Chapter 4: SYTACTIC AND SEMANTIC FEATURES OF ENGLISH
4.4. Similarities and differences of the syntactic features of descriptive in
In general, English and Vietnamese are two different languages and have their own features. Moreover, because of differences in culture and communication habit, learners of English and Vietnamese face many difficulties in using English and Vietnamese descriptive adjectives flexibly and correctly. Therefore, in this part, similarities and differences in syntactic features of descriptive adjectives will be pointed out.
4.4.1. Similarities of the syntactic features of descriptive adjectives in English and Vietnamese
- As English descriptive adjectives, Vietnamese descriptive adjectives can also function as attributive and predicative. For example:
(71) Chỉ mới vài năm trước đây, Hội An còn là một nơi bé nhỏ, trầm mặc và rêu phong và có phần ảm đạm, nay đã chuyển mình thành một thành phố nhộn nhịp đầy sức sống (ngôn ngữ và đời sống,2006)
In this example, the noun Hội An functions as a subject and adjectives such as bé nhỏ, trầm mặc, rêu phong, ảm đạm function as predictative; nhộn nhịp, đầy sức sống function as attribute to the noun một phố thị.
(72) Trăm người con trai đó lớn lên như thổi, tất cả đều xinh đẹp, khỏe mạnh và thông minh tuyệt vời. (“Con Rồng, CháuTiên” / Vienamese’s fairy tales)
In this example, xinh đẹp, khỏe mạnh và thông minh tuyệt vời are attributives.
- Descriptive adjectives can follow some stative verbs such as: feel, be, make, seem…. In Vietnamese, descriptive adjectives can come after verbs: nghe, có vẻ, cảm thấy, trông…We can see this meaning through these examples:
(73) The water looked quite green and great icebergs were swimming around in it, each of them looked like a pearl, she said, and yet they were far bigger than the church towers humans built.
(74) Công chúa cảm thấy vô cùng tức giận.
- Before English and Vietnamese descriptive adjectives are always adverbs of degree. For example:
(75) They were highly delighted with the invitation, and wonderfully busy in choosing the gowns, petticoats, and head-dresses which might best become them.
(76) Tiên Dung rất đẹp, song tự nguyện không lấy chồng, chỉ ham thích phong cảnh, thường đi du lịch khắp nơi trong nước.
- Descriptive adjective can be in comparison form in both English and Vietnamese.
In Vietnamese, comparison can express by some words: hơn, thêm, nhất… In English, we have 3 level for comparison: equality, comparative, superlative. For example:
(77) Cinderella, who was as good as she was beautiful, gave her two sisters a home in the palace, and that very same day married them to two great lords of the Court.
(78) Từ khi có họ tới, xóm làng đẹp thêm, vui thêm
4.4.2. Differences of the syntactic features of descriptive adjectives in English and Vietnamese
In English, descriptive adjectives can function as head of noun phrase. Like all noun phrase, they also can be subject, object, complement and complement of a preposition. Adjectives as heads of noun phrases do not reflect number or generic case and they take the definite determiner “the”. For example:
(79) There’s a widening disparity between the young and the old.
The old, the young as a noun
In Vietnamese, though these adjectives can be behaved like head of a noun phrase, they are pre-modified by the determiner “người”. For example:
(80) Người già thường mắc bệnh quên.
In general, function of descriptive adjectives changes from pre-modifiers in English to post-modifiers in Vietnamese. For example, “Một túp lều nhỏ” is translated into English “a small hut”.
4.5. Similarities and differences of the semantic features of descriptive in English and Vietnamese
As the syntactic features, there are some similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese descriptive adjectives in sematic features.
4.5.1 Similarities of the semantic features of descriptive in English and Vietnamese.
- First of all, we must admit that the biggest similarities between English and Vietnamese descriptive adjectives are to make the language more abundant and interesting. Thanks to descriptive adjective people can imagine all things in more lively and vivid way.
- As a matter of fact, it is clear that both English and Vietnamese people have the treasure of expression in general; especially descriptive adjectives are used broadly not only in literature but also in daily conversation. Special characteristics in structure and focal semantic features form system of descriptive adjective expressions lively like a picture of the world around us. This variety is shown clearly in cultural characteristics, concept and thinking of each nation. As the result, one of coincidences between English and Vietnamese is that this factor makes the two languages more connotative and allusive.
Obviously, despite the gap in cultures and languages between the two countries there are still coincidences in ways of thinking and observing the world. This leads to the similarities in the way to express ideas. Among them, the number of using descriptive adjectives is connected with character, shape and size, age, color…This means that both English and Vietnamese use descriptive adjectives to describe and modify for the noun.
(81) Far out at sea the water is as blue as the petals of the loveliest cornflower and as clear as the purest glass, but it is very deep, deeper than any anchor cable can reach
(Tít ngoài biển khơi kia, nước xanh hơn cánh đồng hoa mua biếc nhất, trong vắt như pha lê, nhưng sâu thăm thẳm, sâu đến nỗi neo buông không tới đáy)
(82) Voi lồng lên, định dẫm đàn Kiến nhỏ bé chết tan xác dưới bàn chân to lớn của mình It is clear that two cultures have thoughts in common. Native speakers, describing their livings as well as culture, create most of the expressions containing descriptive adjectives. Accordingly, to understand all of the semantic features of English and Vietnamese expressions containing descriptive adjectives, we often base on real- world situations, history allusions, and cultural background. Beside, most of these expressions use certain, concrete things to illustrate abstract ideas by means of metaphonical, metonymical devices in the field of semantics so that analysis above has proved us that the use of metaphors and metonymies is common in both English and Vietnamese.
4.5.2 Differences of the semantic features of descriptive adjectives in English and Vietnamese
Beside similarities, the semantic features of adjectives in English and in Vietnamese have some differences which Vietnamese learners of English are easy to make errors when using them without distinguishing. I will mostly concentrate on the most prominent differences between them in this section.
With regard to culture field, English and Vietnamese civilization on the other hand is traditionally agriculture-oriented. As a result, most of Vietnamese expressions containing descriptive adjectives come from human and agricultural experience.
Through the analysis which has been shown above, it is clear that the difference not only comes from language, but also in culture and the way of perceiving the world around. That’s the difference make language more lively and diversified. Therefore, expressions containing color in general, descriptive adjectives in particular have become a language treasure to discover.