Viện Đại Học Mở Hà NộiHanoi Open University

Tiểu LuậnMôn học : Ngữ Dụng Học

Đề tài : “Greeting” as speech acts in Vietnamese and English

Hà Nội, 11-2015

I Introdutory

As we all know, differences in culture are one of the main problems leading to a failure of communication. Thus, if learners want to develop their communicative competence in the target language, besides listening and speaking, they should improve a wide knowledge about sociolinguistics. Usually in daily life, people tend to use the illocutionary act rather than the locutionary act. Therefore, learners have difficulties in using the target language appropriately in different contexts.

A greeting is not an exception. It is considered as the important aspect in cultural life of each nation. There are many different ways of greeting. In Western countries such as France, Spain or Italy, people greet friends by kissing on both cheeks while in the Middle East, Muslims always hug persons of the same sex when greeting each other. What an interesting thing! How about Asians like us?

The peoples in Asian countries are quite reticent. So, the way they greet is also discreet and respectful. In Vietnam, greetings are part and parcel of everyday life. Vietnamese ancestors said: “Lời chào cao hơn mâm cỗ”. The statement reveals that greetings played an important role in the old days of our country.

According to Goffman, greetings provide the means of the opening conversations appropriately, establish and maintain social relationship (as cited in Li, 2009, p.1), for example “Hello” or “Hi”. In addition, the basic functions of greetings are also to identify the presence of communicators and to show their concern. However, modes of communication in all languages are not the same.

That is the reason why imposing the rules of one language on another’s can cause negative transfer which leads awkwardness and misunderstanding through analysing“Greeting” as speech acts in Vietnamese and English specified by 3 works “ Số đỏ” by Vũ Trọng Phụng, “Lời chào của Người Việt” by Nguyễn Ngân and “The devils wear Prada” by Lauren Weisberger.

II Speech Acts in General

1 Definition of Speech acts

According to Yule G (1996: 47), in attempting to express themselves, people do not only produce utterances containing grammatical structures and words, they perform actions via those utterances. For example:

- You’re fired ( the act of the hearer’s employment)- You’re beautiful girl ( the

act of complimenting)- Hello, young lady (the act

of greeting the hearer)- Look! It’s flying. ( the act

of expressing surprise)

Action performed via utterances are generally called speech acts and, in English, they are more specifically refferd to as apology, complaint, aompliment, invitation, promise, or request.

The speech event is circumstance which determines the interpretation of an uttrance as performing a particular speech act.

2 Classification of speech acts

According to Searles , there are five types of speech acts

a, Declarations :

Those kinds of speech acts that change the world via their atterance.

Example : You’re fired

b, Representatives :

Those kinds of speech acts that state what speaker believes to be the case or not. Statements of fact, assertions, conclusions, and descriptions are all examples of representatives.

Example : Orange is the new black.

c, Expressives :

Those kinds of a speechs acts that state what the speaker feels. They express psychological state and can be a statements of pleasure, pain, likes, dislike, joy or sorrow.

Example : mmm, yummy !

d, Directives :

Those kinds of speech acts that speakers use to get someone else to do something. They express what the speaker wants. They are commands, orders, request, suggestion, and they can be positive or negative.

Example: Let’s go party.

e, Commissives :

Those kinds of speech acts that the speaker use to commit themselves to some future action. They are promises, threats, refusals, pledges, and they can be performed by the speaker alone or by the speaker as a member of a group.

Example : By tomorrow, I’ll find out who stole your phone.

II “Greeting” in Vietnamese and “English” speech act

1 “Greeting” categories in Vietnamese speech acts

a, “Greeting” direct

We common forms could be used for direct greetings:

“Speaker + xin chào + listener!” (Lời chào của người Việt)

“Speaker + chào + listener!” (Lời chào của người Việt)

“Xin chào + listener!” (Lời chào của người Việt)

“Chào + listener!” (Lời chào của người Việt)

We often use thess forms for formal and informal contexts.

Ex: Mình xin chào các bạn! (Formal) (Lời chào của người Việt)

Con chào bố! (Formal) (Lời chào của người Việt)

Xin chào Ngài! (Formal) (Lời chào của người Việt)

Chào em! (Informal) (Lời chào của người Việt)

Chào nhóc! (Informal) (Lời chào của người Việt)

Because of performative verb “chào”, the speech is expressed directly. Direct greetings might be identified through the use of others performative verb such as “chào”, “kính chào”, “chào mừng”. According to Austin (2000), a performative verb is a verb which “names” the speech act. These verbs perform their functions in direct and literal manners.

In Vietnamese, the way to address the listener is various. It depends on who you are talking to. Sometimes when we talk to older person, we need to add a intensifier “dạ”, “ạ” to be more politeness.

Ex: Chúng em chào cô ạ! (Lời chào của người Việt)

Dạ, con chào bác! (Lời chào của người Việt)

For young people to old people. Young people have to greet first then the old can response by smiling, nodding or using simple re- greeting.

In addition to, in formal meetings or ceremonies, there are some greeting expressions especially used such as:

Ex: “Xin kính chào” (Lời chào của người Việt)

“ Kính chào quý vị quan khách” (Lời chào của người Việt)

“Chào mừng quý vị đại biểu”, (Lời chào của người Việt)

“Nhiệt liệt chào mừng” (Lời chào của người Việt)

b, “Greeting” Indirect

“Greeting” by using a question

Asking about health

Ex: “Bẩm củ vẫn mạnh khỏe? Bẩm sau khi tôi chữa

cho cụ thì cụ không đau yếu gì nữa, không phải mời thầy chạy thuốc gì nữa chứ? (Số đỏ) Asking about work

Ex:“ Cửa hàng ngài dạo này có đông khách không?”

(Số đỏ)“Từ độ tôi không lại giúp thì cửa hàng vẫn đông

khách chứ?” Số đỏ

Asking about on- going action

Ex:“ Đi đâu một mình vậy bạn ơi?” ( P.150 - Số đỏ) “ Thế toa đến từ bao giờ thế hả toa?” (P.65 - Số

đỏ )

“Greeting” by using exclaimation

Ex:“Lạy cụ! Thật không ngờ hôm nay cụ Hồng lại

quá bộ đến chơi với em! (P.63 - Số đỏ)

“Greeting” by using compliment

Ex:“Thưa ngài, tóc ngài nhuộm bằng thứ thuốc hóa

học nào đấy ạ? Bẩm đẹp lắm, thật là hợp thời trang! ( P.98 - Số đỏ)

“Greeting” by using a congratulation

Ex:“Thưa cụ, tôi xin có lời trân trọng chúc mừng cụ

và cặp uyên ương.” (P.224- Số đỏ)

“Greeting” by using an invitation

Ex:“Lạy dì, dì vào đây cho cháu hỏi khẽ cái này.” (P

47- Số đỏ)

2, “Greeting” categories in English speech acts

a, “Greeting” Direct

- “Greeting” in English mostly based on time.

Greeting at any time of the day

Ex:“Hello”(P.19)

Greeting at specific time of the day

Ex:“Andrea, good morning!” (P.19)

- “ Greeting” in English based on the sittuation (formal or informal).

Informal

“Hi, Andy”(P.66)

Formal

“Hi. I’m Alison, as you properly know.” (P.14)b, “Greeting” indirect

“Greeting” by using questions

Ex:

“Ahn-dre-ah Ahn-dre-ah! Can you hear me, Ahn-dre-ah?” ( P.3 - The Devil wear Prada)

“Hey, What’s up?Are you on the street? It sounds so loud” (P.4- The Devil wear Prada )

“Greeting” by using congratulations

Ex:“Congratulation, you two! I have to say your mother

really worried. You’re certainly not newlywed anymore, you know. We were beginning to wonder…”(P.55- The Devil wear Prada)

“Greeting” by using exclaimation

Ex:

“You’re lucky to have such an awesome job!”“Nice boots!”(P.29- The Devil wear Prada)

“Greeting” by using IntrodutoryEx:

“I’m Andrea” (P27- The Devil wear Prada)“I’m Eduardo, and this idiot here’s Mikey”(P.27- The Devil wear Prada)

III References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeting

Ho Ngoc Trung , (2014) , Lecture on Discourse Analysis

M. Eisentein Ebsworth, (1996),Cross- cultural Realization

of Greeting in American English, Berlin: Muonton de

Gruyter.

Le Quang Thiem, (2004), Nghiên cứu đối chiếu các ngôn

ngữ. Ha noi: Ha noi National University Publisher.

Lauren Weisberger , () , The Devil wear Prada

Nguyen Thien Giap , (2000) , Dụng học Việt ngữ. Ha noi:

Ha noi National University Publisher.

Nguyen Ngan, (n.d.), Loi chao cua nguoi Viet. Retrieved

Dec 23, 2010,

http://nguvan.hnue.edu.vn/NghiencuuKhoahoc/Ngonngu/

tabid/89/ArticleID/56/Default.aspx

Vu Trong Phung , (1936) , Số Đỏ