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i

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis
contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole, or in part
from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or
diploma.
No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement
in the thesis.
This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or
diploma in any other tertiary institution.
Da Nang, 2006

Huỳnh Thị Thanh Vân


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ii

ABSTRACT
The thesis explores semantic features of English verb “Get” and its
Vietnamese equivalents “Lấy, nhận” in terms of the semantic categories of
“acquiring”, “obtaining” and “receiving”. Through the contrastive analysis, I
identified the similarities and differences of these verbs on semantic and
syntactic aspects. Especially, greater attention was paid to the semantic field.
The study was carried out through the qualitative and descriptive approach.
Over one thousand samples were taken from different sources such as novels,
short stories, films, daily conversations in English and Vietnamese to

2.2.2. Sense Relations ........................................................................... 9
2.2.3. General View of Verb................................................................. 18
2.3. Summary .................................................................................................. 25
CHAPTER 3:

METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES

3.1 Research Design and Methodology .......................................................... 26
3.2 Research Procedures ................................................................................. 27


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3.3 Data Collection ......................................................................................... 28
3.4. Data Analysis ........................................................................................... 29
CHAPTER 4:

RESEARCH AND DISCUSSION

4.1. Syntactic and Semantic Characteristics of the English Verb “Get” ....... 30
4.1.1. Basic Syntactic and Semantic Characteristics of the Verb “Get” ........... 30
4.1.2. Syntactic and Semantic Performances of the Verb ‘Get’ in the .. 37
Semantic Categories of “Acquiring,” “Obtaining,” and “Receiving”
4.2. Syntactic and Semantic Characteristics of the Vietnamese Verbs ....................53
“Lấy”, “Nhận” in the Semantic Categories of “Acquiring,” “Obtaining,” and “Receiving”
4.2.1. Syntactic and Semantic Characteristics of the Vietnamese Verb “Lấy”
4.2.2. Syntactic and Semantic Characteristics of the Vietnamese Verb “Nhận”
4.3. Similarities and Differences of the Verbs “Get” and “Lấy”, “Nhận”...... 64
Under Investigated Semantic Categories
4.3.1. The Verb “Nhận” in Contrast with the Verb “Get”...................... 64

C

Complement

Complex-trans. V

Complex-transitive verb

Conv

Daily conversation

HBO

HBO channel

IO

Indirect object

Mono-trans. V

Mono-transitive verb

NP

Noun phrase

PP


Table 4.1. Diagram of the Main Senses of “Get” .......................................34
Table 4.2. Summary of the Main Senses of the Verb “Get”
and Its Equivalents in Vietnamese................................................37
Table 4.3. The Semantic Features of the Verb “Get” in Terms of the
Semantic Categories of “Acquiring,” “Obtaining”, and
“Receiving” ..................................................................................50
Table 4.4. Summary of the Main Senses of the Verb “Lấy” and Its
English Equivalents...............................................................................59
Table 4.5. The Main Senses of the Verb Get and Vietnamese
Equivalents in the Semantic Categories of
“Obtaining,” “Acquiring,” and “Receiving” ...............................64
Table 4.6. The Common and Distinctive Semantic Features of
the Verbs “Get” and “Lấy” “Nhận”. ............................................78


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vi

REFERENCES
Vietnamese
[1] Diệp Quang Ban (2002), Giáo Trình Ngữ Pháp Tiếng Việt, Trung tâm
ĐTTX- Đại học Huế.
[2] Nguyễn Tài Cẩn, (1998), Ngữ Pháp Tiếng Việt, Nxb ĐHQG Hà Nội.
[3] Nguyễn Hoà (2004), Understanding English Semantics, Nxb DHQG Hà Nội.
[4]

Nguyễn Hoà Lạc (2000), An Outline of Syntax, Nxb TPHCM

[5] Trần Hữu Mạnh, (2003), “Phân tích Đối chiếu Động ngữ Tiếng Anh và

[18] Leech, G., Cruickshank, B., & Ivanic, R. (1989), An A-Z of English
Grammar and Usage, Edward Arnold, A Division of Holder and
Stoughton, London, Melbourne Auckland, 162-175.
[19] Levin, B. (1993), English Verb Classes and Alternations, University of
Chicago Press.
[20] Lyons, J. (1996), Linguistic Semantics-An Introduction, Cambridge
University Press.
[21] Miller J. (1998), An Introduction to English Syntax, Edinburgh
University Press.
[22] Quirk R. (1985), A Grammar of Contemporary English, (9th
impression), Longman, 342-369, 801-853.
[23] Thompson L.C., (1991), A Vietnamese Reference Grammar, University
of Hawaii Press.
[24] Widdowson H.G., (1996), Linguistics, Oxford University Press, 57-61.


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SOURCE OF EXAMPLES QUOTED
Vietnamese
[25] Nam Cao (2003), Những Tác Phẩm Tiêu Biểu trước 1945, Nxb Giáo Dục.
[26] Nguyễn Công Hoan (2001), Bước Đường Cùng, Nxb Đồng Nai.
[27] Nguyễn Lân (2000), Từ Điển Từ và Ngữ, Nxb TPHCM, 1039-1040.
[28] Nhiều tác giả (1999), Từ Điển Anh Việt, Nxb TP HCM, 733.
[29] Nhiều tác giả (1999), Từ Điển Tiếng Việt, Nxb Thanh Hoá.
[30] John Steinbeck (1993), The Grapes of Wrath, Biên tập: Phạm Sông Hồng.
[31] W.M. Thackơrê (1988), Hội Chợ Phù Hoa, Người dịch: Trần Kiêm, Tập
1,2 Nxb Văn học, Nxb Đà Nẵng.
[32] Viện Khoa học Ngôn Ngữ (1994), Từ Điển Anh Việt, Nxb Khoa Học Xã
Hội, 692-693.

[47] Song Hong Publisher (1963), Impasse, (A Translated version of the
original copy Bước đường cùng by Nguyen Cong Hoan).
[48] Thackeray, W.M. (1948), Vanity fair, The Zodiac Press.

Web pages
[49] http://web.lancaster.ac.uk (2006)
[50] http://web.ling.sem.verb (2006)
[51] http://web.ling.wiki.hut (2006)
[52] http://web. Top Ten Uses of Get. Wiki (2006)
[53] http://web.unc.edu.ling (2005)


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vii
APPENDIX
Exercise: Decide between “have” or “get”, sometimes the verb needs
to be conjugated or put in the infinitive or gerund form.
1. I don’t care how much it costs! ______ me to the airport as fast as
you can!
2. I’d really like ______ fit, I just can’t find the time.
3. Waiter:
Customer:

Would you like something to drink?
Yes, I ______ a diet root beer.

4. No, no, you are my dinner guest tonight. Let me ______ the check.
5. Can you wait for ten minutes? I need ______ a rest.
6. This computer is so frustrating! I ______ problems ever since I

qua gương mặt đó một chút.
5. He may be bad, but he’s got something that attracts animals [40, p.321].
Có lẽ hắn không may, nhưng hắn đã có một cái gì đó hấp dẫn được
những con vật đấy.
6. Some got down on one knee to shoot from below while others ran
from side to side trying to get a profile [40, p.358].
Vài người phải quỳ 1 chân xuống để chụp từ dưới lên, trong khi những người
khác chạy từ bên này sang bên nọ cố gắng để lấy được 1 ảnh chụp nghiêng.
8. If they got buff today there would only be rhino to come [38, p.80].
Nếu hôm nay mà họ hạ sát được trâu rừng, thì chỉ còn lại có tê giác thôi.
9. We got these pigs from Mount Ida, see you? [44, p.32]
Bọn mình đã cho tụi Mount Ida một mẻ, cậu hiểu không ... ?
10. Dowstairs it was tough to get a cab, it being theatre hour and all
[44, p.274].
Không dễ gọi được taxi vì đúng vào giờ tan rạp hát.
11. He decided, then, that he would try to get more certain proof that his father
was murdered than that of a spirit, or ghost, which might be false [45, p.51].


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Bấy giờ chàng quyết định rằng chàng sẽ thử tìm cách có nhiều bằng
chứng chắc chắn chứng tỏ cha chàng bị mưu sát hơn là bằng chứng
của một linh hồn, hay hồn ma có thể giả dối.
12. I got out my codebook and worked out what the letter said [41, p.224].
Tôi lấy cuốn mật mã ra và giải mã xem trong thư nói gì.
13. Then Hamlet asked her how she could continue to live with this
man and be a wife to him, who had murdered her first husband, and got
the crown by the same false means as a thief [45, p.56].
Rồi Hamlet hỏi bà làm sao bà lại có thể tiếp tục sống với con người


[40, p.100]

Vậy anh muốn tôi lấy gì để khoác lên lưng tôi đây cơ chứ?
2. And they saw Chi Pheo rolling over and over on the ground
screaming, his face lacerated with broken glass [35, p.23].
Và họ thấy Chí Phèo lăn lộn dưới đất vửa kêu vừa lấy mảnh chai cào
vào mặt.
3. They were securely placed and hard to extract [26, p.38].
Những thức ấy khó lòng lấy ra được.
4. She had to weave some meters of stuff to sell them the next day to
pay the interests on their debt [47, p.120].
Thị lại phải dệt vải lấy tấm vải để mai đi bán về đưa lãi nợ.
5. With his towel, Pha wiped the cup which was on the altar and
reverently carried the tray to the bed [47, p.61]
Pha lấy khăn rửa mặt lau chiếc chén vẫn úp trên củi trong buồng, rồi
cung kính bưng mâm lên.
6. The Guard who was lying on a bed nearby rose to his feet picked up
the bunch of keys and opened the detention cell [47, p.88].


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Một người lính đang nằm ở phản gần đó ngồi nhỏm dậy, lấy chìa khóa,
mở cửa buồng giam.
7. His wife dabbed his palms and the soles of his fat with some lime to
sober him up [47, p.123]
Vợ anh lấy vôi bôi vào bàn chân, bàn tay cho anh.
8. Where ever you hide it, go and bring it back here [47, p.190].
Giấu chỗ nào thì đi mà lấy về.

superiority [48, p.550]
Amêlia sợ hãi đứng lặng nghe Đôphin tuyên bố lấy lại quyền tự do và
ưu thế của mình.
16. Because his intention is to drag things cut and seize your land.
Ý lão muốn ngâm đấy để lấy ruộng kia [26, p.157].
17. I suppose Becky was discontented with the new piano her husband
had hired for her, or perhaps the proprietors of that instrument had
fetched it away, declining further credit [48, p.136].
Tôi cho là Bêcky không ưa cây dương cầm mới, chồng vừa thuê cho
mình, hoặc có lẽ người chủ đã lấy về rồi, không cho thuê tiếp nữa.
18. Thi No was very pleased [35, p.58]
Thi No lấy làm bằng lòng lắm.
19. I’ve always felt ashamed of having taken the poor old man’s money
[48, p.440].
Bắt buộc phải tiêu tiền của người đàn bà khốn khổ ấy, tôi vẫn lấy làm ngượng.
20. Impatient, he stamped the grand and scraped the moss of the wall
with his fingers [47, p.133].
Chờ nóng ruột, anh gí chân xuống đất, và lấy tay cạo rêu tường.


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Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Statement of the Problem
Language is the medium by which we think and communicate. In the
language communication we have difficulties in expressing our ideas,
especially in transferring meanings of words from a language to another one,
in our case from English to Vietnamese and vice versa. English is very
complicated for Vietnamese learners. As English and Vietnamese are of two

use of the verbs “get” and “ lấy,” “nhận” in the meaning of “obtaining,”
“acquiring” and “receiving” can be of practical value and the same thing can
be said to the learners of Vietnamese. From my own teaching experience, I
have found that Vietnamese learners in general and the students at my college
in particular have met with some problems in using and understand the
meaning of the English verb “get.”
For example: (1) Let me get my diary.

[39, p.133]

- Get my diary in (1) means take the diary or go and bring the diary back.
(2) He hurries out to get the bus.

[39, p.132]

- Get the bus in (2) means take, catch the bus, or go by bus.
(3) Mary can’t get leave from her father.

[28, p.733]

- Get leave in (3) transfers the sense of asking for permission.
Therefore, a study for the successful way to translate ‘Get’ into
Vietnamese and ‘Lấy, nhận’ into English will be a contribution to the
teaching and learning the two languages. Similarities and differences found
from the analysis between English and Vietnamese will be of great benefit to
Vietnamese learners of English and foreign students of Vietnamese as well.


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- What are the common syntactic and semantic features of the verbs
“get” and “lấy,” “ nhận”?
- What are the distinctive semantic features of each verb?
- What differences and similarities in terms of syntax and semantics
exist among the verbs “get” and “lấy,” “ nhận”?
- How should we translate the verb “get” into Vietnamese and “lấy,”
“nhận” into English?

1.5 Methods of the Study
The study is carried out through descriptive, qualitative, and contrastive
methods. The qualitative research design is used and supported by an
empirical of data collected.

1.6 Organization of the Study
The study consists of five chapters:
Chapter 1, Introduction includes the statement of the problem, the aims
and objectives, research questions, research methods, the scope and
organization of the study
Chapter 2 highlights prior studies on which the research can be based.
Furthermore, the section discusses a variety of concepts related to the field of
semantics in which stress is laid on the semantic features and componential
analysis. General view of English and Vietnamese verbs is also given.
The Methodology and Procedures of the study involving the design,
and procedures of the research, the data description of the study are presented
in Chapter 3.
Chapter 4 deals with the investigation into common as well as
distinctive semantic features of each verb. Description of the verbs ‘get’ and

an indispensable stage in language learning and teaching. Ginzburg (1979)
realized each language contains words, which cannot be translated directly
from this language into another [14, p.237]. Thus, the comparativist compares
languages in order to trace their philogenic relationships, but Contrastive
linguistics attempt to find out similarities and differences in both
philogenically related and non-related languages. Fries [13, p.9] stated that
the most effective teaching materials are those that are based upon a scientific
description of the language to be learned carefully compared with a parallel
description of the native language of the learners.
In recent years among research works of linguistics there have been
different schools of thought, and a number of attempts have been made to find
efficient procedures for the analysis and interpretation of meaning. An


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important step forward was taken in 1950’s with the development of
componential analysis.
In fact the more common the word the more meanings it has. It is true
for the verb ‘get’ which is most complicated in meaning. Kenneth Beare
(2006) stated that the verb “get” is used in many senses in English and can be
confusing at times [52, p.1].
About multiple-class membership of verbs in the book, entitled “A
Grammar of Contemporary English” Quirk R. et al (1985) defined six patterns
of the verb “get” [22, p.348].
In Vietnam, we may mention certain recent research works on the
semantic issues. Nguyễn Hoà (2004) relying on the works of many scholars
provided us with the complete view on Semantics – a fascinating field. In the
thesis titled ‘Verbs Denoting Causative Process’ by Luong Kim Thu ‘get’ was
defined as a causative verb, e.g. ‘You’ll never get him to understand’ [8,

are different because they function in speech differently. To examine, can be
followed by a noun (examine is a verb), preceded by a pronoun (we examine),
etc. The position occupied by the word examination is different: it may be
follow by a preposition (examination of students), preceded by an adjective
(important examination), and so on.
As the distribution of the two words is different, we can conclude that
not only do they belong to different classes of words, but that their meanings
are different as well.
The same is true of the different meanings of one or the same word. We
can observe the difference of the meanings of the word get if we examine its
functions in different linguistic contexts; ‘get a letter’ (a chair, a telegram...)
as opposed to ‘to get to somewhere’.


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It follows that in the functional approach 1/ semantic investigation is
confined to the analysis of the difference or sameness of meaning; 2/ meaning is
understood essentially as the function of the use of linguistic units [21, p.35].
2.2.2. Sense Relations
2.2.2.1. Types of Meaning
Word meaning is not homogeneous but is made up of various
components, the combination and the interrelation of which determine to a
great extent the inner facet of the word. These components are usually
described as types of meaning. There are 2 main types of meanings: the
grammatical and the lexical meanings.
+ Grammatical meaning [14, p.18] may be defined as the component of
meaning recurrent in identical sets of individual forms of different words as
e.g., the tense meaning in the word-forms of verbs (spoke, talked, got, etc) or
the case meaning in the word-forms of various nouns (men’s, dentist’s, etc.).