A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
Running head : A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
HCM university of pedagogy
Departement of English
A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
Students : Nguyễn Thị Thủy
Instructors: Nguyễn Ngọc Vũ, PhD
HCM, 29, December, 2011
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
I.
II.
Preface
Nowadays, the need to communicate with each other is greater than ever before.
Everyone wants to get to know each other, make friends with each other, understands each other and finally become the confidants. To realize things above, we
need tools, so what is the tool required here? The first thinking crossing our mind
maybe getting to know English- The world’s language. However, in my opinion, getting to know English is not enough to communicate and express the feelings, ideas
and emotions between the people who do not have the same language, but we have
to get a command of this beautiful and colorful language. Therefore, to bridge the
gap between the knowing, and mastering this language, we need to know about the
comparison and contrast of English and Vietnamese collocation. That is the reason
why I want to give a brief essay about this topic. Let’s get started, a lot of interesting
thing await us ahead.
What is collocation?
According to Michael Mc Carthy, “Collocation” means a natural combination of
words; It refers to the way English words are closely associated with each other. For
example, do and homework go together, as do make and mistakes; tall goes with
man/woman and high with mountain.
III.
Why learn collocation?
You need to learn collocations because they will help you to speak and write English
in a more natural and accurate way. People will probably understand what you mean
if you talk about” making your homework’ or say’ My uncle is very high man’ but your
English will sound unnatural and might perhaps confuse. Did you mean that your uncle is two metres tall or did you mean that he has a high position in government or
business?(Collocations in use, 2009).
Learning collocation will also help you to increase your range of English vocabulary. For example, you’ll find it easier to avoid words like ’ very’, ‘nice’, or ‘beautiful’ or
get by choosing word that fits the context better and has more precise meaning. This
is particularly useful you are taken a written in English and want to make a good
impression on the examiners.
IV.
Vietnamese collocational patterning
1. Structural aspects of collocations
1.1
Regular patterns
The regular patterns included collected items whose structure conforms to a certain
grammatical patterning. The table below shows the different collocational types of
the regular patterns.
Collocation types
Noun-adjective
Verb-noun
Rank
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2
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
Noun-noun
Verb-adjective
Noun-verb
Adjective-noun
Verb-verb
1.1.1 Noun- adjective
3
4
5
6
7
The most predominant patterning in the Vietnamese data was the Noun- adjective
combination .
In Vietnamese, the adjectives always come right after the nouns they modify:
Ex:
-Áo đỏ: red shirt (literally: "shirt red")
They always say about the particular trait, the property of the noun (before it). They
can have the "phó từ" (like the adverbs in English) before it (e.g:"đã" for the sentence
in the past simple tense, "sẽ" for the sentence in the future simple tense, "đang" for
the sentence in the present progressive tense.
Ex:
-Lúc này, thành phố đang rất yên tĩnh: now, the city is very quiet.
The adjectives can separate to two main kinds
-The adjectives mean the relative particular trait: They can go with "rất" (very), "hơi"
(quite), etc.
-The adjectives mean the absolute particular trait: They can't go with "rất", "hơi", etc.
1.1.2 Verb- Noun
The second ranking combination was the Verb-noun pattern. The majority of items in
this data collection depicted human actions, which again reflected the prevalent literary texts as well as the press articles under investigation.
Ex:
-Bẻ cong ngòi bút: to bend the tip of the pen/to bend the truth
-Bỏ thói quen :to quit the habit/to break/kick the hat
-Cắt đường :to cut, road /to take a short-cut (of distance)
-Gửi xác :to leave one's dead body behind /to die (in a
foreign country/on the battle field
-Lấy khẩu cung: to take,mouth,word/take down one's statement
-Mò sông :to drag/dredge the river
-Móc tiền cử tri :to pickpocket, money, voter /to fleece the voters
1.1.3 Noun- noun
The fourth ranking combination was the Noun-noun pattern .
Ex:
-Bề dày lịch sử: (thickness, history) / throughout the course of history
-Đàn sói: group of wolves » pack of wolves
-Đường công danh: road to fame/career path.
-Hội viên ma: phantom club members
-Kiến lửa: (ants, fire) / fire/buH/red ants
-Lưng ong: wasp's waist/ hour-glass figure
-Lưỡi rừu: axe-tongue / axe-head/axe-blade
-Môi trái tim: heart-shaped lips /Cupid's bow mouth
-Mặt trái xoan: Japanese lilac-fruited face » oval-shaped face
1.1.4 Verb-adjective
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
This combination ranks fourth.
Ex:
-Ăn bám:(to eat, clinging) »to be a parasite/dole bludger
- Bốc lên nghi ngút:to billow (of smoke)
-Chết ngay lập tức: to die, immediate »to die instantly
-Chém liên hồi:to hack into someone unceasingly
-Chơi khăm ai:to play tricks on someone
-Chống cự ác liệt:to fight back fiercely; retaliate strongly; fight to
the death
-Cư xử hào hiệp:to behave extravagantly; treat people
Generously
1.1.5: Noun- verb
The sixth ranking combination is the Noun-verb pattern .
-Cảnh sát quần: (police, interrogate) /to be 'grilled' by the police
-Con công múa:(peacock, dance) / a dancing/prancing/strutting
peacock
-Con sâu quằn quoại:worm squirms/wriggles
- Con sói tru: wolf cries/howls
-Cào xé ruột gan: (liver, intestines, scratched, torn) / to burn the
insides/guts out]
-Gừng giã nhỏ:(ginger, pounded, small)
1.1.6 Adjective noun
This pattern ranked second lowest in the findings. There were only 25 items which
represented three percent of the total. The majority of items in this data described
people's actions or their state of being.
Ex:
-Buồn mồm: (idle, mouth)/feel like wanting to have something to chew
-Chói tai:(unpleasant,ear)/ It aggravates on
-Dồi dào sức khỏe: (plentiful, health) /in the best of health; in
perfect health
-Đau đớn điên cuồng: (pain, crazy) / excruciating pain
-Đớ lưỡi: (hardened, tongue) /tongue-tied; lost for words
-Hoa mắt:(dazzled, eye) /to be bedazzled; be over-awed
-Im thin thít:(quiet, silent) / dead silence; one's lips are
sealed
-Liệt hai chân:(paralyzed, two, leg) / paralyzed/Immobile from
the waist down
-Ngượng miệng: (shy, mouth) / to be shy in speaking up; be
reserved
-Nhát tính: (coward, character) / cowardly nature/disposition
-Nhẹ dạ: (light, heart) /easily deceived, gullible/naive
- Suôi tai[(pleasant, ear) /it sounds right to the ear
1.1.7 Verb-verb
Ex:
-Coi trọng: (to consider, respect) /to have a high regard
-Bắn chết: (to shoot, die) /to shoot someone dead; be shot dead
-Ham sống: (to love, live) /to love life
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
-Khóc thét: (to weep, scream) /to cry one's heart out; sob uncontrollably
-Nằm phục:(to lie, ambush) /to lie in ambush
-Vùng chạy: (to break loose, run) /to free oneself and quickly
1.2
Non-regular items
The non-regular items which do not conform to the above regular patterning included
Similes, Idioms, Sayings, Folkverses, and Catchphrases
1.2.1 Similies
'A simile' is defined as 'an expression which describes a person or thing as being
similar to someone or something else' (CCED, 1995). Similes are often characterized
by the use of 'Như' (as/like).
Ex:
-Đen xỉn như mực tàu: black as Chinese ink/as black as Indian ink
-Khỏe như voi: strong as an elephant / as strong as an ox/mallee bull; as fit as a fiddle
-Lưng như kiến vàng: waist as slim as a yellow ant's waist / an hourglass
figure
1.2.2 Idioms
'An idiom' is defined as 'a group of words which have a different meaning when used
together from the one they would have if you took the meaning of each word individually '(CCDE, 1995). A great number of idioms have both their literal and idiomatic
senses.
Ex:
-Bán quẩn buôn quanh:to trade within the confines of the local area
-Cơm bưng nước rót: to be served with food and drink (usually by one's wife) /to wait
on someone hand and foot
-Miệng còn hôi sữa:smell of mother's milk still on someone's breath/ a young, inexperienced person .
1.2.3 Sayings
'A saying' or 'a proverb' is 'a short sentence that people often quote, which gives
advice or tells you something about life' (CCED, 1995).
The sayings/proverbs came third in ranking.
Ex:
-Cơm không lành, the rice is not nice, soup is not tasteful
-Canh không ngọt: the relationship goes sour
-Không thầy :without the teacher I bet you will never be
-Đố mày làm nên: successful in life
1.2.4 Folkverses
'Folkverse' is 'writing arranged in lines which have rhythm and which often rhyme at
the end, and is traditional and typical of a particular community or nation' (adapted
from CCDE, 1995).
EX:
Con gà cục tác lá chanh,
The hen is cackling for lemon leaves,
Con lợn ủn ỉn mua hành cho tôi.
The pig is oinking for spring onions,
Con chó khóc đứng khóc ngồi,
The dog is crying out to Mum
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
Mẹ ơi đi chợ mua tôi đồng riềng.
For wild ginger from the market.
1.2.5 Catchphrases
'A catchphrase' is defined as 'a sentence or phrase which becomes popular or wellknown, often because it is frequently used by a famous person.' (CCED, 1995).
Catchphrases have the lowest ranking in the collection of non-regular items .
Ex:
-Phòng bệnh hơn chữa bệnh:prevention is better than cure
-Rộng đường dư luận: for the scrutiny of the public; as a matter of public interest
- Ngậm cười nơi chin suối:Ibeaming a smile in Hades/the Netherworld / to be happy
after death
2. Semantic aspects of collocations
2.1 Semantic fields
There are two major semantic fields in Vietnamese : People and Nature.
2.1.1People
As for “People”, we have sub-fields as follows: 'Appearance', 'Character', 'Life and
death', 'Feelings and emotions',, and 'Law and order'.
2.1.1.1 Appearance
-Bàn tay( hands): Bụ bẫm(chubby), xinh xinh( delicate), chai sạn(calloused)
-Bộ ngực(breast/ chest): nở nang( well-developed), vạm vỡ( well-built).
-Môi trái tim: heart-shaped lips
-Mũi dọc dừa: nose like the vein of a palm leaf / straight nose
-Mặt(face): trái xoan (Japanese lilac-fruited) / oval-shaped, rỗ (pock-marked).
2 .1.1.2 Character:
-Người(person):
+đầy bất trắc (unpredictable/unstable),
+cầm trịch:(the leader, helmsman, conductor),
đáng tin cậy
(trustworthy),
+cổ lỗ sĩ: (old- fashioned),
+thật thà:(honest),
+từng trải: (worldly)
2.1.1.3Feelings and emotions:
-Cười : Khẩy(to snigger, phá lên:( to burst out laughing), sằng sặc:burst out cackling,
vang( roar with laughter)
-Khóc: sụt sùi( sob/weep)
-Nơm nớp lo âu: constant sense of fear
-Run bắn cả người: To shudder/shake/ quake with fear
2.1.1.4 Law and order
-Bài trừ tội ác: ( to eradicate/wipe out crime)
-Gây nợ máu: to provoke a blood feud
-Nhập lậu: smuggle, import illegally
2.1.2Nature:
There are some subfields as follows: 'Weather', Tlora', 'Fauna','Objects', and
'Events':
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
2.1.2.1Weather
-Chiều vàng: when the sun goes down
-Sương muối: salt frost
-Trời trở chứng: weather goes berserk
-Mưa bất thần: sudden /uexpected rain/downpour
2.1.2.2 Flora
-Cây cối( the trees): Khô héo( are wilting), xác xơ(are almost bare).
-Hoa cúc dại: wild chrysanthemums
-Nho xứ nóng: hot climate grapes/vines
2.1.2.3Fauna
-Con công múa: dancing/prancing/strutting peacock
-Con hổ tinh khôn: dever/cunning tiger
- Con sói tru: wolf cries/howls
- Sâu rượu: an alcoholic
- Thịt rừng: game meat
2.1.2.4 Objects
- Bùa hộ mệnh: life-protecting charm / magic charm; talisman; amulet
- Sao quả tạ: unlucky/ bad stars
- Tuần trăng: phase of the moon
- Viên đạn oan nghiệt: (cruel bullet)/ fatal bullet
- Lầu xanh: (pavilion, green) / brothel; house of ill-repute
2.1.2.5 Events
-Bề dày lịch sử: (thickness, history) / throughout the course of history
-Nguồn tin động trời: heaven-shattering news/ earth-shattering news
-Tháng Tư Đen: Black April (April, 1975 when Saigon fell to the Communists
2.2 . Semantic ranges:
2.2.1 Unrestricted collocations:
This category includes the headwords which are open to partnership with a wide
range of items (Carter, 1987: 63).
Ex:
- Nằm: (to lie) kín đáo (hidden/secreted/concealed), lăn lóc (neglected/unloved), vất
vưởng (neglected/uncared for), phục (in ambush), ngửa(on one's back), sấp (on
one's stomach), liệt giường (to be bed-ridden), rạp xuống đất (to slink low on the
ground.
2.2.2 Semi-Restricted collocation
This category embraces headwords in which the number of collocates which can be
substituted in different syntactic slots are more determined (Carter, 1987: 63).
Ex:
-Nho: (grapes) ăn tươi(eat, fresh) / table/dessert, không hạt (no, seed) / seedless,
nội địa(inside, ground) / domestic, ôn đới (zone, temperate) /temperate
zone,Tươi(fresh), xứ nóng (country, hot) / tropical)
2.2.3 Restricted collocation
Partnerships of this category are generally more fixed and closed (Carter, 1987:
63). There are a small number of words which can attract a very limited number of
words, often only a single item, as is evidenced in the collected data.
Ex:
-Con công múa: dancing peacock / dancing/strutting peacock
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
-Hoàng đế vi hành: emperor mingles witty walks among his people
-Mũi nở: [(nose, well-developed) / flared nostrils
3. Thematic aspects of collocation:
3.1
Colour:
3.1.1 Beauty
Ex:
-Even white teeth: răng trắng và đều tăm tắp
-Lips like red lipstick: Môi đỏ như son
3.1.2Feeling
In expressing feelings and emotions, to be enraged is 'to have a red face and crimson ears'. The expression 'white hands' indicates that someone is penniless or empty-handed. The English equivalent could be 'to be bled white'. Purple is used to indicate melancholy as in 'purple evening' or 'purple horizon', although 'yellow evening' is
more typically used.
Ex:
-Đỏ mặt tía tai; tay trắng; chiều tím ; chân trời tím ; chiều vàng.
3.1.3 Luck
Luck has the quality of a colour in Vietnamese expressions. The term 'red black' signifies 'red' for 'good luck', black' for bad luck'.
Ex: Đỏ đen; tháng tư Đen; da đen; đen như cột nhà
3.1.4 Beliefs
In speaking about beliefs, the Creator (or God) is referred to as Mr . Blue or Blue
Heaven). The word 'green' in English indicates a person is young and inexperienced.
Similarly, in Vietnamese it is metaphorically expressed as 'green eyes', 'green head',
'green hair: mắt xanh, đầu xanh.( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
The colour black đen in Vietnamese has six different forms depending on the word
with which it is associated. For example, if đen collocates with Tiara, eyes', it will
become huyền ('jet-black, with 'cat, chopsticks' it will become mun ('ebonyblack'),
with 'dog' it will become mực('ink-black'), with "horse, rooster/hen' it will become 6
('crow-black; raven-black'), with 'cow'it will become hồng ('soot-black'), with 'dress,
pants, turban, lips, ring around the eyes' it will become thâm ('deep, blue-black).
Ex:
Tóc huyền;mắt huyền; mèo mun; đũa mun; chó mực; ngựa ô; gà ô; bồ hóng; áo
thâm; quầng thâm; khăn thâm,; môi thâm; mắt thâm quầng.
3.2 Time
Expressions of time are associated with a range of concepts regarding 'measurement' and 'values'.
3.2.1 Mesurements
People in olden days Vietnam used to say 'time passes like a weaving shuttle' signifies the same meaning as the English Time and tide wait for no man'. They used to
think of 'five watches of the night' and 'six parts of the day'. The night was measured
by five watches (canh) and the day by six parts (khắc). If someone is said to leave
home for work at 'the third cock-crow', one should interpret it as the time which approximates the dawning of the sun.( . Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Thời gian tựa thoi đưa; đêm năm canh, ngày sáu khắc; gà gáy canh ba.
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
Vietnamese people live by two calendars; ie. the Gregorian calendar used in business, and the Sino-Vietnamese calendar which governs religious and social life. The
Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Children's Festival and is mainly for celebrating the harvest and for giving gifts to children.
3.2.2 Values
Values are expressed in the saying 'A 70-year-old man still has to learn from a 71year-old man' conveys a high regard for older age and wisdom. Today, the Vietnamese people still honour knowledge and wisdom as being more important than material wealth.
Ex: Ông già 70 còn phải học ông già 71 tuổi.
3.3
Appearance
Descriptions of the features and bodily characteristics of men and women cover a
range of concepts including 'clothing', and beauty'.
3.3.1
Clothing
Wearing of certain clothing indicates the adoption of certain attitudes in life and the
appropriate course of action in dealing with various people, as indicated in the following saying 'If you go with a Buddha, wear a monk's robe, If you go with a ghost, wear
a paper tunic'. The Vietnamese language usually uses a generic or superordinate
term for articles of clothing as in the case of 'áo' (upper garment/top) 'quần' (lower
garment), or 'giày ' (shoes). When specifications are required, Vietnamese compounds are used. garment' are English glosses of their Vietnamese specific terms
denoting an item of warm clothing.( .( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex:
Đi với bụt mặc áo cà sa, đi với ma mặc áo giấy, áo lạnh, áo ấm , áo phao.
3.3.2 Beauty
When describing racial appearance, many word-combinations in Vietnamese would
be considered in the same context as they would be in English. For instance, a
beautiful woman would be said to have ‘tie art-shaped lips', 'dove eyes', 'nose as
straight as the vein of a palm leaf’, 'oval face'. Also, 'smooth breasts' or 'welldevelopped are considered beautiful. .( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex:
Môi trái tim, mắt bồ câu, mũi dọc dừa, mặt trái xoan, bộ ngực mềm mại, bộ ngực nở
nang..
The expression 'one fold eye' is translated as 'the Oriental fold' in English. Vietnamese women have eye operations to eliminate this fold, as they believe the Westernshaped eye to be better. Again, 'a slim waist' in English would be 'a waist as slim as
a yellow ant's waist' or 'a wasp's waist' in Vietnamese.
Similarly, a man who is 'square-faced' or 'square-jawed', with medium-to-tall build
showing strength both in the face and body, with perhaps having facial hair would
also be considered handsome to Western eyes. In olden-time Vietnam, however, a
man was regarded as handsome if he had 'the slim shape and leisured pace of a
pale scholar'. It is also believed that if a man has a "high forehead', "big ears', 'flared
nostrils', then fortune will smile upon him. A woman with a 'round face' or 'moon
face', is also believed to be blessed by the gods and to be a good homemaker. .(
Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex:
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
Mắt một mí; lưng như kiến vàng; lưngong; mặt vuông chữ điền; dáng nho nhã thư
sinh; tai to; mũi nở; mặt tròn.
On the other hand, if a woman has a wide mouth she is considered to be loud
mouthed, and would break up a happy home. This feature in a man is, however,
considered imposing and handsome. Vietnamese people do not regard TDambooroot hair' or 'wiry hair', 'slitty eyes', and 'drooping whiskers' as beautiful or handsome,
a belief which is also generally held by Westerners. The Vietnamese saying 'the
teeth and hair represent a quarter of a person' does not have an equivalent in English. The English saying The eyes are the windows of the soul' seems to be the
nearest equivalent.
Ex:
Đàn ông miệng rộng thì sang,, Đàn bà miệng rộng tang hoang cửa nhà; tóc rễ tre;
mắt ti hí; râu quặp;cái răng cái tóc là góc con người.
3.4 Weather
In Vietnam, descriptions of the weather cover the extremes, which are mostly experienced in the Northern part of Vietnam. Such expressions as black clouds gather',
howling of the wind', 'a terrible weather', 'rain stops or lets up', 'a sudden or unexpected downpour', 'hailstorm', and 'weather turns nasty' are all associated with bad
weather. .( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex: Mây đen xà xuống thấp, gió hú, mùa đông khủng khiếp, mưa tạnh, mưa bất thần
mưa đá
As in English, Vietnamese sayings are handed down through generations, for
example:
'A cloudy sky in the east means watch out and run,
A cloudy sky in the south means work and play,
A cloudy sky in the north means a patchy rain'.
Cơn mưa đằng đông vừa trông vừa chạy,
Cơn mưa đằng Nam vừa làm vừa chạy,
Cơn mưa đằng Bắc vừa làm vừa chơi
or:
'If the sky-line looks like chicken fat (yellow), there will be wind.
If it looks like dog fat (red), there will be rain'
Ráng mỡ gà thì gió,
Ráng mỡ chó thì mưa.
3.5
Family relationships:
Vietnamese people have a wide range of concepts to cover 'family values', 'love',
'sex', and 'marriage'.
3.5.1 Family values
In a traditional Vietnamese family a good girl must possess 'three obediences'; ie.
'when at home obedient to her father', 'when married obedient to her husband',
'when widowed obedient to her eldest son' and 'four virtues'; ie. 'proper work' (công),
'proper beauty' (dung), 'proper speech' (ngôn), 'proper decorum' (hạnh). If a woman
gives birth to children they often cared for the extended family. .( Frank Nhat Trinh.
(2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex:
Tam tòng; tại gia tong phu, Xuất giá tong phụ, phu tử tong tử; ; sinh con đẻ cái.
3.5.2 Love
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
As a Vietnamese saying goes, Men are allowed to have concubines and women of
good repute should marry only once'. This concept would not be acceptable in a
Western culture. Sometimes, women do have extra-marital affairs, and then the Vietnamese expression referring to the husband as 'stuck with horns on his head'. An
English equivalent would be to say "he is cuckolded
3.5.3
Marriage
Marriage in Vietnam requires that the daughter must obey the parents and marry
their choice as expressed by 'as a daughter, you are allowed to sit where being
seated by your parents'. To be a good wife she also must realise that her husband is
Lord, and the wife is servant as expressed in Vietnamese. Women are also required
to be submissive even if the husband is not always reputable, for the blame would be
put on her. The expression 'if the husband has a bad reputation, who else but the
wife is to be blamed' refers to this concept, one which is not part of Western thinking,
although in a Western court of law, a woman is not required to give testimony
against her husband. .( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Cha mẹ đặt đâu con ngồi đó; Bà vợ nền nếp;, âm thầm chịu đựng, xấu chàng hổ ai.
3.5.4 Sex
As previously stated, a grey area in Vietnam occurs when referring to matters of a
sexual nature. Referring to women, Vietnamese people call them 'the pretty sex', 'the
weak sex', 'willow bodies', while men are called, as in English, 'the strong sex'. Homosexuals and lesbians are called 'loving the same sex' for both men and women,
'loving between men', and loving between women'. If a couple does have a relationship with sexual overtones, it is called 'come and go with each other', 'eat and sleep
together' or 'share the blanket and the pillow'. .( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English
and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Phái đẹp,; phái yếu; tấm thân bồ liễu; phái mạnh; đồng tính luyến ái; đi lại với nhau;
ăn nằm với nhau; chung chăn chung gối.
3.6 Failth
In this part we will examine “Religion”
Buddhism is the prevailing religion within Vietnam, and has a great influence on the
lives of the people. A Buddhist believes that life is a sea of sufferings', and this is
given even more credence at the time of birth because when a child is born it cries,
indicating to a Buddhist that the child is lamenting for having been born into this
world. .( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex: đời là bể khổ
3.7
Entertainment
3.7.1 Sports
'Sport', as we think of it in Australia, is not the same as in Vietnam. Children may
play similar games to Western children like hopscotch, marbles, skipping, jacks and
fiddlesticks, but the adults tend to be spectators rather than participants. Sports such
as Svrestling', Tboat races' and 'đánh khăng', which is a game played with sticks and
similar to cricket, are enjoyed, but other popular past-times are 'water-buffalo
fighting', 'cricket-fighting' and 'cock-fighting' the likes of which are banned in Western
society. .( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex: Đánh vật, đua thuyền, đánh khăng, chọi trâu, đá dế, chọi gà.
3.7.2
Gambling
'Gambling' in Vietnamese is favourably known as a 5oy of red and black', "black'
11
A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
indicating bad luck' and 'red', 'good luck'. English does not use this terminology.
It seems to Western eyes that Asian people like to gamble. This is possibly a legacy
from the fact that they come originally from small villages where often the only form
of entertainment may be gambling. Whether this is true or not, gambling does have a
place in the culture of the people. .( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex: Thú đỏ đen, thua sạch túi.
3.8 Education
3.8.1 Social class
In olden times Vietnamese people ranked social class thus: 'sĩ' (scholar) , 'nông'
(peasant), 'công' (craftsman), 'thương' (merchant). A popular Vietnamese saying,
however, points out that order of ranking is not always true in real life:
'Scholar ranks first, then comes the peasant;
But when rice runs out and you run wildly about,
Then peasant comes first, and scholar second.'
[Nguyen Binh Hoa's Translation]
Nhất sĩ nhì nông,
Hết gạo chạy rong,
Nhất nông nhì sĩ
3.8.2 Respect for scholarship
Vietnamese people believe that a student must show politeness to people, as reflected in the saying 'the first thing to do is to learn manners, then comes literacy'.
The gaining of knowledge was and still is expected to be shared for the good of the
community. Only the men were allowed to sit for examinations in the old days and
'one was not expected to enjoy the glory of his academic achievements solely for the
benefit of his own family'. Vietnamese people also encourage their children to learn
from their peer group, learning from your teacher is not so good as learning from a
friend'. However, 'without the teacher, I bet you will never be successful in life' is another wise saying passed down through the generations. .( Frank Nhat Trinh.
(2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex:
Tiên học lễ, hậu học văn; có học thì phải có hành.
3.9 Work
In observing the data associated with work, there are many combinations relating to
the concepts of 'working hard'. "Work', as in any culture, is necessary for people to
provide food and shelter for themselves, especially in a poor country such as Vietnam which does not have a 'welfare mentality'. A non-worker who is considered a
social parasite would find it difficult to stay alive. Vietnamese people describe a useless male person who does not do much work as someone who 'carries his umbrella
out in the morning and carries it home in the evening. .( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002).
English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex: Sáng vác ô đi, tối vác về. Tay làm hàm nhai, tay quai miệng trễ.
V.
English collocational patterning
1. Structural aspects of collocation.
This part falls into 2 parts: regular pattern and non-regular pattern.
1.1. Regular patterns
The table below shows different collocational types of regular patterns and their
ranking:
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
Collocational types
Rank
Adjective-noun
1
Noun-noun
2
Verb-noun
3
Noun- of- noun
4
Noun-verb
5
Verb-adverb
6
Verb-and-verb
7
Adverb-adjective
8
Adjective-adjective
9
Noun-and-noun
10
Adverb-and-adverb
11
1.1.1 Adjective-noun
In English, we can call “ adjective –noun” as attributive adjective.
Ex: I saw three happy kids.
1.1.2 Noun-noun
“ Noun-noun” is part of compound noun. In English, when we want to give more specific information, we sometimes use a noun in front of another noun.
Ex: Rice pidding, a glasshouse, the kitchen cupboard.
1.1.3 Verb-noun
We often see this kind in the sentence: “ S +V+O”.
Ex: break the ice, bear a grudge against someone.
1.1.4 Noun-of noun
This kind is also part of compound noun.
Ex: A cup of coffee, the wheel of a bicycle.
1.1.5 Noun- verb
We often see this kind in the sentence: “ S+ V+O”.
Ex: Dream shatter, rumors fly around.
1.1.6 Verb –adverb
An adverb usually modifies a verb or a verb phrase. It provides information about
the manner, place, time, frequency, certainty or other circumstances of the activity
denoted by the verb or verb phrase.
Ex: She walked slowly. The kids are playing upstairs.
1.1.7 Verb-and-verb
These combinations were predominantly language-specific:
Ex:
break (and enter), cash (and carry), come (and go), divide (and conquer), duck (and
weave), eat (and run), forget (and forgive), give (and take), hit (and run), search (and
destroy), stand (and deliver), sfrip (and search).
1.1.8 Adverb-adjective
These combinations were predominantly language-specific:
Ex:
(most) likely, (absolutely) necessary, (profoundly) deaf, (remotely) likely, (excruciatingly) long, (intensely) loyal, (sadly) missed, (superbly) rich, (painfully) shy, (chillingly) similar, (mortally) wounded.
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
1.1.9 Adjective-and-adjective
These combinations were predominantly language-specific:
Ex:
nice (and easy), dead (and buried), clean (and decent), fit (and proper), hard (and
fast), high (and mighty), alive (and kicking), fast (and loose), safe (and sound), dull
(and lifeless), high (and dry), hale (and hearty).
1.1.10 Noun-and-noun
These combinations were predominantly language-specific:
Ex:
cat (and mouse), chalk (and cheese), fame (and fortune), gloom (and doom),
heart (and sovl),neck (and neck), tooth (and nail) , wetting and soiling.
1.1.11 Adverb-and-adverb
Ex: here (and there), there (and then), well (and truly).
1.2 Non-regular patterns
These non-regular items, which do not conform to the above regular patterning, inCollocational types
Rank
Sayings
1
Idioms
2
Catchphrases
3
Similies
4
Folk verve
5
clude Sayings, Idioms, Catchphrases, Similes, and Folkverses. The table below
shows different collocational types of the non-regular items and their
ranking.
1.2.1 Sayings
'A proverb' or 'a saying' is 'a short sentence that people often quote, which gives advice or tells you something about life' (CCED, 1995).
Ex:
Waste not want not, familiarity breeds contempt, a stitch in time saves nine, more
haste less speed, still waters run deep.
1.2.2 Idioms
'An idiom' is defined as 'a group of words which have a different meaning when used
together from the one they would have if you took the meaning of each word individually (CCDE, 1995).
Ex:
To have cold feet, to kick the bucket, to give someone the green light, spick and
span, to smell a rat, to bell the cat, to leave someone in the lurch, to be in the same
14
A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
boat, to come the heavy, to bite the hand that feeds you, to play with fire, to dress in
borrowed plumes.
1.2.3 Catchphrases
'A catchphrase' is defined as 'a sentence or phrase which becomes popular or wellknown, often because it is frequently used by a famous person.' (CCED, 1995).
Ex:
Life wasn't meant to be easy, It's not over till the fat lady sings, I wear the trousers
round here, Ask and you shall receive, All in the same boat.
1.2.4 Similes
'A simile' is defined as 'an expression which describes a person or thing as being
similar to someone or something else' (CCED, 1995). Similes are characterized
by the use of 'like', and 'as... as'.
Ex:
Like a Greek God, standing there like stunned mullets, walk like Charlie Chaplin,
lips as red as cherries, as green as grass, as flat as a pancake, as easy a pie, as
easy as falling off a log.
1.2.5 Folkverses
'Folkverse' is 'writing arranged in lines which have rhythm and which often rhyme at
the end, and which is traditional and typical of a particular community or nation'
(adapted from CCDE, 1995).
Ex:
Red sky at night, shepherd's delight,
Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning.
Don't speak with your mouth full.
Don't put your elbows on the table.
Don't reach across in front of people.
Don't leave the table till you're finished.
Don't burp after you have eaten
2. Semantic aspects of collocation
2.1 Semantic fields
Semantic fields fall into two categories: People, Nature.
2.1.1 People
As for “people” we will divide this field into sub-fields as follows:
'Appearance', 'Character', 'Life and prospects', 'Human actions', 'Feelings and
emotions', 'Relationships' '.
2.1.1.1 Appearance
Ex:
- Appearance :rugged, scruffy, token ; Aboriginal, Asian, Caucasian, Mediterranean.
-Build :strong, wiry, stocky; thin, heavy, rotund ; medium .
-Complexion : English rose, peaches-and-cream, sun-tanned ; acne, scarred, florid,
-Image: palatable, professional, spitting ; aloof ; traditional .
- Resemblance: chilling, striking, uncanny .
2.1.1.2 Character
Ex:
-Personality: bubbly, happy-and-sunny
-Star: high-flying ; hunky, dimunitive
-Virgin: eligible
-Writer: prolific
2.2.1.3 Life and prospect
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
Ex:
-Career: blossoming, brilliant, burgeoning, dazzling, stellar, top-notch ; chequered .
-Chance: every conceivable, fighting, realistic ; bleak, negligible, poor, slender, slim
-Change: major ; cosmetic
-Competition: fierce ; track-and-field
-Fame: immense, instant ; ill
-Form: brilliant, devastating, good, sparkling
-Future: bright, foreseeable, glittering, immediate, near, not-too distant;
unforeseeable .
2.1.1.4 Human actions
Ex:
-Act: acrobatic ; despicable, illegal, impudent
-Approach :free-wheeling, practical ; gung-ho, jingoistic, patronising ; bottom-up, topdown.
-Attempt: desperate, strenuous ; abortive, botched, bungled, cover-up, fragile, deliberate, misguided ; drawn-out, fresh, last-ditch .
2.1.1.5 Feelings and emotions
-Admiration: unabashed
-Ambition: turning, high, lofty
-Anxiety: severe
-Desire: unquencheable
-Depair: bottomless
-Smile: benign, contagious, ready, winning ; coy, ingratiating, wan, wry ; shy
-Sobs: racking, strained
2.1.1.6 Relationships
Ex:
-Family: homeless ; blended, extended, nuclear.
-Friendship :hard-won
-Husband: distressed, estranged, jilted
-Love: instant ; lost; bitter-sweet
-Marriage :perfect ; failed, farcical, fragile, loveless, troubled ;
monogamous
-Mother: grieving ; biological, natural, surrogate .
-Parents: prospective, biological, birth, natural, real; distraught, estranged; adoptive
.
2.1.2 Nature
2.1.2.1 Weather
-Rain: driving, heavy, pouring, torrential ; intermittent, patchy
-Storm: violent ; freak ; electrical, tropical .
-Weather: tugged, tempestuous, unsettled
-Winds: high, strong
2.1.2.2 Places
-Country: drought-ravaged, land-locked, famine-ravaged, war-torn, far-off,
-Society: computerized, high ; cashless
-World: free ; frenetic, uncertain, unfriendly, natural, sighted, temporal, unsighted,
corporate,
2.1.2.3 Objects
-Gun : smoking
-Knif e: double-edged, serrated, silver-plated
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
2.2 Semantic ranges
There are three parts in “ semantic ranges”: Non- restricted, semi-restricted, restricted.
2.2.1 Unrestricted collocation
This category includes the headwords which are open to partnership with a wide
range of items (Carter, 1987: 63).
Ex:
The noun” agency” has a lot of adjectives and nouns collocate with
Ex:
-Agency:
(Adjective): official, federal, government, public, state, external, independent, outside, commercial, private, voluntary, international, local, multilateral,
(Noun): adoption, advertising, aid, dating, employment, estate, intelligence, marketing, news, press, recruit , relief, research, travel.
2.2.2 Semi-restricted collocation
This category embrace headwords in which the number of collocates which can be
substituted in different syntactic slots are more determined (Carter, 1987: 63).
Ex:
-Mearge: beginning, living, supply, wage
-Plum: (job, offer, position)
2.2.3 Restricted collocation
Partnerships in this category are generally more fixed and closed (Carter, 1987: 63).
Ex:
-Leak: (Allow sth to get out through a hole) : badly, slightly.
-Lesbian: verb + lesbian: come out as
Ex:
She came out as a lesbian in her teens.
3. Thematic collocational patterning
In this part, we will scutinize these theme “'colour', 'time', 'appearance', 'weather', 'relationships', 'appreciation', 'faith' and 'entertainment”, which reflect Western concepts
and ways of thinking.
3.1 Colour
It is found that colour terms are associated with a wide variety fields in relation to
"beauty', 'feelings', 'injuries', 'road safety', luck', "beliefs', "human character', and 'social class'.
3.1.1 Beauty
As for the beauty of the face, the colour 'red' or 'crimson' is used to describe a woman's lips. The colour 'white' describes her teeth, whereas the colour "black' is associated with 'coal' or 'jet' as in 'coal black' or 'jet black' in describing the 'deep and unusually beautiful and dark eyes' in literature.
Ex:
Jet-black hair, lips as red as cherries, crimson lips, white teeth, pearly whites, coal
black eyes.
3.1.2 Feelings
To express feelings and emotions, The colour “ red” indicate “ angry”, “ blue” “sadness”, “green” “jealousy”, “ black” “ sadness or anger” depending on the context, “
pink” “healthiness and happiness”.
Ex:
17
A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
See red, feel blue, a black mood, a green-eyed monster, green with envy, think pink,
in the pink.
3.1.3 Injuries
The term “black”collocates with 'eye' to describe someone who has been punched in
the eye.
Ex:
A black eye, (He was punched till he was) black and blue.
3.1.4 Road safety
The concepts of traffic lights in English is identical with those in Vietnamese. Traffic
lights make use of three colours (four if both alternatives 'yellow' and 'amber' are included) terms: 'red' meaning 'stop', 'green' meaning 'go', and 'yellow' or 'amber' indicating 'to slow down and stop.
Ex:
Red light, green light, yellow light
3.1.5 Luck
English people often match the colour “black” in gambling with the bad luck',
whereas 'gold' symbolizes 'good luck'.
Ex:
a black cat crosses your path, he found his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, he
struck gold, a pot of gold.
3.1.6 Social class
Colour terms are used to indicate people of the different social classes. The term
“purple” or the blue' connotes 'noble. However, “blue” in combination with “collar” and
“worker” infers that someone is “of the working class”. The colour “white'”when cooccurring with “collar” and “worker” is to indicate that someone works in an office rather than doing manual work.
Ex:
Born to the purple, a blue blood; blue-coloured veins, a blue-collar worker, a
white-collar worker.
3.1.7 Human character
A person's character or skill, be it good or bad, can sometimes be explained using
colour words. The colour 'yellow' or 'white' connotes 'cowardice'. When a person is
called 'yellow', he or she is considered 'a coward' and would be given 'a white feather'.
Ex:
A white feather, a blackguard, a scarlet woman, a green thumb, given the green
light.
3.1.7 Beliefs
In expressing people's beliefs, the term 'yellow' evokes a feeling of fear. 'Blue' is the
colour usually associated with clothing baby boys in the Western context, while 'pink'
is the colour reserved for clothing baby.
Ex:
yellow peril, to paint the town red, the red carpet treatment, Red China, red necktie,
power-dressing item, yellow tie.
3.2 Time
In term of “ time”, it breaks down into the concepts as follows: 'measurement', 'value',, and 'periods of a person's life'.
3.2.1 Measurement
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
The measurement of time produces a few combinations of words. In Westernized
countries of old, the passing of time was not measured by time-keeping devices such
as clocks or watches. Natural phenomena such as sunrise or dawn, and sunset or
dusk played a major part in some people's reckoning of time, and primitive measuring devices such as 'shadow poles', 'sun dials', "hour glasses' were used. Feelings of
melancholy are often associated with the early hours just after midnight. .( Frank
Nhat Trinh. (2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex:
Shadow poles, sundials, hourglasses, wee-small hours.
3.2. 2 Values
English people think highly of the passing of time in the everyday life of humanbeing.
Ex:
Time and tide wait for no man; procrastination is the thief of time; he who hesitates is
lost; a stitch in time saves nine; a minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.
3.2.3 Periods of a person’s life
Word-combinations are also found to be associated with certain periods of time in a
country's history or a person's life. "Baby boomers' refer to people who were born
between the end of World War II and the early 1950s. 'Midlife crisis' refer to
the period of a person's life when they start to question their achievements, specifically at the age of around 45 years and over. .( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English
and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex:
Baby boomers, economic boom, double-digit inflation, midlife crisis.
3.3 Appearance
This part will cover a wide range of concepts such as ” clothing, shape, size and
beauty”.
3.3.1 Clothing
In countries such as England, America and Australia there is no one traditional costume as one would find in Western and Eastern European countries. Modern day
fashion, in Australia in particular, follows that of America, especially the youth of the
country. "Baggy shorts', 'T-shirts with logos', 'fashion-name footwear' and "baseball
caps worn back-to-front', appear to be the uniform for the youth of Australia in the
90s. .( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex:
Cloth hat, dressing-up, dressing-down, baggy shorts, T-shirts with logos, fashionname footwear, baseball caps worn back-to-front, power-dressing, yellow necktie.
3.3.2 Shape and size
Ex:
(thinly, slightly, solidly) built, (small, medium, strong, stocky) build; thick set, heavy
set, barrel-chested, pidgeon-chested, spindly legged.
3.3.3 Beauty
Ex:
19
A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
(thinly, slightly, solidly) built, (small, medium, strong, stocky) build; thick set, heavy
set, barrel-chested, pidgeon-chested, spindly legged.
3.4 Weather
The weather is always the safest way for the English to start a conversation.
In this part, we will examine those concepts as follows: 'greeting', 'feeling'.
3.4.1 Greeting
Unlike Vietnamese people, Western people often greet each other with comments
about the weather.
Ex:
(Hello, it's) a lovely day, (isn't it?); (Isn't it) terrible weather (It's) raining cats and
dogs; a (wet, dry) spell; The Wet; tropical rain forests; arid deserts; flooding rains;
sun-burnt country; tropical rain-storm; a light show.
3.4.2 Feelings
In term of feelings and emotions, several weather terms could be used.
Ex:
(You are) the sunshine of my life, (You are) my sunshine; (She) cooked up a storm;
(She had) a face like thunder; (His) life (was) under a cloud; on cloud nine.
3.5 Relationships
Human relationships cover another wide range of concepts of 'love', 'marriage', 'sex',
'divorce', and 'old age'.
3.5.1 Love
In all relationships, one can find different words to describe love'such, as 'improper,
physical, Platonic, private, rocky, violent, on-again off-again'. .( Frank Nhat Trinh.
(2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex:
(Bitter-sweet, lost) love; (tie the knot, walk down the aisle, take the plunge, get
hitched, (failed, farcical, fragile, troubled, perfect, monogamous) marriage, marriage
(in crisis, on the rocks, made in Heaven); improper, physical, Platonic, private, rocky,
violent, on-again off-again.
3.5.2 Marriage
Finally when a man decides to ask the girl to marry him he will 'pop the question',
'make a proposal of marriage', then they will hopefully settle down.
Ex:
Pop the question, make a proposal of marriage.
In most Western societies today in Australia, couples settle for co-habitation 'de facto
relationships' and such terms as 'my (partner, other half, significant other)'. are substituted for "husband' and 'wife'. In marriage there can be 'a battle of the sexes' as
some men subject their wives to 'a touch of male domination' and expect them to
have '(domestic, nappy-changing, home-making) skills'. However, most women today will not put up with 'domestic (violence, abuse, assault)' and Social Security
20
A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
payments help them to escape this situation. .( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English
and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex:
De facto relationships, my (partner, other half, significant other), a battle of the
sexes, a touch of male domination, (domestic, nappy-changing,
3.5.3 Divorce
The children of a relationship which goes wrong often become the 'tug-of-love victims'. Whether they have '(biological, birth, natural, genetic, adoptive) parents',
whether they are '(gifted, healthy, retarded) children', parents will still fight for custody. .( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive
analysis)
Ex:
Tug-of-love victims, (biological, birth, natural, genetic, adoptive) parents, (gifted,
healthy, retarded) children, street kids, a miserable childhood , heartrending stories,
(physical, sexual, emotional) abuse.
3.5.4 Old age
Ex:
(Elderly, senior) citizens, retirement (villages, homes); nursing homes, Grey power,
the Third Age, the golden age.
3.6 Faith
In this part, we will examine “Religion”
Ex:
Become a nun, be married to Christ, become brides of Christ, take the vow of celibacy, enter the priesthood, become a priest; take to the cloth, be ordained, enter the
church, become (a minister, a deaconness), be a man/woman of the cloth.
3.7 Entertainment
In this part, we will take “gambling” and “ sports” into consideration.
3.7.1 Gambling
In English, if someone is extremely lucky English people may say: 'He/she has the
luck of the Irish', and if a person wants to gamble or place a bet without giving it
much thought, he/she will say 'I'll will take pot-luck' and 'to be down on one's luck' is
to be in poor and unfortunate circumstances. .( Frank Nhat Trinh. (2002). English
and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis)
Ex:
To be on a winning streak, to have a windfall, to hit the jackpot, He/she has the
luck of the Irish, I'll take pot-luck, to be down on one's luck, he found his pot of gold
at the end of the rainbow, an Irish goblin.
3.7.2 Sports
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
Ex: Work hard and play hard; All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, Olympics
countdown, keep-fit classes, performance-enhancing drugs, it's just not cricket,
you're are on a sticky wicket, you're on a good wicket, a balls-up, the name of the
game is, that's the name of the game.
VI. English and Vietnamese collocational contrast
1. Similarities
1.1 Similarities in patterning
1.1.1 Structural patterning
The English and Vietnamese structure is similar in the combination of regular items
in five collocational types as follows: Noun-adjective, Verb-noun, Noun-noun, Nounverb, Adjective-noun. The frequency of appearance of “Adjective-noun” in English is
highest; however, The frequency of appearance of “ The Vietnamese counterpart is
lowest.
The English and Vietnamese collected non-regular items are similar in all five collocational types; namely, Similes, Idioms, Sayings, Folkverses, and Catchphrases.
1.1.2 Semantic patterning
1.1.2.1 Semantic fields
We can see that basically, we examine semantic fields into two catergories: “people and nature”. With regard to “ people”, in both languages, we
cover “ appearance, character, life, feelings and emotions.
In term of “ nature”, in both languages, we cover “ objects, weather”.
1.1.2.2 Semantic ranges
1.1.2.2.1 Unrestricted
Although we use the word” unrestricted”, we can see some equivalents between two
languages . Let’s take the word “ experience” for example.
Ex: Experience (English)
- Appalling
- Bitter
- Earth-shattering
- Undesirable
- Unnerving
Kinh nghiệm (Vietnamese)
- Hoảng hồn
- Đắng cay
- Động trời
- Khó chịu
- Bực dọc
1.1.2.2.2 Semi- restricted
Let’ take an example of this part in “ Semantic ranges in English”
Nho:
- Ăn tươi: (eat, fresh); table/dessert
- Không hạt: (without seed); seedless
- Nội địa: (inside, ground); domestic
If we try to translate the phrase “ nho ăn tươi” like ( grapes eaten fresh), it will sound
unnatural, unless we know in English, its equivalent is “table, dessert” grapes.
1.1.2.2.3Restricted
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
There are a small number of words which can attract a very limited number of words,
often only a single item:
-Crane one’s neck: nghểnh cổ
- Rich and famous: giàu sang và danh vọng
- Shrug one’s shoulders : nhún vai
'To crane one's neck' in English and its equivalent in Vietnamese 'nghểnh cổ and
both
are very restricted.
1.1.3 Thematic patterning
Collocations in both English and Vietnamese were classified into themes: 'Colour',
'Time', 'Appearance', 'Weather', 'Relationships, 'Faith', ‘Entertainment' and ,'Work'.
In “ colour”, both languages share “ beauty, luck, feelings and beliefs. In “ appearance”, both languages share “ clothing” and “ beauty”. In the theme “ relationships,
both “ love” and “marriage” are found here. In “faith”, religions are detected; in “entertainment”, “ gambling”, “sports” are detected.
1.2 Similarities in form and meaning
1.2.1 Regular items
1.2.1.1 Adjective –noun
Almost “ Adjective-noun” in English can be “Noun- adjective” in Vietnamese. However, in some cases, we have to add more words to make them sound more natural.
Ex:
-Last-minute decision (ADJ/N) : quyết định phút chót. ( N/ ADJ)
- State- of –the art technology (ADJ/N): công nghệ tối tân ( N/ADJ
-High-heel shoes (ADJ/N): giày cao gót (N/ADJ)
However, the combination “ Adjective –noun” in Vietnamese can be transformed into
an ADJ in English.
Ex:
- Dồi dào sức khỏe: healthy
- Hoa mắt : dazzeled
1.2.1.2 Noun-noun
Normally, The combination of “ noun-noun” in English can be transformed into “
noun-noun/adjective” in Vietnamese. However, sometimes, some words can be added to make them sound more natural.
Ex:
- Memory loss(N/N): sự mất trí nhớ(N/N)
- Traffic jam(N/N) : nạn kẹt xe (N/N)
- Grammar book(N/N): sách ngữ pháp (N/N)
- Ginger hair(N/N) : mái tóc đỏ nâu ( N/ADJ )
The combination of” Noun- noun” in Vietnamese can be transformed into (nounnoun) or ( noun-of- noun) In English.
Ex:
- Khóe mắt (N/N) : coners of one’s eyes(N/OF/N)
1.2.1.3 Verb-noun
Almost the combination “ verb-noun” in English can be transformed into “ verb-noun”
into Vietnamese and vice versa
Ex:
- Knock the door( V/N): gõ cửa ( V/N)
- Break the ice(V/N) : phá vỡ không khí ảm đạm(V/N)
- Hit the headline(V/N) : Giật tít (V/N)
1.2.1.4 Noun-verb
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
Almost the combination “ noun-verb” in English can be rendered using “ noun-verb”
in Vietnamese.
Ex:
- Birds sing (N/V): chim hót (N/V)
- Apricot flowers bloom: hoa nở
However, this combination in Vietnamese can be transformed into the same structural type or the ADJ-N pattern
Ex: - Gừng giã nhỏ(N/V): Ground ginger(ADJ/N)
- Khoai tây chiên(N/V): fried potato (ADJ/N)
1.2.1.5 Noun-of-noun
Almost “ noun-of-noun” in English can be “ noun-noun” in Vietnamese ; however,
sometimes some words are added to make them sound more natural.
Ex:
- Cup of coffe (N/OF/N): tách cà phê(N/N)
- Bed of roses (N/OF/N): vườn hoa hồng(N/N)
- Ounce of cynicism (N/OF/N): Đôi chút hoài nghi” ( N/N)
Almost “ noun-noun” in Vietnamese can be “ noun- noun” or “ noun-of noun” or “
noun’s noun) in English.
Ex:
- Chân gà: chicken legs, the legs of the chicken.
1.2.1.6 Noun-and- noun
This combination in English can sometimes be transformed into “ noun-noun” or “adjective-adjective” in Vietnamese.
Ex:
- Mouse and cat (N/AND/N): mèo vờn chuột(N/N)
- Gloom and doomN/AND/N): buồn bã ảm đạm(ADJ/ADJ)
1.2.1.7 Verb-adverb
All of this combination in English can be transformed into “ Verb- Adj” inVietnamese.
Ex:
-Sing beautifully (V/ADV): hát hay(V/ADJ)
- Love unconditionally( V/ ADV): yêu vô điều kiện
Therefore, In Vietnamese the pattern “ Verb- Adj” can be transformed into “ “VerbAdverb” in English.
1.2.1.5.8 Adverb-adjective
This combination in English can be the same pattern in Vietnamese.
Ex:
- Most likely(ADV/ ADJ): rất có thể(ADV/ADJ)
- Very beautiful: rất xinh đẹp(ADV/ADJ)
1.2.1.5.9 Adjective –and-adjective
This combination in English can be the ADJ/ADJ pattern in Vietnamese and vice
versa.
Ex:
- Safe and sound (ADJ-and-ADJ): bình an vô sự( ADJ/ADJ)
- Fast and loose ( ADJ-and- ADJ): nhanh ẩu đoảng” ADJ/ADJ”
1.2.2 Non-regular items
When it come to “ idioms”, we can see a lot of similarities in the concepts and way of
thinking of the Vietnamese and the English as well as the way they are expressed,
which embody the two culures.
Ex:
24
A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
Xa mặt cách lòng: Out of sight, out of mind ( xa mặt cách lòng).
Tai vách mạch rừng : Walls have ears ( tường vách có tai).
Yêu cho roi cho vọt, ghét cho ngọt cho bùi: Spare the rod and spoil the child (
để dành chiếc roi làm hư đứa trẻ).
- Của rẻ là của ôi: Cheapest is dearest ( rẻ nhất lại là đắt nhất)
- Mưu sự tại nhân, thành sự tại thiên: Man proposes, God disposes( người dự
định, trời quyết định).
- Mất bò mới lo làm chuồng. It is too late to lock the table when the horse is stolen( Mất ngựa rồi mới khóa cửa chuồng thì quá muộn).
Another similarity is that in one English or Vietnamese proverb can include an expression.
Ex:
- One Vietnamese saying
“ Cháy nhà hàng xóm, bình chân như vại”, including the expression “ bình
chân như vại”.
- One English saying
“Birds of a feather flock together”, including the expression “ bird of a feather.”
Last but not least, sometimes, the English and the Vietnamese can change the
structure or some words of the sayings to make their talks more appropriate and
lively.
Ex:
- Ăn nên đọi, nói lên lời.
- Cái khó bó cái khôn
Sometimes those sayings above can be expressed like this:
-Ăn không nên đọi, nói không nên lời.
- Cái khó ló cái khôn.
The same in English, from the proverb “ Man proposes, God disposes”, sometimes, English people can change a little and say that” The writer proposes,
the reader disposes.”
2. Differences
We will take into consideration “ differences in patterning, form and context of
use.
2.1 Different patterning
2.1.1 Structural patterning
The table below will show the difference in structural patterning in English
and Vietnamese and also the frequency of appearance of those combinations
in two languages.
Collocational
English
Rank
Vietnamese
Rank
types
Adjective+
1
+
6
noun
Noun+
1
adjective
Noun-noun
+
2
+
3
Verb-noun
+
3
+
2
Noun-of-noun +
4
Noun-verb
+
5
+
5
Verb-verb
+
7
Verb-adverb
+
6
Verb- adjec+
4
-
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
tive
Verb-and-verb
Adverbadjective
Adjective-andadjective
Noun-andnoun
Adverb-andadverb
+
+
7
8
+
9
+
10
+
11
According to the table above, we can see some of the combinations in English such
as “Noun-adjective” and “ verb-adjective” do not exist in English but in Vietnamese.
At the same time, the table also show us that “ verb-adjective”, “ noun-of-noun”,
“verb-and verb”, “Adverb-adjective”, “ Adjective-and- adjective”, “Noun-and-noun”, “
Adverb-and-adverb” do not exist in Vietnamese but in English.
2.1.2 Semantic patterning.
2.1.2.1 Semantic fields
The table below will show the differences of the semantic fields and subfields in both
languages:
English
Vietnamese
People
People
Appearance
Appearance
Character
Character
Life and prospects
Life and prospects
Feelings and emotions
Feeling and emotions
Human actions
Law and order
Relationships
Nature
Nature
Weather
Weather
Objects
Objects
Places
Flora
Fauna
Events
2.1.2.2 Semantic ranges
2.1.2.2.1 Unrestricted
To examine this part, we will take “lie: nằm” for example:
Lie:
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
-
Kín đáo: hidden/ concealed
Liệt giường: to be bed-ridden
Lăn lóc: neglected/unloved
Ngửa: on one’s back
Phục: in ambush
Rạp xuống đất:to slink down (on the ground)
Sấp : on one’s stomach
Vất vưởng: neglected/ uncared for
We can see that as for” nằm liệt giường” , in Vietnames we have the word” nằm” but
in English, it is simply just “ to bedbed-ridden”. In addition, Eventhough, in English,
we have “ lie on one’s back, lie on one’s stomach”…, in Vietnamese we just simply
say “ nằm sấp hay nằm ngửa” not” nằm trên lưng hay nằm trên bao tử”.
2.1.2.2.2 Semi- restricted
In this part, let’s take “ meagre” for example:
Meagre : ít ỏi
-
Beginning: thưở hàn vi
Living : cuộc sống đạm bạc
Supply: Cung cấp thiếu hụt
Wage: Lương ba cọc ba đồng
In Vietnamese, “ meagre” basically means “ it ỏi” and the English use this word to
combine with “ beginning, living, supply, wage” to show that something is lacking in
amount of quantity. However, when we translate these phrases into Vietnamese we
can not just translate “ it ỏi”, but depending on the context .
2.1.2.2.3 Restricted
Sometimes, some items fixed in this language do not mean that they will be fixed in
another language.
Ex: Let’s take “ burry” a restricted item in English and Vietnamese for example
In Vietnamese, “ burry” means: chôn cất ( dead body). Maybe in some cases, we
can say “ chôn vùi cảm xúc: to burry your emotions”, or “ chôn vùi mọi ngờ vực: to
burry your doubts”. However, in English, this word can be used in more cases.
Ex:
-
To burry you nose in a book : Chúi mũi vào quyển sách
To burry your head in a book: Chúi đầu vào quyển sách
To burry one’s face in one’s hands: Vục mặt vào lòng bàn tay
Ex: Let’s take “ mưa tạnh” in Vietnamese for example
In Vietnamese, we can only say” mưa mạnh” to show the stop of falling the rain but
in English we can say “ rain lets up/ stops”.
27
A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
All in all, some items may be restricted in this language do not mean that they are
restricted in another language,
2.1.3 Thematic patterning
Let’s look at the table below:
Themes
English
Vietnamese
Colour
+
+
Time
+
+
Appearance
+
+
Weather
+
+
Relationships
+
+
Faith
+
+
Entertainment
+
+
Education
+
Work
+
In these fields, we have sub-fields; and although both languages share the same
theme, they do not share the same sub-themes.
To illustrate this, let’s look at the tables above for each theme.
Colour
English
Vietnamese
Beauty
+
+
Feelings
+
+
Injuries
+
Road safety
+
Luck
+
+
Beliefs
+
+
Human character
+
Social class
+
Time
English
Vietnamese
Measurement
+
+
Values
+
+
Period of a person’s life
+
Relationships
English
Vietnamese
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
Love
+
+
Marriage
+
+
Sex
+
+
Divorce
+
Old age
+
2.2 Differences in form
2.2.1 Regular item
2.2.1.1English- Vietnames
2.2.1.1.1 Adjective-noun
Ex: Acute embarrassment (ADJ/N): ngượng chín người (V/ADJ) . We can see that
two phrases have the same meaning but different forms.
2.2.1.1.2 Noun-noun
Ex:
Box- office hit (N/N) : ( extremely successful with audiences) : Thành công về mặt
doanh thu. We can see in this example that “ box –office” is a combination of N-N but
when we translate this phrase into Vietnamese, we can not find any equivalent In Vietnamese; therefore, we have to translate into a longer phrase.
2.2.1.1.3 Noun-of-noun
Ex: - A pang of nostalgia : lòng hoài cổ
-A sense of pride : lòng tự hào
We can rarely see the equivalent of this kind in Vietnamese.
2.2.1.1.4 Noun-and- noun
Ex: Gloom and doom (N-and-N) : thất vọng não nùng (ADJ-ADJ)
Tooth and nail (N-and-N): quyết liệt (ADJ)
2.2.1.1.5 Verb –Adverb
Ex: Lie massively ( V/ADV) : nói dối như Cuội (V/ N)
In this example, we can see that these combinations are not equivalents.
2.2.1.1.6 Verb- and verb
Ex:
- Give and take : có đi có lại
- Cash and carry : tiền trao cháo múc
We can see that no “ and” in Vietnamese.
2.2.1.1.7 Adjective-and-Adjective
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
Ex:
-Safe and sound : bình an vô sự
- High and mighty : cao ngạo, lên mặt dạy đời
Examining the translations of English phrases into Vietnamese, we can see no “
and” in Vietnamese.
2.2.1.2Vietnamese- English
2.2.1.2.1 Verb-noun
Ex:
-
Gây ra mối thù hân ( V/N) : cause a long –lasting feud.
Chinh phục trái tim (V/N) : Win someone’s heart.
In the example “ Gây ra mối thù hận” , the equivalent in Vietnamese is V+ a Noun
phrase.
2.2.1.2.2 Noun-noun
Ex:
-
Người Châu Á ( N/ N) : oriental people (ADJ/N)
Học sinh cấp 3 ( N/N) : high school student ( ADJ/N/N)
Normally, as for the combination “ N-N” we will have “ N-N” or “ N-and-N” equivalent
in English.
2.2.1.2.3 Noun- verb
Ex:
-
Quỷ ám (N/V): possessed by devils (Passive voice)
Mũi nở (N/V): well-developed nose (ADJ/ N)
2.2.1.2.4 Adjective- noun
-
Dồi dào sức khỏe (ADJ/N) : healthy(ADJ)
Ngượng miệng (ADJ/N): feel not easy to say something.
Ex:
Looking at the examples above, we can say that there are no equivalent in these example. In Vietnamese is the combination ADJ +N, but in English sometimes, it is a
adjective, but sometimes it is a phrase.
2.2.1.2.5 Verb-verb
Ex:
-
Nói xấu : talk ill about someone
Đề cao ai : think highly of someone.
In Vietnamese, we just need two verbs to express an idea; however, in English,
sometimes we have to use a long phrase. Therefore, This type of combination can
be hardly matched with English.
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
2.2.2 Non-regular items
We can see that because of the differences between two cultures, there are often
the differences of the concepts, ways of thinking, which lead to the differences between two languages.
Vietnam is an agricultural country; therefore, most of sayings which mention the
weather, the nature or cultivation experiences are many in the amount of Vietnamese proverbs.
Ex:
-Tốt giống tốt má, tốt mạ, tốt lúa.
- Đầu năm sương muối, cuối năm gió nồm
It will be not easy for us to find an equivalent in English because the English just focus on reflecting the relationships, not the nature.
In addition, Vietnamese people experienced the cruel time of the feudalism; that is
the reason why most of Vietnamese proverbs reflect vividly the fighting between the
farmesr and the absentee landlords and the corrupted mandarinds. However, the
fighting for the rights for the English is not so determined and strong as for the Vietnamese.
Ex:
-Quan thấy kiện như kiến thấy mỡ.
-Muốn nói gian làm quan mà nói.
-A cat may look at a king.
-One for the law, another for the poor.
One more difference is that the way the English and the Vietnamese use metaphor
to express the same ideas, concepts or remarks.
Ex:
To show people who have the same origin will have the same characteristics,
the English said that “ Birds of a feather flock together. However, in Vietnamese “ Ngưu tầm ngưu, mã tầm mã” ( the images of ngưu, mã not birds).
- Muốn ăn thì phải đào giun: he that would eat the fruit must climb the trees.
- Không phải có tiền là có tất cả: God will not buy everything
- Không nên vơ đũa cả nắm: All bread is not baked in one oven.
2.3 Differences in context of use
2.3.1 Regular items
-
In English , when people want to say “ a thick book” they will say “ a fat book”. The
word “ fat” is like a characteristic of the human. However, Vietnamese people normally just say “ a thick book”.
Ex:
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
-Ginger hair: a red or orange- brown colour ( in Vietnamese : red hair).
2.3.2 Non-regular items
In English, the expression “ as cheap as dirt” is used to describe something so
cheap. However, in Vietnamese, we normally say “ rẻ như bèo” not “ dirt”(bụi bẩn) .
Uống rượu như hũ chìm: ( drink like a fish). When Vietnamese people want to
say that someone drink too much they will say : drink like a bottle which is soaked in
water, but the English use the image of “ fish” living in water to describe “ someone
drinks hard”.
VII.
Implication in teaching and translating
1. Implication in teaching
Normally, our students just learn new words by remembering the dictionary meanings. For example, “strong”: khỏe; “tea” : trà ; “fat” : mập; “book” : sách. They do not
know these words can combine with each other. As a result, when they want to say
“ trà đặc” or “ quyển sách dày” they will say : “ dense tea”, “ thick book” instead of “
strong tea and fat book”, which sound unnatural for the native-speakers. Knowing
the appropriate combinations of words in English or collocations in English is a necessary skill.
As a role of a teacher as well as a educator, I think that the teaching collocations at
school is of paramount importance. We will not teach our students the meaning of
this word or that word, but the meaning of the phrase including that word, which
counts in conversations or writing. We can test our students in this way “ which word
goes which word”. Teaching and testing this way will help save our time and our
students’ time for studying English. In addition, learning collocations will help our
students to bridge the gap between the knowing a language and mastering a language and improve their writing and speaking very quickly.
Hopefully, teaching collocations systematically and logically will help to improve English leaning development in Vietnam and also motivate learners to do more deep
research in this field for a passionate desire for learning and for a better life.
2. Implication in translation
One thing in the day of light is that languages reflect the societies, cultures, concepts
and ways of thinking. Therefore, the differences between languages are inevitable.
Ex: Take “ đen “ in Vietnamese for example. In English, we can say “ black cats/
dogs/ horses/ cows/ hair/ seeds. However when translating these words into Vietnamese, we cannot say chó đen but “ chó mực”, mèo đen but “ mèo mun”, tóc đen “
but “ tóc huyền”, chuổi hạt đen” but “ chuỗi huyền”.
Fixed idioms in two languages also cause a lot of confusions for the translators. One
thing for sure is that a good translation must come from a translator having a good
command of collocations of both languages.
Ex: “ Uốn tre từ thưở còn non, dạy con từ thưở lúc còn lên ba”. The Vietnamese use
the image of bamboo to discuss the child rearing; however , the English say: “make
hay while the sun shines” or “ strike while the iron is hot”. “ Vỏ quit dày có móng tay
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
nhọn” , Vietnamese people use the images of “ mandarin and sharp nail”, but the
English say “ diamonds cut diamonds”.
Because of the gap of two languages, when do translating, consulting the dictionaries of sayings, idioms, collocations or seeking equivalents are extremely essential.
In addition, putting efforts on mastering the cultures of two languages will help.
To convey messages precisely from one language to another language is one invaluable thing. Applying collocations in translating will help to realize this and produce more good translations.
VIII.
Conclusion
Education is still a long, long path ahead. What we can do today is trying our best
to learn, makes surveys and do research in order to broaden this path.
As a English teacher –to-be, I always hope that one day after a period of time burying my head into books, I can use my knowledge to help my students approach this
subject in the right and shortest way. All of those beautiful dreams start from this essay. Hopefully, It will become a useful document for anyone wishing to know about
collocations of both languages.
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A contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese collocations
REFERENCE LIST
McCarthy, M.,O’Dell,F. (2009). English Collocations in Use. Đồng Nai Publicer.
Hewings, M. (2007). Advanced Grammar in Use. Youth Press.
Mai Lan Huong. (2004). An English Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms. Hồ Chí
Minh Publicer.
Trinh Frank Nhat. (2002). English and Vietnamese collocations : a contrastive analysis. From
http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:9
610
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