Ho Chi Minh city University of Education

English Department

Comparative Linguistics
Course 2016

END-OF-TERM ASSIGNMENT
Full Name

: NGUYN V THANH PHNG

Student I.D

: K39.701.097

Lecturer

: Mr. L Nguyn Nh Anh

Declaration
I certify that the attached material is my original work. No other persons
work or ideas have been used without acknowledgement. Except where I
have clearly stated that I have used some of this material elsewhere, I have
not presented this for assessment in another course or unit at this or any
other institution. I have retained a copy of this assignment.
Name/signature

Nguyn V Thanh Phng

Date:
28/05/2016

Running head: SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

Similes In English And Vietnamese Concerning Happiness

Following the American Psychological Associations Guidelines
Nguyn V Thanh Phng
Ho Chi Minh University of Pedagogy

SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

CONTENT

Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 4
Introduction ................................................................................................................ 5
Literature Review ....................................................................................................... 6
Simile ...................................................................................................................... 6
Happiness................................................................................................................ 6
Contrastive Analysis ................................................................................................... 7
Similes Related to Happiness in English ................................................................ 7
Similes Related to Happiness in Vietnamese ......................................................... 8
A Contrastive Analysis between English and Vietnamese Similes Concerning
Happiness................................................................................................................ 9
Structural features. .............................................................................................. 9
Comparative words ......................................................................................... 9
Compared objects ......................................................................................... 10
Semantic aspects. .............................................................................................. 11
Similes origin .............................................................................................. 11
Nature and social phenomenon orientation .................................................. 12
Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 14
Discussion ................................................................................................................. 15
Implications for Education ................................................................................... 15
References ................................................................................................................ 16

SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

Abstract

Idioms hold the underlying beauty of every language in the world, as not only linguistic
values but also cultural instincts are well-blended inside those words of abstract meanings.
That most communities are innovative and enthusiastic towards inventing their own idioms
heritage suggests an interest which can do more than flourishing the linguistic system of
one language. Idioms actually reflect social beliefs, or the general public concern, for
example, happiness. There is an abundance of idioms in this topic, with variants in
compared objects which are partially related to the peoples culture. It is these idioms that
we can have a closer look into each languages linguistic value and each nations
viewpoint. Behind every comparison lays a potential opportunity to understand one culture;
hence, translation skills, comprehension skills between English and Vietnamese are
beneficial through the study of this topic.

Key words: Simile, Happiness, Culture, Semantic, Contrastive

SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

Introduction

Similes are used in English and Vietnamese as an effective way to express one idea or state.
Popular topic like happiness has never drained any excitement in search of a more
fashionable object to make such comparison. This is the driving force in implanting some
cultural elements into idioms; thus create a certain interest in researching this matter. The
analysis of similes in English and Vietnamese on the aspect may provide an insight into
both languages linguistic treasure and approach a perspective of happiness in social belief
of the two countries. Along with the finding of some similarities and differences in the
form and use of the idioms, a partial contrast in culture can also be suggested through the
study, which hopefully assists and enhance the interaction of English and Vietnamese
speakers. As it is almost unachievable to thoroughly investigate the idiomatic systems
related to this matter, the study will focus mainly on the grammatical and semantic issue
between them.

SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

Literature Review

Every language has an idiom heritage of its own which develops critically throughout the
history of cultural evolution.

Simile
In an edition for the Cape Senior Certificate, Fletcher and Sceales came up with the idea
that: A simile is a comparison between two different things that resemble each other in
one respect. (Fletcher & Sceales, 1975). They added to the argument with a few
fundamental characteristics of the kind of idioms such as the substitution of as, like or
so and the absence of introducing words. In the same effort to define simile, Rose and
Purkis (1991) also shared the same thinking with the previous work as they emphasised on
the importance of comparison words in the making of similes. Based on recent accounts by
other writers like Deborah Kopka (2010), whose suggestion was almost identical to those
mentioned earlier in the history of linguistic study, and Harris with advancement by stating
the simile is a device both of art and explanation, comparing an unfamiliar thing to some
familiar thing (an object, event, process, etc.) (Harris, 2013), similes are assumingly
crystal in most linguists perception.

Happiness
The concept of happiness has endlessly sparked interest among researchers for its variety
across cultures. From the book The concept of happiness across time and culture (2008),
happiness is frequently defined as good luck and favorable external conditions (Oishi,
Jesse, Kesebir, & Galinha, 2013), with a contrast of America being quite extraordinary at
favorable internal feeling states. Meanwhile, linguistic Le Huy Thuc, in his article in Tp
ch trit hc in 2004 discussed about the basis of happiness in Vietnamese culture as a
preference of rational elements rather than emotional ones, and this belief reflects firmly
onto Vietnamese idiom heritage of the subject.
Linguistic-wised, the formation of similes in both languages doesnt collide much in
grammatical term; it even resembles each other to some extent. However, it is the semantic
features and the idioms usage that differentiates the two, and thus, draws the line in the
understanding English and Vietnamese culture. We will examine the overall structure and
take a closer look into lexical values of such types of similes, which will then enhance our
grasp for these societies.

SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

Contrastive Analysis

Similes Related to Happiness in English

Todays world is surrounded by English with speakers found in almost every country, from
west to east. Despite the languages popularity across continents, the formation of similes,
or how such idioms came into existence, is still well-founded on the Anglo-Saxon culture
itself.
A basic formula for similes would be:

As + adjective + as + noun / noun phrase / clause

(Adjective) + like + noun / (noun/prepositional) phrase / clause

This formula follows restrictedly the English grammar for equal comparison, with the
creative part relies on which object to be chosen in hope of accurately illustrating the
speakers emphasing intention. In the case of happiness, the Englishmen have been quite
amused with their culture as many familiar icons are attached to some delighting adjectives
like happy, merry and pleased in a way that more than frequently, certain
knowledge of the British society is required for anyone to catch the meaning behind the
words.
Take an example of one simile: As merry as the day is long. It is normally challenging
for a commoner to actually comprehend this idiom, for the correlation between contented
feeling and the concept of a days length seems vague enough. The mind behind this
absorbing comparison was the great William Shakespeare. It first appeared in the play
King John (1595), then followed by a famous reference in one line of the character
Beatrice in Much ado about nothing (1599), both of which successfully manifested a
sense of happiness and satisfaction. English vocabulary owes a certain proportion to
Shakespeares legendary discography, and the simile As merry as the day is long is one
that not only conveys the Britishs expressing fashion, but also celebrating its literature
fortune.
Some similes concerning happiness are:
- Like a dog with two tails
- As happy as a clam (at high water)
- As happy as Larry

SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

- As happy as a sandboy
- As happy as a flea in a doghouse
- As happy as a kid in a candy store
- As happy as a pig in mud / poop / shit / slop
- As gay as a lark
- As gay as a maypole
- As merry as the day is long
- As merry as a robin that sings on the tree
- As merry as a cricket
- As merry as a grig
- As pleased as punch

Similes Related to Happiness in Vietnamese

Vietnamese people, from the early days of evolution, have been well aware of stylistic use
in similes to demonstrate their sayings. A typical eastern cultural orientation permitted
anonymous contribution to the languages idioms capacity along with the implant of
practical equivalence from real life experience.
The basic formula would be:

Adjective + nh + noun / (noun/verb/prepositional) phrase / clause

A survey conducted by professor Ha Quang Nang for the Vietnamese Dictionary and
Encyclopedia Institute in 2015 about the number of similes incorporating each type of
structure suggested a dominance of nouns and phrases over clauses (approximately
accounted for 70,45%). The disproportion rises even higher in happiness matter (i.e.
similes using adjectives like vui or mng).
Similar to English, the choice of compared objects in Vietnamese varies among social
phenomenon and general cultural symbols. Vietnamese being a standard collectivist
culture explains an overload sense of community in its similes production process,
especially since happiness is taken for granted to be shared among members in the
neighborhood. Another specialised element would be nature and the farming ethic.

SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

Vietnamese people did and still heavily have agriculture as a fundamental role in life;
therefore, the regularity of them appearing in such linguistic comparison is absolute.
Some similes concerning happiness are:
- Vui nh tt
- Vui nh hi
- Vui / mng nh bt c vng
- Vui nh m c trong bng
- Vui / mng nh trng s
- Vui nh nng dn c ma
- Nh trn my

A Contrastive Analysis between English and Vietnamese Similes Concerning

Happiness
Structural features. As of the descriptions above, a general structure for a simile
concerning happiness can be calculated:

Adjective + comparative word + compared objects

(A)

(B)

While both languages share the equivalent adjectives happy, pleased, merry in
English and vui, mng in Vietnamese, the differences lie upon comparative words and
lexical items.

Comparative words
In interpretation, the comparative word nh may be translated directly into like in
English, for they rather resemble each other semantically and grammatically. However, the
word choice leans more towards as as with a higher tendency in practical use and a
variety of vocabulary. As as mainly concerns with adjectives or adverbs, while like
refers to a more versatile range of word form, from adjectives, adverbs to verbs and even
the verb to be alone. In case of happiness simile, which only takes into account
adjectives, English consider as as and like as two almost identical terms for

SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

comparison, with little utterance between the couple. Another noticeable feature is the fact
that like could be used without an interference of any adjectives, meaning a sample
clause using this kind of simile might have a look like this:

Subject + to be + like + compared object (B)

E.g.

He was like a dog with two tails.

To be here gives off the state of the subject he externally and emotionally along with
the simile like a dog with two tails, the sentence conveys a complete situation of a man
in extreme satisfaction sans mentioning the adjective happy.
In contrast, all of these linguistic features are compressed precisely into the sole nh in
Vietnamese, which qualifies for an underlying implication that nh is a perfect
combination of like and as as .
E.g.

Anh ta vui nh tt.

Anh ta thy nh trn my.

He was as happy as a sand boy.

He is (like) on cloud nine.

The comparison in each language is diverse, but from the examples above, clearly nh
can function within the context that requires either like or as as.

Compared objects
Grammatically, both languages look for a noun, a phrase or a clause to finish their similes,
especially within the subject of happiness. Depending on whether the initial is like or as
as, English alter its form of lexical items according to the basic grammar feature of
the comparative word, ranging from the easy-going ones like noun phrases which can be
added to both terms, to more selective ones like prepositional phrases that go with like
alone. Vietnamese eases the complexity with a generous division for nh, as the word
combines the merits in featuring phrases of like and as as also. Nonetheless, the
Vietnamese comparative word enriches the cultures simile heritage with a possibility of
cooperating verb phrases, for instance:
E.g.

Vui nh m c trong bng

As happy as opening a piece of chess inside the stomach

The example suggests a rough translation of the Vietnamese simile into English. Much
bizarre as the idiom may sound, it is approvable across the culture using nh as the
comparative word. Rarely are gerund phrases used in idioms in English, not to mention in

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SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

the subject of happiness alone. The flexibility of the word nh permits Vietnamese to
access a wider collection of phrases for similes, hence the phenomenon.
On the other hand, Vietnamese similes suffer a lack of clause usage for the happiness
subject in comparison with those in English. Quite a few are incorporated with an English
clause, whereas none has yet been found in Vietnamese, as far as the study concerns. Due
to the fact that the latter language has the capacity of verb phrases in its own happiness
similes, an addition of clauses seems less necessary. This characteristic can be explained
under the influence of the collectivism and individualism values in each culture, which will
be discussed in the next part of the study.

Semantic aspects. The biggest gap between Vietnamese and English

interpretation is cultural values, when one evolves around collectivism and the other was
nurtured within an embrace of individualism. According to Ting-Toomey and Chung
(2005), collectivism emphasises the importance of the we identity over the I identity,
which manifests the benefits of a whole society over one individuals. Typical western
country, England enjoys the affection of individualism with a priority contradictory to that
of collectivism. A mismatch in the two notions leads to deeper and broader discrepancies
that secures no accurate translation for any simile from both languages, specifically reflects
on similes origin, nature and social phenomenon orientation.

Similes origin
Authors identity is pressed more in English than in Vietnamese. A considerable number of
English similes find their initiators or their first citers effortlessly back in history as the
language gives credits for quite a few creators of the terms, and occasionally, it was the
author or citers popularity that installed the idioms into social life. Although some are still
debatable, the sense of originality emerges strongly enough over that of Vietnamese.

Simile
As happy as a clam (at high
water)

Origin / Initial citation

Refers to a clam in high tide because they can only be
dug in low one
First appeared in America from the Dictionary of
Americanisms by John Russell Bartlett in 1877

As happy as a sandboy

Refers to the sand tradesmen in the 18th and 19th century

who usually enjoyed their parties after every business

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SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

trip
First mentioned in Pierce Egans book Life in London
published in 1821
As merry as the Larry

Larry Foley (1847 - 1917), an undefeated boxer gaining

a victorious 1000 in his last match
Arguably dating from around 1875, referenced by New
Zealand writer G. L. Meredith

As merry as the day is long

Created by Shakespeare and first appeared in the play

King John (1595)

As merry as a grig

Origin is still uncertain, but one theory suggest a

corruption from the saying as merry as Greek in
Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida

By contrast, most similes in Vietnamese are widely used without the acknowledgement
towards the author, thus a common disinterest in the first citers or any kinds of initial
references in literature. The significance in a simile is aroused gradually through a process
of widespread abuse of the term overtime and its vitality in expressing a concept or
occurrence.

Nature and social phenomenon orientation

Similes are a delicate method of transferring a message through e means of comparison.
They involve the least piece of life from which they find inspiration and association.
Obviously happiness similes would be formed with just the ingredients that the people in
each country feel delighted about, namely nature, festivals, good conditions, beneficial
moves or pure desires. The concept of happiness varied greatly throughout the geography
and history length of one culture, hence an unavoidable spirit that cannot be conveyed
completely in any other language. England and Vietnam, two countries from different
continents, with two uncorrelated culture background and social belief and two distinctive
natural resources, undoubtedly no precise similarities may be identified for a total
comprehension of the similes from one another. Even so, similes concerning happiness in
both languages still share one mutual basis: they all provoke a sense of good deeds for
whoever uses them for whatever context.
A few subjects boosting adrenalin include:
- Animals / Stuffs / People:

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SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

E.g.

As gay as a lark
As merry as a cricket
As merry as a grig
As merry as the Larry

- Festivals / Parties:
E.g.

Vui nh tt
Vui nh hi
As happy as a sandboy
As gay as a maypole (a decorated pole in celebration of May Day)

- Good conditions:
E.g.

As happy as a flea in a doghouse

As happy as a kid in a candy store
As happy as a pig in mud / poop / shit / slop
As merry as a robin that sings on the tree
Vui / mng nh bt c vng
Vui nh m c trong bng
Vui / mng nh trng s
Vui nh nng dn c ma

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SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

Conclusion

Similes in happiness are well founded upon grammatical and cultural appreciation in both
English and Vietnamese. The structural features are generally identical to some respect,
although the precise application differs considerably depending on the comparative words
and compared objects. Each countrys culture influences the choice of vocabulary and
peoples attitude towards the authors or first citers of the two similes heritage, but
altogether, the comparisons are made based on the equivalent facilitator of the happy
feelings within the geographic and historic context of the situation and the conception of
the community or individual.

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SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

Discussion

Implications for Education

With the rising trend of globalising, Vietnamese are facing a challenge for the need of
proper English communication. English and Vietnamese are taught concurrently in
numerous schools in Vietnam as well as many high schools in USA and other countries.
However, learning process can only process efficiently with an assistance of mutual
cultural understanding, starting from the most basic concept like happiness. It can be
beneficial to include such discussion of similes in Vietnamese and English amidst of a
lesson, not only for entertainment, but also at the same time, encourage students
awareness of the society and strengthen the applicability of the language acquisition.
Rough translation has never been a great idea to communicate in languages that are
completely different, such as Vietnamese and English; so the teachers introduction of the
study may raise interest among students for its practical usage and thus, aid improvement.
Some suggestions for teaching implications:
- Opportunistic teaching when students question about the similes in English or
Vietnamese.
- Integrated teaching with other skills especially writing and speaking.
- Cultural learning: today, culture is a crucial part in language learning, then why not spend
some time in class get to know about this lesson?
- Project or research development for high level students of English and Vietnamese.

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SIMILES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE ABOUT HAPPINESS

References

Bartlett, J. R. (1877). Dictionary of Americanisms: A Glossary of Words and

Phrases Usually Regarded as Peculiar to the United States (4th Edition).
Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.
Egan, P. (1821). Life in London.
Fletcher, & Sceales. (1975). Senior secondary school English, high school English:
first language. Maskew Miller Longman.
Ha, Q. N. (2015). c im v so snh trong thnh ng so snh ting Vit. Vin T
in hc v Bch khoa th Vit Nam.
Harris, R. A. (2013, 1 19). A Handbook of Rhetorical Devices. Retrieved 6 3, 2016,
from virtualsalt.com: http://www.virtualsalt.com/rhetoric4.htm#Simile
Kopka, D. (2010). Milliken's Complete Book of Instant Activities - Grade 6.
Milliken Publishing Company.
Le, H. T. (2004, 2). Trit l dn gian v hnh phc trong tc ng, th ca dn gian
Vit Nam.
Oishi, S., Jesse, G., Kesebir, S., & Galinha, I. C. (2013). The concept of happiness
across time and cultures. University of Virginia: Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin.
Phi, Nguyen Khac et al. (2003). Vietnamese Literature grade 7. Vietnam Education
Press.
Rose, H., & Purkis, R. (1991). English grammar : a reference book for schools and
colleges. Pietermaritzburg : Shuter & Shooter.
Shakespeare, W. (1595). King John. England.
Shakespeare, W. (1599). Much Ado About Nothing. England.
Ting-Toomey, S., & C.Chung, L. (2005). Understanding intercultural
communication. California: Roxbury Publising Company.

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