A study on famyly – related English and
VietNamese proverbs ( Froma a lingual –
perspetive )
Trần Thế Khoa

Trường Đại học Noại Ngữ
Luận văn ThS. Chuyên ngành:English Linguistics; Mã số: 60 22 15
Người hướng dẫn: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Văn Độ
Năm bảo vệ: 2009

Abstract: English and Vietnamese proverbs are really interesting to study. The proverb is
considered to be the horse of conversation. When the conversation drops, the proverb picks it
up. Proverbs on family relationships are useful for not only old people but also young ones.
Accordingly, proverbs in general and family-related proverbs in particular express justice or
an event implying justice. Moreover, proverbs give us good advice and useful moral lessons.
The study on family-related English and Vietnamese proverbs from a language-cultural
perspective is an attempt to contribute a comprehensive account of outstanding features of
proverbs, especially family-related ones. The contrastive analysis helps to distinguish English
proverbs from Vietnamese ones in terms of family relationships. Accordingly, such
relationships are expressed in proverbs: parentage, marital status, brotherhood, sisterhood,
offspring’s duty, etc. Through family-related proverbs, we can draw plenty of useful moral
lessons so as to develop young people’s personalities and encourage them to behave better.
My study consists of three main parts: introduction, development and conclusion. The main
part of this minor thesis, development, contains two chapters in which chapter 1 deals with
the theoretical background: language and culture relationships, comparison between two
cultures, what proverbs are, family relationships, family proverbs, etc. Chapter 2 deals with a
contrastive analysis on family-related English and Vietnamese proverbs from a language-
cultural perspective. In the conclusion, I have dealt with the implication for English language
teaching and learning besides the recapitulation.The result of the study, as for me, may make
a great contribution to the translation of English proverbs, especially family-related ones. In
addition, it may also provide helpful suggestions for teachers of English and learners in using

1.3. Definitions of Proverbs and Family Proverbs
1.3.1. Definitions of Proverbs………………………………………………………… 8
1.3.2. Family Proverbs………………………………………………………………….9
1.4. Definitions of Idioms……………………….…………………………………… .10
1.5. Proverbs versus Idioms, Sayings, Conventional Phrases and Phrasal Verbs…… 11
1.6. Main Features of Proverbs from a Language-Cultural Perspective
1.6.1. National Features……………………………………………………………… 12
1.6.2. Meanings of Proverbs………………………………………………….……… 13
1.6.2.1. Synecdoche
1.6.2.2. Metaphor
1.6.3. Rhyming Words in Proverbs……………………………………………………13

v
1.6.4. Contrary Proverbs…………………………………………………………… 13
1.7. Summary……………………………………………………………… ……… 13

CHAPTER 2: TENTATIVE CLASSIFICATION AND COMPARISON OF FAMILY-
RELATED ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE PROVERBS
2.1. Tentative Classification of Family-Related English and Vietnamese Proverbs 14
2.2. Comparison of Family-Related English and Vietnamese Proverbs
2.2.1. Attitudes towards Women………………………………………… …….15
2.2.1.1. Attitudes towards Women in Family-Related Vietnamese Proverbs
2.2.1.2. Attitudes towards Women in Family-Related English Proverbs
2.2.2. Love ……………………………………………………………………….18
2.2.2.1. Love in Family-Related Vietnamese Proverbs……………………… 18
2.2.2.2. Love in Family-Related English Proverbs………………… ……….19
2.2.3. Marriage
2.2.3.1. Marriage in Family-Related Vietnamese Proverbs…………… ……19
2.2.3.2. Marriage in Family-Related English Proverbs……………………… 21
2.2.4. Choosing Mates

REFERENCES………………………………………………………… ……………40
APPENDIX I
1
Introduction

1. Rationale
We are living in an era of globalization and integration. English, an international
language has become a very necessary means of communication and cross-communication
has become a pivotal demand for people the world over. English may be considered to be
the language of dancing since dancing is a language and you can speak with anyone.
Through language, people can express their opinions and exchange their ideas. Moreover,
they can exchange their material and spiritual values making the cultural knowledge of one
another richer and more diversified. Nevertheless, in each language there exist similar and
different cultural concepts on many aspects of life such as customs, traditions, social
conventions, human values, attitudes, behaviours, etc. How can a foreign language learner
communicate successfully with native speakers if they have poor understanding of the
language itself and the language related to culture.
Through proverbs, each person knows the other’s point of view and ways of thinking.
Moreover, we understand one another via customs, traditions, lifestyles, etc. We become
friendly as a result. Dr. Denis Brutus, a Literature professor at the University of
Pittsburgh, the USA, specified and extended the reality of the research of proverbs. He
said, “Through proverbs, I know your points of view, the attitudes of your ancestors. Each
time I know a new Vietnamese proverb, I become Vietnamese a little. I believe when we
know all proverbs of each other, we are brothers.” Somalian people said, “Proverbs put
spice into speech.” Yobura people in South Africa consider the proverb to be an animal
which nods its head when climbing uphill. They said, “The proverb is the horse of
conversation, when the conversation drops, the proverb picks it up”. Vietnamese people

- To apply family-related English and Vietnamese proverbs to teaching and learning both
English and Vietnamese for Vietnamese people and foreigners, to create interesting and
effective lessons and to form moral norms so as to educate students to become good
citizens
- To contrast the beauty, essence and elegance of family-related English and Vietnamese
proverbs and their usage.
3. Scopes of the Study
Proverbs are plentiful in both English and Vietnamese. Therefore, it is impossible
for the author to carry out an all-rounded study on them. Only family-related proverbs are
selected and a comparison between English and Vietnamese is made to distinguish one
from the other. 3
In this study, only semantic features of family-related English and Vietnamese
proverbs are discussed; cultural features are analyzed, not syntactic ones.
All English and Vietnamese proverbs are collected from dictionaries, books and the
Internet. Hence, this research does not cover all family-related English and Vietnamese
proverbs, just those of common use (more than 200 Vietnamese proverbs and about 200
English proverbs).

4. Methods of the Study
Contrastive Analysis is the main research approach used in my M.A. minor thesis.
Quantitative and qualitative methods are used. By virtue of the quantitative method, data
have been collected for the study including both English and Vietnamese proverbs
denoting family relationships. The qualitative method is applied to describe and analyze
the data of the study. Using statistics and deduction can help the author of this minor thesis
to improve his teaching. This can be applied to English teaching and learning at Quang
Ninh Center for Continuing Education and Cadre Training.


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University of Trier Press.
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18. Stone, E. (1988), How Family Stories Shape Us, Glamour.
19. Thuy, Vu Thi (2007), English Idioms about Human Characteristics through the Images
of Animals, M.A. Minor Thesis, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
20. Tu, Dao Thanh (2007), Idiomatic Expressions Containing the Word “Dog” in English
and Vietnamese, M.A. Minor Thesis, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
21. Vera, R.J. (1994), Aging Families and Use of Proverbs for Values Enrichment, The
Haworth Press, Inc., New York – London – Norwood.

In Vietnamese