Language Universals and Language Typology

Nouns and Pronouns in

Vietnamese

Linh Hoang
(Friedrich Schiller University of Jena)
 Nouns

1. Number

1. Gender

1. Case
 Number in Vietnamese
Numeral: mt 1, hai 2, my a few, etc.
Plural marker: nhng, cc
Classifier: ci refers to non-living things, con refers to living
things, etc.
Numeral/Plural marker + Classifier + N
hai con ch
2CLF dog
two dogs

nhng con ch
PL CLF dog
dogs
 Gender in Vietnamese
No gender
But classifier

ngi n ng quyn v
CLF man CLF notebook

bi th nim vui
CLF poem CLF happiness

ngi nh bng hoa

CLF house CLF flower
 Cases in Vietnamese
No case marker

Ti gi anh y.
I call him
I call him.

Anh y gi ti.
he call me
He calls me.
 Pronouns
1. Personal pronouns
2. Possessive pronouns
3. Reflexive pronouns
4. Relative pronouns
5. Indefinite pronouns
6. Demonstrative pronouns
7. Interrogative pronouns
 1. Personal Pronouns - English

1. person 2. person 3. person

I you he she it Subject

Singular
me you him her it Object

we you they Subject

Plural
us you them Object

1. and 2. person: gender reference

3. person: no gender reference
 1. Person Reference- Vietnamese
Luong 1990: 10
 1. Person Reference - Vietnamese

a reflection of age, gender and speakers

attitude
Status Pronouns: kinship, beyond kinship
Personal Pronouns: formal, informal
 Vietnamese: Status Pronouns
Proper nouns

By proper name:
- Linh: Vn i, Vn gip Linh vic ny c khng?
Vn hey, you help me this okay?
Hey Vn, can you help me with this?
- Vn: , Linh cn g c bo Vn.
Yes, you need anything just tell me
Yes, just tell me anything you need.
 Vietnamese: Status Pronouns - Kinship

Rule: older => higher status

this order is inherited in the next generations
 Vietnamese: Status Pronouns
Beyond Kinship (1)

Luong 1990: 142

 Vietnamese: Status Pronouns
Communitas

Vietnamese communist party members: ng ch comrade

Ti hon ton tn thnh kin ca ng ch.
I completely agree opinion POSS you
I completely agree with your opinion.
 Vietnamese: Status Pronouns
Gerontocratic Stucture

Consider 2.persons age and gender

Choose proper pronouns
Bc i, cho chng chu hi ,.
Older Uncle, let us ask please,
Hello, please tell us, .....
 Vietnamese: Status Pronouns
Meritocratic Structure

Refer to 2.person as their role/social status in the context

Use common nouns as pronouns (similar to Kinship pronouns)
Schools:
Teacher Student:
Thy () Em/Con
C () Em/Con
Workplace:
Boss employee:
Sp Em (younger) / Ti (same or older)
 Vietnamese: Personal Pronouns - Formal

Personal Pronouns - Formal

Age 1. person 2. person 3. person

(young) ti anh () anh y (+) ch y/c y ??? Subject +

ch () anh ta (-) (+) Object
bn ch ta/c ta (-)
Singular (middle ti ng () ng y (+) b y (+) ???
age to old) b () ng ta (-) b ta (-)
neutral ti bn
chng ti (- cc v/cc h Subject +
2.person) qu v (++) Object
ngi ta
chng ta cc anh ch
Plural
(+2.person)
cc ng b

cc bn
 Vietnamese: Personal Pronouns
Informal With peers
Personal Pronouns - Informal

Closeness 1. person 2. person 3. person

(1. and 2.
person)
very close or tao my thng con n Subject +
offensive thng XYZ con/ ci XYZ Object
(carefully lo (-) m (-)
Singula used)
r
close t cu bn y/ bn y/ bn y/
mnh bn
t ng y
very close or bn tao bn my bn n
offensive chng my chng n
(carefully l y
used) bn y
close bn cc cu cc bn y Subject +
t/chng t cc bn Object
Plural
(-2.person) cc y

chng
mnh/ bn
mnh
(+2.person)
 1. Person Reference- Vietnamese
Luong 1990: 10
 Vietnamese: Person Reference
With partner
Age 1. person 2. person

(young) anh () / em () - N em () / anh () N

v (wife) / chng (husband) N chng (husband) / v (wife) - N

em () / anh () - N mnh - PERS

em () / anh () - N chng (husband) / v (wife) - N

Singular
t - PERS ng y - PERS

em () / anh () - N Nick name / Name PR

(middle age to ti - PERS ng () / b () N

old) b n (its daddy) / m n (its mommy) N
mnh - PERS

Proper Noun: PR
Common Noun: N
Personal Pronoun: PERS
 2. Possesive Pronouns - English

Possessive determiners Possessive pronouns

my mine
your yours
his his
her hers
its its
our ours
your yours
their theirs
 2. Possesive Pronouns - Vietnamese

Possessive determiners Possessive pronouns

ca + Pronoun
y l quyn sch ca ti .
This is book my.
This is my book.

l ca bn.
That is your.
That is yours.
 3. Reflexive Pronouns - English

Personal pronouns Reflexive pronouns

I myself
you yourself
he himself
she herself
it itself
we ourselves
you yourselves
they themselves
 3. Reflexive Pronouns - Vietnamese

chnh + Personal pronoun: emphasize agent

Chnh anh nu cho em.
self I cook for you
I myself cooked for you.

t + Personal pronoun: emphasize action

T t gii bi ton ny.
I self solve problem Maths this
I solved this mathematical problem myself.
 4. Relative Pronouns - English

Subject Object Possessive Location Time

who who(m) whose where when

which which whose

that that

The man who(m) I met yesterday was my friend.

 4. Relative Pronouns - Vietnamese

Subject Object Possessive Location Time

(ngi) m ni m khi/lc m

(ci) m

Ngi n ng m ti gp hm qua l bn (ca) ti.

The man who(m) I met yesterday was friend my.
The man who(m) I met yesterday was my friend.
 5. Indefinite Pronouns - English

Assertive Elective
Number Type Negative Positive Other
existential existential
no one everyone someone anyone
Person one
nobody everybody somebody anybody
Thing nothing everything something anything
another
other
Singular
whatever
whichever
each whoever
(whosoever)
whomever
(whomsoever)

Dual neither both either

Plural others
 5. Indefinite Pronouns - Vietnamese

Assertive Elective
Number Type Negative Positive Other
existential existential
khng ai
(bt c) ai
Person ai cng ai ai
cng

Thing khng (ci) g mi th ci g (bt c) ci g

(nhng
Singular
plural)
ai
mi g
no
u
bao

Dual khng . no c hai no cng

Plural ngi ta
6. Demonstrative Pronouns - English

proximal distal

singular this that

plural these those

 6. Demonstrative Pronouns - Vietnamese

proximal distal

singular ny y
nay
plural y kia
y

quyn sch ny nhng quyn sch ny

book this -s book this
these books
 6. Demonstrative Pronouns - Vietnamese

Thompson 1987: 142

 7. Interrogative Pronouns - English

At the beginning of a question

Who are you talking to?
To whom are you talking?

subject object

person who whom

thing what
person/ thing
which
(selection)

person whose
(possession)

time when

place where
 7. Interrogative Pronouns- Vietnamese

At the the place of the pronoun

subject object
Anh ang ni chuyn vi ai? person ai
You -ing talk to whom? thing ci g

person/ ai
thing
Who are you talking to?
ci no
To whom are you talking? (selection)

ngi no

person ca ai
(possession)

time khi no

place u
 References
Luong, Hy. Discursive Practices and Linguistic Meanings: The Vietnamese System of
Personal Reference. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing, 1990.
Nguyen, Dinh-Hoa. Vietnamese: Tieng viet khong son phan. London Oriental and
African Language Library. Vol. 9. Amsterdam: Benjamins, 1997.