A STUDY ON VERBAL CRITICISM IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE Presenter: Đoàn Trần Thúy Vân Supervisor: Assoc.Prof. Nguyễn Văn Độ Hanoi, November 2007

KEY POINTS Rationale Aims of the study Scope of the study Methods of the study Limitations of the study Chapter I: Theoretical background Chapter II:A contrastive analysis of the speech act of criticizing in English and Vietnamese. Chapter III: Implications to FLT in Vietnam. Conclusions

1. Rationale Why intercultural studies? -Linguistic knowledge, interactional skills, and cultural knowledge are all essential components of communication that must ultimately be accounted for in order to communicate appropriately. (Saville-Troike, 1982) -The teaching and learning of English in Vietnam mainly focused on linguistic competence, but not on oral skills and cultural aspects. Why Criticism? -A speech act with high FTA -A speech act with many studies in different languages and in interlanguage of English learners of different language backgrounds, but not in Vietnamese

2. Aims of the study: Describing and classifying the criticizing strategies in English and Vietnamese. Comparing and contrasting different strategies employed by Vietnamese and English people when they give criticism in their own language and culture. Studying how culture exerts its influence on English and Vietnamese in giving criticism.

3. Scope of the study The study is only confined to the verbal aspect of the speech act of giving criticism. The data used for illustration and exemplification are taken mainly from short stories and novels in English and Vietnamese. No distinction will be made between American English, British English, Australian English and so on.

4. Methodology Contrastive analysis Qualitative and quantitative Research procedure Identify strategies of criticism in both English and Vietnamese stories in the source of books. Classify them into sub-strategies. Describe them in each language to find out the typical features of each sub-strategies. Analyze, compare, and contrast criticizing strategies based on the cultural features in two languages to point out the basic similarities and differences in this aspect. Reach the comments and conclusions on the subject under research. Make some necessary pedagogical suggestions.

5. Limitations The research will certainly limit the authenticity of the data and then the pragmatic effect of the expected results. The data reveals the disadvantage of missing suprasegmental features (stress and intonation). There must be a lack of native linguistic sensitivity in analyzing.

Chapter I: Theoretical background Contrastive Analysis: The perspectives of CA are discussed under the view of James (1980), Whitman and Jackson (1980), Lee (1980), Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis, Kramsch (1993) and Lado (1957). The relationship of language and culture: - The notion of culture is discussed by reviewing the definitions of culture by Parson, T. (1949: 8), Goodenough (1981; in Wardhaugh, 1991: 217). -Language and the relationship of language and culture are thoroughly discussed by reviewing Kramsch’s (1998:3), Saville-Troike’s (1982; 35), Kramsch’s (1998) point of view. - The perspectives of Vietnamese and English culture are mentioned mainly based on Wikipedia Encyclopedia.

Chapter I: Theoretical background Notion and classification of speech acts: The notion and the classification of speech acts are discussed mainly based on Austin (1962), Searle (1974) and Yule (1996). The speech act of criticizing: The speech act of criticizing is mainly based on Tracy, et al (1987), Wajnrub (1993), Toplak and Katz (2000), Tracy and Eissenberg (1990), and Tracy et al (1987).

Chapter I: Theoretical background Theories of politeness The theories of politeness have been centred on one of the following four perspectives: conversational-maxims (Lakoff, 1973; Leech, 1983), face-saving (Brown and Levinson, 1978, 1987), social norms (Jespersen, 1965), and conversational-contracts (Fraser, 1975; Fraser and Nolen, 1981; Fraser, 1990).

Chapter II. A contrastive analysis of the speech act of criticizing in English and Vietnamese.  Findings: Criticizing strategies and semantic formulas in English and Vietnamese -Direct criticisms : + Negative evaluations + Disapproval + Expressions of disagreement + Identification of problem + Consequences - -Indirect criticisms : + Demand for change + Request for change + Advice for change + Suggestion for change + Rhetorical questions + Using metaphor + Being ironic + Supposition/wish

Chapter II. A contrastive analysis of the speech act of criticizing in English and Vietnamese.  Findings: Modifiers in English and Vietnamese criticisms -External modifications : + Steers + Sweeteners + Disarmers + Grounders - Internal modifications : + Hedges + Cajolers + Appealers + Downtoners + Understaters + Subjectivizers + Intensifiers

Chapter II. A contrastive analysis of the speech act of criticizing in English and Vietnamese.  Findings: In comparison of frequencies of using criticizing strategies. Table1: Result of survey on direct and indirect strategies in English and Vietnamese. Strategies Language DirectIndirectTotal English 63.6%36.4%500 Vietnamese 57.9%42.1%600

Chapter II. A contrastive analysis of the speech act of criticizing in English and Vietnamese.  Findings: In comparison of frequencies of using criticizing strategies. Table 2: Result of survey on direct strategies in English and Vietnamese. Negative evaluation DisapprovalExpression of disagreement Identification of problem ConsequencesTotal English10.9%10.7%13.1%16.5%12.4%500 Vietnamese 15.1%11.2%14.6%7.2%9.8%600

Chapter II. A contrastive analysis of the speech act of criticizing in English and Vietnamese.  Findings: In comparison of frequencies of using criticizing strategies. Table 3: Result of survey on indirect strategies in English and Vietnamese. RequestAdviceDemandSuggestionRhetorical question Supposition / Wish MetaphorBeing ironic Total English 5.8%4.2%3.7%9.8%3.6%3.1%2.7%3.5%500 Vietna- mese 6.1%9.6%8.9%4.1%4.3%3.4%3.1%3.6%600

Chapter II. A contrastive analysis of the speech act of criticizing in English and Vietnamese.  Findings: In comparison of frequencies of using criticizing strategies. Table 4: The distribution of criticism internal modifiers by the two languages EnglishVietnamese Hedges8.6%8.4% Cajolers6.9%7.8% Appealers10%11.9% Downtoners18.3%17.6% Understaters20.1%18.3% Subjectivizers29.7%17.2% Intensifiers5.4%19.8%

Chapter II. A contrastive analysis of the speech act of criticizing in English and Vietnamese.  Findings: In comparison of linguistic realization of criticizing strategies. - In the realization of “negative evaluation”, “disagreement”, “advice”, “request” and “suggestion”. - In the field of addressing term. - In the using of criticizing expressions.

Chapter II. A contrastive analysis of the speech act of criticizing in English and Vietnamese. Concluding remarks: The similarity: The English as well as the Vietnamese try to maintain politeness, keep and save face and try to dilute every face threatening act in compliance with cultural norms they set up.

Chapter II. A contrastive analysis of the speech act of criticizing in English and Vietnamese. Concluding remarks: The differences: -Seen from directness-indirectness use -Seen from politeness perspectives -Seen from address form employment -Seen from verbal use of criticism expressions.

Chapter III: Implications to FLT in Vietnam In cross-cultural communication In foreign language teaching and learning

Conclusions Review of the findings Suggestions for further study -The cross-cultural study of the speech act of criticism responses in English and Vietnamese. -The cross-cultural study of the speech acts of criticism and criticism responses in English and Vietnamese. -Cross-cultural interference in the English criticism and criticism response made by Vietnamese learner of English or vice versa.

Thank you for your attention !