MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HANOI OPEN UNVERSITY

NGUYỄN THỊ THANH MAI

A STUDY ON ENGLISH IDIOMS DENOTING
"FEAR” WITH REFERENCE TO THE
VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS
(NGHIÊN CỨU CÁC BIỂU ĐẠT MANG TÍNH THÀNH NGỮ VỀ
NỖI SỢ HÃI TRONG SỰ LIÊN HỆ TƯƠNG ĐƯƠNG VỚI TIẾNG VIỆT)

M.A. THESIS
Field: English Language
Code: 60220201

Hanoi, 2015


MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HANOI OPEN UNVERSITY

NGUYỄN THỊ THANH MAI

A STUDY ON ENGLISH IDIOMS DENOTING
“FEAR” WITH REFERENCE TO THE
VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS

(NGHIÊN CỨU CÁC BIỂU ĐẠT MANG TÍNH THÀNH NGỮ VỀ
NỖI SỢ HÃI TRONG SỰ LIÊN HỆ TƯƠNG ĐƯƠNG VỚI TIẾNG VIỆT)

M.A. THESIS


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all those who gave me
the possibility to complete this thesis.
First of all, I am deeply indebted to my beloved supervisor, Dr. Trần
Thị Thu Hiền for the invaluable support, enthusiastic guidance, and
encouragement he gave me throughout my research. I am truly grateful to
her for his advice and suggestions right from the beginning when this study
was only in its formative stage. Without her untiring patience in reading the
manuscript and clarifying my ideas, the thesis would have never been in the
current shape.
Secondly, I would like to give our thanks to all lectures of
Postgraduate Faculty at Hanoi Open University for their valuable teaching
and tremendous assistance that have enlightened my study path.
Thirdly, I am also indebted to the field workers who were kind
enough to tolerate the painstaking task of collecting the data. Then my
thanks also sent to my classmates at the Master Course Class who have
taken time and trouble to alert me to errors in my thesis and provided me
with useful data on which this thesis is based.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to family members whose
support and encouragements have greatly contributed to the completion of
my study. For my little experience and knowledge, I would like to receive
more useful comments from lectures and others.

ii


ABSTRACT
Idioms are used regularly and naturally in everyday communication,
however, the inner meaning of the concept of idioms is still unclear to a lot


iv


TABLE CONTENTS
CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY ........................................................ i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT ..............................................................................................iii
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ........................................................ iv
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 1
1.1. Rationale for the research ..................................................................... 1
1.2. Aims of the research............................................................................. 2
1.3. Objectives of research .......................................................................... 3
1.4. Scope of the research............................................................................ 3
1.5. Significance of the research.................................................................. 3
1.6. Structural organization of the thesis ..................................................... 4
Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW...................................................... 6
2.1. Review of previous studies ................................................................... 6
2.2. Review of theoretical background ......................................................... 7
2.2.1. Theoretical framework .................................................................... 7
2.1.2. Theoretical background ................................................................... 8
2.1.2.1. Idioms ....................................................................................... 8
2.1.2.2. Idioms and other languages units ............................................ 18
2.2.2.2. Human Emotions ..................................................................... 22
2.3. Summary............................................................................................. 26
Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY .............................................................. 27
3.1. Research-governing orientations ........................................................ 27
3.1.1. Research questions ........................................................................ 27
3.1.2 Research setting ............................................................................. 27
3.1.3 Research approaches ...................................................................... 28

4.3. Implications ........................................................................................ 47
4.3.1. General suggestions on teaching idioms ........................................ 47
4.3.1.1. Cultural differences ................................................................. 48


4.3.1.2. Word order in idioms .............................................................. 49
4.3.1.3. Idioms and sound patterns ....................................................... 49
4.3.2. A model lesson.............................................................................. 50
4.3.2.1. Activity 1: Find someone who is afraid ................................... 50
4.3.2.2. Activity 2: Combining language and living skills .................... 52
4.3.2.3. Longer lessons: Integrated skills ............................................. 54
4.3. Summary ............................................................................................ 65
Chapter 5: CONCLUSIONS .................................................................. 66
5.1. Recapitulation .................................................................................... 66
5.2. Concluding remarks ........................................................................... 66
5.3. Limitations of the current research ..................................................... 67
5.4. Recommendations and suggestions for a further research................... 68
5.4.1. Recommendations ......................................................................... 68
5.4.2. Suggestions for a further research ................................................. 68
REFERENCES ........................................................................................ 69
BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................... 72
APPENDIX 1............................................................................................ 73
APPENDIX 2............................................................................................ 79


Chapter 1:
INTRODUCTION
1.1.

Rationale for the research

semantic features. Let’s take the case of the idiom “chattering teeth”. In
English, this idiom cannot be translated literally words by words into
Vietnamese. Meanwhile, this idiom is equivalent to such Vietnamese idiom
as “sợ run cầm cập” or longer explanation as “sợ răng va vào nhau cầm
cập”. In this way, differences in idioms expressing fear could cause
difficulties and problems for learners of English and Vietnamese as a
foreign language.
In the process of learning and then teaching English as a foreign
language, the author of this paper herself, has made mistakes some time
when using English idiomatic expressions and translating them from
English into Vietnamese. In spite of the fact that there are various types of
English

idiomatic

expressions

denoting human

being

physical

and mental conditions, those relating to emotion and feelings seem to be the
most difficult and interesting. However, it is due to the limitation of time
and requirement of a master thesis, just “A study on English idioms
denoting “FEAR ” with reference to the Vietnamese and equivalents”
could be taken into consideration.
1.2.


impossible to carry out a comprehensive study of all kinds of English
idiomatic expressions. Within the framework of a mater graduation thesis,
English idiomatic expressions denoting fear with reference to the
Vietnamese equivalents could be put under investigation of this thesis.
This thesis mainly focuses on semantic features and cultural features
of English idioms denoting fears and their Vietnamese equivalents. Other
aspects are out of the scope of this study. They, although can be found
somewhere in this paper, are only meant to support of illustrate some
arguments of the author.
1.5.

Significance of the research
The research is expected to contribute an in-depth description of

English idiomatic expressions denoting fear in terms of syntactic and


semantic features with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents, thus making
a certain contribution to help Vietnamese EFL learners to overcome
difficulty in dealing with idioms denoting fear in particular and idioms in
general.
1.6.

Structural organization of the thesis

The study is organized into five chapters: Introduction, Literature
Review, Methodology, Findings and Discussion, and Conclusion.
Chapter 1 - Introduction: presents the rationale to the study, aims and
objectives of the research, scope of the research, significance of the study
and structure of the thesis.


anger in English and Vietnamese in terms of syntax and semantic, and
indicate the distinction between idioms meanings by native speakers of
English and Vietnamese. Syntactically, the classification of the data is
mainly based on the different structural categories, namely: noun phrases,
verb phrases, adjective phrases, prepositional phrases and adverbial
phrases… The study focuses on “the basis of typical semantic and syntactic
features of idioms expressing anger in both languages” (Nguyen Thi Thu
Hien, 2013). With regard to the semantic results, the data reveal that the
meanings of all the collected anger idioms in English and Vietnamese could
be expressed through such means as metaphor, metonymy and symmetry.
Based on the functional grammar viewpoint, the author has investigated
each semantic field based on superficial grammatical structures. In the light
of this approach, idioms are analyzed in forms of phrasal structures and
clause structures in relation to their semantic features. The phrasal structures
could be categorized into noun phrases, verb phrases, prepositional phrases
and adverbial phrases. Besides, idioms are also structured by clauses.
Besides, Tran Ngoc Que Chau (2011) compares and contrasts idioms
denoting family in English and Vietnamese in terms of syntax and
semantics. In the syntactic aspects, idioms in English and Vietnamese are
analyzed under phrasal structures. These structures are categorized into


noun phrases, verb phrases, adjective phrases and prepositional phrases.
Semantically, English and Vietnamese idioms denoting family in her study
express their meaning through such means as metaphor, metonymy,
hyperbole and symmetry.
The author of this study finds that examining on idioms denoting fear
is interesting and worth-doing. She, however, does not study the structural
aspect of idioms but desires to look at idioms denoting fear in English and

idioms, proverbs and some other terms: sayings, phrasal verbs,
colloquialisms and so on. These approaches give insights into
understanding how certain English idiomatic expressions denoting FEAR
with reference to the Vietnamese equivalents could be put under an
investigation.
2.1.2. Theoretical background
2.1.2.1. Idioms
a. Concept of idioms
Language follows the rules but an idiom is one of the interesting
things that are anomalies of language, mavericks of the linguistic world.
The very word idiom comes from the Greek idios- “one’s own, peculiar,
strange”.
According to the definition of Vietnamese Dictionary (Linguistics
Institute -1977) “ Thành ngữ là tập hợp những từ cố định quen dung mà
nghĩa của nó thường không thể giải thích được một cách đơn giản bằng


nghĩa của các từ tạo nên nó” (An idiom is a set of expression whose
meaning is often impossible to deduce from its components)
Examples: Rán sành ra mỡ
Sợ run như cầy sấy
Đâm ba chẻ củ
“An idiom, as Jonathan Crowth (1995) defines, is a phrase whose meaning
is difficult or sometimes impossible to guess by looking at the individual
word it contains” (Advanced Learners’ Dictionary).
Or an idiom can be defined as a number of words which when taken
together, have a different meaning from the individual meaning of each
word.
Jackson, Amvela and Palmer(2000, p.66), share the similar viewpoint
on idiom definition, “an idiom may be defined as a phrase the meaning of

An example of a Vietnamese idiom “ mặt xanh nanh vàng” or “mặt hoa
da phấn” it only indicates the aesthetic – beauty or fear of a face not a
comment or advice or criticism. Even though an idiom can be ornate and
flowery (aesthetic function): so idioms do not bring about the full
understanding about life and any lesson of the people’s relationship in the
society (function of education and function of comprehension).
To sum up, an idiom is a phrase where the words together have a
meaning that is different from the dictionary definition of the individual
words, which can make idiom hard for English learners to understand..


b. Distinctive features of English idioms
Analysis of the idioms in terms of definition simultaneously
demonstrates some features of idioms. Idioms should be treated as a special
kind of every language. They separate themselves from regular rules
compared with other sorts of a language. In other words, only in idioms the
unacceptability in both meaning and form of a language could exist. If a
sentence “she puts her money where her mouth is” immediately indicates
the meaning via its words, it could be changed into passive voice “her
money is put where her mouth is”. However, strangely enough, following
the same form of every form that could be changed into passive voice
Agent – Action – Recipient, the form mentioned above must not be
employed in passive voice, otherwise, it looks odd. Because, in fact “put
one‘s money where one‘s mouth is” is an idiom, it is therefore necessary
to be known as a fixed unit which does not permit any rearrangement of
its elements. Another aspect of idioms should be put into consideration is
semantics. Whether the sentence he loses his wallet should be treated as
having a meaning directly through words or an idiom denoting “losing a
great deal of money”, it will depend on the context it is embedded with.
That means idioms deal with pragmatics.

According to Johnson-Laird (1993: vii), idioms are illogical and
frustrating features of discourse since their meanings do not depend on
the meanings of their parts and the syntactic relations of those parts.
English idioms are not only extraordinary in terms of their syntax as
analyzed but their semantics also.


While Philip (2007) believes that the ease with which an idiom can
be interpreted is based on its level of semantic transparency as well as truth
conditions and other contextual cues. As regards the level of semantic
transparency, an idiom varies from opacity to transparence. An idiom is
transparent if the expression is straightforwardly connected to its meaning,
without much semantic re-elaboration, for example mind/ watch your
language can easily bring out the meaning “be careful about what you say
in order not to upset or offend someone” at first sight. At the contrary level
to transparence is opacity when there is arbitrariness between the idiom’s
expression and its meaning, for example, “call the shots” has nothing to
do

with “be in control” since the relationship

between them is

unmotivated and the product of conventionalization. In the view of Gill
Philip, it is not easy to decide whether the idiom is transparent or not, as “it
is affected by the individual’s real-world knowledge, awareness of cultural
norms, and general familiarity with the phrase”.
Sharing the same points of view with Philip (1996), but Fernando
makes it more concrete by classifying idioms and bringing out necessary
criteria accompanied with. According to Fernando, in her book Idioms

Millions of people travel around the world and they all need to
communicate in some way. They need to acquire not only linguistic
competence but cultural awareness as well. Cross-cultural investigations can
provide materials that assist language learners to deal with the problems of
unknown environments. The native speaker puts in language his world
vision, mentality, and the relation to other people in cross-cultural dialogue,
and the non-native speaker receives that vision. “It is clear that there is a
difference between the native and the non-native speakers’ focus when they
evaluate an oral discourse. The former focuses on the vocabulary related to
the cultural and social factors. On the other hand, the latter lacks the ability
to consider such factors. This is one of the major problems of the non-native


speakers both at production and comprehension level (Kenan Dikilitaş,
2012).
Language and culture exist in each individual person. That individual
is a thinker, a creator, a transmitter of the culture, he is the part of the
society, and he uses the language for communication with other members of
this society where he is supposed to be understood as they belong to the
same community. But the indispensable condition of realization of any
communication is that a speaker and a listener should have a mutual
knowledge of realities or the background knowledge as a basis of a
language interaction to understand each other. A “Language world picture”
gives a non-native speaker the opportunity to realize the implicit meaning of
the vocabulary through explicit meaning, to understand cumulated
unconscious cultural information via background knowledge, to investigate
cultural values via communicative process, to synthesize interrelation and
interaction of the culture and the language.
Special interest should be drawn to idioms which are the most
difficult items of language. If one can use them correctly in the