Vietnamese and English verb phrases Running ahead: Vietnamese and English verb phrases: A contrastive analysis

Vietnamese and English verb phrases: A contrastive analysis

NG THO PHI Class 5CQBT05 HCMC University of Education

Vietnamese and English verb phrases Introduction

Until now, there have been a lot of research topics about comparison between two different languages. So is my research topic: Vietnamese and English verb phrases. Actually, there are two reasons why I want to make a comparison of verb phrases between Vietnamese and English. First, Im a Vietnamese citizen; so Vietnamese is my native language. Besides, in my university, HCMC University of education, my major is English. In other words, Im going to become an English teacher in the future. Thats why I choose Vietnamese and English to compare. Second, as understanding a person, if you want to understand and use a language effectively, you need to understand its characteristics first. Mentioning characteristics of a language, we have to talk about components which are used to form a structure, a sentence, a clause or even a text of a language. One of these components is a verb phrase, my research object. In this paper, beside definition of verb phrases, my research aims at some characteristics of Vietnamese and English verb phrases. Then some implications for language teaching are discussed. I hope that this research will help you distinguish the similarities as well as the differences between verb phrases of the two languages.

Definition Talking about definition, there are a lot of definitions of verb phrases according to every aspect of it. In my research, Ill talk about two definitions according to characteristics and linguistic. A verb phrase is a free word phrase having mainsubordinate relation and containing a verb serve as the central element and many additive elements which modify the meanings for the central element. Besides, in linguistics, a verb phrase is a syntactic structure composed of the predicative

Vietnamese and English verb phrases

elements of a sentence and its function is to provide information about the subject of the sentence. As we see, a verb phrase always has to have the central element and this element will govern additive elements. Both verb phrases in Vietnamese and English have this characteristic.

Verb phrases in English In English, the structure of verb phrase has two functional parts: auxiliary verbs or auxiliaries main or lexical verbs

The auxiliary is a grammatical morpheme carrying information about mood, tense, modality, and voice. The mood system in English is divided into four subcategories.

Vietnamese and English verb phrases

- The indicative mood conveys to the listeners that the speaker is making a statement, referring to the real world in an honest, direct, relevant way. One way in which its easier for you to realize the indicative mood is thanks to the word order. When the auxiliaries take their "usual" position following the subject, we consider the clause as being in the indicative mood. (1) A: When will you stop by? B: Sometime after dinner. - The interrogative mood signals the speakers' desire for information by asking a question or interrogating the listeners. The interrogative is marked by starting a clause or sentence with an auxiliary verb (can, could, may, might, should, etc) or an interrogative pronoun (who, what, etc). Another signal that can help us realize the interrogative is the question mark at the end of the sentence. (2) Can Rachel recognize him? (3) Who will dance with Rachel? - The imperative mood expresses the speakers' sense of a command, a request, or an exhortation. If you see a base verb in a clause or a sentence in the initial position, it will be an imperative. (4) Forget that! (5) Be polite with your teacher. - The subjunctive mood expresses the speakers' sense of the unlikely things such as a wish, a prayer or a hope. It describes hypothetical or unreal situations. Speakers signal the subjunctive by using an auxiliary to begin subordinate clauses or using subordinators that overtly mark hypothetical conditions. (6) Had I seen you at the party, Id have introduced you my boyfriend. (7) If I had a lot of money, Id opened a caf.

Vietnamese and English verb phrases

Tense systems mark time. Tense is an inflection on the verb that indicates the time reference of the expression.

In English, the first verb of a verb phrase is marked for tense, called finite verb. Verbs that do not carry a tense inflection (such as participles) are called nonfinite verbs. English has three tenses: past, present and future. In most English verbs, the - ed inflection marks the past tense, the -s inflection marks the present tense. Meanwhile, before the base verb, modal auxiliary verbs (like will) or phrasal verbs (like is going to - often phonologically reduced to gonna) are used in order to refer to the future tense. Actually, looking at the formation of the future tense, people commonly call the future in English is really a part of the modality system of the language. (8) She went to school yesterday. (past tense) (9) She often goes to school by bus. (present tense) (10) She will go to school tomorrow. (future tense) Verbs, using both the -s and -ed forms are known as regular verbs. According to marking time, those verbs employ the most common and productive inflection, such as look/ looked, like/ liked, try/ tried. Irregular verbs, on the other hand, fall into seven subcategories. For examples, they employ a number of inflections (such as -en for the participle inflection as in broken, written, taken) or in some classes employ no participle inflections at all (such as put as in Rachel put the book on the table yesterday/ Rachel puts the book on the table/ Rachel has put the book on the table). The modality system expresses the speakers sense of obligation, volition, probability, permission, and ability. When you see a formation including modal auxiliary and base verb, it is a modality.

Vietnamese and English verb phrases (11) Rachel (must/ should) go. ("obligation") (12) Rachel will stop that immediately! ("volition") (13) Rachel (may/ might) go. ("probability") (14) Rachel (can/ may) go. ("permission") (15) Rachel (can/ could) do it. ("ability")

(16) Rachel will do it tomorrow. ("future") [The modal will also expresses a 'future' sense.] The modality system also includes a class of auxiliary verbs called semi-auxiliaries (or semi-modals or quasi-modals). They often take the form of BE + PARTICIPLE + TO. The semi-auxiliaries, starting with be, do not need do in order to support in negation or question formation, but most of the others do.

(17) Rachel is going to go to Canada next month. (18) Rachel isnt going to go to Canada next month. (19) Rachel has to go to the airport right now. (20) Does Rachel have to go to the airport right now?

Vietnamese and English verb phrases

Aspect expresses either the completion or the continuation of the process indicated by the verb in English.

- The perfect aspect which expresses the speakers' sense of completion, is signaled by the use of a form of the auxiliary have and the -ed participle or irregular participle (have + V-ed/3). (21) Rachel has just finished her homework. (22) Rachel had gone to bed before her parents went home. - The progressive aspect, which expresses the speakers' sense of continuation, is signaled by the use of a form of the auxiliary be and the -ing participle (be + V-ing). (23) Rachel is listening to music at the moment. Voice systems allow speakers to view the action of the sentence in different ways without changing the meaning. English has two voices, active and passive. The passive voice is signaled by the use of a form of be and the -ed participle (be + V-ed). (24) Rachel has read the book four 2 days. (active voice) (25) The book has been read in four 2 days by Rachel. (passive voice) In the active sentence, we can see the event from the perspective of the doer (Rachel), but in the passive sentence, we see the event from the perspective of the goal (the book). English also employs the verb do to function as a supporting auxiliary in verb phrases. In other words, we need do in negation and question formation. (26) Rachel loves Joe. (27) Rachel doesnt love Joe. (28) Does Rachel love Joe?

Vietnamese and English verb phrases

Another way to illustrate some of the relationships between form and function in verb phrases is presented in the table below. Some Examples of the Verb Phrases in English FUNCTION (a) E X A M P L E S (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) FORM should might Modal have are be been being Auxiliary Perfect Progressive Passive Support Main Verb might has have can may have is been been were being Auxiliaries do Main Verb believe go gone going waiting waiting hired hired trying interviewed

The main verb is a lexical morpheme carrying its lexical information and, usually, an inflection. In English, the main verb includes five types: - Intransitive verbs: the verbs are used without direct object such as come, go, move... (29) Rachel has just move. - Intensive verbs: the verbs are used with complement or adverb such as tobe, become...

Vietnamese and English verb phrases (30) Rachel becomes more attractive than ever. - Monotransitive verbs: the verbs are used with direct object such as buy, sell... (31) Rachel has just sold her house. - Complex transitive verbs: the verbs are used with direct object and complement or adverb such as paint, call, vote, appoint, elect... (32) Rachel calls her dog Jack. (33) Rachel paints her room black.

- Distransitive verbs: the verbs are used with indirect object and direct object such as give, offer, bring... (34) Rachel gives Joe a piece of cake. + Distransive verb: gives + Direct object: Joe + Indirect object: a piece of cake To sum up, in any English verb phrases, auxiliary is an optional component but main verb is always an obligatory component.

Verb phrases in Vietnamese Verb phrases in Vietnamese include three elements: central element, pre-additive element and post-additive element. The central element of Vietnamese verb phrases is divided into five groups.

Group 1: This kind of verb usually goes with other verbs, not standing alone. It includes many different types: * Modal verbs: phi, nn, cn, dm, c th, s, nh...

Vietnamese and English verb phrases 10 (35) Anh ta cn mua mt ci bn. Cn is the central element. * Passive: b, c, mc, phi... (36) C y c tuyn dng. c is the central element. * Verb phrases with two parallelly existential actions: ng khc, nm ng, i hc, i chi, ngi nghe... (37) Anh ta nm ng trn gh sofa. Nm ng is the central element. * Verb phrases with two actions described by two verbs but the second verb is an additive element in sense: n ng, ng ngi, t nm, cht ng... (38) Vp hn , n ng ngi. Ng is the central element and ngi is the additive element. Group 2: Verbs always go with additive elements. * Verbs describing sense of moving: m, dy, ko, n, xung, i, bng (39) Ch ti i n cu lc b ting Anh. i is the central element and n is additive element. * Verbs describing sense of achieving results: hiu ra, c xong, bay mt, nht ly, thu c, tm thy... (40) Ti tm thy ci v. Tm is the central element and thy is the additive element. * Verbs describing sense of affecting two objects: cho, tng, biu, ly, mn, vay, cm, xin, gi... (41) Minh mn Tr chic xe p. + Central element: mn

Vietnamese and English verb phrases 11 + Object 1: Tr + Object 2: chic xe p * Verbs describing sense of governing two objects. The subject orders the object: bo, sai, bt, cho php, buc, khin. .. (42) C y bt ti ni ra s tht. Bt is the central element. * Verbs describing sense of governing an object and connecting with another object: trn, pha, ni, chp, ha... (43) Pha c ph vi sa. + Pha is the central element. + C ph and sa are objects.. * Verbs describing sense of governing additive elements. The structure which is used is A is B with the meaning of evaluating: coi, bu, ly, xem, c (44) Xem anh l i tc. (45) Ly anh lm gng.

Group 3: Combination verbs: chy ra chy vo, bn qua bn li, i ngc v xui, tro ln tt xung... 46) C y chy ra chy vo phc v khch. Group 4: Verbs describing sense of the state or a period of an action: bt u hc, tip tc i, thi ni, ht chy, ngng hc... (47) C y ngng hc piano. Group 5: Verbs describing sense of mood: lo lng, bn chn, thoi thp, thp thm... (48) C y bn chn ng ngi khng yn. Pre -additive element includes following groups:

Vietnamese and English verb phrases 12 * Words indicating sense of continuation of activity or state: u, cng, vn, c, li, mi, tip tc... (49) H tip tc tho lun v ti . Tip tc is the pre-additive element of the verb phrase tip tc tho lun. * Words indicating the time of action or state: tng, , va, mi, ang, s... (50) M ti ang nu n. ang is the pre -additive element of the verb phrase ang nu n. * Words indicating the frequency: thng, hay, nng, t, i khi, thnh thong... (51) Anh ta t khi gi cho ti. t khi is the pre-additive element of the verb phrase t khi gi. * Words indicating the negation or affirmation: khng, cha, chng, ch... (52) Ti khng mun lin quan g vi anh ta. Khng is the pre-additive element. * Words indicating the order: hy, ng, ch... (53) Ch xem thng ngi khc. Ch is the pre-additive element of the verb phrase ch xem thng * Words indicating the level: rt, hi, kh, qu... (54) Anh ta qu nng tnh khi c x nh vy. Qu is the pre -additive element. Post - additive element of verb phrases is very complicated in terms of word, formation and meanings. * Words: Noun, verb, adjective, pronoun, adverb, number can stand after verb. (55) Nu cm. Cm is a noun. (56) i chi.

Vietnamese and English verb phrases 13 Chi is a verb. (57) n chm. Chm is an adjective. (58) Nh anh y. Anh y is a pronoun. (59) T thng xuyn. Thng xuyn is an adverb. (60) Yu mt ngi. Mt is a number. * Formation: An additive element after a verb can be a single word, a word phrase or a sentence. (61) Nh lu. Lu is a word (62) n cho khi i. Cho khi i is a word phrase. (63) Anh y khuyn chng ta nn suy ngh k trc khi quyt nh. Chng ta nn suy ngh k trc khi quyt nh is a sentence. * Meanings: An additive element after a verb has many different meanings. + words with sense of line of actions: i ra, tr li, nhn sang, bay qua, i ti... (64) C y ang i v pha anh ta. + words with sense of state and process of actions: i ngay, ni lin, tr li lp tc, n na, ni hoi... (65) C y tr li ngay lp tc cu hi ca ban gim kho. + words with sense of order: v no, ni i, ngh thi, ch vi, ng , tin ln, ht ln

Vietnamese and English verb phrases 14 (66) Anh c ni i. + words with sense of finishing or beginning an action: lm xong, n xong, c ri, hiu ri, nghe ri... (67) Cui cng th ti cng lm xong bi tp. + words with sense of passive, beneficial or damaged results: gp phi, bay mt, hao i, phi, nhn c, thu v... (68) Hm nay ti gp phi rt nhiu chuyn xui. + words with sense of mutual interaction or itself: lm ly, vit ly, gii quyt ly... (69) Anh hy t gii quyt ly sai lm ca mnh. + words with sense of including two elements connecting A and B (70) Trn bt vi ng. + words with sense of addition: ni vo, bn vo... + words with sense of decreasing: co ra, bt i... + words with sense of increasing: xng ti, tng ln... + words with sense of repetition: ni li, vn li, nhc li, xin li... Implication on teaching and learning Through this research paper, I describe the main characteristics of Vietnamese and English verb phrases. Now, Id like to discuss some implications for English and Vietnamese teaching at high school in our country. Firstly, most students tend to transfer their mother tongue into the target language. Within this paper, we can see that although the components which form both Vietnamese and English verb phrases are almost the same, the structure is a little bit different. Therefore, this can lead to misunderstanding due to differences in many aspects between the two languages. As a result, the teachers should explain these differences to students. For example, in English question sentences, auxiliary verbs

Vietnamese and English verb phrases 15 or interrogative pronouns are used before subject; meanwhile, in Vietnamese, they are often at the end of the sentence such as phi khng, ng khng, cha, h, etc. Secondly, the awareness of Vietnamese and English verb phrases also helps students develop linguistic skills in both languages. Contrastive knowledge in students mother tongue and the target language somehow also gives them a clear distinction in order to help them avoid mistakes as much as possible as well as use and transfer languages more confidently and effectively.

Conclusion In conclusion, language is the most effective method of communication of human beings. However, to understand the structure, the formation, the origin, especially the characteristics of language is not simple at all. Thats why that making a comparison between the two languages is more difficult. In my research paper, thanks to contrastive analysis, I talk about the components which form Vietnamese and English verb phrases. In my opinion, every language has its own interesting characteristic. The important thing is that we need to understand them and from that, can distinguish the differences as well as the similarities between these languages. Thats also what I hope the language teachers as well as students can get from this paper.

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References
James, Carl. (1980). Contrastive Analysis. Macquarie University. Le, Quang Thiem. (1989). Nghin cu i chiu cc ngn ng. Ha Noi: Hanoi National University Publishing House. Odlin, Terence. (1989). Language Transfer. Cambridge: Cambridge University. Thomson, A. J. and Martinet, A. V. (1989). A practical English grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pham, Thi Ha. Some English Verb Phrases versus Vietnamese Verb Phrases . Retrieved December, 22, 2009, from

Vietnamese and English verb phrases 17 http://docjax.cloudapp.net/document/view.shtml?id=796998&title=Some %20English%20verb%20phrases%20versus%20Vietnamese%20verb %20phrases%20Any%20.. Kies, Daniel. (1995). The verb phrase. Retrieved December, 22, 2009, from http://papyr.com/hypertextbooks/grammar/ph_verb.htm