Master thesis in the English language: A discourse analysis on prefaces in English and Vietnamese

1<br /> <br /> MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING<br /> UNIVERSITY OF DANANG<br /> <br /> PHAN TH O MY<br /> <br /> 2<br /> <br /> The thesis has been completed at the College of<br /> Foreign Languages, University of Danang.<br /> Supervisor: Nguy n Th Quỳnh Hoa, Ph.D.<br /> Examiner 1: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lưu Quí Khương<br /> Examiner 2: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tr n Văn Phư c<br /> <br /> A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ON PREFACES<br /> IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE<br /> <br /> Field: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE<br /> Code:<br /> 60.22.15<br /> <br /> MASTER THESIS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE<br /> <br /> (SUMMARY)<br /> <br /> Danang, 2012<br /> <br /> The thesis was defended at the Examining<br /> Committee.<br /> Time: 17/ 04/ 2012<br /> Venue: University of Danang<br /> <br /> The original of thesis is accessible for the<br /> purpose of reference at the College of Foreign<br /> Languages Library, and the Information<br /> Resources Center, Danang University.<br /> <br /> 3<br /> <br /> 4<br /> <br /> Chapter 1<br /> <br /> and Vietnamese prefaces to help learners overcome the difficulties in<br /> <br /> INTRODUCTION<br /> <br /> writing prefaces and improve their writing skill at the discourse level.<br /> <br /> 1.1. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM<br /> <br /> 1.2. JUSTIFICATION<br /> <br /> In the last few decades, the world has seen an explosion of<br /> <br /> There is, to some extent, no dout that books have a strong<br /> <br /> information and a revolution of high technology. Everyone has<br /> <br /> impact on many of us. Reading books is important for language<br /> <br /> opportunities to achieve information in different ways. In that trend,<br /> <br /> learners in general and students of English in particular. Learning<br /> <br /> the mass media in general and the internet in particular has made a<br /> <br /> English through books is believed to be a great help for both the<br /> <br /> great breakthrough in the development. Whatever happens, the<br /> <br /> reading and the writing skill. Along with the present globalization<br /> <br /> requirement for reading books is sharly on the rise. People read<br /> <br /> trend, a large number of books in different fields are published in<br /> <br /> books not only for information, but for evaluating events, sharing<br /> <br /> English. Reading English books may become a routine of a majority<br /> <br /> opinions and entertaining as well. These purposes are clearly shown<br /> <br /> of people in the near future. Therefore, a study on preface writing at<br /> <br /> in reading prefaces.<br /> <br /> the discourse level is necessary for teaching and learning English.<br /> <br /> Unlike the other important parts of books, preface is a much<br /> <br /> The title, the foreword, the introduction and the preface are<br /> <br /> more complex genre because it makes readers curious enough to<br /> <br /> the improtant parts of a book because these are the parts that will<br /> <br /> want to read the book. It requires the authors to be high qualified.<br /> <br /> cause the readers to keep reading. However, little attention is paid to<br /> <br /> They not only have to show the description of the book but also point<br /> <br /> this kind of discourse. For this reason, the thesis is conducted with<br /> <br /> out what potential readers gain and all the benefits they get from<br /> <br /> the hope that the discourse analysis of prefaces in English and<br /> <br /> reading it. In order to produce an attractive convincing preface, one<br /> <br /> Vietnamese books will be helpful in teaching and learning English.<br /> <br /> must master the writing skill as well as how to organize and develop<br /> <br /> In other words, the ultimate goal of my thesis entitled “A Discourse<br /> <br /> their writing. In addition, writing prefaces in English may be<br /> <br /> Analysis on Prefaces in English and Vietnamese” is to discover how<br /> <br /> different from that in Vietnamese because the writing conventions<br /> <br /> prefaces in books are shaped.<br /> <br /> may vary from culture to culture. Therefore, even Vietnamese<br /> <br /> A study with various linguistic devices on lexical, syntactic<br /> <br /> authors whose prefaces are considered convincing in Vietnamese<br /> <br /> features and cohesive devices of prefaces in English and Vietnamese<br /> <br /> may have problems with writing English prefaces. To get the<br /> <br /> may be a contribution to provide them with language materials in<br /> <br /> admission from editors and reviewers, some of them have to get help<br /> <br /> dealing with the prefaces.<br /> <br /> from translators and feel anxious about the accuracy of these<br /> translations. Therefore, it is essential to carry out a study of English<br /> <br /> 5<br /> <br /> 1.3. SCOPE OF THE STUDY<br /> <br /> 6<br /> <br /> 1.5. RESEARCH QUESTIONS<br /> <br /> The study is confined to the analysis of some discourse<br /> <br /> 1. What are the discourse features of EPs and VPs in terms of<br /> <br /> features of prefaces in books. However, only non-fiction books are<br /> <br /> their thematisation, layout, lexical features, syntactic structures and<br /> <br /> chosen because they draw people’s attention in a variety of fields. In<br /> <br /> cohesive devices?<br /> <br /> the scope of this thesis we focus on reference books, handbooks, and<br /> materials. Moreover, the focus of this thesis is just concentrate on the<br /> layout, lexical features, syntactic features, and especially the<br /> <br /> 2. What are the similarities and differences between English<br /> and Vietnamese prefaces in terms of the features mentioned above?<br /> 3. What are some suggestions for English to Vietnamese<br /> <br /> cohesive devices in English prefaces (EPs) and Vietnamese prefaces<br /> <br /> learner?<br /> <br /> (VPs).<br /> <br /> 1.6. ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY<br /> <br /> 1.4. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES<br /> 1.4.1. Aims<br /> <br /> Chapter 1: Introduction<br /> Chapter 2: Theoretical Background<br /> <br /> This paper is aimed to:<br /> <br /> Chapter 3: Methods and Procedure<br /> <br /> 1. Identify and describe some discourse features of preface in<br /> <br /> Chapter 4: Findings and Discussions<br /> <br /> English and Vietnamese<br /> 2. Find out differences and similarities between EPs and<br /> VPs, in terms of thematisation, layout, syntactic structures, lexical<br /> features and cohesive devices.<br /> 1.4.2. Objectives<br /> - To set up a theoretical background in order to identify and<br /> describe the discourse features of prefaces in English and<br /> Vietnamese.<br /> - To compare and contrast the features mentioned above to<br /> clarify the similarities and differences of the two languages in this<br /> field.<br /> - To suggest some implications for the teaching and learning<br /> English as a foreign language in Vietnam.<br /> <br /> Chapter 5: Conclusion, Implications, Limitation,<br /> Recommmendations.<br /> <br /> 7<br /> <br /> 8<br /> <br /> Chapter 2<br /> <br /> on practical studying researchers may have to fill a gap between<br /> <br /> THEORETICAL BACKGROUND<br /> 2.1 PREVIOUS STUDIES<br /> <br /> theory and practice.<br /> In Vietnamese, it can be noted by Diep Quang Ban (2003), in<br /> <br /> Dicourse Analysis (DA) itself is a broad field and can be<br /> <br /> “ Giao ti p-Văn b n-M ch l c- Liên k t- Đo n văn”, he studied texts<br /> <br /> identified as the study of language in use. It consists of a large<br /> <br /> and cohesive devices within a text. Regarding discourse, M.A.Thesis<br /> <br /> number of subfields, including speech act theory, conversational<br /> <br /> by Bui Thi Thu Ha (2007) studying “A Discourse Analysis of<br /> <br /> analysis, pragmatics, and the ethnography of speaking. DA. Contrary<br /> <br /> Abstracts of English and Vietnamese Business Paper”. Regarding ,<br /> <br /> to most of traditional linguists, discourse analysts not only study<br /> <br /> the M.A. thesis by Tran Nguyen Hoang Trang (2007) examined<br /> <br /> language use beyond the sentence boundary, but also to analyse the<br /> <br /> discourse features of English brief news in English and Vietnamese.<br /> <br /> larger discourse context in order to understand how it affects the<br /> <br /> 2.2. PRELIMINARIES OF DISCOURSE:<br /> <br /> meaning of the sentence [57]. DA does not only provide a tangible<br /> <br /> BROWN AND<br /> <br /> YULE’S THEORY<br /> <br /> answer to problems based on scientific research but to make us<br /> <br /> In this part, I review some aspects related to discourse theory so<br /> <br /> understand the essence of that problem. In other words, DA helps us<br /> <br /> that I will have a clearer understanding about the features of prefaces at<br /> <br /> to reveal the hidden motivation behind a text, behind the choice of<br /> <br /> the level of discourse both in English and Vietnamese.<br /> <br /> particular methods of research used to interpret that text.<br /> <br /> 2.3. GENRE AND REGISTER<br /> <br /> In English, Halliday (1985), in “Language, Context and<br /> Text”, studied aspects of language in a social-semiotic perspective.<br /> <br /> Discourse is often researched from the perspectives of<br /> register and genre. These are so confusing terms which need to be<br /> <br /> Regarding discourse, Brown and Yule (1983), Cook (1989),<br /> <br /> distinguished. Moreover, another key notion closely related to<br /> <br /> Hatim and Mason(1990) have devoted a lot of their intellectuals,<br /> <br /> register and genre also needs to be dealt with. It is the notion of<br /> <br /> energy to the development of DA. However, most of their works are<br /> <br /> discourse community. Swales claims that the internal structure of<br /> <br /> only confined to providing a systemic theory. Cohesion, coherence,<br /> <br /> genres is identified in relation to the communication goals of the<br /> <br /> theme-rheme structure, information structure, frames, scripts,<br /> <br /> discourse.<br /> <br /> scenarios, schemata ect and the role of the context, registers and<br /> <br /> 2.4. COHESION AND COHERENCE<br /> <br /> genres are the main thrust of the above linguists. To some extent,<br /> <br /> Cohesion involves the formal links which exist between<br /> <br /> such works equip us with a thorough picture of how to investigate<br /> <br /> sentences. Coherence, on the other hand, is built upon the semantic<br /> <br /> language in use based on a systemic theory. However, as embarking<br /> <br /> ties in discourse. [4], [9], [10], [12], [16]<br /> <br /> 9<br /> <br /> 10<br /> <br /> 2.5. THEMATISATION<br /> - According to Halliday, there are basically three types of<br /> themes: textual theme, interpersonal theme and topical theme.<br /> <br /> Chapter 3<br /> METHODS AND PROCEDURES<br /> 3.1. RESEARCH METHODS<br /> <br /> Though Halliday has attempted to study theme-rheme thoroughly,<br /> <br /> A contrastive analysis of prefaces in different kinds of<br /> <br /> during our data analysis some issues arise and we aim at setting some<br /> <br /> English and Vietnamese discourse was conducted so as to draw out<br /> <br /> principles as follows:<br /> <br /> some implications with particular reference to the teaching and<br /> <br /> - Embedded clauses are ignored because as Halliday [61]<br /> their thematic contribution to the discourse is minimal because of<br /> their down-ranking.<br /> - If the verb in the dependent clause is finite, such dependent<br /> one contains a conjunction (that, because…) as a textual theme<br /> preceded a topical theme. However, if the dependent clause begins<br /> with a Wh-element, the Wh-element constitutes the topical theme<br /> [62]<br /> <br /> learning of discourse.<br /> 3.2. RESEARCH DESIGN<br /> Descriptive and qualitative approaches are to be adopted in<br /> this study. English is chosen as L2 and Vietnamese as L1.<br /> 3.3. DESCRIPTION OF POPULATION AND SAMPLES<br /> In order to prepare data for the research, I procedded to<br /> collect data as follows<br /> First, I determined some criteria to select the samples, i.e. the<br /> <br /> Halliday [20], in his book on An Introduction to Functional<br /> <br /> number of samples, the length of texts, sources, types, dates, ect. At<br /> <br /> Grammar (1985) viewed that it was theme that provided a kind of<br /> <br /> first, I intended to collect the prefaces from textbooks, but it seems<br /> <br /> frame for the interpretation of the rest of the messagey. [20], [22],<br /> <br /> that this kind of book is limited to the readers. Therefore, I decided to<br /> <br /> [25], [26].<br /> <br /> select three types of books: reference books, handbooks and<br /> <br /> 2.6. SPEECH ACTS: YULE’S THEORY<br /> <br /> materials. Firstly, these kinds of books have been so popular and<br /> <br /> In this part, I review some aspects related to speech act theory<br /> <br /> attracted the attention of the readers. Each kind of knowledge has<br /> <br /> so that I will have a clearer understanding about the structure of<br /> <br /> reference books. That is the reason why I decide to choose reference<br /> <br /> utterances as a speech act both in English [8], [9], [19], [28] and<br /> <br /> books, handbooks and materials as the object of the study.<br /> <br /> Vietnamese [1], [2], [4].<br /> <br /> Second, with such set criteria, I collected 100 English<br /> prefaces and 100 Vietnamese ones from the internet.<br /> Third, for the sake of unity, only prefaces with the average<br /> length from 800 to 1000 words were chosen, Then, the distinctive<br /> <br />