Luận văn Thạc sĩ Ngôn ngữ Anh: Nghiên cứu so sánh phương tiện từ vựng biểu thị thái độ trong bài xã luận văn hóa và thể thao khen ngợi trên Usatoday.com và Vietnamnews.vn từ 2012 đến 2015

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

LÊ THỊ THÙY

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE LEXICAL MEANS OF

MODALITY EMPLOYED IN CULTURE AND SPORT EDITORIALS

OF COMMENDATION ON THE USATODAY.COM AND

THE VIETNAMNEWS.VN FROM 2012 TO 2015

NGHIÊN CỨU SO SÁNH NHỮNG PHƢƠNG TIỆN TỪ VỰNG CỦA

TÍNH TÌNH THÁI TRONG CÁC BÀI XÃ LUẬN KHEN NGỢI VỀ

LĨNH VỰC VĂN HÓA VÀ THỂ THAO TRÊN BÁO USATODAY.COM

VÀ VIETNAMNEWS.VN TỪ NĂM 2012 ĐẾN 2015

M.A. Minor Thesis

Field: English linguistics

Code: 60220201

HANOI – 2016

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

LÊ THỊ THÙY

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE LEXICAL MEANS OF

MODALITY EMPLOYED IN CULTURE AND SPORT EDITORIALS

OF COMMENDATION ON THE USATODAY.COM AND

THE VIETNAMNEWS.VN FROM 2012 TO 2015

NGHIÊN CỨU SO SÁNH NHỮNG PHƢƠNG TIỆN TỪ VỰNG CỦA

TÍNH TÌNH THÁI TRONG CÁC BÀI XÃ LUẬN KHEN NGỢI VỀ

LĨNH VỰC VĂN HÓA VÀ THỂ THAO TRÊN BÁO USATODAY.COM

VÀ VIETNAMNEWS.VN TỪ NĂM 2012 ĐẾN 2015 M.A. Minor Thesis

Field: English linguistics

Code: 60220201

Supervisor: Tô Thị Thu Hƣơng, Ph.D

HANOI – 2016

DECLARATION

I certify that the work contained in this thesis is the result of my own

research, and this thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other

university or institution.

Hanoi, October 2016

Signature

Lê Thị Thùy

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the following people who

have offered support and encouragement in all their different ways throughout

this study.

I am indeed thankful to my supervisor, Dr. Tô Thị Thu Hương, whose

sympathetic guidance has been the source of inspiration and knowledge for my

research. I am also grateful to other teachers of the Department of Post-Graduate

Studies for their encouragement and valuable advice.

My great thanks are also given to my family and my friends who have

encouraged me a lot during the process of my study.

ABSTRACT

The thesis analyzed the selected editorials of commendation on cultural and

sporty fields chosen from the American English newspaper, the usatoday.com,

and the Vietnamese English newspaper, the vietnamnews.vn, to identify the

lexical means of modality employed in the two newspapers. The study aimed at

analyzing how similar and different in tendencies of using modality as well as

the functions of modality employed in commendation editorials in the two

newspapers. The data showed that modality was realized in the two newspapers

through modal auxiliary verbs, ‗knowledge‘ verbs, certain reporting verbs,

modal adjectives and adverbs, and some modal nouns. From the findings, the

research also provided some suggestions in teaching and learning English.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENS

DECLARATION ................................................................................................ 1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................ii

ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................... iii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS...............................................................................vi

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES....................................................................vii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 1

1.1. Justification ............................................................................................... 1

1.2. Aim and purposes of Research ................................................................. 4

1.3. Research questions .................................................................................... 3

1.4. Significance ............................................................................................... 4

1.5. Thesis outline................................................................................................5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................. 6

2.1. Definition of modality ............................................................................... 6

2.2. Types of modality...................................................................................... 7

2.3. Linguistic manifestations of modality ........................................................ 8

2.3.1. Modal verbs......................................................................................... 9

2.3.2. Modal adverbs ................................................................................... 11

2.3.3. Modal adjectives ............................................................................... 11

2.3.4. Modal nouns ...................................................................................... 11

2.4. Editorials and classification of newspaper editorials ................................ 12

2.4.1. Definition of editorials ...................................................................... 12

2.4.2. Classification of newspaper editorials ............................................... 14

2.4.3. Editorials of commendation ............................................................... 14

2.5. Previous studies ....................................................................................... 15

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ..................................................................... 18

3.1. Types of Research ................................................................................... 18

3.2. Data Sources ........................................................................................... 18

3.3. Data Analysis Instruments ....................................................................... 19

3.4. Data Analysis Procedure ......................................................................... 20

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ................................................ 24

4.1. Modal verbs............................................................................................. 24

4.2. Modal adjectives and adverbs .................................................................. 31

4.3. Modal nouns ............................................................................................ 37

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION .......................................................................... 39

5.1. Summary ................................................................................................. 39

5.2. Pedagogical implications ......................................................................... 41

5.3. Limitations of the study ........................................................................... 44

REFERENCES.................................................................................................. 45

APPENDICES .................................................................................................... I

UT1.....................................................................................................................I

UT2..................................................................................................................III

UT3...................................................................................................................V

UT4..................................................................................................................VI

UT5.................................................................................................................VII

UT6................................................................................................................VIII

UT7....................................................................................................................X

UT8..................................................................................................................XI

UT9................................................................................................................XIII

UT10...............................................................................................................XV

VN1.............................................................................................................XVII

VN2............................................................................................................XVIII

VN3...............................................................................................................XXI

VN4............................................................................................................XXIII

VN5.............................................................................................................XXV

VN6...........................................................................................................XXVII

VN7.............................................................................................................XXX

VN8............................................................................................................XXXI

VN9...........................................................................................................XXXII

VN10.......................................................................................................XXXIV

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

UT: the usatoday.com

VN: the vietnamnews.vn

vii

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Table 1. Modality through modal auxiliaries in UT & VN

Table 2. Number of quoted direct speech & indirect speech in two newspapers

Table 3. Comparative and superlative forms of evaluative adjectives and adverbs

viii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

The chapter explained the reasons of choosing the research topic, clarified the

aim and purposes, raised the research questions, and provided the organization of

the study as well.

1.1. Justification

In this modern society, there are numerous mass media that bring the wide world

into each home. Social media are possibly divided into 2 types: spoken and

written. The former is always represented by television and radio. Then, the

latter is represented by newspapers, magazines and especially news websites.

Thanks to the development of high technology, human beings do not have to

spend much time in front of television or radio without moving out their homes.

They also do not need to go to news agency to buy newspapers or magazines

every morning. By only one click, all the needed information appears on the

screen even though they are sitting in a café or in a restaurant. Moreover, with

the help of a smart phone, people these days update news more quickly than ever

before. Each minute passes, an event can be received hundreds of comments. So,

there is no doubt that news websites play an important role in modern life. They

become a means for the writers and readers to share society‘s values and express

their opinions and attitudes about the social issues. That is the reason for

choosing news websites as objects to analyze.

Editorial is considered a part of news website contents where the editorial writers

and readers provide their personal comments on the happening events. To

convey these private assessments into the news, modality could be an effective

means because of its nature. Saeed (2009, p.138) claimed that ―modality is a

cover term for devices which allow the speaker or writer to express varying

degrees of commitment to, or belief in, a proposition‖. It is possibly said that

with this type of mass media, modality is vigorously expressed. Because of that

reason, modality in newspaper editorials have attracted many attentions recently.

Biber (1998), Westin and Geisler (2002) and Morley (2004) were the huge

names in the area. Those researches provided sufficient guidance for the

language users to employ modality in their texts. Furthermore, those also became

the foundation for the next researchers who would conduct research in exploring

and assessing the phenomenon of what happens in newspapers or social media. It

was obvious that most of the researches on this subject were conducted in

foreign countries or they focused on criticism editorials only although editorials

were divided into different sub-genres. The researchers looked for the use of

modality in editorials of criticism because of its popularity amongst all the types.

Moreover, this also was a potential area in using modality since this type of

editorials aims at criticizing policies and decisions that are considered as

controversial by the newspaper staffs. In spite of the fact that the editorials of

commendation which commend people and organizations for something done

well are not as common as the others, it should be put in consideration because

our ancestors ever taught that ‗criticism is easy, and art is difficult‘. It seems

effortless for us to criticize someone for what they made, but to crown someone

from the bottom of our heart is not as easy as we suppose. Moreover, praise

plays an important role in motivating and engaging people in their work. The

more respected and appreciated people feel, the more motivated they are. They

will do better than those who think their efforts go unnoticed. They are more

engaged in their work because they know they are making a real difference. An

interesting aspect about praise is the chemical reaction it causes in us. O′.Arias-

Carrion and Poppel (2007) showed that when we heard something we liked, a

burst of dopamine was released in our brains. Dopamine was a neurotransmitter,

and it was associated with feelings of joy, pride, satisfaction, and well-being,

giving a positive impact on the individual. In culture and sport areas, there are

many people who are ready to devote their lives for the development of their

own country in particular and the development of human beings in general, so

they deserve to be praised. An appropriate compliments will be the best present

to encourage people to get better results in their works. Mark Twain ever said ― I

can live for two months on a good compliments‖. However, giving praise

publicly and regularly might be frowned upon in some cultures. It means that

there are different ways to commend someone and each of newspapers has their

own ways to express their opinions and feelings. The thesis compared two

editorials: an American English and a Vietnamese English with the purpose of

demonstrating what English linguistic categories of modality the writers used in

complimenting athletes and celebrities in culture and sport areas because many

individuals got achievements in those fields. Moreover, the study was done with

the aim of comparing the similarities and differences in employing lexical

expressions of modality in the two newspapers. The results of the research could

be a guide in teaching and learning English reading, writing and translation

generally and in journalism particularly.

1.2. Aim and purposes of Research

The study aimed at finding out the similarities and differences in employing

lexical means of modality in two newspapers so that the results of the research

could be a guide in teaching and learning English reading, writing and

translation generally and in journalism particularly.

Based on the above 2 research questions, the purposes of the research were:

1. to clarify kinds of lexical carriers of modality employed in cultural and

sport editorials of commendation in the two newspapers.

2. to analyze how similar and different in tendencies of using modality as

well as the functions of modality employed in commendation editorials

in the two newspapers.

1.3. Research questions

There were two research questions to guide this thesis:

1. What are the lexical means of modality commonly employed in culture

and sport editorials of commendation in the two online newspapers, the

American English newspaper, the usatoday.com, and the Vietnamese

English newspaper, the vietnamnews.vn?

2. What are the similarities and differences in the use of lexical means of

modality in these editorials of the two newspapers?

1.4. Significance

The significance of the study was to explain the similarities and differences in

employing lexical modal categories in two editorial newspapers, an American

English newspaper and a Vietnamese English newspaper, in complimenting the

athletes and celebrities. The achieved results could be applied in teaching and

learning English.

1.5. Thesis Outline

This thesis consisted of five following chapters:

Chapter 1: Introduction

The introduction chapter consisted of Justification, Aim and Purposes, Research

questions, and Thesis outline.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

The review of literature explained some theories which were related to the topic

as a guide to write this thesis. It included Definition of modality, Types of

modality, Lexical means of modality, Definition and Classification of newspaper

editorials, and Previous studies.

Chapter 3: Methodology

This chapter consisted of Types of research, Data sources, Data analysis

instruments and Data analysis procedure.

Chapter 4: Findings and discussion

The findings and discussion chapter provided the results of the analysis of the

collected data to answer the 2 research questions and discussion of the findings.

Chapter 5: Conclusion

In this chapter, the writer provided the conclusion of the research as well as some

teaching and learning implications based on what had been found.

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter provided an overview of theoretical background that guided the

researcher during conducting the thesis.

2.1. Definition of modality

Modality has been seen as one of the most complicated areas both in English and

in other languages. It is considered a semantic category. By means of modal

expressions, the speaker can evaluate a particular situation in terms of

possibility, probability, permission, volition, obligation and necessity. Lyons

(1977) pointed out that modality referred to people‘s opinions and attitudes

towards propositions expressed with language or circumstances described by

propositions while Quirk (1985) regarded it as the speaker‘s judgment on the

authenticity of propositions. Palmer (1986) considered modality as semantic

information associated with the speaker‘s attitude or opinion about what is said.

From his point of view, modality could also be analyzed as the validity of

relativity of a sentence meaning through a set of possible words, or it could be

said as the ways in which people could understand a different word. In other

words, modality gave the language a function to express what is happening, what

will happen, what might happen, and what they should do.

Generally, all of the authors had an agreement on the definition of modality and

they tried to explore the functions of modality in the proposition. It is possible to

define modality as a means that helps the speaker or writer show their attitudes

towards a certain piece of information.

2.2. Types of modality

Despite the fact that there are numerous ways to classify modality into different

types, most of linguists such as Hoffman (1976), Jenkins (1972), Perkins (1982),

Sweetser (1982), Coates (1983), and Huddleston (1988) agreed to divide

modality into two basic subtypes: epistemic and deontic. Epistemic modality was

concerned with the speaker's relation to proposition, whereas deontic modality

was concerned with the speaker's relation to events and actions. Both types of

modality signaled a speaker's judgments. With epistemic, the judgment was

about the way the real world is; with deontic, it was about how people should

behave in the world. Deontic modality expressed future; meanwhile epistemic

modality was connected to the present. Epistemic modality showed the meanings

of possibility, necessity and prediction while deontic modality carried the

meanings of permission, obligation and volition.

von Wright (1951) and Quirk et al., (1985) had the other ideas in classifying

types of modality. The former classified modality into four types: Alethic,

Epistemic, Deontic and Existential while the latter distinguished between two

types: ‗intrinsic‟ which involve some kind of human control over events, and

„extrinsic‟ which involve human judgment of what is or is not likely to happen.

Rescher (1986), apart from these types, referred to one more type which he

called temporal.

Palmer, besides agreeing with the other researchers, he also added evidential and

dynamic as two more sorts of modality. Furthermore, he grouped four above

subtypes into two bigger ones: Propositional modality and Event modality.

Propositional modality included Epistemic and Evidential. Event Modality in

turn could be of two types, Deontic and Dynamic. ―Evidential modality, in

which, instead of making a judgment about the truth-value of the proposition, the

speaker offers evidence for it‖ (2003, p.7). If with deontic modality, the control

was external to the subject of proposition, dynamic one was in contrast with

internal control.

In the research, the researcher used Palmer‘s theory in clarifying the functions of

modality in the English culture and sport editorials of commendation between

two newspapers due to the several reasons. First of all, there was no doubt that

Palmer was an expert of this field. His achievements were the basic theory for

many studies. Moreover, apart from some common meanings that modality

expressed, the reseacher would like to find out whether the editors give the

evidence for what is said and evaluate the internal and external controls that

contribute to the people‘s achievements.

2.3. Lexical means of modality

Fowler (1985) gave a brief list to illustrate the lexical categories of modality.

Modality was manifested in a number of forms: mainly, the modal auxiliary

verbs may, shall, must, need, and others; sentence adverbs such as probably,

certainly, regrettably; adjectives such as necessary, unfortunate, certain. Some

verbs, and many nominalizations, were crucially modals: permit, predict, prove;

obligation, likelihood, desirability, authority.

Furthermore, Nuyts (2001, p.29) pointed out that modality could be expressed by

the use of modal adverbs, predicatively used modal adjectives, mental state

predicates and by modal auxiliaries. It was said that certain types of main verbs

as well as adjectives, adverbs, and certain nominalizations could be used to

express modality.

From two above authors, it was possible to conclude that modality could be

manifested through different linguistic categories such as modal auxiliaries,

lexcial modal verbs, modal adverbs, modal nouns and modal adjectives. The

following discussed the linguistic categories of modality in English.

2.3.1. Modal verbs

First and foremost, modality was not mentioned without modal verbs. Modal

verbs, called as modal auxiliaries or simply modals, created a relatively small

and closed group of verbs that significantly differed from other ‗ordinary‘ verbs.

Regarding the semantic, in contrast to lexical verbs, the meaning of modals

depended on context. Leech (1969, p.203-204) gave us a general look on the

meanings of modals as in the following table:

Modals Meaning

Possibility, ability/capability, permission

Possibility, permission

Speaker´s willingness, speaker´s insistence

Weak volition/willingness, strong volition/insistence

Obligation, logical necessity Can Could May Might Shall Should Ought to Will / ´ll Would / ´d Must

From the table above, it was seen that modal auxiliary verbs can, could, may,

might express permission, possibility and ability; modal auxiliary verbs must,

ought to, and should indicated obligation and necessity; will and shall as well as

would denoted volition and prediction.

Moreover, according to Biber et al. (1999, p.483), there were nine central modal

auxiliary verbs that were used to express modality: can, could, may, might, shall,

should, will, would, must. Besides, many authors also mentioned ought (to)

among the group of the modal auxiliaries and dare, need, used (to) were often

referred to as semi-modals.

Recently, according to Downing & Locke (2006), modality could be realized

through the following categories:

- modal verbs; semi-modals: need, dare, wish;

- lexical auxiliaries (chain-like structures with primary verbs be and

have): be able to, be apt to, be due to, be going to, be liable to, be likely

to, be certain to, be sure to, be to, be unlikely to, be supposed to, have

to, have got to, had better, would rather, would sooner;

- phased structures composed of a catenative verb, such as need, want,

regret, try, manage, hesitate, happen, chance, tend, seem, appear,

pretend, followed by a nonfinite verb form;

- lexical verbs such as allow, beg, command, forbid, guarantee, guess,

promise, suggest, warn.

The above list meant that apart from modal auxiliaries, modality could be

expressed through some other lexical verbs. These authors also provided other

lexcical means of modality such as adverbs and sentence modifiers, predicate

adjectives and nouns.

2.3.2. Modal adverbs

Although modal adverbs had not received much attention from the researchers,

they were still an important expression of modality. Matthews (1991) claimed

that together with other modal categories, modal adverbs ―may be taken to

represent, at least in part, the ‗natural‘ conceptualization of modality in English‖

and they constituted a part of ―a basic network of modality concept for English‖.

In Quirk et al.‘s work (1985, p.583), they also called these adverbs as ―common

emphasizes‖ and classified them into 2 small groups. The first one included

actually, certainly, clearly, definitely, indeed, obviously, plainly, really, surely,

for certain, for sure , of course suggesting what is being said is true. The second

one with the manifestation of the items as frankly, honestly, literally, simply,

fairly, just had the value that what the speaker says is unambiguously true.

2.3.3. Modal adjectives

DeLazero (2011) argued that modal adjectives not only combined with nouns

describing situations and participants in situations (entities in context) but also

expressed modality when they are combined with to + infinitive or a that clause.

They were also included in the generic phrases which were mentioned in

Alizera‘s paper (2011). According to him, the adjectives, frustrating, tragic,

unlikely, likely, certain, conceivable, clear, unclear, and hard, appeared

commonly in English editorials. Along with these, the other modal adjectives

could include possible, probable, absolute, complete, essential, definite, etc.

2.3.4. Modal nouns

As far as mentioned in the studies, modal nouns could additionally express

modality. Halliday (1976), Greenbaum (1996) and Palmer (2001) noted that

modality might be also marked by non-verbs such as possibility and perhaps.

They were often followed by a ‗that clause‘ or to + infinitive. It was hard for a

modal noun to operate on the level of the whole proposition they take part in.

However, combined with a ‗that clause‘, to verb, or verb (usually verbs with

more or less auxiliary function), these nouns could replace modal verbs.

Modality could be manifested with such modal nouns as chance, possibility,

probability, necessity, capacity, certainty, opportunity, obligation, etc.

2.4. Editorials and classification of newspaper editorials

2.4.1. Definition of editorials

Not as far as the history of human beings, newspaper seemingly appeared in the 17th century and developed widely with the invention of the printing press. The

first newspaper writers were not allowed to break the principles of journalism by including their assessments into that piece of news. Since 19th century, the

newspapers have been written with various communicative purposes so that the

language used in this type of media has also been changed.

Yaasa claimed that the editorial started around 1830 (cited in Ate, 2008).

Nowadays, when the word ―human rights‖ appears everywhere around the

world, it is easily acceptable for people to raise their voice and show their

thought about what they see and hear. It is also why the editorial becomes an

important part in any newspapers. It can be said that the editorial has a

significant role in any newspapers nowadays because it not only informs the

readers with news but also attaches the writer‘s attitudes and opinions on that

piece of news. There are numerous definitions of editorial. Each of them stands

out the contents and the duties of this type of newspapers.

Okoro and Agbo (2003, p.125) defined editorial as ―a critical evaluation,

interpretation and presentation of significant, contemporary events in such a way

as to inform, educate, entertain and influence the reader.‖

Hoffman, M (2007, p.113) specified editorial as a ―statement of opinion from an

editor or publisher about you and your business. Media coverage generated by

news staff‖.

Simply, Ate (2008) described editorial writing of any newspaper as the voice,

reputation, ideology, public assessment channel to the audience and mouth piece

of the newspaper.

In general, editorial is a kind of news which conveys the writer‘s opinion on

discussed matter. He may hope to provide the news and deliver his comments

about that piece of news as well.

However, the writer‘s opinion might be delivered in different ways. Merrill

(1965, p.74) expressed that the most obvious kind of subjectivity is explicit

opinion and he provided a parallel between explicit opinion and Hayakawa‘s

term judgment, all the author‘s agreement and disagreement of the phenomena

being discussed (1978, p.37). Hayakawa named another way of delivering the

writer‘s assessment ―slanting‖. This made certain opinions unavoidable through

one-sided selection of details (1978, p.41-42). Slanting could be considered an

implicit opinion which might be manifested through the selection of topics, the

importance given to different topics and features of styles (Van Dijk, 1988a

&1988b). In addition, the writer‘s opinion was often hidden by employing some

means like the use of numbers to indicate precision, presenting opposite views

on a matter, eyewitness accounts of events and the use of quotation marks

especially (Tuchman, 1972 & van Dijk 1987a). It was concluded that the writers‘

assessments could be achieved through many different devices among which

quotations and reported speech seemed one of the effective one.

2.4.2. Classification of newspaper editorials

It was clear that ―for everything under the sun, there must be a purpose‖ (Ate,

2008, p.58) and this type of newspaper had to surely follow this rule. Editorial

could be written in the hope with persuading, amusing and amazing the readers.

In the thesis, the researcher used the classification suggested by Hall (2003).

Based on the suggested classification, it was possible to classify the newspaper

editorials into editorials of Criticism, Attack, Defense, Endorsement, Praise,

Appeal and Entertainment. He also provided the definition with vivid examples

for each type. It seemed that Hall‘s classification was clear and easily

understandable; therefore, this framework had basically been used in numerous

research papers.

2.4.3. Editorials of commendation

Amongst these types of editorials, praise or commendation editorials were

written with the aim of complimenting some individuals, groups of people or

even some organizations who have a lot of devotion in specific areas.

According to Hyland (2000, p.44), a commendation is defined as ―an act which

attributes credit to another for some characteristic, attribute, skill, etc., which is

positively valued by the writer‖. Such a positive evaluative act was clarified as a

positive remark on what that athlete or celebrity had done or achieved, their

professional skills, their personal characters, their efforts to overcome difficulties

or even their potential results.

Hall et al. (2015, p.120) claimed that the editorials of commendation ―obviously

points out the merits of an idea or the superior qualities of a person‖. They also

added ―papers should strive for a balance between praise ad criticism in

editorials‖. It meant that to find an editorial with a pure commendation was hard

and the writers might mix this type with the others.

In the research, the researcher compared similarities and differences in

employing the lexical means of modality in culture and sport editorials of

commendation between two newspapers, an American English and a Vietnamese

English.

2.5. Previous studies

There have not been many researches relating to modality in editorials. Most of

them paid much attention on modality in editorials of criticism and some others

were for modality in general editorials. Modality referred to attitudes and

judgments expressed in newspaper texts and is characterized by the use of modal

linguistic carriers. Modality had been categorized as a language argumentative

strategy. Analyzing modality in Arabic and English editorials, Biber (1998)

claimed that modals which expressed necessity such as „must‟, „should‟,

prediction such as „will‟ „would‟, and possibility such as „can‟, „may‟, „could‟

were often used in English editorials. Additionally, Westin and Geisler (2002)

also suggested prediction and necessity modals as argumentative strategies used

in editorials. Furthermore, Morley (2004) concluded that editorials employed

such argumentative strategies as necessity, probability and prediction.

Probability referred to modals like can, could, may and might while prediction

was manifested with shall, will and would. He also covered phrasal modals such

as: be able to, had better, be going to, have to, ought to, used to, etc. The results

from Qun‘s study showed that should and could were the outstanding features in

editorials. Contrasting to scientific papers‘ tendency of using „may‟, editorial

writers preferred to use „perhaps‟ to present a fussy semantic stance to shun

possible criticism (Qun, 2010, p.40-51).

Alireza‘s paper entitled “Linguistic manifestations of modality in newspaper

editorials” (2011) revealed some specific results of using modality in this media

discourse. The comparison of the two editorials, The New York Times, an

American English editorials, and The Tehran Times, a Persian English one, in

terms of employing auxiliary modal verbs showed that both of the papers

preferred mostly predictive auxiliary modals such as will or would to the other

kinds of modals. On the one hand, the predictive modals were used with higher

number to identify what would happen in the future. On the other hand, the

modals of necessity were preferred by editorial writers in Tehran Times with the

main concern about what should be done. This research was done with modality

in criticism editorials. The findings showed the similarities and differences in

applying modal carriers of the writers of two newspapers such as modal verbs,

adverbs, adjectives, nouns and generic phrases.

Hien et al‘s research (2014) contrasting English editorials and Vietnamese ones

showed that modality instances were commonly used for a persuasive purpose in

both editorials. Nevertheless, the number of modality instances in English

editorials was higher than those in Vietnamese ones. She also claimed that the

finding agreed with the previous study, revealing that the prediction and

possibility modals appeared more often than the other modals in editorials.

In conclusion, the above researches provided fundamental information for the

researcher before and during conducting the study reported in this thesis. In this

thesis, the researcher shed light on the English lexical categories of modality in

commendation editorials in spite of its less popularity. The findings could be

useful with some pedagogical applications to master English skills for learners of

English.

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

This chapter was written with the purposes of clarifying the types of the

research, the data analysis instruments and the data analysis procedure.

3.1. Types of Research

In this part, the researcher specified the types of the research.

First of all, based on the theory that was used, this research belonged to

semantics. In the research, the researcher analyzed the written texts to find out

the lexical means of modality employed in the commendation editorials and then

compared the similarities and differences in using modality to show the attitudes

and opinions of two newspapers.

Secondly, regarding the purpose of research, this thesis was included in the

descriptive research. It was because in this thesis, the researcher described the

data based on the theory to find out the result of the research.

3.2. Data Sources

The USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by Gannett

Company in 1982. It is delivered in all 50 states, the District of Colombia,

Guam, Puerto Rico, Canada and the United Kingdom and the paper is free

online. There are various parts in this paper and it is known for synthesizing

news downs to easy – to – read and comprehend stories. The number of the

culture and sport articles are large enough for the writer to find the data.

The Vietnam news is a daily English-language newspaper, published in Hanoi by

the Vietnam News Agency, the news service of the government of Vietnam. The

newspaper was first published in 1991. It is published seven days a week and is

the main English newspaper in Vietnam. The paper is a member of the Asia

News Network. An Internet edition exists with simplified typography. Similarly

to the USA today, all the articles in culture and sport areas provide the readers

with various points of view on the daily outstanding people and events in the

country and around the world.

The two newspapers are among the top broadsheets in terms of readership as

stated by the official websites of the papers. The data were taken from the news

which were published from 2012 to 2015. From the range of time, there were a

large number of editorials. However, as mentioned before, finding editorials of

commendation took time because this type of editorials is not as popular as

others. Moreover, the researcher also seeked the big culture and sport events

which are often be held every two or four years.

3.3. Data Analysis Instruments

According to Lincoln and Guba (1985, p.224-228), the research method was a

way to plan for carrying out research activities to achieve goals by answering the

research questions. To find the result of the analysis, the reseacher used

qualitative and quantitative perspective. Quantitative method was applied in

reporting the result of data analysis into statistic form. Qualitative method was

used for displaying and interpreting data analysis into narrative text. The

researcher used mainly qualitative method because this research focused on

meaning and understanding of the texts produced by the reporters. The main

strength of the qualitative approach to cultural assessment was the ability to

probe for underlying values, beliefs, and assumptions. To gain a full appreciation

of an organization, it was necessary to understand what is driving their behavior

(Yauch and Steudel, 2003, p.472). The other reason of using this method in the

analysis process of this thesis was because the researcher did the exploring,

describing, explaining and comparing the data. Qualitative methods that allowed

researchers to explore the views of homogeneous as well as diverse groups of

people help unpack these differing perspectives (Dudwick, Kuehnast, Jones and

Woolcock, 2006, p.3).

3.4. Data Analysis Procedure

It is possibly said that the process of collecting and analyzing data is an

extremely important step of research method. In this step, all the information is

gathered and measured on targeted variables in an established system, which

then enables the researcher to answer relevant questions and evaluate outcomes.

There were numerous steps to collect and analyze data that the researcher used:

1. Identifying and classifying the lexical categories of modality in each

editorial of 2 newspapers.

2. Comparing the number of those categories in editorials of 2

newspapers.

3. Explaining the use of those lexical modal categories in two newspapers

with examples taken from the data.

In the research „Linguistic manifestation of modality in Newspaper editorial‟

published by Alireza (2011), the author used a purposeful sampling for

collecting data with 20 editorials from each newspaper for all topics which

belong to editorials of criticism. Furthermore, in the paper entitled “an

expansion resources analysis of English and Vietnamese political editorials in

the light of appraisal theory” (2014), Hien at al. selected 20 articles from each

newspaper for all kinds of editorials with the same topic about North Korea to

put in comparison. These were basic information that was useful and

fundamental for the researcher in choosing the samples.

Considering the limitations of the study carefully, this thesis also employed a

purposeful sampling because of the following reasons. First of all, the present

study only focused on the editorials of commendation. Moreover, the topics of

editorials were narrowed into two fields, culture and sports. The purposeful

sampling method was used to select editorials likely to be able to provide

relevant information. Those editorials had to belong to culture and sport

editorials of commendation and they were published from 2012 to 2015. To

make sure that all editorials in Vietnam news were written by Vietnamese, it was

necessary to identify the author of each news. In the thesis, there were 10 culture

and sport editorials of commendation culled from the electronic version of the

American English daily newspaper, usatoday.com and 10 culture and sport

editorials of commendation retrieved from the electronic version of the

Vietnamese English newspaper, vietnamnews.vn published daily over a specific

span of time (from 2012 to 2015). The number of editorials (20) could be

considered large enough to enable the researcher to determine with a certain

degree of reliability.

The researcher read carefully each culture and sport article of two newspapers to

determine whether it included the content of commendation by identifying the

positive evaluative acts contained in the corpus. It meant that the researcher

identifies the evaluative language used for expressing a positive opinion on what

that athlete or celebrity had achieved or made, their professional skills, personal

characters, potential future results or even their efforts to overcome difficulties.

After investigating two newspapers carefully, the researcher realized that it was

nearly impossible to find out the common athletes and celebrities because the

Vietnam news was mostly interested in homeland people and organizations. If

there were some articles about foreigners or international events, they were often

extracted from various sources, especially from a foreign newspaper. The

researcher decided to choose native people for each newspaper to see how they

compliment their countrymen.

In the research, the researcher took out both the writer‘s compliments and all the

commendation quotations and reported speech because of the following reason.

Quotations and reported speech are common parts integrated in the news articles.

They made a news article more vivid, lively and authentic. The writer includes

his assessments into the news with the use of quotations and reported speech.

This not only helps his news be still objectivity but also he can claim that he just

reports what other people said without committing to the truth of the proposition

in any way. Discussing this issue, Tuchman (1972, p.668) stated that with the

help of quotations the reporter could remove his own opinion from the article by

using other people‘s ideas to represent what he himself thought. Jukanen (1995,

p.44) had the same opinion when he argued that ―Presenting opinions in the form

of quotations from important people is more effective and seemingly objective

than presenting the writer‘s own opinions‖. Generally, the use of quotation and

reported speech represented the reporter‘s opinions. This only served the

reporter‘s ideological aims (van Dijk 1988a, p.56 & Caldas-Coulthard 1994,

p.298-303). Caldas-Coulthard said ―No speech representation is objective or

simply neutral… Saying are transformed through the perspective of a teller, who

is an agent in a discursive practice‖ (p.137). From the above points of views, the

researcher could claim that taking out the quotations and reported speech to put

in consideration are reasonable and reliable.

After collecting the articles, the researcher read them carefully again to highlight

the contents of praise. Then, the linguistic categories of modality in these parts of

the articles were found and marked. In this stage of the thesis, the qualitative

method was applied first to seek the suitable contents and quantitative method

was used then to count the number of each modality categories in the

newspapers.

From the data, the reseacher clarified kinds of linguistic carriers of modality

employed in cultural and sport editorials of commendation in the two

newspapers. Then, the researcher analyzed how similar and different in

tendencies of using modality as well as the functions of modality employed in

commendation editorials in the two newspapers.

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter discussed the data analysis and findings from 20 selected culture

and sport editorials of commendation from two newspapers, the usatoday.com

(UT) and the vietnamnews.vn (VN). From the analysis, modality was apparently

manifested through using various textual strategies such as modal verbs

including auxiliaries, lexical verbs and reporting verbs, modal adjectives and

adverbs, and some modal nouns.

4.1. Modal verbs

The finding showed that a number of modal verbs in UT are greater than those in

VN. The modals of prediction and possibility were outstanding features in these

editorials. The finding presented the same opinion with the studies which had

been done before, indicating that the other modals couldn‘t be used as frequently

as the predictive and possible modals.

Table 1. Modality through modal auxiliaries in UT & VN

Modal auxiliaries UT VN

N % N %

Prediction will, would, tobe going to 21 39.62 10 37.04

Possibility can, could, may, might 25 47.17 12 44.44

Necessity/obligation have to, ought to, should 7 13.21 5 18.52

As Table 1 suggested, 39.62 % and 47.17% of the modals were used to express

the prediction and possibility, respectively, of the events by editorial writers in

UT and the rest expressed necessity and obligation. The modal verbs of

prediction, will and would, occupied with the high percentage aiming at guessing

the future results of the athletes and celebrities.The data signified the idea that

possibility of the discussed issues could be regarded as an important feature of

this genre in UT which was textually realized through modal auxiliaries namely

can, could, may, and might.

The following excerpts included modality expressed through modal verbs of

prediction:

1. ―... She is chasing records and no doubt will break many records

before she's finished," WTA Chairman Stacey Allaster said. (UT1)

2. With seven world titles already and several chances to pick up more

this week, she will likely leave The SSE Hydro with more gold medals

than any other female gymnast. (UT10)

3. ... there‘s no reason to think Phelps‘ comeback will be anything but

success. (UT4)

4. Now everyone will be watching to see what he’ll do next. (UT7)

5. Phelps is bold and daring, as evidenced by his successful quest to win

eight gold medals in a single Olympics, something many thought

would never be done. (UT4)

With the use of this kind of modal auxiliaries, the writers predicted the future

achievements of the characters mentioned in the articles. In (1) and (2), the

writers used the modal will combining with the adverb of evidentiality no doubt

and of possibility likely to make a strong belief that what the athlete could do in

the future was definite and the better results from other athletes were not

possible. In (3) and (4) the authors would like to claim that Phelps‘success would

happen if he came back to Olympic 2016, and the interesting things that the

singer Ocean could do in the future was likely to happen. The excerpt (5) refered

to the past event and the modal would showed the prediction for that event.

Besides using the above modals to express the future prediction, the writers also

used might and may to show possibility. They wished to display that all the

professional characters which the athletes had possibly made them huge names

as in (6) and (7).

6. Wambach‘s physical abilities and skill might have made her the

Americans‘ focal point. (UT8)

7. ... Put those together, and you have what just may be the perfect

gymnast. (UT10)

In (8), the modal have to was used to indicate the obligation of the situation. The

writer refered to the fact that from what we had eyewitnessed, it was forced to

give those comments on her steel will. Ought to was used in (9) as the writer‘s

insistence and it was necessary to say that the all the gymnastics championships

should be renamed „The Simone Show‟ because of her incredible achievements.

8. ―I have to say she has nerves of steel. You can do all the preparation

and strong training and skill position, all of that. Finally it comes down

to the mental strength, and she definitely has a combination of the

physical and mental.‖ (UT2)

9. The world gymnastics championships ought to be renamed The

Simone Show after the way the 18-year-old hijacked it. Again. (UT2)

The table also denoted that the UT and VN editorials were not comparable in the

term of modal auxiliaries, they both used this category to express modality but

the number of modal auxiliaries in UT is greater than that of VN, 53 in

comparison with 27.

As Table 1 indicated, 37.04 % of the modal auxiliaries were used to imply

prediction of the future news events and 44.44 % were used for possibility. Only

18.52% had been used as indication of necessity and obligation.

10. ―... If she has the chance to compete in big competitions such as the

Olympics, I am sure she would pocket gold medals in the coming SEA

Games [in Myanmar],‖ (VN1)

11. ―...There was no doubt that she was going to be a huge name‖. (VN6)

12. ―Thanh surprised me with his performance today. He was really

confident and excellent. I believe he will be much better in the future,‖

said Sang. (VN4)

It was shown from the above examples that the use of prediction modals in VN

was also the same. The writers employed these modal auxiliaries to predict the

results which the mentioned athletes could get in the future.

Similarly, might was also used as an alike strategy to express the probability as

in (13) and (14). It was seen that in (14), the VN writer also used the adverb of

evidentality indeed to make a clear sense of what actually changes from Anh

Vien‘s victory. The modal could in (15) was used for the context involve future

meaning and the writer wanted to show certainty about the guessed result.

13. ―Vien might not have competed against world-level swimmers in the

American tournament, but she definitely is a star in Southeast Asia,‖

(VN5)

14. ―For years only male swimmers achieved high results at the SEA

Games. Things might indeed be about to change however,‖ (VN1)

15. ―We are on the right track and, believe me, Vien is a rare talent. She

could be a world champion,‖ Tuan, who has put all his hopes on Vien,

said. (VN6)

Moreover, the analysis revealed that seem, feel, think and believe namely

―knowledge verbs‖ (Fowler, 1986) were preferred by the VN writers while this

kind of verbs appeared uncommonly in the writings of the UT authors. The

researcher found only one proposition which contained the verb believe as in

(16). However, this verb was used with the combination of modal auxiliary may

to show the possibility of the information.

16. Hard as it may be to believe, these American have the potential to be

even better than Fierce Five. They‘re bring so much bling home from

worlds it‘ll be a wonder if the metal detectors don‘t start smoking.

(UT2)

17. They believe that the insanely talented athlete can also vie for gold in

200m butterfly as her result is close to the top three. (VN5)

18. Many feel the target of 10 gold is believable as Viet Nam is home to

some best swimmers, including Olympian Nguyen Thi Anh Vien.

(VN5)

19. ―Many people think she is just a ‗hot girl‘ but she actually has talent‖.

(VN8)

20. Binh's success also came at the right time to end the country's drought

of gold medals, which seemed to linger, as some favourtites events,

such as the women's 400m and the men's pole vault, failed to produce

gold medals. (VN2)

The use of such ‗knowledge‘ verbs was also important in editorials as they were

often ―associated with some (often indirect) expression of how accountable a

writer is for knowledge content‖ (Malmström, 2007, p.36). With the use of the

verbs believe and feel, the writers wanted to stress their reliance on the better

results which the characters would get in the future.

Both two newspapers included the cases of quotative reported evidentiality.

Linguistically, both editorials employed either quoted direct speech or reported

speech. The default way of doing this was to use verbs of speaking such as say in

UT and say, note and add in VN. It was seeming that the articles were really

objective because there were various points of view about the discussed issues.

However, from inside light, the writers‘ opinions and attitudes were clearly

manifested. The examples like the following abounded in both newspapers.

21. ―Simone is a special talent‖ said U.S national team coordinator

Marths Karolyi, who coached both Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou

Retton. (UT2)

22. ―She just continues to be an inspiration to American tennis,‖ said

Gordon Smith, the executive director of the U.S. Tennis Association,

which runs the U.S. Open. (UT1)

23. ―I can't even say. Every day she can surprise me,‖ said Aimee

Boorman, Biles' longtime coach. (UT6)

24. ―They are like tiny ones and nobody believes they are taekwondo

athletes. However, do not look down at them, they can make

everybody take their hats off,‖ said coach Le Minh Khuong. (VN3)

25. ―Binh showed her brilliance today and exceeded expectations,‖ Duong

Duc Thuy, head of the National Sports Administration's Athletics

Department, said in discussing Binh's victory. (VN2)

26. The male lead actor in the film, Nhan Phuc Vinh, said, ― At first I

thought working with a ‗hot girl‘ would be difficult. But Chi Pu

cancelled this thought in my minds‖. (VN8)

The verbs in almost all of these examples were in the past tense, which was to be

expected as news stories refered to past events. The examples (21), (22) and (23)

in UT were the dominant mechanisms of expressing quotative evidentiality, with

the verbs say being the most frequent. The situation was similar in VN, the

neutral verbs of speaking as say, note and add are frequently delivered. The

above excerpts (24), (26), (27) and the excerpts (36) and (42) would appear after

in the other discussions clarified that point. The reason for this was that these

verbs were heavily used in journalistic discourse. While the writer used the

other‘s words, he communicated with the addressers by expressing his own

assessments about the value of the cited text. Simultaneously, the writer also

communicated with the readers, because he showed the readers that he conveyed

their views of different ideas. In these circumstances, the writers demonstrated

that they had the similar viewpoints on the discussed issues. The writer of each

text interacted with his readers and also with other authors cited in his text. He

expressed his attitudes towards what was written in the text and what was

presented to the readers. This way, the writer created social relations and

observed given norms (Hyland, 2004, p.13). According to Coulthard (1994, p.6)

while citing other authors, the writer did not lose responsibility for what was

cited. In this case, his responsibility was shown as an evaluator of the cited text.

This proved that these verbs were not unintentionally but consciously employed

by a writer.

Both the UT and VN writers showed their preference in using quoted direct

speech and reported speech when the numbers of these kinds in two newspapers

were nearly equal. Most of the quoted direct speech and indirect speech were

from the famous people, that made the evaluations become more reliable.

Table 2. Number of quoted direct speech & indirect speech in two newspapers

UT editorials VN editorials

Number of quoted direct speech 21 19

Number of indrect speech 00 04

4.2. Modal adjectives and adverbs

Besides using the modal auxiliaries to express prediction and possibility,

editorial writers employed some highly evaluative adjectives and adverbs as

another textual strategy to manifest their own attitude towards the achievements

of the characters written in the text. The phrases such as surprising grace,

explosive power, the biggest margin of victory, dizzyingly high, equally

imposing, unforgettable, unbeatable, remarkable job, great competitor, big

skills, dominant gymnast, significant contributions, etc. were used to present

the writer‘s compliments on the victories or contributions of the athletes and

celebrities. It was quite understandable since these linguistic categories of

modality were endemic in Press, particularly in editorials (Fowler, 1991). As the

newspaper also seeked to sway the readers‘ opinions on various issues, its

language often included vocabulary with evaluative connotation.

27. In her 2015, Serena Williams showed both the domination and

vulnerabilities that come with being one of the greatest athletes in the

world and the greatest female athlete who ever lived. (UT1)

28. Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer who ever lived. (UT4)

29. Berra was perhaps the greatest catcher who ever lived, winning 10

World Series Championships with the New York Yankees before

entering the Hall of Fame. (UT5)

30. Billboard‘s Woman of the Year has always represented the finest in

music, and the anointing of a key influential figure who drove the

conversation for that year. No one embodies that more than Lady Gaga

in 2015 (UT3)

31. ... Biles is the most dynamic gymnast the sport has seen in years,

perhaps decades. (UT6)

From the above excerpts, it was claimed that the American writers did not

hesitate to employ the positive evaluative adjectives and adverbs to highlight the

achievements of people who devoted their all efforts in the certain areas which

they were taking part in.

Compared to the VN editorials, this kind of adjectives and adverbs were also

used as a means to reveal the admirations from the writers to people who were

mentioned in the texts. The following excerpts presented the point.

32. ―Her speed is incredible, much better than what she did in training‖

(VN3)

33. Nhat successfully finished his race with a time of 15:39.44, leaving

behind his nearest rival Kevin Yeap of Malaysia for a five-second gap.

His victory was a strong boost for Viet Nam. (VN5)

34. Meanwhile, Thanh's title in the men's all-round event marked the

historic win for Viet Nam. (VN4)

35. ―Thanh surprised me with his performance today. He was really

confident and excellent. I believe he will be much better in the

future,‖ said Sang, a former SEA Games winner. (VN4)

36. ―She has a deep passion and love for film. She is very serious and

professional in her work‖ Vinh added. (VN8)

Furthermore, the phrases such as big status, strong and impressive moves,

magical moves, rare talent, big strides, incredible progress, good performance,

brilliant performance, outstanding performance, extremely convincing victory

and insanely talented athlete also supported the appreciation of the authors

towards the people mentioned.

The above examples showed that apart from praising the achievements which the

athletes gained, the Vietnamese writers also reminded the readers of the national

spirit. This was because the Vietnamese nation was formed early in the history

and often had to fight against foreign invaders, which created an outstanding

cultural feature: a patriotism which entered and appeared every aspect of life.

Community factors with prehistoric origin were combined early and became the

foundations for the development of patriotism and national consciousness. That

spirit was explicitly reflected when the writers marked these achievemnts as the

victories of the whole country. It was not incidental when Ánh Viên was

commented as “Vien is now Viet Nam‟s pride”, Thanh‘s best result was

called“historic win for Viet Nam” or Nhat‘s success was considered “strong

boost for Viet Nam”.

It was obvious that the evaluative adjectives were often used in superlative forms

in UT while they were used mostly in comparative forms in VN. The excerpts

(27), (28), (29), (30), and (31) clarified this point. To praise Micheal Phelp,

Serena Williams, Simone Biles or Berra, the writers employed this kind of

comparison. Differently, Vietnamese authors liked comparing the characters to

themselves before. Huyen‘s results were put in consideration with her own

previous ones as (32) while Thanh‘s present job was compared to what he could

do in the future in (35). Although the proposition “they have been better than

any of her rivals in ASEAN states”(VN5) refered to the best position in the field

which the athlete was taking part in, the writer still put it in the comparative

form. However, this way of comparison was also quite uncommon in the VN

editorials. There is this distinction because of their cultures in communication.

―Individualistic cultures encourage people to speak up and express themselves

openly; collectivist cultures teach people to control their feelings and express

them in a subtle way‖ (Yuan, 2006, p. 6). Individualism which concentrated on

individual productivity, independence, competence, and achievement was highly

valued in American society. The slogan of ―be the best YOU can be‖ actually

illustrated its features. In contrast, ―Vietnamese people share the same cultural

characteristics of high collectivism as the other South East Asia society‖ (cited in

To, 2010). Beamer and Varner (2009) pointed that the overall harmony was the

most valued in collective society. The group objectives were always more

important than personal matters. The harmony of community was higher than the

particular need of individuals. As other countries which originated from

Confucianism, Vietnamese always thought that they were a small part of a

whole community. As a member of that community, they always followed the

rules of the group, trying to avoid being obtrusive. This perhaps was the key to

success in the society of collectivism. This thus explained why they always kept

modest while communicating and never put themselves on the first position.

Their victories were not only their prides but also the whole community‘s ones.

This difference could be shown in the following table:

UT VN

the greatest - - much further

the best - - better than

the finiest - - much better

- the most dynamic - greater than

- most special - harder than

Table 3. Comparative and superlative forms of evaluative adjectives and adverbs

Modality in some cases was also revealed through other modal adverbs.

Thanks to this linguistic category of modality, the UT editorials writers not only

presented some factual information on the victories of people in the texts but also

unfolded their own evaluations of these triumphs. This kind of modal

manifestations could be listed as maybe, never, perhaps, even, really, rarely,

truly, exactly, probably, absolutely, liekly, always, and just.

The following excerpts represented the point.

37.

― … She is chasing records and no doubt will break many records

before she's finished,‖ WTA Chairman Stacey Allaster said. ―That

obviously just brings a lot more attention to our sport.‖ (UT1)

38. ―She definitely has a combination of the physical and mental‖. (UT2)

39. No one does it better then Simone Biles. Certainly not now. Maybe

not ever. (UT2)

The degree of evidentiality had been indicated through certain adverbs such as

no doubt, obviously, definitely or certainly in the above mentioned excerpts. The

writer‘s previous knowledge about those athletes and his expectations enabled

him to deduce information from his own logical reasoning while evaluating that

the chances of the proposition were high enough to expect an actualisation of the

event. In the example (37), no doubt was used with the function of a modal

adverb; whereas, it was employed as a modal noun in VN which would be

discussed in the next part.

Vietnamnews writers had an equivalent tendency in using modal adverbs.

However, the frequency of using those in VN was not as much and flexible as in

UT. There were fewer modal adverbs appearing between the lines of VN

editorials. Those adverbs included possibly, never, always, actually, and just.

40. ―For years only male swimmers achieved high results at the SEA

Games. Things might indeed be about to change however,‖ (VN1)

41. ―People think she is just a hot girl but she actually has talent‖. (VN8)

42. ―Vien might not have competed against world-level swimmers in the

American tournament, but she definitely is a star in Southeast Asia,‖

Nguyen Hong Minh, former head of the Elite Sports of the national

Sports Administration, noted, adding that Vien can easily manage to

perform in six to seven events at the SEA Games (VN5)

From the data, it came to a conclusion that modality of possibility and

evidentiality were also applied in VN. In (40), the writer gave the evidence that

all the high achievements of male athletes only at the SEA Games had changed

since Anh Vien‘s victory. In (41), before giving the confirmation, the author

illustrated some professional characters which proved the point that she was

obviously a star in Vietnam sports. The example (42) demonstrated the strategy

―good news - bad news‖ (Belcher 1995, p.145) or ―polar comments in praise -

criticism pairs‖ (Hyland, 2000, p.55) in complimenting Anh Vien, swimming

athlete. Clearly that comparing to other swimmers at world levels, Anh Vien

was not as good as they were; however, in Southeast Asian arena, she had to be

a star because of her incredible achievments.

4.3. Modal nouns

There were some signals of modal nouns used in UT while they also seemed

meager in VN. A few below examples illustrated this point:

43. ―there was no doubt that she was going to be a huge name.‖ (VN6)

44. It was an opportunity to see her in a leadership position. (UT1)

45. What a force! (UT3)

46. Not a chance! (UT4)

In (43), the modal noun no doubt connected to the evidence that the speaker had

provided before and it showed his commitment towards the proposition as well.

The noun opportunity in (41) was an indication of deontic modality. We could

see her in the first position because what she had done are external circumstances

which allowed her to be at the top position. To discuss about Gaga‘s award in

(42), the author mentioned a lot of her worthy characters which, from his point

of view, were an compulsion for that Gaga deserves to be a winner. Therefore,

he used force as a noun of obligation. In (43), the writer implied the unlikelihood

of the failure that blew away all Phelps‘ victories before by using chance as

modality of probability combining with the negative word not.

In general, both the usatoday and vietnamnews editorial writers employed

several linguistic strategies to realize modality throughout the selected editorials

of commendation in culture and sport areas. The results of the thesis agreed with

the researches which had been done before. In Hien et al.‘s work (2014), they

indicated that a number of modal instances in Vietnamese editorials are less than

those in English ones. The findings might support the idea that Vietnamese

writers brought their tendency of employing Vietnamese linguistic modal

categories into English writings. To some extent, they might just stop at the

description of the facts rather than evaluate them because of the consciously and

intentionally way they judged something. This might match with their culture in

communication when Vietnamese strongly believed that it was important that

before one speaks they had to carefully think about what they would say.

Therefore, they might be cautious and deliberate before writing something as in

the proverbs ―Fold your tongue seven times before you speak‖ or ―To eat one

must chew, to speak one must think‖. That proved why the number of modality

carriers in Vietnamese English editorials were not as many as in American

English ones.

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION

In this chapter, first, a summary of the whole study was presented. Then, some

English teaching and learning suggestions and implications were discussed. The

last part was the limitations of the present study.

5.1. Summary

The analysis of the selected editorials in both UT and VN indicated that editorial

writers not only aimed at reporting and giving information on news events but

also tried to provide the readers with their own assessments and comments

through mainly Modality. Modality was realized in the two papers through

modal auxiliary verbs, ‗knowledge‘ verbs, certain reporting verbs, modal

adjectives and adverbs, and some modal nouns.

First, a comparison of the two papers in employing auxiliary modal verbs

suggested that both of the newspapers preferred mainly predictive and possible

auxiliary modals to the necessary ones (Tables 1,2). But the modal auxiliaries of

UT (N = 53) outnumbered them of VN (N = 27). The data also suggested the

idea that identifying what would happen in the future and expressing the

possibility of the discussed issues were the main concern of the editorial writers

in both newspapers. On the other hand, comparing the modals of necessity and

obligation in the two papers (UT 13.21%, VN 18.52%) revealed that editorial

writers in VN occupied with what should and had to be done.

Furthermore, the predominant reporting verb in the editorials was found to be the

verb say; however, in only some cases of VN, the editorial writers‘ attitudes

were revealed through the two other reporting verbs such as note and add. The

numbers of quoted direct speech and indirect speech in two newspapers were

nearly equal. The study also found out that some ‗knowledge‘ verbs such as

believe, think, feel and seem were preferred by the VN editors.

In addition, evaluative adjectives and adverbs were abundant in both

newspapers. By using this type of modality, the writers only informed the

readers with vivid descriptions of the issues but also provided the readers their

own opinions. However, the way of applying these types in UT was slightly

different from it in VN. While the UT editors enjoyed the superlative forms of

adjectives, the VN writers favored the comparative ones. There was that

difference because of their distinct communication styles.

Apart from those, the writers in two newspapers also employed the kinds of

certain, possible and evidential modal adverbs, for example, no doubt, definitely,

obviously, maybe, never, perhaps, even, really, rarely, truly, exactly, probably,

absolutely, likely, and always. Nevertheless, the thesis also revealed that the

frequency of using this type in UT outbalanced it in VN.

Finally, the study indicated that despite the fact that the signals of using modal

nouns were vague in both editorials, the UT writers still employed this carrier to

express modality in the propositions.

Generally, it was possible to conclude that both newspapers employed various

lexical categories to express modality. Although the similarity was presented, the

large part of the finding showed the difference between two editorials in the

ways they employed those categories to express modality.

5.2. Pedagogical implications

English is considered the most popular language used to exchange information

and ideas among different nations and cultures. Because of an increasing number

of learners of English in Vietnam today, it is important to find the effective

strategies to master English skills.

First of all, it was evidentially said that the teachers and students should regard

the newspaper articles as useful materials in teaching and learning English. The

newspapers were considered as one of the most reliable, easily accessible, cheap

and beneficial sources of sharing information and knowledge. The newspapers

provided the readers with a large amount of knowledge and multidimensional

analysis of happening incidents and events. Lindsay and Duncan (2006) stated

that newspapers were much more current than course-books, they made an

excellent springboard for lessons, and they featured different types of language

(narratives, stories, letters, advertising, reports, etc.). This meant that the

newspapers provided the learners a certain context where language was

practically used. Modality was the most complicated part in any languages;

therefore, to have a deep understanding and right application of modality in

language use was not as easy as some may suppose. For example, using English

modal verbs was often challenging for learners of English. This happened for

many reasons, including both grammar and meaning. The result of the study

revealed that employing English modal verbs may be an interference for

Vietnamese learners because the number of modal verbs of UT was higher than

that of VN. Comparing two articles, one by an English-speaking author and one

by Vietnamese English author, could make out the problems and figure out some

solutions to help the students. Bowen and McCreary (1977) mentioned in their

study of modal verbs that ―when the various functions of the perfect modals

isolated and presented in the highly precise contexts in which the native speaker

regularly uses them, the students will learn‖. They pointed out that the precise

context was necessary and important and the newspapers visibly met that

requirement. It was seen that a lot of educational researchers employ this kind of

mass media in their teachings. Fenholt (1985) provided numerous activities from

the newspapers as a learning resource to increase reading and life skills of the

students. Hunter and McNearney (1988) designed a series of 12 lessons that used

the newspapers in an adult basic education curriculum. Each lesson concentrated

on a particular letter of the alphabet and provides a list of vocabulary items

required for the lesson along with hints on how to operate them in the classroom

and suggested activities. Vilma (2009) analyzed the importance of using mass

media in the classroom and found the ways on using printing and audio-visual

media. The good results getting from the above researches demonstrated that

enhancing studying English through newspapers would be an efficient way. With

the help of modern technology, the teachers of English should suggest various

websites whose are native English writers to the students so that they could use

those newspapers as a practical source in their learning.

Additionally, the newspaper editorials could be widely used in teaching reading,

academic writing and especially journalism. Bhatia (1993, p.157) claimed that

―A genre-based flexible language curriculum can facilitate language learning

within, across and beyond the confines of a curriculum, which will allow more

freedom to the participants in the teaching and learning process‖. He also

emphasized that daily newspaper was easily available and as well included

various genres and sub-genres which could develop ―the linguistics repertoire of

any language learner‖. The teachers of English should create the exciting

activites from the editorials to provide their students with the logical ideas, the

thoughtful choices of vocabulary and the argumentative organization and

development as well. That will help the students to have a critical thought which

enables them to read between the lines of a newspaper and to evaluate in a

detailed and analytical way for structure, content and meaning.

Nevertheless, teaching English using the newspaper and its sub-genres will be a

shortcoming if the students have no chance to understand the generic features of

this media. Bhatia (1993) claimed that ―Genre specificity, thus, within the pages

of newspaper is so significant that any attempt to use newspaper language

without being aware of it can become misleading‖ (p.161). He explained the

issue in another way that unless the students had a knowledge of the genre

differences, the strong points of newspaper language would become its weak

points. Hence, before employing this kind of newspapers in teaching and

learning, it is necessary to provide EFL students with generic features of the

editorials which enable them to use this source of media in the classrooms. The

findings of the thesis will be a meaningful reference for both teachers and

students of English to gain the full knowledge of the discourse features of

newspaper editorials. The result, to some extent, will be a guideline to make the

educators and learners ready to use the newspaper editorials in teaching and

learning process as far as Bronia stated that the EFL teachers could effectively

raise the students‘ linguistic consciousness with ―purposeful language practice

and critical analysis of a genre‖ (2005, p.79) .

Finally, discussing the significance of the critical consciousness in analyzing

language, Wallace (1992) concluded that the reading would be fruitful if the

readers are involved in challenging the assumptions of ideology and the

knowledge of proposition which are usually manifested as ―obvious‖ in written

texts (p.61). To get more critical awareness of the students, the EFL teachers

should try to help students enrich a general understanding of the relationship

between ―ideology‖ and ―power‖, to a certain extent, expressed through modality

in the newspaper editorials.

5.3. Limitations of the study

Although the present study has yielded some preliminary findings, its design is

not without flaws. Several caveats need to be noted regarding the thesis.

As far as mentioned at the beginning of the research, the editorials of

commendation were not as popular as the other types of editorials. That was the

reason why the collection of that type caused much difficulty to the researcher.

For the further research, the problem can be overcome by using a group of

newspapers where the population of the articles are more easily found..

Moreover, this study aimed to raise an awareness of linguistic manifestations of

modality in culture and sport commendation editorials in two newspapers, an

American English one and a Vietnamese English one, by comparing those

elements between them, the further research can be done to have a deeper

understanding of modality under the lights of pragmatics or sociolinguistics that

the researcher is interested but because of limited time, they could not be

expanded.

These suggestions could be interesting topics for the future study.

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APPENDICES

UT 1 Serena Williams wins third 'AP Female Athlete of the Year' award USA today sports, 4:01 p.m. EST December 25, 2013 Serena Williams likes to make one thing clear: She is never satisfied, no matter how many matches and tournaments she wins. Driven as ever, Williams won plenty this year. She went 78-4 with 11 titles, including at the French Open and U.S. Open, raising her Grand Slam championship total to 17. She compiled a 34-match winning streak. She earned more than $12 million in prize money, a record for women's tennis. In February, she became the oldest No. 1 in WTA rankings history and never left that perch. Thanks to all of that, Williams was honored Wednesday as The Associated Press' 2013 Female Athlete of the Year. It's the third AP award for Williams, following 2002 and 2009. Only two women have been chosen more often as AP Athlete of the Year since the annual awards were first handed out in 1931. "Whenever I lose, I get more determined, and it gives me something more to work toward," Williams told the AP in an interview shortly before the start of the U.S. Open. "I don't get complacent, and I realize I need to work harder and I need to do better and I want to do better — or I wouldn't keep playing this game." The vote by news organizations was about as lopsided as many of Williams' matches this season. She received 55 of 96 votes, while Brittney Griner, a two-time AP Player of the Year in college basketball and the No. 1 pick in April's WNBA draft, finished second with 14. Swimmer Missy Franklin was next with 10. The Male Athlete of the Year recipient will be announced Thursday. Williams, who grew up in Compton, Calif., and turned 32 in September, produced the finest women's tennis season in years. According to the WTA: — her .951 winning percentage was the best since Steffi Graf's .977 in 1989; — her 11 titles were the most since Martina Hingis' 12 in 1997; — her winning streak was the longest since her sister, Venus, had a 35-match run in 2000. "She just continues to be an inspiration to American tennis," said Gordon Smith, the executive director of the U.S. Tennis Association, which runs the U.S. Open. "Her year this year? Unforgettable." By adding a fifth career U.S. Open championship, and a second French Open title, Williams also moved within one Grand Slam trophy of the 18 apiece won by Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. The record is 24 by Margaret Court. Pretty heady company.

Evert is one of the only two women with more AP awards than Williams. Evert won four from 1974-80, while Babe Didrikson collected a record six — one for track in 1932, and five for golf from 1945-54. "Serena already has provided significant contributions to taking our sport to the next level. … She is chasing records and no doubt will break many records before she's finished," WTA Chairman Stacey Allaster said. "That obviously just brings a lot more attention to our sport." Two particular moments in 2013 stuck out to Allaster. One came at Qatar in February, when Williams cried after assuring herself of returning to No. 1 for the first time since 2010, the year the American needed two operations on her right foot and got blood clots in her lungs. "You could see the joy, the tears of joy. It meant so much to her, from everything she had been through, to be able to be back at the top of the sport, a sport that she does truly love," Allaster said. The second moment came during Wimbledon, when Williams joined other women who have been ranked No. 1 at a celebration of the WTA's 40th anniversary. "It was an opportunity to see her in a leadership position. … She did a remarkable job at speaking on behalf of all those great athletes and speaking to future players," Allaster said. "There's a little girl, perhaps out there in Compton, who is dreaming of playing on the WTA, and Serena said, 'We're waiting for you, and we can't wait to meet you.'" http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2013/12/25/serena-williams-ap-female- athlete-of-the-year/4199587/

UT 2 With 10 golds at gymnastics worlds, Simone Biles is otherworldly USA TODAY Sports 4:07 p.m. EST November 1, 2015 GLASGOW, Scotland — No one does it better than Simone Biles. Certainly not now. Maybe not ever. The world gymnastics championships ought to be renamed The Simone Show after the way the 18-year-old hijacked it. Again. Her gold medals on floor exercise and balance beam Sunday gave her 10 for her career, topping the previous record held by Svetlana Khorkina, Gina Gogean andLarisa Latynina — who also held the record for most Olympic medals until some guy named Phelps broke it. Biles has managed this in only three trips to the world championships, mind you. Her title in the all-around was her third consecutive, a first by a woman. And if she was her own country — Simonestan? The Republic of Simone? — she would have tied Japan for second in both total medals won (five) and golds (four). ―I don't think it's sunk in yet,‖ Biles said. ―But I know what I've achieved, and what I've achieved is, like, pretty unbelievable.‖ That‘s one way to put it. Biles is dominating gymnastics in a way that‘s simply never been done. She hasn‘t lost a meet in more than 2½ years. In a sport where medals are decided by hundredths or thousandths of a point, there are full points separating her from the competition. She has the hardest tricks but does them with such polish and precision they appear to be child‘s play. In short, she‘s Michael Jordan, Tom Brady or Wayne Gretzky. Only in a ponytail and sparkles. ―Simone is a special talent,‖ said U.S. national team coordinator Martha Karolyi, who coached both Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton. ―I‘m just very pleased the way she really presents herself in a competition,‖ Karolyi said. ―I have to say she has nerves of steel. You can do all the preparation and strong training and skill position, all of that. Finally it comes down to the mental strength, and she definitely has a combination of the physical and mental.‖ Biles may not be a household name yet, but that‘s about to change. The Rio Olympics begin nine months from Thursday, and the pint-sized powerhouse is poised to be one of its biggest stars. The only thing more dazzling than her resumé is her smile, and with a bubbly personality and heart-warming backstory of being adopted by her grandparents, you just know NBC is going to give her more air time than all those Chicago-centered shows. Oh, she‘s also the driving force behind the most dominant team the U.S. has in a sport that‘s catnip for Olympic fans.

III

Hard as it may be to believe, these Americans have the potential to be even better than the Fierce Five. They‘re bringing so much bling home from worlds it‘ll be a wonder if the metal detectors don‘t start smoking. There‘s all of Biles‘ golds, plus her bronze on vault. Madison Kocian claimed a gold on uneven bars. Reigning Olympic champion Gabby Douglas was runner-up to Biles in the all-around. Maggie Nichols won bronze on floor. And last, but certainly not least, the Americans claimed their third team title in a row, something that no country has done since 2001. ―It‘s very nice but, again, we cannot be complacent and take things for granted,‖ Karolyi said. ―Yes, we did a good job at worlds, but that doesn‘t mean anything when it comes down to the Olympics. We have to work just as hard, maybe even harder because all the other countries want to catch up and they want to beat the champion.‖ Good luck with that. So long as the Americans have Biles, the Star-Spangled Banner is going to sound like a broken record by the time the gymnastics competition in Rio is finished. Much like perpetual men‘s champ Kohei Uchimura, Biles showed at these world championships that she‘s in her own universe. And there‘s no sign she‘s coming back to earth anytime soon. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2015/11/01/simone-biles-gold-medals- world-championships/75005480/

UT 3 'Billboard' names Lady Gaga Woman of the Year USA TODAY5:03 p.m. EDT September 29, 2015 Lady Gaga will be named Billboard's 2015 Woman of the Year at the publication's 10th annual Women in Music event. The Grammy Award winner will receive the honor on Dec. 11 at Cipriani Midtown in New York. The event, which will be televised for the first time, is held in conjunction with the publication of Billboard‘s Women in Music list, which selects the year‘s 50 most powerful female executives in the music industry. Lifetime will air the event as Women in Music on Dec. 18. Gaga was chosen based on her "industry leadership, artistry, philanthropy, innovative contribution to music and inspiration to millions," according to a release. ―Billboard‘s Woman of the Year has always represented the finest in music, and the anointing of a key influential figure who drove the conversation for that year. No one embodies that more than Lady Gaga in 2015,‖ said Janice Min, co-president and chief creative officer of Guggenheim Media‘s Entertainment Group, which consists ofBillboard and The Hollywood Reporter. ―From her show-stopping performance at the Oscars, to her co-headlining tour, to her philanthropic outreach and foundation promoting youth wellbeing and empowerment, to her new role as TV star, there is no woman dominating popular culture tastes and its evolution as much as she is today. What a force.‖ Previous Billboard Woman of the Year honorees include Taylor Swift in 2014 (her second time as Woman of the Year), Pink, Katy Perry, and Beyoncé. http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2015/09/29/billboard-name-lady-gaga-woman- year/73040504/

UT 4 Why a Michael Phelps comeback makes sense USA TODAY sports, April 14, 2014 2:22 pm Could Michael Phelps tarnish his athletic legacy if his return to competitive swimming is unsuccessful? Not a chance. Even if Phelps fails in his comeback to the pool, nothing he does in the future can take away from what‘s he done in the past. How would an unsuccessful comeback take away the 18 gold medals he won in his four Olympics? It can‘t negate all those world records or erase the memories of that thrilling 100 butterfly race from Beijing. A failed comeback would be a short chapter at the end of record-breaking career. That‘s it. He‘s playing with house money. We hold onto the romantic notion that walking away on top is more noble than leaving after your prime. Why? How does Michael Jordan playing for the Wizards affect what he did with the Bulls? (Because it was cool that he retired after draining a game- winning shot in the NBA Finals?) Did Willie Mays stumbling around the Mets outfield make you forget about how great he was in his prime? Do recent cash-grab albums by the Rolling Stones make Satisfaction any less satisfying? If Phelps‘ comeback becomes a punchline, maybe he replaces Jordan, who replaced Mays, as the poster child for athletes not coming back. But if he‘s willing to take that risk, we should appreciate that we can go along for the ride. The idea that a young athlete should stay retired to preserve his sporting legacy is contradictory anyway. No athlete ever became an all-time great by being passive. Phelps is bold and daring, as evidenced by his successful quest to win eight gold medals in a single Olympics, something many thought would never be done. Now we expect him to sit around at age 28 and not use that confidence and talent in an attempt to put his medal records out of reach? Phelps never would have been great if he didn‘t accept the possibility of failure. All of this talk about failure is moot anyway. Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer who ever lived. He was only out of the pool for a little over a year (which is why comparisons with Ian Thorpe aren‘t fair). With motivation, the proper training and a competitive program tailored to his current skill set, there‘s no reason to think Phelps‘ comeback will be anything but a success. If anything, his legend is set to grow even more. http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/04/michael-phelps-comeback-legacy-hurts-olympics- swimming

UT 5 15 notable people who passed in 2015 USA TODAY Network 2:12 p.m. EST December 19, 2015 Yogi Berra (May 12, 1925-Sept. 22, 2015) Berra was perhaps the greatest catcher who ever lived, winning 10 World Series championships with the New York Yankees before entering the Hall of Fame. He may have been just 5-foot-7½, but, few baseball men ever stood taller. He became the world‘s greatest unintentional philosopher, uttering phrases that will remain forever, with Yogi unaware of his own inventive use of the language. He wasn‘t just a great ballplayer, and a manager, but a huge personality, gaining fame as a broadcaster and featured in commercials. ―I never said half the things I said,‘‘ Yogi once said. Who knows if Yogi actually ever uttered: "Déjà vu all over again.‘‘ But the phrase was attributed to him, and now lives forever, just like memories of the man. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/12/15/notable-people-athletes- celebrities-death-2015/77099814/

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UT 6 Biles finds winning mix with big skills, small ego USA TODAY Sports 4:51 p.m. EST March 6, 2015 ARLINGTON, Texas — It's not the high-flying tumbling passes, the soaring vaults or the aerial acrobatics on balance beam that pose the biggest challenge for Simone Biles. With two world titles already to her name and the Rio Olympics still more than a year away, staying grounded is the real trick. "As much as you say, `I'm not thinking about it, the Olympics aren't in my mind at all,' that just can't be true," said Nastia Liukin, who qualifies as something of an expert, having won gymnastics' biggest prize, the Olympic all-around title, in Beijing after four years of hype. "That was the first thing you thought of every morning, and it was the last thing you thought of going to sleep," she said. "Because that's your purpose, your career. "… It's easy to let it get to you," Liukin added. "It's easy to be like, `Oh yeah, I'm the best in the world and I'm going to go to the Olympics and I'm going to win the Olympics.' It's hard to maintain your confidence while at the same time staying sane and not letting that get into your mind." Biles is the overwhelming favorite to win Saturday's American Cup, the first major meet of the season and the unofficial kickoff of the Road to Rio. She has won every competition she's entered since August 2013, a stretch that includes two U.S. championships and the two world titles. She also led the U.S. women to the team gold at last year's worlds, and claimed individual titles on balance beam and floor exercise. After only two trips to worlds, she's already tied for second-most medals by a U.S. woman. She pairs explosive power with surprising grace, making tricks that are ridiculously hard look effortless. And with a bright smile and knack for performing that could teach most actors a thing or two, Biles is the most dynamic gymnast the sport has seen in years, perhaps decades. The scariest thing? She hasn't come close to reaching her potential. "I can't even say. Every day she can surprise me," said Aimee Boorman, Biles' longtime coach. But gymnastics has never been kind to its favorites, reducing them to also-rans with injuries or humbling them with the sudden emergence of an up-and-comer. Only four reigning world champions have won Olympic gold, and the last to do it wasLilia Podkopayeva back in 1996 — the year before Biles was born. In defending her world title last year, Biles became only the sixth woman to repeat as champion, and the first in more than a decade. "What impresses me most is how she's able to keep it cool and stay on top year after year and not let it affect her," Liukin said. "She's still the same Simone that I met two

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or three or four years ago. Nothing has changed —- except all the gold medals that she has in her room at home." And that humbleness has as much to do with her success as her monster tricks. "You win two world championships, sometimes your nose goes too high. You think you're unbeatable," said Martha Karolyi, the U.S. women's national team coordinator. "You have to work and you have to have the same discipline as you have before. "I really can't complain about that at all with Simone." Much of the credit goes to Biles' parents, Nellie and Ronald. They treat her like any other 17-year-old, be it keeping a close eye on where she's going and who she's going with or requiring her to do chores same as their other children. Some of the credit goes to Boorman, who treats Biles like a daughter first and a gymnast second. But mostly it's a credit to Biles herself, who has remained wonderfully unaffected despite every opportunity not to be. Just this week, she was FaceTiming with friends when they referred to her as "Simone Biles, two-time world champion," as if she was some oversized star in another orbit. "I said, `Come on guys, I'm still Simone. Nothing has changed,'" Biles said. It inevitably will as Rio approaches, however. Whether it's the way she sees herself or the title by which people identify her will be up to her. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2015/03/06/american-cup-simone- biles/24518649/

UT 7 Album of the year: Frank Ocean's 'Channel Orange' USA TODAY 9:43 a.m. EST December 28, 2012 The R&B star's debut has earned widespread acclaim, thanks to his eclectic arrangements, passionate vocals and engaging storytelling. A steady drumbeat of praise greeted the arrival of Frank Ocean's debut album, Channel Orange. He's up for six Grammy Awards, including best new artist, album and record. Orange won a Soul Train Music Award for album of the year in November and has piled up mentions on numerous best-of-2012 lists. And now it's USA TODAY's album of the year. The R&B singer stirred debate just before he released the album in July, by acknowledging via Tumblr that his first love was a man. It was a courageous (and, he has said, liberating) move, considering the genre's perceived homophobia. Yet it was the music itself that would hold everyone's interest, pointing R&B in different direction, away from the conventional club hookups and late-night booty calls. Ocean certainly has a penchant for radio-friendly lyrics, having written for Beyoncé, Brandy and Justin Bieber. His own music is more nuanced, empathetic and emotionally resonant. Fusing neo-soul, hip-hop, electro-pop, jazz-funk and psychedelic, he shifts moods and tempo and speaks in metaphors in songs about love, disillusionment, decadence, social status, drugs and betrayal. Breaking the mold hasn't stopped him from doing fine commercially: Channel Orange ranked No. 2 in its first week on Billboard''s album chart. With 405,000 copies sold to date, it compares favorably to releases this year by more established R&B stars such as Chris Brown, Usher, Trey Songz and Ne-Yo. Ocean is part of a new breed of artist, such as fellow Grammy nominee Miguel and Toronto's The Weeknd, who are fearlessly blazing their own paths. His low-key but intense performances on tour this summer enhanced the positive perception of him. He practically stole the show at MTV's Video Music Awards in September, offering a serene performance of Thinkin Bout You before a simulated campfire that stood out amid the program's usual bombast. For many, that was their true introduction to Ocean's artistry. Although Channel Orange is Ocean's major-label debut, the album's widespread acclaim comes not so much as a surprise as a fulfillment of promise. The New Orleans musician born Christopher Breaux got critics talking with his 2011 mixtapeNostalgia, Ultra, and his vocals on No Church In the Wild (from Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch the Throne) made him someone who would bear watching. Now everyone will be watching to see what he'll do next. http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2012/12/23/frank-ocean-album-of-the-year- channel-orange/1783637/

UT 8 Abby Wambach's impact on soccer immense USA TODAY Sports12:31 a.m. EST December 16, 2015 No player, no matter how great, is irreplaceable. But Abby Wambach comes close. There are all those goals, of course, her 184 in international play, more than anyone else, male or female. There are the games she won in dramatic fashion, including her header against Brazil in the 122nd minute to force a shootout in the quarterfinals of the 2011 World Cup and her header in overtime to clinch the gold medal in the Athens Olympics. There are the other times, far too many to count, that Wambach carried the U.S. women, her size and ability in the air too much for opponents to contain. And, off the field, there was her voice. Strong and steadfast, she was tireless in her efforts to raise the profile of the women‘s game and get equal treatment for those who play it. Take all that together, and no other player — certainly none in recent memory — has made as big an impact on soccer as Wambach. ―I‘m rarely at a loss for words, but I don‘t have words to describe that, how much better we are. The federation, obviously the team, the sport and our society are better for having had Abby Wambach in a national team uniform,‖ US Soccer President Sunil Gulati said. When Wambach leaves the field after her final game Wednesday, she‘ll take a piece of the Americans‘ soul with her. For more than a decade, she was the U.S. women‘s team. No player was more feared by the rest of the world, her mere presence in front of the goal dictating the game plan for opposing defenses. No player was more recognizable, her outgoing and engaging personality paving the way for the crossover celebrity status of Alex Morgan and Hope Solo in ways Mia Hamm never could. ―She came at the perfect time,‖ said Christie Rampone, who has played alongside Wambach longer than anyone else and is one of her closest friends. The U.S. team that won the 1999 World Cup provided a watershed moment not only for women‘s sports but also women in general. Those Americans showed the country — and the rest of the world, to a degree — that it was cool for women to be strong, powerful and confident. That women really could hold their own in whatever arena they chose. But the beauty of those ‘99ers was that they were a team in the truest sense of the word. Hamm might have been the world‘s best player, a prolific scorer the likes of which had never been seen. But she was never comfortable being the center of attention,

preferring to be one of the crowd. So that ‘99 team was celebrated as the sum of its parts: Mia. Brandi. Foudy. Akers. Lill. By the early 2000s, however, they were moving on to the next phase of their lives. And it was left to Wambach to fill the void. Wambach didn‘t seek the spotlight. But when you‘re the youngest of seven children, you have no choice but to make yourself seen and heard, and she couldn‘t help but carry that over into the other aspects of her life. ―I just think Abby is real. That‘s what I hope everybody sees through her,‖ Rampone said. ―She truly is, ‗What you see is what you get.‘ She‘s the most real person I‘ve ever been around. Abby is Abby, and she‘s one of a kind.‖ Wambach‘s physical abilities and skill might have made her the Americans‘ focal point. She won two Olympic gold medals — it would be three if not for the broken leg she suffered right before Beijing in 2008 — along with the World Cup title this summer. But the 2012 FIFA Player of the Year soon realized that the critical role she played on the field gave her a platform and a responsibility off of it, too. She promoted her sport every chance she got, often thanking reporters for covering the Americans‘ games. She encouraged girls to be fearless and not worry what others might think of them. She criticized FIFA and her own federation for not giving the women‘s game the same resources and support it did to the men‘s game. And when female players around the world sued FIFA over its decision to stage the 2015 World Cup on artificial turf, something it never would have considered for the men‘s event, it was Wambach who led the fight. The women might have lost their turf war for the 2015 tournament, but the outcry and the bad publicity that followed forced FIFA to concede it would never happen again. ―Players leaned on her to help grow the game,‖ Rampone said. ―She‘s powerful. And when she speaks, people listen.‖ Age and the ferocity with which she played exacted a toll on Wambach, to the point that she was used mostly as a reserve in this year‘s World Cup. But it was evident how much she has meant — to the Americans and the game overall — when she and Rampone were given the honor of being the last to hoist the trophy. A World Cup champion at last, she could walk away knowing she had given everything she had to her sport. ―Abby always said she wanted to leave the game in a better place than she found it,‖ Rampone said. There will be other prolific scorers, other players who will move the game forward. But there will never be another Abby Wambach. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2015/12/15/abby-wambach-leader- women-retirement/77387310/

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UT 9 Franklin era in swimming 'just getting started' USA TODAY Sports 7:46 p.m. EDT August 5, 2013 Pity to be an elite female swimmer in this age of Missy Franklin. After Franklin became the first woman to win six gold medals at a single world championships, the swimming world was again reminded: It's only the beginning. Franklin, 18, owns the most world titles by a female swimmer with nine, a feat accomplished in her second long course world meet. "To look at the names she is now with is amazing and she is just getting started," said Todd Schmitz, her longtime coach. Franklin became only the fifth swimmer to capture as many as six golds at either worlds or an Olympics, joining a club which includes Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz, Ian Thorpe and Kristin Otto. She's also setting herself apart from the other great American female swimmers of the last half-century, which include Donna de Varona, Tracy Caulkins, Janet Evans, Natalie Coughlin, and Jenny Thompson. "It takes decades for a swimmer like Missy to come along just like it took decades for Michael Phelps," said de Varona, who competed at the 1960 Olympics at just 13 and went on to win two gold medals in 1964. "Her ability to handle the pressure and to continue to be a leader is exactly what our program needs, particularly with the vacuum that Michael left." Just for fun, consider how Franklin stacks up to the greatest of all time at this point in his career. Based on their first two performances at worlds, Swimming Worldmagazine concluded: "Franklin is on the same trajectory as Michael Phelps." Putting aside his single world title in the 200 butterfly in 2001, Phelps also won nine world titles in his first two full-scheduled meets (four golds at worlds in 2003 and five golds at the 2005 worlds). Of course Phelps went on to reach absurd heights with seven world titles in 2007 before his historic eight at the 2008 Olympics. Another frightening fact for the rest of the world: Franklin probably hasn't reached her peak. With victories in the 100 and 200 backstroke, the 200 freestyle and all three relays at worlds, she has concentrated on improving her speed this year. Next, she's off to California-Berkeley to swim for Teri McKeever, also the London Olympic coach. Then there's this bummer for anyone not wearing a USA suit: teammate Katie Ledecky, 16, was named the top swimmer of the meet after winning four golds and setting the world record in both the 800m and 1500m free. "Great one-two punch," said de Varona about America's top teens. After Franklin won her final gold swimming the leadoff leg in the 400-meter medley relay on Sunday, Australia's Cate Campbell was asked if she's scared about the future. "Absolutely I'm terrified," Campbell said with a laugh. "She's definitely given me the motivation to go and train a little bit harder."

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Three years from the next Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, the rest of the world likely feels the same. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2013/08/05/missy-franklin-swimming- worlds-six-gold-medals/2620821/

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UT 10 U.S. gymnast Simone Biles does things no other athlete can USA TODAY Sports10:28 p.m. EDT October 28, 2015 GLASGOW, Scotland — Serena Williams, LeBron James and Jordan Spieth have nothing on Simone Biles. As otherworldly as those three have been in dominating their sports, the pint-sized gymnastics powerhouse has been there and done them all one better. It‘s been two-plus years since the 18-year-old last lost a meet, and about the only way she doesn‘t become the first woman to win three consecutive all-around titles at the world championships Thursday night is if she decides not to go. ―I get jaded sometimes,‖ coach Aimee Boorman admitted before worlds. ―I forget Simone is an amazing athlete because I see her every day. And I‘ve seen her every day since she was 7 years old. So I forget that what she does, most people are striving to do and dreaming to do, and she‘s doing it every day.‖ One event into her third world championships, Biles already has tied the U.S. record for world medals (10). With seven world titles already and several chances to pick up more this week, she will likely leave The SSE Hydro with more gold medals than any other female gymnast. Ever. What Biles is doing transcends her sport, putting her more on par with Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt than Nadia Comaneci or Mary Lou Retton. The other Americans even joke that they‘ve given up trying to catch her. ―All, the girls are like, `Simone‘s just in her own league. Whoever gets second place, that‘s the winner. Simone gets her own super first place,‘‖ double Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman said. ―Even the coaches joke about it.‖ We are a nation that loves winners, particularly when someone does it in spectacular fashion. Williams and Spieth in their quests for the Grand Slam. American Pharoah finally ending the Triple Crown drought. And as soon as the general public gets wind of her, Biles. ―We‘re still mentally preparing me for all of that limelight,‖ she said. ―You can‘t get too caught up in yourself. We still have goals.‖ Like Williams or James or Spieth, it‘s not the results that set Biles apart so much as how obviously — and seemingly effortlessly — better than everyone else she is. She is a natural tumbler, gifted with power and explosiveness. On floor exercise, she gets so much height on her tumbling passes she‘s got to have jet packs in her legs. At the U.S. championships in August, she landed her Amanar vault — one of the most difficult being done in the world — without a wiggle, begging the question of exactly where the judges who gave her a 9.9 in execution found flaws. But that raw talent means nothing if she‘s splatting all over the floor, which she‘s not. As dizzyingly high as her start values are, her execution scores are equally imposing.

Put those together, and you have what just may be the perfect gymnast. ―I don‘t see us as being in a different league and I don‘t think Simone does, either,‖ Boorman said. ―I know other people have said that, and I think it‘s kind of funny. But we don‘t see ourselves like that.‖ And that may be what makes Biles most special. Unlike other athletes, who can‘t appreciate that others don‘t have their same gifts, Biles isn‘t even aware of her own hype, let alone caught up on it. Another U.S. all-around title? She was happier to brag on Maggie Nichols, her best friend and roommate, who had finished second in a breakout performance. Climbing the individual ranks? That‘s nice and all, but it‘s the team title that makes her eyes light up. Even the gold nail polish she brought to the world championships was more about practicality — "It looks good on everyone" — than pride. "She‘s been winning since she was little," Boorman said. "And it was always, `You won because you did the best that you could do.' It works out that her best is pretty amazing." Every bit as good — if not better — as those other dominant U.S. athletes. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2015/10/28/armour-us-gymnast- simone-biles-does-things-no-other-athlete-can/74769270/

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VN 1 VN junior powers towards Olympics Update: April, 02/2012 - 09:42 HA NOI — Nguyen Thi Anh Vien is the second Vietnamese swimmer to pass the Olympic B standard, which might allow her to take part in the London Games this summer. Vien, who turns 16 in November, claimed the achievement at the USA Swimming Series' Indianapolis Grand Prix after clocking a time of 2min 15.15sec in the women's 200m backstroke event on the weekend. The result, 0.27secs better than the B standard, made Vien the first female swimmer and the youngest athlete from Viet Nam to reach the Olympic level. The junior has grown up quickly after three months training in the US. Her best result at home has since been 2:18.43, which brought her a gold medal at the National Championships last year. According to Dinh Viet Hung, general secretary of Viet Nam Association of Aquatic Sports, Vien would get much better results in the future, including the A standard of 2:10.84. He further said that although the A standard [2:10.84] was difficult there would be a clear chance for her to compete in London. "She still lacks international experience. If she has the chance to compete in big competitions such as the Olympics, I am sure she would pocket gold medals in the coming SEA Games [in Myanmar]," said coach Dang Anh Tuan, who has been training Vien from the first days. "For years only male swimmers achieved high results at the SEA Games. Things might indeed be about to change however," said Lam Quang Thanh, deputy head of the National Sports and Physical Training Administration. With her success, Vien ranks No 1 in the Southeast Asian region in her respective discipline. At the 26th SEA Games in Indonesia, she palmed two silvers in the 400m medley and 100m backstroke. Da Nang City-based Hoang Quy Phuoc is currently the swimmer first in line for an Olympic men's 100m butterfly ticket. — VNS http://vietnamnews.vn/sports/222887/vn-junior-powers-towards- olympics.html#fIr8u8OgXvEfYS5g.99

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VN 2 Swimmers shine to set up new national records Update: December, 17/2013 - 08:29 HA NOI (VNS)— Vietnamese star swimmers Nguyen Thi Anh Vien and Hoang Quy Phuoc set a new record for Vietnamese swimming at the Southeast Asian Games both earning gold medals to help Viet Nam clock five gold medals at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games for the first time . In the women's IM event, teen star swimmer Vien showed unrivaled power as she shot forward from the start to establish a set lead and never looked back, before heading to the finish to touch the clock pad with a time of 4:46.16. The time also shattered the old record of 4:50.88 set by Thai Natthanan Junkrajang at the Games in Indonesia two years ago. This is the second record Vien set at the Games, following her first record in the women's 200m backstroke. With the gold medal, Vien set a new mark in Viet Nam's swimming history by becoming the first-ever Vietnamese to win three gold medals, two silvers and one bronze in one singles Games in its 54-year history of the country's competing in the Games. Two years ago in Indonesia, Hoang Quy Phuoc became the first swimmer to win two gold medals and one bronze in one singles Games. After the failure of defending this gold medal in the men's 100m freestyle, receiving instead a silver medal, and also winning another silver in the men's 400m freestyle, Phuoc bounced back to successfully defend his gold medal yesterday afternoon in yet another of his favourite events, the 200m freestyle. Phuoc shrugged off a challenge from Malaysian opponent Henry Bego to finish first after completing the course, with a time of 1:50.64 to win Viet Nam's 43rd gold medal. Bego was second with 1:51.10 and Quah Zheng Wen of Singapore came in third at 1:51.66. In track and field competition, the diminutive girl and barefoot marathon runner Pham Thi Binh overcame her congenital heart disease to bring home the country's first gold medal in the athletic competition. The Asian silver medallist emerged in the stadium alone and dashed towards the finish line without being challenged before crossing the finish line with her best personal time of 2:45.34. It was an extremely convincing victory for the 24-year-old runner, who has been widely known as a barefoot marathon runner due to her habit of running without shoes, though she once faced the risk of giving up her career after being diagnosed with having heart disease. But following a successful heart surgery in 2010, Binh magically felt her health returning to normal, allowing her to return to running.

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"When I was diagnosed as having heart problems and had to have a surgery, I felt very sad," she said. "But as if by magic, I recovered my full health after the surgery and the doctor declared that I was fit to run again," she said. Binh's success also came at the right time to end the country's drought of gold medals, which seemed to linger, as some favourtites events, such as the women's 400m and the men's pole vault, failed to produce gold medals. "Binh showed her brilliance today and exceeded expectations," Duong Duc Thuy, head of the National Sports Administration's Athletics Department, said in discussing Binh's victory. Track and field athletes also brought home another silver medal in the women's 4x100m relay, as Vu Thi Huong, Nguyen Ngoc Tham, Mai Thi Phuong and Do Thi Quyen finished in second place. Meanwhile, in weightlifting, Tran Van Hoa won a silver medal after lifting 345kg, including 157kg in snatches and 188kg in clean and jerk, to finish second in the men's 94kg category. In cycling, at the men's team 100km time trial, Mai Nguyen Hung, Le Van Duan, Trinh Duc Tam and Nguyen Thanh Tam won the first gold medal for Viet Nam in this category. While in archery, ace Nguyen Tien Cuong lived up to expectations to win the first gold medal for the country in the event by defeating his Thai opponent 138-132 in the final. In rowing, Le Thi An and Tran Thi Sam won a gold medal in the women's lightweight double scull event when, the duo completed the race in 8:02.96, 10 seconds ahead the Mynamar pair. In the double scull with two oars, Pham Thi Thao and Pham Thi Hai had to settle for a silver medal after finishing behind the Indonesia duo. In the men's 2000m, Nguyen Dinh Huy, Duong Thanh Binh, Pham Minh Chinh and Nguyen Van Linh brought home a silver medal with a time of 6:51.51, after allowing Indonesian rowers to overtake them on the last straight. In sepak takraw, Viet Nam won a bronze medal, after losing to Myanmar in the semifinals. And in women's volleyball, Viet Nam lost 3-0 to Thailand, but still remain in the final four. Make or break Meanwhile, in the men's football competition, Viet Nam will face Malaysia in a do-or- die match today at Zayyarthiri Stadium in Myanmar's capital of Naypyitaw. With Singapore already securing a ticket to the semi-final, Viet Nam and Malaysia will have to battle for the remaining spot. At just one point behind Malaysia, Viet Nam will be included in the final four if they beat Malaysia, which only need a draw to go to the semi-finals.

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The task will be tough, but coach Hoang Van Phuc believe his players know how to beat Malaysia. "The 5-0 victory over Laos revitalised our players' spirit and made them feel more relaxed and confident. I believe Viet Nam will beat Malaysia," Phuc said before today's match. — VNS http://vietnamnews.vn/sports/249024/swimmers-shine-to-set-up-new-national- records.html#qESWCvF6AskL2BJO.99

VN 3 Huyen speeds to her third gold medal Update: June, 13/2015 - 10:31 HA NOI (VNS) — Nguyen Thi Huyen completed her hattrick at the Singapore SEA Games, winning her third gold medal yesterday. Huyen finished first in the women's 400m event with a time of 52sec, followed by teammate Quach Thi Lan and Vallabouy Shereen Samson of Malaysia. The result, which is Huyen's personal best, brings her the second ticket to compete at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics next summer. Two days earlier, the Nam Dinh Province native triumphed in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay, setting two records. "Success never comes easily. Sweet results come after great effort. I will have to try harder in the future," Huyen said. "Her speed is incredible, much better than what she did in training. I am surprised with her winning three gold medals," said coach Vu Ngoc Loi. "Huyen is training without comfortable conditions, as our infrastructure is poor and we have not enough expert or doctors to take care of her. So, if she received better support she would go much further," Loi said. In the final day of competitions, Vietnamese also won seven silver medals in different categories, including the men's 400m, women's and men's 3,000m steeplechase and women's high jumping. In taekwondo, Truong Thi Kim Tuyen won one of three gold medals for Viet Nam. Tuyen defeated Bermejo Irene Therese of the Philippines 19-7 to win the title in the women' U46kg category. Earlier, her teammates triumphed in the poomsae (peformance) events. Nguyen Minh Tu and Nguyen Minh Van won the mixed pair class this morning. The Vietnamese duo earned 7.885 points to take the lead, followed by Malaysia and Singapore. Van and Tu are said to be the shortest pair in the world of taekwondo, as Tu is 1.50 and weighs 42kg and Van is 1.55, weighing 38kg. When they stepped on the competition map, many people laughed at their size. However, the duo needed only several minutes to make admire their abilities and applaud them. Their fluent, strong and impressive moves persuaded the judges, as they received the highest scores among competitors. "They are like tiny ones and nobody believes they are taekwondo athletes. However, do not look down at them, they can make everybody take their hats off," said coach Le Minh Khuong. Tu and her former partner, Nguyen Dinh Toan, are the world defending champion. Though Van took part in his first SEA Games, he quickly won victory.

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"We deeply understand each other, since we have been training together for a long time. It played a key role in our win today," said Tu. Van said that despite being a little nervous, he was very confident and believed in a victory. "I don't mind what people said about our height. I just give them a smile. Our small size is not a problem in us, otherwise it keeps us balanced better," said Tu. The other medal went to Chau Tuyet Van, Nguyen Thi Le Kim and Nguyen Thuy Xuan Linh in the women's team pool. Earlier, one of the judges made a mistake and forgot to give points to the Vietnamese players, leading to their second rank overall with 7.830 points, behind Thailand (7.900). Vietnamese officials complained to the organising board. After a review, Viet Nam and Thailand had to perform again and, this time, Viet Nam won with 8.130 points. Thailand came in second with 8.030. "Mistakes of judges are normal in taekwondo. In this case, our athletes are the defending champions and also world winners, and they performed very well, so we decided to issue a complaint. Fortunately, the mistake has been corrected," said Vu Xuan Thanh, head of Taekwondo Department of the National Sports Administration. Athlete Van was also very happy when she took the title back. "I am happy that we could take the medal back from the judges. I cried a lot when we placed second. But it is okay now. Thank you to everybody who supported us," Van said. The Vietnamese men's team, however, only won a silver medal, and placed after the Philippines. Viet Nam's Le Nghia won the men's trap shooting individual gold at the National Shooting Centre yesterday. Nghia shot 12 out of 15 targets, against Malaysia's Chen Seong Fook in the gold-medal match, while Chen shot 10 out of 15 and to win a silver medal. Singapore's Mohamed Zain won the bronze. After seven days, Thailand, who grabbed 16 titles yesterday, replace Singapore in the top podium with 71 gold medals. The hosts are second with one less. Viet Nam drop to third place with 62. — VNS http://vietnamnews.vn/sports/271714/huyen-speeds-to-her-third-gold- medal.html#7pPz0Tsz3Qd8TrrD.99

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VN 4 VN athletes win gold in gymnastics, wushu Update: June, 09/2015 - 09:04 HA NOI (VNS) — Gymnasts and wushu martial artists pushed Viet Nam up the medal tally to the second place on the third day of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Singapore. Dinh Phuong Thanh and Phan Thi Ha Thanh bagged gold in men's and women's all- round events in artistic gymnastics, respectively. While Thanh successfully defended her title, Thanh won his second gold in this SEA Games. Thanh made 53.650 points from four single's events. Abdul Hadi Farah Ann of Malaysia came second, followed by Nathan Nadine of the hosts. "Yesterday's poor results had affected me slightly. However, my coaches and teammates encouraged me and I came back strongly to give a successful performance today," Thanh said, admitting to suffering a knee injury just before her event. Thanh's was not her peak performance at the women's all-round team event on Sunday, causing her to drop to No 4 position overall. Meanwhile, Thanh's title in the men's all-round event marked the historic win for Viet Nam. It is the first time Viet Nam have taken this title in a SEA Games. "I had not thought about winning a title before arriving here. I just feel it closer after each single event," Thanh said about his Games debut. Thanh noted that he performed best in the parallel bars event, which has been his strong point and has got him the highest result of 15.800 points in his total 86.150 points. "I think confidence and peace of mind are important factors for winning. I am very happy and hope it will motivate me to compete well in coming events as well," said Thanh who won a bronze in last year's Asian Games. "Thank you everyone for strongly supporting me to achieve this victory," Thanh remarked, while expressing his hope to win the individual horizontal bars and parallel bars events. Coming at the second place in this event is veteran Pham Phuoc Hung, also a Vietnamese. He has 85.250 points to his credit. "This is the second time in a row that I'm taking only a silver medal; it is still great as my younger teammate has won and we have made Viet Nam the best team," said Hung who made a mistake in the pommel horse event. The third place went to Gan Gabriel of Singapore, with 79.350 points. Coach Truong Minh Sang praised his athletes' accomplishments.

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"Thanh surprised me with his performance today. He was really confident and excellent. I believe he will be much better in the future," said Sang, a former SEA Games winner. "In the region, Viet Nam now have no worthy rivals in the men's all-round event. The two Vietnamese have the same points but they leave their rivals far behind. What we need to do is continue to strengthen our No 1 position," Sang observed. Last evening was great for wushu as well. Tran Xuan Hiep finally took his gold after a six-year hunt. The 26-year-old triumphed in men's optional broadsword, scoring 9.72 points. Hulaefi Achmad of Indonesia took the silver and Nguyen Manh Quyen won the bronze. "I waited for six years. My efforts have yielded sweet results," remarked Hiep who grabbed a silver medal in optional cudgel and a bronze in optional changquan in previous days. Hiep had been participating in the SEA Games since 2009 and had managed to take only a silver and a bronze. Just hours later, Hoang Van Cao overcame Solis Francisco of the Philippines 2-0 in men's sanshou 60kg class. His teammate Nguyen Van Tai earned the fifth gold of the day for Viet Nam, with his 2-0 victory against Myanmar's Tun Kyaw Lin in men's 65kg pool. Asian Games winner Duong Thuy Vi performed below expectations and took a silver in women's optional spear. In swimming, Nguyen Thi Anh Vien bagged a silver in women's 100m freestyle and a bronze in 50m backstroke. Tran Duy Khoi came from behind to take a silver in men's 200m backstroke. The table tennis players made a silver in the men's team event. The Vietnamese also grabbed eight bronze medals in canoeing, diving, table tennis, boxing, and petanque. With 41 gold medals, Singapore remain the best delegation. Thailand come close after Viet Nam, with 23 titles. — VNS http://vietnamnews.vn/sports/271473/vn-athletes-win-gold-in-gymnastics- wushu.html#6AKltGtcqbqEYHuI.99

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VN 5 Young squad set for gold hunt in Singapore Update: May, 30/2015 - 10:25 HA NOI (VNS) — The predominantly young swimming squad has set a target to win at least 10 gold medals at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, a first in the history of Viet Nam's sport. "We have drawn a detailed preparation plan for the Games; our athletes have been attending a range of tournaments as a part of the plan. This helped them improve their results. Overall, they have maintained good performance and are ready for the Games," said Dinh Viet Hung, head of the Swimming Department of the National Sports Administration. Many feel the target of 10 gold is believable as Viet Nam is home to some best swimmers, including Olympian Nguyen Thi Anh Vien. In the previous Games, Viet Nam made history by winning five gold, five silvers, and two bronzes, a result that none of the national sport officials had expected. Vien, who was a new name at the Games two years ago, contributed three titles in women's 200m backstroke, 200m, and 400m medley events. This year, the Can Tho Province-born athlete is expected to win in six categories, after her remarkable show in international competitions. Vien will have to defend her crowns as well as conquer the 200m, 400m, and 800m freestyle titles. The 18-year-old has been training hard in the US under famous coach Cray Anthony Teeters. Her preparations are not only for the SEA Games but also for further tournaments, including the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 and the Asian Games two years later. According to Vietnamese swimming officials and coach Dang Anh Tuan, her performance has been pretty good and it showed in her training and competitions in the US; they have been better than any of her rivals in ASEAN states. They believe that the insanely talented athlete can also vie for gold in 200m butterfly as her result is close to the top three. At the recent Arena Pro Swim Series in the US, Vien grabbed a bronze medal in 400m medley, with a time of 4:42.60. She also took part in different categories and successfully entered the final eight rounds. "Vien might not have competed against world-level swimmers in the American tournament, but she definitely is a star in Southeast Asia," Nguyen Hong Minh, former head of the Elite Sports of the National Sports Administration, noted, adding that Vien can easily manage to perform in six to seven events at the SEA Games. Hoang Quy Phuoc is another golden hope of Viet Nam.

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Phuoc, 23, has prepared on his own by undergoing a training course in Japan, where he reached Standard B to compete at 100m (50.80sec) and 200m freestyle (1:50.94) in the coming Olympics in Brazil. Phuoc will defend his title in 200m freestyle and swim to reclaim his glory in 100m freestyle that he had lost in last Games in Myanmar. The Da Nang-born swimmer is also expected to change the colour of his medal from silver to gold in 400m freestyle. Two years ago, Tran Duy Khoi bagged only one silver medal (200m medley) and one bronze medal (400m medley). Following his outstanding performance at the national championships this year, with 11 gold and five records, 18-year-old Khoi is hoping to make a difference. Apart from Vien, Phuoc and Khoi, who compete in short-distance events, Viet Nam have Lam Quang Nhat who made a big bang in Myanmar as he secured a gold medal in men's 1,500m freestyle in his SEA Games debut. Nhat successfully finished his race with a time of 15:39.44, leaving behind his nearest rival Kevin Yeap of Malaysia for a five-second gap. His victory was a strong boost for Viet Nam. Two years later, the HCM City-born athlete, who just returned home from China, improved his best result to 15:33.21, which is expected to keep him on the top of the podium. "I have no advantages of height or a full span of arms needed for swimmers of short- distance events. So, I focus on this category and I am hoping to shine in Singapore SEA Games," said 18-year-old Nhat. The team's biggest challenge will be the odd organising activities of the hosts. Athletes are not allowed to practise at the main venue (OCBC Aquatics Centre) two days before their competitions, which is not in line with the world swimming federation's rules. Vietnamese coaches have sought permission for their athletes to train in the evenings, but they have yet to receive a reply. A tight competition schedule, asking swimmers to take part in consecutive events, will make it difficult for them to prepare for their next events, Hung observed, adding that Viet Nam strongly objected to the organisers' rules and were waiting for a response from them. The eight-member swimming squad will leave for Singapore on June 2. Their competition will take place on June 6-11 at the OCBC Aquatics Centre. — VNS http://vietnamnews.vn/sports/271090/young-squad-set-for-gold-hunt-in- singapore.html#pi9UAHqZXv80RDhS.99

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VN 6 Vien to storm swimming world champs Update: June, 22/2015 - 16:13 Nguyen Thi Anh Vien, a serious challenger at the recent Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, says she will be even more competitive at the world championships in Russia next month. The top ASEAN swimmer competed in her second SEA Games, which ended in Singapore on Tuesday, winning an unprecedented eight gold medals, and a silver and bronze medal each, besides setting eight records, the first-ever such instance in Viet Nam's sporting history. She was one of the best swimmers of the SEA Games, leaving behind legend Yoscelin Yeo of Singapore, who had won seven individual gold medals at the 17th Games in 1993 in her hometown. The Vietnamese swimmer's achievements made headlines. She was featured on the front pages of several local and international publications, as well as online newspapers such as Daily Mail, AFP, Yahoo Sports and Channel NewsAsia, besides The New Paper. The New Paper, the SEA Games official media partner, even voted her as the top foreign star and among the best five athletes of the SEA Games. It said on its website tnp.sg: "Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Anh Vien could possibly be the only swimmer at the games who could come close to outshining swimming star (Joseph) Schooling. The 18- year-old won an impressive eight gold medals and set five games records. Let's not forget she participated in 11 events." The media called her the 'Iron Girl' and 'Swim Queen' of Viet Nam to describe her outstanding performance during six days at the OCBC Centre. Vien's results were much better than what she did at the Myanmar Games two years ago, when she won three titles - also a turning point for Viet Nam's swimming world - in her debut. The incredible progress of the 'little mermaid' is a result of years of hard training in the United States with National Team Coach Dang Anh Tuan who, she says, is not only her trainer, but a brother and a father too. "Everything that I have today is thanks to my coach. He has to work 10 times, even 100 times, harder than me," Vien said. "He trains me every day as a coach, cooks for me as a father, and encourages and advises me as a brother." Tuan transformed her from an athlete who initially swam like 'a mosquito larva' into a candidate for the world's top three ranks. "I first saw her at an event in HCM City in 2009. Among 20 swimmers in the pool, I found that despite her non-technique style, she had potential. I tested her and she did very well. There was no doubt that she was going to be a huge name," Tuan said.

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Vien's coach said she had all the characteristics of a swimming genius such as height, long arm span, long back and large feet and hands. The 18-year-old swimmer is 1.73m tall, with an arm span of 1.78m, just 4cm short of her idol, Michael Phelps of the United States. With Tuan's support, Vien was called to the national team in 2010. It's been just five years since then, but she has made magical moves, which Tuan said was like sprinting to the finish for new records. Vien made it to the number 14 rank in the world in the women's 400m individual medley in 2014, thanks to her one gold and two silver medals at the Youth Olympics, two bronzes at the Asian Games and good performance in competitions in the US. Earlier, she grabbed three golds and one silver at the Asian Youth Games in China in 2013. She was voted the Best Athlete of the Year in 2013 and 2014. "I have trained several athletes, but none like her. I told her she is a professional athlete. The money that the government invests to support her is also from our people who have to work hard every day. She understands and deeply respects that," Tuan said. "Vien is a girl with a steel will, which is sometimes greater than what she can do. "This iron will helps her achieve impressive breakthroughs in her career. I am proud of having such an athlete," he said. Regarding her feelings about her achievements, Vien said, "I want to win more titles. There are some categories where I still make mistakes, leading to worse results than while training. And in some other categories, I think I can do better. I have to try harder. "Sometimes, I also feel very tired of training and want to give up. But then I think, I have come so far. If I quit, all the efforts of those years will be wasted, and it would not be worthwhile for me. So I train harder," Vien said. Her life is a cycle of eating, sleeping and swimming, but the girl is satisfied with it and always focuses on her target of swimming faster and becoming the fastest swimmer in all competitions. Vien is said to be a simple girl who does not feel any pressure from the media that paid her a lot of attention in Singapore and at home. She always says what she did in the SEA Games was just a good start in the Southeast Asian region and that there are better swimmers in the world. The girl has no Facebook account or mobile phone, doesn't know how to ride a motorbike or use the internet, and does not have many friends, but she wants to be as successful as Michael Phelps. "I hope to be an Olympic champion. My idol is Phelps. He is a mirror that I look at everyday to push myself. He has everything that I admire, such as body form, duration and great technique. I want to be a swimmer like him.

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"The SEA Games was only the one in my competition plan this year. There are many more to come. The next one will be the world championships where I want to enter the final of the 400m IM event," Vien said. She has just about some days to spend at home with family before returning to the US for training. It is a normal schedule for the girl, who has been living up to 364 days away from her country for the last four years. "Sport is harsh. It is partly like a fight for existence. If we do not win, we lose. Only training hard makes us perform better. That is the reason why Vien cannot rest too much. Her important targets lie ahead," Tuan said. Vien agreed with her coach. "There is no limit for records. I plan to swim further than what I have done. If I am satisfied with myself today, it means that I am a loser. I am determined to conquer higher peaks in my career," she said. The champion has won a berth to compete in two different events at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics next summer. It will be the second time that Vien has represented Viet Nam in Olympics. She also plans to change her medal colour from bronze to gold at the Asian Games in 2019. "It is not very difficult to get a chance to swim in the Olympics. The real matter is how to enter the top eight to compete in the finals. "It is a huge task, but I will try my best with the year's time that I have. I also want to win at the next Asian Games," she said. "We are on the right track and, believe me, Vien is a rare talent. She could be a world champion," Tuan, who has put all his hopes on Vien, said. After her brilliant performance at the SEA Games, Vien is the top athlete of Viet Nam to receive more support in the future. "Vien is now Viet Nam's pride. We'll have specific plans for her, and give her the best to help her achieve better results. The main target will be the Olympics," Tran Duc Phan, deputy head of the National Sports Administration, said. — VNS http://vietnamnews.vn/sunday/features/272049/vien-to-storm-swimming-world- champs.html

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VN 7 Nhat Thuy wins Vietnam Idol Update: May, 13/2014 - 10:21 HA NOI (VNS) – Nhat Thuy of Nam Dinh Province grabbed the majority of the audience votes to win the Vietnam Idol 2014 on Sunday night. Thuy won about 52 per cent of the votes, as compared to second-runner up Minh Thuy, at the award ceremony. Born in 1991, Thuy graduated from the Military Culture and Arts College's Music Education Faculty. She has a natural talent and technique which enables her to perform in different genres of music easily. At the contest, she was highly appreciated by the jurors, including veteran composer Anh Quan. Thuy is a rare singer in the Vietnamese entertainment industry who is endowed with a good voice, according to Quan. Thuy received a prize of VND600 million, or US$30,000. Vietnam Idol originates from the reality programme Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive Simon Fuller. The first season of Vietnam Idol premiered in 2007. — VNS http://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/254770/nhat-thuy-wins-vietnam- idol.html#Gg6scKC1BapIHjEc.99

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VN 8 Rising movie star Update: April, 22/2015 - 09:00 Chi Pu, 24, is the youngest performer in the nomination list for Favourite Actress. Chi Pu, whose real name is Nguyễn Thùy Chi, became popular in the teenage community after she was named ―hot girl‖ in a beauty contest for teenagers in 2009. Since then, she has worked as a model for teenage magazines. At 20, she discovered her passion for filmmaking and decided to move to HCM City to pursue her dream. She won minor roles in director Nguyễn Quang Huy‘s Thần Tượng (Idol) film in 2013 and in Vietnamese-Canadian director Cường Ngô‘s Hương Ga (Rise) in 2014. In early 2015, she had a chance to shine when invited to play a leading role, a young woman who faces challenges in the pursuit of happiness, in HCM City Film Studio‘s (TFS) 30-part TV series Vẫn Có Em Bên Đời (Having You by My Side) directed by Võ Việt Hùng. Hùng said of the actress, ―People think she is just a ‗hot girl‘ but she actually has talent.‖ The male lead actor in the film, Nhan Phúc Vinh, said, ―At first, I thought working with a ‗hot girl‘ would be difficult. But Chi Pu cancelled this thought in my minds.‖ ―She has a deep passion and love for film. She is very serious and professional in her work,‖ Vinh added. Chi Pu said that Hùng and her co-actor had inspired her to act well. Vẫn Có Em Bên Đời has received a warm welcome from the media and the public for its plot and the actors‘ performances. The film also brought an HTV Awards‘ nomination for Favourite Actor for Nhan Phúc Vinh. These musicians and actors are among 36 nominees in 12 categories of music, theatre, performing arts, emcee, modelling and TV series for this year‘s HTV Awards. HTV launched a public poll in early April. — VNS http://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/295672/young-musicians-actors-dominate-htv-awards- nomination-list.html#ywVf6jHrp2bfrs3Y.99

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VN 9 Wushu artist Vi strikes gold at SEA Games Update: December, 22/2013 - 15:48 With the Vietnamese wushu squad under pressure to gain titles on the first day of competition, Hanoian Duong Thuy Vi delivered a stellar performance to clinch the victory. Pham An and Huy Anh report. Duong Thuy Vi stepped onto the SEA Games' competition mat under the worried eyes of all the sport leaders and managers. They were worried because the wushu's taolu (performance) squad had been asked to win two titles on the first day of the competition. However, world champions Nguyen Thanh Tung, Nguyen Manh Quyen and Tran Xuan Hiep had failed in their attempts, as the first day of competition neared its end on December 7. Chef de Mission Lam Quang Thanh expressed his impatience by pacing up and down the stand. Vi was the last member of Viet Nam's team who was competing that day, so she was under pressure and feeling pretty nervous. However, the Hanoian girl proved her mettle, despite a knee injury. She finished her performance to great applause and congratulations by coaches, teammates and spectators at the Wunna Theikdi Sports Complex in Nay Pyi Taw City. The world champion won the judges' hearts and received 9.70 points, that pushed her to the top podium at the women's jianshu event, beating Myanmar's Sandy Oo and Malaysia's Eyin Phoon. "Seeing my teammates' failure, I felt a little under-confident. But when I was on the mat I just focused on how to make it the best performance," said Vi, who cried and hugged her coach Nguyen Van Chuong after the final result was announced. "Before the competition, I met the whole team, which had performed well at the world championship in Malaysia. However, when Hiep and Quyen failed, I was really nervous. But Vi's performance made me confident (of a gold medal) though a host athlete was to compete after her," said Thanh, who is also a deputy head of the National Sports Administration. "Vi gave a wonderful performance with a high level of accuracy and difficulty and we were impressed with her expressiveness," said head of the wushu team Le Minh Ha, who also saw his athlete win a silver medal in the quiangshu event two days later. "In my opinion, Vi had a successful year with a silver at the World Games in July and one gold and one bronze at the World Wushu Championships three months later," he added. Route to victory Born to parents who practise martial arts, Vi, 20, has always received strong support and encouragement since she started practicing wushu at the age of eight.

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Her cousin had been practising wushu. One day his coach came to Vi's house and saw her talent for martial arts. He tested her in the long jump and she managed to jump 1.5 metres. From that day, Vi started her journey to become a champion. "Vi has been an independent and strong girl since her childhood. I have never heard any complaints from her teachers," said Vi's mother, Nguyen Thi Hoa. "She is also hard-working. She did not miss a single training day, although she, at age eight, had to cycle 7km from our house to the sports centre," Hoa recalled. Such mettle is necessary for wushu artists, who have to live away from their families when they join the national teams. "We have only two kids. Sometimes I am really lonely, as she often stays away from home for training and competing. But we feel proud of Vi and what she has achieved. Many people have congratulated us," said Hoa. Vi's mother added that sometimes she wanted her daughter to stop practicing martial arts because she worried about her daughter's future, which could be affected by injuries. But Vi's mother said that "she is in love with wushu and I don't want to disturb her". Vi suffered her most grievous injury during the World Wushu Junior Championships in Indonesia in 2008, when she twisted her ankle after a jump. In spite of the injury, Vi tried to complete her performance and then was carried away on a stretcher. The champion still needs massage and acupuncture to treat that injury. "I asked her when she would stop. She said she wants this kind of a 'fighting career'," Hoa said. For Vi, the SEA Games were her biggest challenge. During her first SEA Games in 2005 in Laos, Vi was very nervous. The 16-year-old girl made many mistakes and stood at the bottom of the table in quiangshu pool. But the failure pushed her to grow up quickly. Two years later, Vi improved her rank and picked up a silver medal in the jianshu event. At the Myanmar Games, she nearly completed her medal collection, with titles of all tournaments, from local to global. "I turned 20 in 2013 and it's the year I will never forget. My effort to return to competition has brought worthy results. The year saw my success - I won a world gold medal and a SEA Games title. The only title that I have not won is from the Asian Games," Vi wrote on her Facebook. The girl said her life's motto is: "Never regret, always smile and keep fighting". — VNS http://vietnamnews.vn/sunday/features/249272/wushu-artist-vi-strikes-gold-at-sea- games.html#3yomAOJrwf4Oc3AC.99

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VN 10 Minh to make history with third Olympics Update: December, 15/2015 - 09:00 There are some badminton players from around the world who are regarded as true legends, and this elite group has been in the forefront of the game for many years. They have played with style and brilliance that has captivated spectators in tournaments around the world, and have remained at the top of the world rankings for more than a decade. Audiences around the world cherish the memories of the breath-taking rallies and thrilling matches that these players have competed in. It will not be an exaggeration to say that they have helped shape the history of the game as it is played today. Nguyễn Tiến Minh may not have reached that level, but in Việt Nam he is really a legend, a big status on the national badminton scene. The 33-year-old will take part in his third Olympic Games in a row next summer in Brazil. With this remarkable achievement Minh has set a record in the national sporting history as the first ever sportsman to represent Việt Nam in three Olympics. ―It is the largest sporting event in the world, and it is every sportsman‘s dream to take part in it once in a lifetime. It is my third time so the happiness is multiplied three times and I am the first Vietnamese to do that,‖ Minh said. He took part in the Beijing Games in 2008 as the world No 28 and was stopped in the second round by Chinese Taipei Hsieh Yu-Hsing, ―because I did not understand why I could not control my hands, so I could not play the way I wanted‖. Four years later, the No 10 seed failed to advance to the knockout round in London, losing to Belgian Yuhan Tan, who had never played as outstandingly in previous meetings. Now it was time to delete those unhappy memories of the first two occasions, he said. ―I am confident that my technique has improved a lot, but my physique will not be as good as it was eight years ago, and I am 33 now. From now until August I will have to focus on this weak point,‖ Minh, who reached his best as the World No 5 in 2010 and 2013, said. Another difficulty for the player, is that he is the top player in the nation, so it is hard for him to find a suitable sparring partner to help him sharpen his skills. ―I really need someone who is as good as me to train everyday with me just as foreign players do for better results. I hope to solve the problem in the next weeks, so that I am nearly perfect for my third Games in Rio,‖ Minh said. The HCM City-born athlete will also take part in several tournaments in Australia and New Zealand to warm up for the Rio Games. Brilliant career

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Introduced to badminton by his father at the age of 10, Minh was immediately captivated by the sport. The interest soon developed into a passion which made Minh decide to turn professional at the age of 18, ignoring his parents‘ wishes to receive an academic education. He was called to serve the national team in the same year and quickly set up his domination that has continued until now. Việt Nam has never been a country of badminton, but Minh could not have broken into the game globally without the strong support of the local badminton authority and the national federation, as well as his well-off family. Minh received financial aid to take part in various regional and international events which pushed him up the world ranking. In his international career, Minh has won 15 titles and has been runners-up on six occasions, apart from a world championship bronze medal in 2013, which lifted him to the world top 5. He was voted one of 10 best players of the year in 2004, 2007, 2008, and received the Labour Order, third class, in 2011. However, badminton did not only bring him glory, it also helped him find true love. In the national team, while Minh had been preparing by himself, he also took responsibility of guiding the younger generation, of which Vũ Thị Trang was the rising star. She is the No 1 female badminton player in the country. The two teammates then forged a common bond and understanding, and also fell in love. Their love was only made public in 2014. Trang will also join him to compete at the Rio event in the women‘s singles category. The couple have decided that they would do their best to prepare for the Games and then get married after that when Minh announces his retirement. ―Like every sportsman, I have already thought about retirement and have been taking part in coaching courses so that I can begin working as a coach in the near future. I have my own business but training talents is my first choice,‖ he said. Minh has recently agreed to be a consultant at the NutiFood Sport Talents Academy which will kick-off next year. He will work as a talent scout in badminton. He will also conduct training programmes, and invite foreign experts to work at the academy, which also provides general education for attendees. VNS http://vietnamnews.vn/sunday/features/296661/minh-to-make-history-with-third- olympics.html#0m7FcvKfuG08Trgc.99

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Master minor programme thesis English linguistics: A comparative study of the lexical means of modality employed in culture and sport editorials of commendation on the usatoday.com and the vietnamnews.vn from 2012 to 2015

The study aimed at finding out the similarities and differences in employing lexical means of modality in two newspapers so that the results of the research could be a guide in teaching and learning English reading, writing and translation generally and in journalism particularly.

Chủ đề:

Luận văn thạc sĩ quản lý

Luận văn thạc sĩ quản lý văn hóa

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

1.5. Thesis outline................................................................................................5

1.

―... She is chasing records and no doubt will break many records

before she's finished," WTA Chairman Stacey Allaster said. (UT1)

2. With seven world titles already and several chances to pick up more

this week, she will likely leave The SSE Hydro with more gold medals

than any other female gymnast. (UT10)

3.

... there‘s no reason to think Phelps‘ comeback will be anything but

success. (UT4)

4. Now everyone will be watching to see what he’ll do next. (UT7)

5. Phelps is bold and daring, as evidenced by his successful quest to win

eight gold medals in a single Olympics, something many thought

would never be done. (UT4)

6. Wambach‘s physical abilities and skill might have made her the

Americans‘ focal point. (UT8)

7.

... Put those together, and you have what just may be the perfect

gymnast. (UT10)

8.

―I have to say she has nerves of steel. You can do all the preparation

and strong training and skill position, all of that. Finally it comes down

to the mental strength, and she definitely has a combination of the

physical and mental.‖ (UT2)

9. The world gymnastics championships ought to be renamed The

Simone Show after the way the 18-year-old hijacked it. Again. (UT2)

10. ―... If she has the chance to compete in big competitions such as the

Olympics, I am sure she would pocket gold medals in the coming SEA

Games [in Myanmar],‖ (VN1)

11. ―...There was no doubt that she was going to be a huge name‖. (VN6)

12. ―Thanh surprised me with his performance today. He was really

confident and excellent. I believe he will be much better in the future,‖

said Sang. (VN4)

13. ―Vien might not have competed against world-level swimmers in the

American tournament, but she definitely is a star in Southeast Asia,‖

(VN5)

14. ―For years only male swimmers achieved high results at the SEA

Games. Things might indeed be about to change however,‖ (VN1)

15. ―We are on the right track and, believe me, Vien is a rare talent. She

could be a world champion,‖ Tuan, who has put all his hopes on Vien,

said. (VN6)

16. Hard as it may be to believe, these American have the potential to be

even better than Fierce Five. They‘re bring so much bling home from

worlds it‘ll be a wonder if the metal detectors don‘t start smoking.

(UT2)

17. They believe that the insanely talented athlete can also vie for gold in

200m butterfly as her result is close to the top three. (VN5)

18. Many feel the target of 10 gold is believable as Viet Nam is home to

some best swimmers, including Olympian Nguyen Thi Anh Vien.

(VN5)

19. ―Many people think she is just a ‗hot girl‘ but she actually has talent‖.

(VN8)

20. Binh's success also came at the right time to end the country's drought

of gold medals, which seemed to linger, as some favourtites events,

such as the women's 400m and the men's pole vault, failed to produce

gold medals. (VN2)

21. ―Simone is a special talent‖ said U.S national team coordinator

Marths Karolyi, who coached both Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou

Retton. (UT2)

22.

―She just continues to be an inspiration to American tennis,‖ said

Gordon Smith, the executive director of the U.S. Tennis Association,

which runs the U.S. Open. (UT1)

23. ―I can't even say. Every day she can surprise me,‖ said Aimee

Boorman, Biles' longtime coach. (UT6)

24.

―They are like tiny ones and nobody believes they are taekwondo

athletes. However, do not look down at them, they can make

everybody take their hats off,‖ said coach Le Minh Khuong. (VN3)

25. ―Binh showed her brilliance today and exceeded expectations,‖ Duong

Duc Thuy, head of the National Sports Administration's Athletics

Department, said in discussing Binh's victory. (VN2)

26. The male lead actor in the film, Nhan Phuc Vinh, said, ― At first I

thought working with a ‗hot girl‘ would be difficult. But Chi Pu