Word Formation in English and Vietnamese: a Contrastive Analysis
Running head: Word formation in English and Vietnamese
Word formation in English and Vietnamese: a contrastive analysis
Pham Thi Hong Ly
HCMC University of Pedagogy
Abstract:
Language is a principal mean used by human beings to exchange information and communicate with each other. We use language to discuss a wide range of topics which distinguishes us with animals. In other words, language is a vital tool of communication. In order to share ideas and feelings effectively besides using gestures, intonation in speech…; a large vocabulary is also considered as a useful way. The more vocabularies you have, the clearer and more accurate ideas you express. And one of the most common ways to enrich vocabulary is word formation. It is a study of words, dealing with construction or formation of words in a certain language. As a learner of English and an English teacher in the future, I do this research to mention the similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese word formation. And then, some common errors that Vietnamese learners often make are discussed. I hope that the information in this paper will be helpful in getting a deeper look about word formation in the two languages, English and Vietnamese.
Literary review:
According to Oxford Dictionary, a word is a single unit of language which means something and can be spoken or written. According to Nguyen Thien Giap, word is the smallest unit of language, independently in meaning and form. Another definition of word is that “A word is a unit of language that carries meaning and consists of one or more morphemes which are linked more or less tightly together, and has a phonetic value” (Wikipedia). For this definition, it is simply said that word is formed from morphemes, the smallest units of meaning that a word can be divided into. There are two kinds of morphemes in English and Vietnamese words. They are free morpheme and bound morpheme. Free morpheme can occur on
Word formation in English and Vietnamese: a contrastive analysis
Pham Thi Hong Ly
HCMC University of Pedagogy
Abstract:
Language is a principal mean used by human beings to exchange information and communicate with each other. We use language to discuss a wide range of topics which distinguishes us with animals. In other words, language is a vital tool of communication. In order to share ideas and feelings effectively besides using gestures, intonation in speech…; a large vocabulary is also considered as a useful way. The more vocabularies you have, the clearer and more accurate ideas you express. And one of the most common ways to enrich vocabulary is word formation. It is a study of words, dealing with construction or formation of words in a certain language. As a learner of English and an English teacher in the future, I do this research to mention the similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese word formation. And then, some common errors that Vietnamese learners often make are discussed. I hope that the information in this paper will be helpful in getting a deeper look about word formation in the two languages, English and Vietnamese.
Literary review:
According to Oxford Dictionary, a word is a single unit of language which means something and can be spoken or written. According to Nguyen Thien Giap, word is the smallest unit of language, independently in meaning and form. Another definition of word is that “A word is a unit of language that carries meaning and consists of one or more morphemes which are linked more or less tightly together, and has a phonetic value” (Wikipedia). For this definition, it is simply said that word is formed from morphemes, the smallest units of meaning that a word can be divided into. There are two kinds of morphemes in English and Vietnamese words. They are free morpheme and bound morpheme. Free morpheme can occur on
References: (1996). The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Ana I Compound noun. Retrieved December, 18, 2009, from http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/nouncompound.htm Compound verb Megginson, David. (2007). Word formation. Retrieved December, 20, 2009, from http://www.writingcentre.uottawa.ca/hypergrammar/wordform.html. Muthusami. (2008). Compound Adjectives in English: A brief overview. Retrieve December, 20, 2009, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1135622/compound_adjectives_in_english_a_brief.html?cat=4. Nguyen, T.G. (2006). Dan luan ngon ngu hoc. Ha Nam: Education Publishing House. Plag, Ingo. Word-formation in English. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2003 Tu trong tieng Viet Word. Retrieved December, 20, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word.