ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
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Vietnamese and English Greetings: A contrastive analysis
Instructor : Nguyen Ngoc Vu
Student: Tran Thi Bich Hanh
Class: 4A-07
Ho Chi Minh City 12/2010
Abstract
We learn a second language or a foreign language for different purposes. It may ensure a better job, a better payment, or new opportunities as well as open ways to meet people from other countries and cultures. "A different language is a different vision of life.”(Federico Fellini, Italian film director). Personal, professional, social, and economic considerations all point to the advantages of learning foreign languages. It cannot be denied that English has become one of the most important languages in the world over the past several decades. Therefore, more and more people want to master the English language. In order to do this, we should be not only good at four skills but also improve knowledge about sociolinguistic. As we know that different cultures have different ways of communication. The learners of the second language so often have difficulties in using the target language appropriately. Greeting is one of these problems. Greeting is considered as an important aspect in cultural life of each nation. There are various ways of greeting in all over the world. In Western countries such as France, Spain or Italy, people often greet each other by hugging or kissing on cheeks while in the Middle East or Asian countries people usually shake hands- greeting in a discreet and respectful way. In Vietnam, greeting plays an important role as these sayings “Lời chào cao hơn mâm cỗ” or “Dao năng liếc năng sắc, người năng chào năng quen”. It means that Vietnamese are extremely serious in greeting. According to Lê QuangThiêm, the greeting presents not only feature of language but also culture, custom as well as person’s dignity. From these
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