Définition et structure du syntagme nominal
Avant d’aborder les déterminants caractérisants du nom, nous allons tout d’abord discuter du syntagme nominal Qu’entend-on par un syntagme nominal ?
Wilmet, dans La dộtermination nominale, dộfinit le syntagme nominal comme la ô sộquence ordonnée de mots qui réunit autour d’un substantif (S) la totalité de ses déterminants (D) avec leur expansion (Y) ằ (Wilmet, 1986, p.73)
According to A Martinet (1979, p.19), a noun phrase consists of three key components: (1) a determiner or a group of determiners that specify a central morpheme, known as the nucleus; (2) the nucleus itself; and (3) when applicable, an indication of its dependency on the rest of the statement.
Nous rappelons que dans cette définition, le monème correspond à un morphème lexical de la linguistique structurale
In their definitions, Wilmet emphasizes the importance of an ordered sequence, noting that a disordered sequence does not constitute a noun phrase Conversely, Martinet highlights the dependency of the noun phrase on other constituents within the statement The noun phrase is formed to establish a relationship with the rest of the sentence, demonstrating its morphosyntactic characteristics within the sentence's macrostructure.
Malgré ces différences dans la définition, en tout cas, le syntagme nominal se compose d’un nom-noyau et ses déterminants
- La robe noire de ta sœur
In the example above, the central moneme of the noun phrase is "the dress," preceded by its determiner "the," which indicates that the dress in question is specific.
5 identifiable par les interlocuteurs Son emploi s’explique par l’adjectif ộpithốte ô noire ằ et le complộment du nom ô de ta sœur ằ
Nous analysons la nature et les fonctions des constituants du syntagme nominal dans les parties suivantes.
Le nom-noyau
A noun, also known as a substantive, serves as the core morpheme of a noun phrase It designates both abstract and concrete realities, including people, animals, objects, ideas, phenomena, and feelings Nouns can vary in both number and gender.
Nouns can be classified in various ways based on their semantic characteristics Key distinctions include proper nouns versus common nouns, personal nouns versus thing nouns, abstract nouns versus concrete nouns, animated nouns versus non-animated nouns, and countable nouns versus uncountable (mass) nouns Among these classifications, the countable versus uncountable noun distinction has been the focus of study by numerous grammarians.
Count nouns and mass nouns are two subcategories of common nouns, each defined by distinct morphological criteria Count nouns can be used in both singular and plural forms, while mass nouns are typically singular and invariable Mass nouns can be preceded by partitive articles such as "du" or "de la," as well as expressions like "un peu de," "beaucoup de," "moins de," and "plus de." In contrast, count nouns can take definite or indefinite articles, numerical adjectives, and quantitative expressions such as "aucun(e)," "certains," "chaque," "divers," "plusieurs," "quelques," and "un grand nombre de," along with adjectives like "différent(s)," "distinct(s)," and "nombreux."
At first glance, the criteria and combinations appear adequate for distinguishing between the two subclasses of nouns: count nouns and mass nouns However, as summarized by Mr Galmiche, nearly all nouns can be utilized in either a countable or uncountable manner.
(1988, citộ par Kleiber, 1989, p.84) : ô Tout nom comptable peut avoir un emploi massif, et inversement, tout nom massif peut avoir un emploi comptable ằ
En effet, des noms qui semblent être comptables tels que poulet, crocodile, serpent, chou-fleur peuvent s’utiliser de faỗon massive dans certains contextes concrets :
- Il a mangé du poulet hier
- Ton sac, c’est du crocodile ou du serpent ?
- Donnez-moi un peu de chou-fleur !
Inversement, des noms qui sont considérés comme massifs comme vin, bière, eau, admiration peuvent devenir des noms comptables :
- Nous avons bu un très bon vin
- Je voudrais cinq biốres, s’il vous plaợt !
- Pendant le voyage en Thạlande, ils ont nagé dans une eau turquoise
- Christine éprouve une admiration sans limite pour son idole
Afin de sortir de cette impasse, selon la position de K Allan (1980, cité par Kleiber, 1989, p.84), le nom doit être envisagé à deux niveaux :
(i) à un niveau interne, celui du nom non encore déterminé
(ii) à un niveau externe, celui du syntagme nominal ó les déterminants contribuent à l’établissement du trait massif ou comptable (ou neutre)
The name remains consistent in its concept, but can convey different meanings through the use of determiners These determiners assign either a mass or countable quality to the noun, influencing its external characteristics.
In the French language, nouns are analyzed based on two criteria: number and gender While the aspect of number has been discussed previously, gender in French is categorized into two types: masculine and feminine Unlike Latin, French does not include a neuter gender.
In the French language, animated nouns, which refer to people and animals, exhibit gender variations based on biological sex, such as "a woman" or "a man," and "a bull" or "a cow." Conversely, inanimate nouns possess a fixed gender that is often assigned arbitrarily, without any relation to the meaning of the word The distinctions between the two genders in this context are purely grammatical, as seen in examples like "the day" (le jour), "the night" (la nuit), "a t-shirt" (un t-shirt), and "a skirt" (une jupe).
Despite the arbitrary nature of noun classification, word endings can often help differentiate between masculine and feminine forms For instance, nouns ending in -tion, -ité, -ure, -ance, -ence, and -ée are typically feminine, whereas those with endings like -ment, -isme, and -age are usually masculine.
In French, there are words known as epicenes (from the Latin "epicoenus" and Greek "epikoinos," meaning "possessed in common") An epicene refers to a living noun that has the same form in both masculine and feminine, such as "témoin," "individu," and "voyou." Similarly, some nouns, particularly those related to professions, exist with only one gender for both sexes, like "un médecin" and "une vedette."
Additionally, some nouns have identical forms for both genders but carry different meanings, such as "un tour" (a turn) versus "une tour" (a tower) and "un mémoire" (a thesis) versus "une mémoire" (memory) Thus, the gender and meaning are conveyed through the determiner used.
Le nom peut avoir plusieurs fonctions grammaticales dans la phrase
Attribut Ma femme est professeur
Complément d’objet direct Il est en train d’écrire une lettre
Complément d’objet indirect Il téléphone à son amie
Complément circonstanciel Je vais à l’école
Complément déterminatif (ou du nom) Elle attend le coucher du soleil
Complément de l’adjectif Nam est inquiet de son frère
Complément de l’adverbe J’ai beaucoup de choses à faire aujourd’hui Complément d’agent Ce livre est écrit par son père
Apposition Michel, mon collègue, vient de divorcer.
Les déterminants du nom
A determiner precedes or follows a noun, forming a noun phrase with it Its syntactic function is to specify the noun it accompanies Without a determiner, a noun refers to a general concept, such as "lake," "house," or "child." However, when combined with one or more determiners, it transforms into a referential expression that can point to an extralinguistic referent For example:
- Il y a un beau lac près de chez moi
- Mon amie a acheté cette maison
- Son enfant vient de partir en France
Le déterminant s’accorde en nombre et en genre avec le substantif qu’il détermine:
- le serveur, la serveuse, les serveurs, les serveuses
Le nom noyau peut être : masculin singulier, féminin singulier, masculin pluriel et féminin pluriel, le déterminant varie en conséquence (le, la, les)
En matière de classification des déterminants nominaux, on appelle les déterminants qui précèdent le nom les prédéterminants que sont les articles, les adjectifs possessifs, démonstratifs, numéraux et indéfinis
In addition to predeterminers, there are also postdeterminers that follow the core noun These include qualifying adjectives, determinative complements, and subordinate clauses that function as complements of the noun or another equivalent determiner.
- le téléphone de ma mère
- l’impression que quelqu’un me suit
According to Wilmet (1983, p.18), determiners express both the extent and the extension of a noun The Belgian linguist defines extent as the quantity of entities or objects that the discourse temporarily applies a noun to, while extension refers to the entire potential set of entities or objects denoted by that noun In the following section, we will discuss the indicators of extension—known as characterizers.
Les déterminants caractérisants stricts du nom
M Wilmet (1997, p.97) dộfinit les caractộrisants comme suivant : ô Les dộterminants caractộrisants resserrent l’extension du noyau par l’apport d’une diffộrence spộcifique ằ
The author identifies three types of qualifiers: (1) strict qualifiers, (2) numerical qualifiers, and (3) possessive qualifiers Strict qualifiers include qualitative adjectives, determinative complements, and relative and determinative conjunctions Numerical qualifiers encompass ordinal numerals Possessive qualifiers consist of tonic possessives from Old French, such as "un mien cousin." In the following sections, we will conduct a detailed analysis of strict qualifiers in French.
Le mot ô adjectif ằ vient du latin ô adjectivum ằ signifiant ô qui s’ajoute à ằ L’adjectif qualificatif est un mot qui s’ajoute à un nom pour lui apporter une précision ou une caractéristique :
- J’aime la robe blanche (Ce n’est pas n’importe quelle robe que j’aime, c’est la robe blanche)
L’adjectif varie en genre et en nombre avec le nom auquel il se rapporte
Grammar assigns a function to every category of words, with adjectives serving different roles depending on the context According to Martinet (op cit., p.72), adjectives fulfill three distinct functions.
comme des prédicats à copule (attribut)
comme des prédicatọdes appositifs sans copule ou comme des prédicatọdes sans copule
- Énervé, il sortit de la maison sans rien dire
comme des déterminants non-appositifs des noms, mais non des pronoms On les appelle alors des épithètes
- une bouteille vide, la voiture rouge, un bel appartement, les chaussures noires
Not all adjectives fulfill all three functions; some are limited to one or two This paper will focus on the third function— the attributive function In "La détermination nominale," Marc Wilmet provides a broad definition of this function, stating that the attributive function essentially serves a determinative role, which can be understood in terms of quantification and/or characterization.
1.4.1.2 Place et valeurs de l’adjectif
The position of the adjective in relation to the noun phrase is a distinctive feature of French Studying this issue is crucial, as its placement influences its meanings and values.
In French grammar, adjectives are positioned directly next to the nouns they modify, typically either before or after them The most common arrangement is the noun-adjective order According to Wagner and Pinchon (2001, p.152-153), the attributive adjective is constructed directly with the noun it determines, but generally, an attributive adjective tends to follow the noun Martinet, in "La grammaire fonctionnelle du français," states that adjectives are post-nominal 80% of the time.
In French, adjectives that describe color, shape, nationality, religion, long adjectives, and participles used as adjectives typically follow the noun, while short adjectives and ordinal numbers precede it Additionally, the attributive adjective comes before the noun to create compound words, such as "une chauve-souris" (a bat), "un rond-point" (a roundabout), and "un blanc-manteau" (a white coat).
La valeur principale de l’adjectif qualificatif est ainsi de caractériser le nom qu’il détermine
When combined with adjectives, nouns acquire distinct characteristics that set them apart from other nouns In other words, adjectives create subsets within a larger category, such as round tables, square tables, and rectangular tables.
La place de l’épithète est strictement liée à ses valeurs d’emploi Les adjectifs postposés au substantif ont une valeur purement adjectivale (un chat noir, un film franỗais, une table
In French grammar, the position of adjectives can significantly influence their meaning When placed after the noun, adjectives often convey a predicative value, providing an objective description of the noun, such as "a disagreeable smell" meaning "a smell that is disagreeable." Conversely, adjectives that precede the noun tend to have an intensive value, losing their specific meaning when in the front position This distinction highlights the importance of adjective placement in conveying precise meanings in descriptions.
In French, the position of adjectives can significantly alter their meaning For example, "un pauvre homme" translates to "a poor man" in the sense of being unfortunate, while "un homme pauvre" means "a man who is not wealthy." Similarly, "ma propre maison" refers to "my own house," indicating ownership, whereas "une maison propre" means "a clean house." The distinction continues with "un grand homme," which signifies "a famous man," in contrast to "un homme grand," meaning "a tall man." Additionally, "les mêmes causes" denotes "the same causes," while "la simplicité même" conveys "the simplicity itself," highlighting the exactness and purity of the term Understanding these nuances is essential for accurate interpretation and effective communication in French.
Some adjectives retain their meaning regardless of whether they precede or follow the noun These include adjectives that express appreciation, such as "excellent work" or "a work that is excellent." Moreover, placing the adjective before the noun can enhance the phonetic and rhythmic balance of a sentence, as in "a gifted student" instead of "a student gifted." This positioning is particularly common in literature, where it is used to create stylistic effects, as illustrated in La Fontaine's "The Ant and the Grasshopper."
Chez la Fourmi sa voisine,
La priant de lui prêter
Jusqu'à la saison nouvelle ô Je vous paierai, lui dit-elle,
Dans cet exemple, l’adjectif ô nouvelle ằ qui est habituellement prộ-nominal est postposộ au nom ô saison ằ afin de faire le rime avec le mot ô elle ằ dans le vers suivant
The noun complement, also known as the determinative complement, is a word or group of words that enhances the meaning of a noun It is fixed in position, appearing directly after the noun it modifies For example, in phrases like "my father's laptop" and "the dining room," the noun complement provides essential details that clarify the noun.
The determinative complement is commonly introduced by a preposition Frequent prepositions used with the noun complement include "to," "of," and "in," though you may also encounter "by," "without," "for," and "on."
The noun complement is positioned directly after the noun without any intermediary, as seen in phrases like "a homemade cake" (a cake prepared at home) and "Avenue Louise." This structure is frequently employed in commercial language, such as "grocery section" and "your vacation rental."
Généralement, une préposition peut avoir plusieurs sens, en fonction du nom qu’elle accompagne
- Table en métal (la matière)
- Le voyage en avion (le moyen de transport)
D’ailleurs, quand on change la prộposition, le complộment du nom connaợt un changement de sens :
- un verre de vin : un verre qui contient du vin (le contenu)
- un verre à vin : un verre utilisé pour le vin (le contenant)
The noun complement does not agree in number or gender with the noun it qualifies, as seen in phrases like "the key of my house" and "the keys of my house." In these examples, the complement "of my house" remains unchanged and does not vary with the noun "key."
The noun complement is not essential in a noun phrase, allowing for its removal without grammatical error However, eliminating it can lead to a loss of precision, potentially rendering the sentence vague.
- Je voudrais la chemise à carreaux
Quant à sa nature, le complément du nom peut être :
un nom (propre ou commun) : la mère de Mai, le bureau de mon professeur
un pronom : l’attitude de ceux-ci
un infinitif : une table à manger
un adverbe : les gens d’ici
Conclusion
Au terme de ce chapitre, nous sommes arrivée à construire un cadre théorique pour notre recherche en consultant plusieurs ouvrages linguistiques et livres de grammaire
This article discusses the structure of the noun phrase in French, focusing on the core noun and its determiners After referencing Wilmet's definition, it examines the form, functions, and semantic values of strict modifiers, including qualifying adjectives, determinative complements, and relative and conjunctive clauses Typically, these modifiers follow the noun they describe, with exceptions for certain attributive adjectives While each modifier serves distinct functions, their primary role is to provide additional information about the core noun, thereby enhancing its meaning.
27 fonction du contexte L’interprétation de ses valeurs dépend alors d’autres éléments de l’énoncé ainsi que de la situation de communication
Nous allons examiner dans le chapitre qui suit l’équivalence des caractérisants du nom en vietnamien
Description du syntagme nominal en vietnamien
The structure of the noun phrase in Vietnamese is a debated topic among linguists Notable scholars such as Nguyen Tai Can, Diep Quang Ban, Dinh Van Duc, and Nguyen Kim Than have examined this subject Before delving into the specifics of Vietnamese noun phrase structure, it is essential to highlight the perspectives of various linguists.
According to Nguyen Tai Can (2004), a noun phrase consists of two main components: the core, which is occupied by the noun, and its determiners He identifies two types of determiners: prenominal and postnominal For instance, he illustrates this distinction with examples.
Tất cả ba cái con mèo đen ấy
-4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 totalité quantité focalisateur cai classificateur nom adjectif démonstratif Tous ces trois chats noirs-là
Selon cette analyse, le nom noyau occupe la position 0 Il y a quatre prédéterminants numérotés de -1 à -4 :
- position -2 : le déictique focalisateur (Df) cai
- position -3 : les expressions de la quantité (Q)
- position -4 : les expressions de la totalité (T)
Les déterminants postnominaux occupent deux positions :
- position 1 : les compléments du nom
Selon l’auteur, le noyau du syntagme nominal peut avoir deux formes : simple et composé Prenons ses exemples : thành phố này
N ville ci cette ville một anh sinh viên
N1 N2 un Cl = jeune homme étudiant un étudiant
When a noun is preceded by a classifier, the core consists of a combination of two elements, N1 and N2 N1 serves as the grammatical core, while N2 represents the semantic core.
Diep Quang Ban, in his work "Ngữ pháp tiếng Việt – Tập 2" (2005), shares a perspective akin to that of Nguyen Tai Can regarding the structure of Vietnamese noun phrases He identifies three essential components: prenominal elements, the core, and postnominal elements.
Le noyau du syntagme est occupé par un nom ou un groupe de nom
Prenominals are fixed elements that occupy a specific position within a phrase Each phrase has a limited number of prenominals, which clarify the quantity of the core noun and add generality to it.
Post-nominal phrases can include multiple elements, offering an unlimited number of modifiers, unlike pre-nominal phrases These post-nominal elements specify the qualities of the noun, adding distinct characteristics and depth to its meaning.
A la différence de Nguyen Tai Can et Diep Quang Ban, Nguyen Phu Phong (1992) utilise une autre méthode pour étudier les classificateurs
The concept of quantifiabilisation, as defined by Culioli, highlights the role of classifiers in languages such as Chinese and Vietnamese According to Nguyen Phu Phong, quantifiabilisation is neither purely quantitative nor purely qualitative; instead, it represents a complex intertwining of both aspects This complexity leads linguists to oscillate between a grammatical, quantitative perspective and a semantic, qualitative one.
A classifier is defined as a functional unit that serves the dual role of quantifying and characterizing a noun For instance, in the phrase "cái bàn" (the table), "cái" acts as the classifier, indicating that the noun "bàn" refers to a concrete unit (quantification) and that it belongs to the inanimate gender (qualification) Conversely, in "mèo cái" (the female cat), "cái" is not a classifier, as it only conveys a characteristic of the core noun (female).
La structure du syntagme nominal chez Nguyen Phu Phong est définie comme le tableau suivant : numéral classificateur nom démonstratif hai cái bàn này ces deux tables
Dans Ngữ pháp tiếng Việt (UBKHXH – 1983), les auteurs divisent le syntagme nominal en trois parties : le noyau, ses prénominaux et ses postnominaux
Le noyau peut être un nom abstrait ou concret, un nom générique ou spécifique,… L’utilisation des déterminants dépend du type de nom noyau
- Tất cả những bông hoa này (Toutes ces fleurs)
- Hai chiếc xe đạp (Deux vélos)
- Một cuộc cách mạng lớn (Une grande révolution)
Les prénominaux comprennent les unités de mesure, les éléments qui désignent la totalité, la quantité…
- Bốn cân gạo (Quatre kilos de riz)
- Tất cả công nhân của nhà máy (Tous les ouvriers de l’usine)
- Tất cả hai mươi sinh viên này (Tous ces vingt étudiants)
- Những bức tranh của Van Gogh trong bảo tàng này (Des tableaux de Van Gogh dans ce musée)
Les postnominaux constituent les déterminants qui ont pour fonction de restreindre le nom noyau en lui apportant des caractéristiques
- Chiếc sơ mi màu xanh của tôi (Mon/Ma chemisier/chemise bleu(e))
- Ba cái bàn gỗ (Trois tables en bois)
- Cuốn sách bố tôi mua hôm qua (Le livre que mon père a acheté hier)
Pour Nguyen Kim Than (1975), un des pionniers de la tendance sémantico-syntaxique, il y a quelques règles pour trouver l’ordre des constituants du syntagme nominal vietnamien :
- Tous les déterminants qui expriment la totalité, le nombre ou qui désignent une classe spécifique de l’objet (traditionnellement le classificateur) sont antéposés au nom
- Les autres (exprimant la qualité, le possessif, déterminant) le suivent
L’auteur présente ainsi l’ordre du nom et de ses déterminants : totalité nombre, quantité Cl N qualificatif démonstratif possessif ou
-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 s’il s’agit d’un quantitatif, c’est un cardinal s’il s’agit d’un quantitatif, c’est un ordinal ;
Position 1 is the only place where multiple words from the same category can be juxtaposed For example, in the phrase "một căn phòng rộng rãi và tiện nghi" (a spacious and comfortable room), position 1 is occupied by two adjectives: "rộng rãi" (spacious) and "tiện nghi" (comfortable).
In summary, there are various perspectives on the structure of the noun phrase, particularly regarding the identification of its core Based on the work of linguists, we can draw conclusions about the noun phrase in Vietnamese.
The noun phrase consists of a core occupied by a noun and its determiners A complete phrase is made up of three parts: prenominal elements, the core, and postnominal elements.
The core of the noun phrase is occupied by the noun itself The classifier serves as a functional class and acts as a determiner for the noun In addition to the core, both prenominal and postnominal modifiers play a significant role in the noun phrase.
Les prénominaux peuvent être : a Les expressions de la totalité : tất cả, mọi,…
- mọi câu hỏi (toutes les questions) b Les expressions de la quantité
- mười chiếc xe đạp (dix vélos) c Les unités de mesure
- một cân đường (un kilo de sucre)
- cái con mèo này (ce chat) e les classificateurs
Dans le syntagme nominal, les postnominaux peuvent être occupés par plusieurs catégories de mots comme nom, verbe, adjectif, pronom,… f les adjectifs qualificatifs
- một câu hỏi khó (une question difficile)
- chiếc khăn đen (l’écharpe noire) g les nominaux, noms ou pronoms, ou les infinitifs
- tủ gỗ (armoire en bois) h le possessif avec ou sans le marqueur của
- quyển sách của tôi (mon livre) i les démonstratifs
- chiếc điện thoại này (ce téléphone) j la phrase imbriquée
- Người phụ nữ anh gặp hôm qua là mẹ tôi (La femme que vous avez rencontrée hier est ma mère)
Le complément du nom
Le complément du nom appartient à plusieurs catégories de mots Il peut être :
un nom, avec ou sans intermédiaire d’un fonctionnel
- sỏch tiếng Phỏp (livre de franỗais)
- chai sữa (bouteille de lait)
- nhà (bằng) gỗ (maison en bois)
un adjectif : Nous allons parler, de manière plus détaillée, de l’adjectif dans la partie suivante
- bài hát hay (chanson intéressante)
- chiếc bàn trắng (la table blanche)
- phòng họp (salle de réunion)
- niềm hy vọng được nổi tiếng (l’espoir de devenir célèbre)
According to Vu Van Dai, the characterizing element can be positioned immediately after the core or introduced through a functional word such as "như" (like), "bằng" (by), or "bởi" (by), depending on various syntactic conditions.
The characterization can be directly linked to the core noun without an intermediary if it does not have its own determination, such as "leather shoes" or "paper boat." However, when the characterization has its own determination, it is placed after the core noun through an intermediary functional element to avoid potential semantic ambiguity, as seen in "red brick house" or "newspaper boat."
When the core and its complement are connected by a functional element, a phrase emerges that signifies two individually determined concepts In the absence of the functional element, the phrase consists of two juxtaposed nouns that refer to a specific referent.
Un nom peut être déterminé par plusieurs compléments Il se pose donc le problème de la place des compléments dans le syntagme nominal
There are two types of noun complements: the restrictive complement, which narrows the meaning of the core noun, and the epithet (epitheton ornantium), which adds a characteristic to the noun For instance, in the phrase "chiếc mũ vải màu đen," "vải" serves as the restrictive complement, while "màu đen" functions as the epithet In Vietnamese, each type has a specific position within the noun phrase, with the referent always placed before its characteristics, positioning the restrictive complement before the epithet.
- chiếc mũ vải màu đen * chiếc mũ màu đen vải
- chiếc ô giấy dầu xinh xắn * chiếc ô xinh xắn giấy dầu
- quyển từ điển tiếng Anh dày cộp * quyển từ điển dày cộp tiếng Anh
Le complément restrictif peut se diviser en deux types : ceux qui désignent l’espèce (loại) et ceux qui désignent la catégorie/la classe (hạng) * :
* ô loại ằ et ô hạng ằ sont des termes utilisộs par Hoang Dung et Nguyen Thi Ly Kha (2004) et nous traduisons ô loại ằ par ô espốce ằ et ô hạng ằ par ô catộgorie ằ ou ô classe ằ
- con cá rô phi đực
In Vietnamese cognition, terms like "mèo mướp" (striped cat) and "cá rô" (snakehead fish) represent species, while "cái" (female) and "phi" (category) denote categories The species identifiers, such as "cá rô phi," precede the category descriptors, as one cannot say "ô con mốo cỏi mướp ằ" or "ô con cỏ phi rụ đực ằ." This structure indicates that category terms narrow the meaning of the core noun and its species identifiers A noun can be defined by multiple complements indicating both species and category.
- cá rô / cá rô phi / cá rô phi vằn / cá rô phi vằn đực
- xoài cát / xoài cát Hòa Lộc
- sách giáo khoa / sách giáo khoa Ngữ văn / sách giáo khoa Ngữ văn lớp 9 / sách giáo khoa Ngữ văn lớp 9 tập một
However, this classification is rooted in Vietnamese cognition rather than grammatical rules While the aforementioned complements serve a specific role in expressing the Vietnamese worldview, they primarily function as restrictive complements and are positioned immediately after the core noun.
Khi xem xét vị trí của các bổ ngữ bắt đầu bằng giới từ, ta thấy rằng trong các câu như "Họ đến thăm những vườn cây tươi tốt tại Nam Bộ" là chính xác, trong khi "Họ đến thăm những vườn cây tại Nam Bộ tươi tốt" lại không hợp lý Tương tự, câu "Con mèo béo trên ghế là của em tôi" là đúng, nhưng "Con mèo trên ghế béo là của em tôi" thì không Cuối cùng, câu "Tôi rất thích chiếc mũ trắng trên kệ" cũng đúng, trong khi "Tôi rất thích chiếc mũ trên kệ trắng" lại không hợp lệ.
Dans ces exemples, on peut dire (a), (b) mais pas (a’), (b’) Ainsi, les compléments tại Nam
In Vietnamese syntax, modifiers such as "tươi tốt" and "béo" are placed after the nouns they describe, indicating a postpositive structure For example, while both pairs (c) and (c') can be used, they convey different meanings; in (c'), the adjective "trắng" modifies the noun "kệ," rather than "mũ" as in (c) This demonstrates the flexibility of word placement in Vietnamese sentences, which significantly impacts the interpretation of meaning.
Among the noun complements, the possessive complement is a special case This type of complement can be placed directly after the core noun without any intermediary or connected to the noun by the marker "của." However, a question arises: when is this marker mandatory, and when can it be omitted?
(2014, p.29-32) a appliqué l’approche syntaxico-sémantique pour trouver la réponse à cette question Selon lui, il existe quatre cas comme qui suivent :
của est obligatoire dans les cas de vraie possession
Dans ces exemples, si on supprime le marqueur của, la relation possessive entre les éléments deviendra indistincte (cuộc chiến tôi, con mèo Mai)
của est obligatoire en raison de la grammaire
- Tôi nghe thấy tiếng kêu của một cô gái
In this sentence, the noun phrase can be rewritten as a clause: "the cry of a girl" becomes "a girl cries." Here, the noun following "of" serves as the subject, while the noun preceding it acts as the predicate The function of "of" is crucial for linking these two elements; removing it alters the meaning of the sentence For example, "I heard the cry of a girl" changes to "I heard someone calling a girl" without the connective.
của est obligatoire quand le nom-noyau est déterminé par d’autres compléments
- bàn tay gầy guộc của mẹ
Comparing these two examples, we observe that the absence of "của" in the first instance does not lead to a semantic change However, it is impossible to remove this marker in the second example (*bàn tay gầy guộc mẹ) because the noun is determined by the qualifying adjective "gầy guộc."
của est facultatif dans les cas ó la situation de communication permet d’identifier le rapport possessif ou dans les cas ó il n’est pas nécessaire d’être clarifié
- bố tôi / bố của tôi
- cuộc đời tôi / cuộc đời của tôi
In most cases, the marker "của" is essential for syntactical or grammatical reasons However, it may be omitted when the context of communication allows for the identification of the possessive relationship or when clarification is unnecessary.
L’adjectif
The adjective defines a characteristic or quality of a person, animal, thing, or action However, identifying lexical classes, particularly adjectives, in Vietnamese is more challenging than in inflectional languages like French, as it cannot rely on specific morphological rules The lexical status of a Vietnamese word is only clarified within context For instance, the word "dài" cannot be categorized without additional context.
(1) Con đường này rất dài (Ce chemin est très long.)
(2) Hãy đo chiều dài căn phòng! (Mesurez la longueur de la salle !)
(3) Nói dài, nói dai thành ra nói dại (Evitez de trop parler pour ne pas dire de bêtises.)
In sentence (1), "long" functions as an adjective, while in sentence (2) it serves as a noun, and in sentence (3) it acts as an adverb Therefore, identifying a lexical class can only be done within context, relying on the word's distribution and its combination with other words in the sentence.
En vietnamien, l’adjectif peut assumer plusieurs fonctions dans le discours, mais dans le cadre du présent mémoire, nous mettons l’accent sur sa fonction de complément du nom
The function of adjectives in the nominal phrase is limited in certain cases, as noted by Dinh Van Duc (2009, p.13) This lexical class primarily indicates the characteristics of the referent, such as quality, color, and dimension However, to express broader characteristics, nouns are also used, as seen in examples like "tác phong công nhân" and "đêm trăng."
In Vietnamese, adjectives possess a unique stylistic feature not systematically found in inflected languages Most monosyllabic adjectives can expand into polysyllabic forms, often dissyllabic, such as "giàu có" (wealthy), "vàng rực" (bright yellow), and "vuông vức" (square-shaped) While the core meanings of these adjectives, like "giàu" (rich), can be easily translated into other languages, the secondary words in these combinations introduce semantic variations that express nuances and the speaker's emotional opinions For instance, terms like "vàng rực," "vàng vọt," and "vàng khè" convey subtle differences that are challenging to translate accurately into other languages.
Ngôi nhà to đùng của y đứng lù lù đầu phố khiến ai đi qua cũng phải ngước nhìn (Dinh
En vietnamien, l’adjectif se place après le nom qu’il détermine
- chiếc giường mới (le nouveau lit)
- chiếc mũ đen (le bonnet noir)
Based on their meaning and combinatory potential, adjectives can be categorized into two types The first type expresses a characteristic that can be measured in degrees Depending on the degree, this type of adjective may be modified by various words such as "very," "quite," "too," "extremely," "exceptionally," and "incredibly."
The term "very beautiful," "quite beautiful," "extremely beautiful," "incredibly beautiful," and "exceptionally beautiful" describe an attribute that cannot be quantified in varying degrees This type of adjective does not pair with words indicating intensity levels and is categorized into two sub-classes.
Des adjectifs qualificatifs qui sont des pôles opposés, sans degré intermédiaire : đực / cái, trống / mái, trong / ngoài, công / tư, chính / phụ
Des adjectifs composés dont l’élément postposé apporte à l’élément antéposé (c.-à-d l’adjectif noyau) une nuance : xanh mướt, đỏ ối, đen sì sì, trọc lốc, cao vút.
La phrase imbriquée
Le nom-noyau du syntagme nominal peut être déterminé par une phrase imbriquée, avec ou sans l’intermédiaire
2.4.1 Equivalence de la proposition subordonnée relative
2.4.1.1 Concernant la notion du ô pronom relatif ằ en vietnamien
Nous n’avons pas une notion concrète du pronom relatif en vietnamien
The word "mà" has two characteristics of a relative pronoun: it acts as a conjunction between two clauses and replaces the antecedent it determines However, some believe that this word functions more as a conjunction than as a relative pronoun.
2.4.1.2 Les modes pour relier le noyau et la proposition imbriquée a) L’emploi de mà
The word "mà" plays a crucial role in constructing sentences with one or more extensions It is not mandatory when the core element is not the subject of the embedded clause.
- Tớ rất thích quyển sách (mà) cậu tặng tớ (J’aime bien le livre que tu m’as offert)
- Bộ phim (mà) em đang xem tên là gì ? (Le film que tu es en train de regarder s’appelle comment ?)
Dans ces phrases, le mot mà a pour but de mettre en relief la proposition imbriquée On peut donc le supprimer sans entraợner des ambigỹitộs
Cependant, ce mot est obligatoire quand il y a au moins deux propositions enchâssées déterminant le nom-noyau puisque son absence pourrait provoquer des équivoques
Những người đã có mối quan hệ với chàng thiếu úy hơn hai mươi năm trước và may mắn sinh được con, sẽ được ngài Jhon Kim bảo lãnh sang Mỹ.
Vu Van Dai, op cit., p 109)
Women who had a sexual relationship with the young lieutenant over 20 years ago and had a child with him will be able to travel to the United States, as Mr Jhon Kim guarantees their accommodation.
In this example, the term "women" is defined by two nested clauses: (1) those who had a sexual relationship with the young lieutenant over twenty years ago, and (2) those who had a child with him While the conjunction "that" is not necessary in the first embedded clause, it is essential in the second Without it, the reader might misinterpret the sentence due to the principle of direct incidence, which emphasizes the last autonomous term of the first clause.
42 ô thiếu ỳy ằ (lieutenant), devient le sujet, au lieu du complộment, du syntagme verbal ô avoir un enfant de lui ằ L’emploi de mà permet donc d’ộcarter ce risque d’ộquivoque
The use of "mà" plays a crucial role in constructing sentences with one or more extensions, often helping to create clear and unambiguous phrases However, its frequent application, sometimes influenced by foreign languages, can lead to sentences that feel heavy, artificial, or unsuitable for Vietnamese style.
- Elle veut retourner au village ó elle est née
- Cô muốn quay lại ngôi làng mà cô được sinh ra
In the example above, the misuse of "mà" makes the sentence sound artificial and unsuitable for the Vietnamese language In this case, "Ông Cụ muốn quay lại ngôi làng nơi ông được sinh ra" is, in our opinion, the best choice Additionally, we will discuss the zero form.
In addition to the intermediary role of the word "mà," the zero form also serves as a means to connect the core and the embedded proposition When the core acts as the subject of the embedded proposition, "mà" is absent, as illustrated in the following example.
- Tôi đã xem một bộ phim nói về tình bạn (J’ai regardé un film qui parle de l’amitié)
The phenomenon in Vietnamese syntax arises from the principle of juxtaposing autonomous discourse units in a linear sequence, where each unit directly influences the following one In a coordinated sequence, these units typically serve two functions, except for the head of the sentence For instance, in the example provided, "ô một bộ phim ằ" (a film) serves a dual function as both the complement of the verb "ô xem ằ" (to watch) and the subject of "ô núi ằ" (to talk) Consequently, the word "mà" is unnecessary in this context.
In certain instances, it is not possible to use the word "that" or the zero form to connect the core and the embedded clause An alternative solution, known as anaphora, must be employed to enhance the clarity of the statement.
- Cô ấy có hai người bạn học ở Pháp
On peut comprendre cette phrase de deux faỗons :
- Cô ấy có hai người bạn, họ học ở Pháp (Elle a deux amis, ils font des études en France)
- Cô ấy có hai người bạn học, họ ở Pháp (Elle a deux camarades de classe, ils habitent en France)
- Elle veut retourner au village ó elle est née
- Cô muốn quay lại ngôi làng nơi cô được sinh ra
L’anaphore permet donc de clarifier l’idộe de l’ộnonciateur et d’ộviter des ambiguùtộs
2.4.2 Equivalence de la proposition subordonnée conjonctive
Il existe en vietnamien trois équivalents principaux de la conjonction que qui relie le noyau et la proposition subordonnée conjonctive : rằng, là et
- Tôi có cảm giác rằng / là / cô ấy sẽ chiến thắng (J’ai l’impression qu’elle gagnera)
- Họ có một niềm tin rằng anh ấy sẽ quay trở về (Ils ont la conviction qu’il retournera)
- Tin đồn họ sắp kết hôn khiến tôi ngạc nhiên (La rumeur qu’ils vont se marier m’étonne)
Remarques gộnộrales des caractộrisants en franỗais et en vietnamien
De la structure du syntagme nominal dans les deux langues, nous avons des remarques suivantes
Les dộterminants du nom en franỗais s’accordent en nombre et en genre avec le nom-noyau, ce qui assure la cohésion du syntagme, par exemple :
- Voici la fille avec laquelle il sort
- Il y a deux emails auxquels vous devez répondre aujourd’hui
Unlike in other languages, Vietnamese lacks specific linguistic features such as number and gender markers that are inherent to nouns For example, phrases like "một chiếc khăn màu xanh" (a blue scarf) and "những chiếc khăn màu trắng" (white scarves) do not include distinct morphological forms for each category of word Instead, these elements are solely defined by their syntactic environment within a sentence.
In French and Vietnamese, strict modifiers such as prepositional, relative, and conjunctional types typically follow the core noun However, the positioning of adjectives highlights a key difference between the two languages Many French adjectives can be placed either before or after the noun, as seen in examples like "long hair" or "a long summer," and "magnificent villas" or "magnificent weather." In these instances, there is no change in meaning or value between the adjectives' positions Yet, certain adjectives placed before the noun carry an intensive value, such as "a true story," which signifies adherence to reality, or "a real novel," indicating a narrative that may significantly deviate from reality.
The adjective can change meaning when placed before or after a noun, as seen in phrases like "a poor man" versus "a man who is poor," or "a great man" compared to "a man who is great." Similarly, "my own house" differs from "my clean house." Thus, the interpretation of noun-adjective or adjective-noun combinations lies within the realm of lexico-syntax, where the value and meaning of the adjective are clarified only within the context of the statement.
In Vietnamese, adjectives have a fixed position, always placed after the core noun This structure prevents any semantic variation that can occur due to changes in position, unlike adjectives in other languages.
45 franỗais Si on utilise le mờme adjectif franỗais, il faut recourir à deux mots diffộrents en vietnamien :
- une pauvre homme : một người đàn ông tội nghiệp
- un homme pauvre : một người đàn ông nghèo
- un grand homme : một người đàn ông vĩ đại (vĩ nhân)
- un homme grand : một người đàn ông to lớn
In French, formal markers are rarely absent, except in compound nouns such as "timbre-poste" (postage stamp) and "appareil photo" (camera) In contrast, Vietnamese allows for optional functional markers within noun phrases due to its positional structure, a common phenomenon in the language Functional markers are used primarily to resolve ambiguities; for instance, one cannot say "ô sỏch Lan" (Lan's book) but must say "ô sỏch của Lan" to clarify ownership.
Leur rôle principal est d’expliciter la caractérisation Si le caractérisant et le substantif-noyau ont un lien étroit, on n’a pas besoin de fonctionnels, par exemple :
- ngày hội (un jour de fête)
- bằng lái xe (permis de conduire)
- Người phụ nữ mặc váy đen là dì tôi (La femme qui porte une robe noire est ma tante)
Conclusion
Aprốs l’aperỗu gộnộral sur la structure du syntagme nominal et sur les caractộrisants en vietnamien ci-dessus, nous tirons des conclusions suivantes
Linguists disagree on the structure of the noun phrase, particularly regarding the identification of the head noun Some argue that the classifier serves as the head, while others maintain that the noun itself is the central element of the phrase.
French, as a flexional language, relies on grammatical units, while Vietnamese utilizes lexico-semantic units for determination Consequently, the function of a word is only defined within a specific syntactic environment.
Unlike the frequent use of affixation and derivation in French, Vietnamese is characterized by the juxtaposition of autonomous linguistic units within a sentence This structure allows for the optional presence of functional elements, such as relative clauses, in the nominal phrase.
Dans la partie qui suit, nous visons à soulever des problèmes potentiels dans la traduction des caractérisants du nom