng khôAs weak as a kitten Yếu nhÆ° sênAs weak as a baby Yếu nhÆ° sênAs black as a stack of black cats Đen nhÆ° cột nhà cháyAs black as the ace of spades Đen nhÆ° cú súngAs round as a barrel Tròn nhÆ° quả bóngAs old as the hills XÆ°a nhÆ° trái đấtAs hot as mustard Cay nhÆ° ớtLike hot cake Đắt nhÆ° tôm tÆ°Æ¡iAs silent as the dead Im lặng nhÆ° tờAs silent as the grave Im lặng nhÆ° tờWhat is more, the differences in human make differences between English and Vietnamese idioms. For example, in Vietnam, there is the idiom “ghen nhÆ° Hoạn ThÆ°” to refer to a person who is dreadfully jealous. However, in English, the idiom “as jealous as Othello” is used to talk about a one’s jealousy. Another example is “sướng nhÆ° tiên” and “as happy as a king”. Indeed, Vietnamese people consider a fairy the happiest one while English people consider a king the happiest one.The same components but the dissimilar contentEvery so often, some images of comparison can appear in both Vietnamese and English idioms but the meaning of the two whole idioms are quite different. That’s because the meaning of components differs in culture.Indeed, using the idiom “rõ nhÆ° ban ngày”, the Vietnamese want to indicate a event which has nothing fishy. Meanwhile English people use the idiom “as bright as day” to describe a light room. Besides, when the weather is fine and sunny with good natural light, English people say: “It’s as bright as day”.Besides, wanting to compliment someone on his or her beauty of eyes, Vietnamese people say: “Mắt cô sắc nhÆ° dao cạo”. Still, English people use the idiom “as sharp as a razor” to refer to one’s brainpower.What is more, whilst Vietnamese people apply the idiom “chắc nhÆ° đinh đóng cột” to something steady, “as hard as nails” in English idiom means a person who is quite strict.Also, when Vietnamese people say: “Nó tốt nhÆ° vàng”, they mean it’s worth buying the object because of its good quality. In contrast, “as good as gold” cannot be used to compliment an object. In other words, English people never say: “It’s as good as gold” but “The person is as good as gold”. The person can be an assiduous and submissive child or a well-behaved adult.Pedagogical Implications for Teaching English Idioms of comparisonLearning English idioms is one of steps so as to help learners master English. English idioms of comparison are frequently used in daily life. Therefore, teachers should help their students learn idioms most effectively.Firstly, it’s advisable for teachers to raise students’ awareness of similarities and differences between Vietnamese and English idioms of comparison. When teachers teach their students a certain English idiom of comparison, they should let them guess the Vietnamese idiom which is equivalent to that idiom, making a comparison and explain why they are similar or different. It’s really useful for them to have a long-term memory about that idiom of comparison.Secondly, idioms of comparison as well as other idioms are taught and practiced in classroom but students rarely apply them to their daily speech. That’s why teachers should encourage students to use idioms of comparison in their daily life as frequently as possible. Learners will memorize idioms better if idioms of comparison are put into communicative contexts. Don’t make them learn by heart.Thirdly, teachers should draw students’ attention to idioms of comparison which are most useful and most frequent. As there are so many idioms of comparison in English culture, about 700, students aren’t liable to memorize and apply all of them in their daily life. Students should be taught to know what idioms of comparison they should learn.ConclusionThere are both similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese idioms of comparison. The same or different image can bear resemblance in the meaning of English and Vietnamese idioms of comparison. In addition, there are some idioms of comparison which have the same components but the meaning are quite different. Great as have the researcher made an attempt to do the research, there are some restrictions on the research out of the limited time and other unexpected factors. The researcher hopes that the research will a useful material for learners and teachers to learn or teach most effectively.Get Help With Your EssayIf you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help!Find out more