4A08 Nguyen Dinh Tuan Idioms of Comparison in English and Vietnamese-A Contrastive Analysis (1)

Running head: IDIOMS OF COMPARISON IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE 1

Idioms of Comparison in English and Vietnamese

A Contrastive Analysis

Nguyễn Đình Tuấn

University of Education

Contrastive Analysis

Instructor: Mr. Nguyễn Ngọc Vũ

December 30, 2011

IDIOMS OF COMPARISON IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE 2

Abstract

Language and culture are intimately connected to each other. Language generally

reflects culture and vice versa, culture has a strong influence on language. Two

countries with different cultures will surely have many dissimilarities in language and

that does not except idioms, especially idioms of comparison, which play a crucial

part in language. Investigating and explaining some similarities and differences

between idioms of comparison in English and Vietnamese helps to strongly

corroborate the inextricable and dialectical relationship between culture and

language, ameliorate knowledge of comparative idioms and enhance cultural

understanding of Vietnamese and English people to a great extent. Making

comparison will also better translation ability in some ways. Moreover, through the

scrutiny and analysis, there emerges a golden opportunity to review some general

and essential knowledge of language, culture, similes and idioms,…


Contents (APA format):

Introduction

Theoretical BackgroundCulture and Language: An Inextricable and Close Relationship

Culture.Language.The relationship between culture and language.

The Differences between British and Vietnamese CulturesIdioms, Similes and Idioms of Comparison

Idioms.Definitions of idioms.Main features of idioms in English and Vietnamese.Semantic features.Structural features.Differences between idioms and proverbs.Definitions of proverbs.Similaritiesbetween idioms and proverbs.Differences between idioms and proverbs.Similes.Definitions of similes.Main features of similes.Foundation of similes.Idioms of comparison.Definition.Features of comparative idioms.Identification of idioms of comparison.

Idioms of Comparison in English and Vietnamese: Contrastive AnalysisSimilarities of Idioms of Comparison in English and Vietnamese

The general features.Coincidences in translation.

Dissimilarities of Idioms of Comparison in English and VietnameseImages compared are different but the same meanings.Same images of comparison but different meanings.Comparative idioms with images of well-known persons.The same animal images with different connotations and meanings.

Solutions for Better Translation and some Teaching ImplicationsImplications for TranslationImplications for Language Teaching

Conclusion

References


Idioms of Comparison in English and Vietnamese

A Contrastive Analysis

Introduction

Frequently utilized in both spoken and written language, idioms of comparison

appear to be a wonderful language device that helps to make language more vivid,

beautifully impressive and full of “life”. In fact, idioms of comparison have intrigued

many linguists not only in Vietnam but also in many countries to spend time

investigating and examining. One crucial and riveting point that serves as a source of

inspiration for lots of research is the similarities and differences between

comparative idioms of different languages, which often result from the dissimilarities

in culture and viewpoints.

This paper focuses on scrutinizing idioms of comparison in English and

Vietnamese, examining their main features and types as well as discovering and

explaining the differences and similarities. Since the number of comparative idioms

in English and Vietnamese is really enormous, it is nearly out of the question to

cover all of them in this study. Thus, those idioms that well serve the aims of the

study will be given more attention than the others.


Theoretical Background

Culture and Language: An Inextricable and Close Relationship

Culture. What’s culture? The question is seemingly simple, yet it’s not easy to

offer a detailed and pleasing answer. “Culture” derives from the Latin word “colere”,

which means to build on, to foster, promote and cultivate. There are lots of ways to

define culture given by different scholars with dissimilar viewpoints. As Edward Tylor,

a famous British anthropologist, noted in his book “Primitive Culture” (1871), culture

“is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, custom

and any other capacities and habits acquired by man as a member of society”(p. 1).

Geertz (1973) claimed that culture “ denotes an historically transmitted pattern of

meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in

symbolic forms by means of which men communicate,perpetuate, and develop their

knowledge about and attitudes toward life.” (p. 89).

To make it laconic and easier to understand, culture can be seen as “a set of

widely accepted behaviour patterns, fundamental assumptions and values as well as

common experience”. It is said to profoundly shape or strongly influence social

structures, communication styles and even stipulate behaviour or etiquette of all

people in a particular society. Actually, it is culture that has an enormous influence

on the way we act and respond, the way we produce, send and normally interpret

different kinds of information. Li (2005, p. 23) noted that according to many cultural

experts, culture has these four basic and noteworthy attributes:

Firstly, culture is not a kind of biological and natural inheritage but is learnt or

inherited socially and gradually. Hudson (1980, p.74) concurred with this point,

saying that culture should be taken as “socially acquired knowledge”.


Secondly, culture does not ever belong to any individuals in particular.

Absolutely, it’s shared by all members of a community.

In addition, as buttressed by Geertz (1973, p. 89), culture is “a symbolic

meaning system”. In that special system, language is one of the most crucial parts

which can be likened as a key factor, playing the role of an essential medium to

transmit much of culture.

Last but not least, culture is a “unified system”, which means that the integral

parts of it are closely related and linked to one another.

To sum up, anthropologically, culture is the pattern, the norms of behavior,

thinking and interpreting that all members in a social group frame, then learn and

share. It is “what binds men together… the ideas and the standards they have in

common” ( Benedict, 1934, p. 16). More specifically, a group of people’s culture may

consist of many things, such as their beliefs, language, rules of demeanor or actions,

art, dressing ways, ways of producing goods, methods of cooking food, religion and

even economic systems,… Beyond doubt, culture is a remarkably special attribute of

human society. It’s one significant factor that helps to sharply distinguish one human

group from the others as well as clearly differentiate human beings from other

animals.

Language. In no uncertain terms, humans are not unique in the capability to

communicate with one another. In point of fact, many kinds of animals and even

some plant species can do that. However, it’s human language that is apparently

unique in being a symbolic communication system which is learnt instead of being

biologically and naturally inherited. One of the most concise ways to define language

it is that “language is a human system of communication that uses arbitrary signals,

such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols” (Nordquist, n.d.). In “General


linguistics”, Robins (1989) almost concurred, saying “A language [is a ] symbol

system … based on pure or arbitrary convention … infinitely extendable and

modifiable according to the changing needs and conditions of the speakers”.

Language is widely known as a “communication tool”, helping people to

express opinions, thoughts as well as communicate information. Li (2005, p. 24)

noted that language carries out these three crucial functions :

1) Language is the primary vehicle of communication;

2) Language reflects both the personality of the individual and the culture

of his history. In turn, it helps shape both personality and culture;

3) Language makes possible the growth and transmission of culture, the

continuity of societies, and the effective functioning and control of social group.

When it comes to characteristics, it is unanimously concluded that language is

a means of communication and self-expression (communicate people’s ideas,

feelings and various traces or surges of emotions). In addition, language is

irrefutably arbitrary. It’s nearly out of the question to find out the reasons “why this

word represents that object”. Language is also said to be non-instinctive;

conventional, symbolic, systematic and vocal. Moreover, as a means of fostering,

stimulating and developing culture as well as establish and reinforcing human

relations, language is clearly a form of social behavior which must be utilized in a

society or it would surely die . Last but not least, it’s plausible to confirm that human

language is generally open-ended, extendable, modifiable and especially,

structurally complex, which is such a thing not to be found in any animal

communication system. (“Language,” n. d.)

In a nutshell, being definitely extendible and sophisticated, language is, no

quibble, a great present to humankind, a very distinctly crucial factor that


distinguishes humans from other creatures and species. It is language that helps us

to form ideas, emotions and feelings, to store or communicate, express them to

others. It’s also an eternal source of inspiration and ecstasy for various artists. It’s,

shortly, a faculty of speech that all humans living on the Earth wonderfully have in

common.

The relationship between culture and language. Language and culture are

cogently recapped to have an inextricable and dialectical relationship. Brown (1994)

proposed that “language is a part of a culture and a culture is a part of a language,

the two are intricately interwoven so that one cannot separate the two without losing

the significance of either language or culture.” (p. 165). Kramsch (2000) also

proclaimed, “language is the principle means whereby we conduct our social lives.

When it is used in contexts of communication, it is bound up with culture in multiple

and complex ways.” (p. 3).

To state it another way, culture and language, at all times, go hand in hand

with each other. Language can be regarded as an essential and vital part of culture,

as Li (2005) emphasized “without language, culture would not be possible” ( p. 25). It

is the indispensable vehicle for transmitting a large amount of culture. On the other

hand, culture, as the whole of human’s ways of living as well as a set of values,

demeanors and patterns of perception, has become extremely crucial to language,

having a great impact on the formation and development of language. Learning a

language, whether it is a first, second or foreign one, usually appears to be an

onerous task that entails the learning of a new culture. Language acquiring and

culture learning always occur concurrently. There are hardly any altercations about

that.


In short, culture has a significantly strong influence on language which on its

part, faithfully acts as a mirror reflecting most of culture. They are closely and

naturally interwoven. Because of that, if two countries have different cultures, there

will be a plenty of dissimilarities in the languages, indisputably and engrossingly.

This, for instant, happens when English and Vietnamese are taken into account.

However, it should be kept in mind that in reality, no culture is completely isolated

and separately unique. People of various cultures can sometimes share the same

ways of thinking and viewing in some matters. “There are important resemblances

that stem in part from diffusion and in part from the fact that all cultures are built

around biological, psychological and social characteristics common to all mankind”

( Li, 2005, p. 26). Universal concepts and similar points among cultures certainly

reflect in languages. That is to say, between two different languages, English and

Vietnamese for example, we can find some concepts or cases that are coincidentally

similar or even the same.

The Differences between British and Vietnamese Cultures

There are, in no uncertain terms, lots of differences between British and

Vietnamese cultures. When it comes to culture, it’s of paramount importance to

make reference to nature. Definitely, geographical features as well as climatic

conditions play a crucial role in the formation and development of culture, including

its form of economy, customs, values and even political institutions. Below are some

major points that should be kept in mind when contrasting the cultural features

between the two countries. Situated in Northwestern Europe, the United Kingdom

(UK) includes the island of Great Britain, the North Eastern part of the island of

Ireland and some other smaller islands. England is widely known as the largest and

also the most populous part of the island of Great Britain. Among many cultural


regions, the English culture is considered to be archetypal and often used to refer to

the culture of the whole country. As an island country, surrounded by sea, Britain

generally has varied, temperate climate. It’s hard to know exactly what the weather

will be like from one day to another. In Britain, much of the land is utilized for human

habitation. Actually, there are not remarkably high mountains or forests. The

navigable rivers, although quite short and not very large, have served a significant

role in the transport system.

Vietnam, on the other hand, located in the South East of the Asian continent.

It’s the largest and also most populous of the three Indochinese countries. Generally,

Vietnam is characterized by tropical monsoon type of climate. Although about three

quarters of its area are mountains and hills, Vietnam has vast and fertile plains with

alluvial soil banked up by many rivers and seas which are utilized for agriculture. In

Vietnam, there are many long and navigable rivers. The dense network of rivers,

lakes, streams and ponds is considered as the assets of this country, multiplying

Vietnam’s grandeur in many ways.

Vietnam is a multi-ethnic country with about fifty-four distinct groups. A

majority of its population still live in rural areas and small villages. In Britain,

conversely, over 90% of the population now dwells in towns or cities.

When comparing the two cultures, the most prominent thing to point out is that

the culture of Vietnam is primarily based on wet rice production. In Vietnam,

agriculture has always been of great importance in the economy. There are a plenty

of agriculture products, such as rice, fruits, ground-nut trees, vegetables, various

husbandry products and industrial trees. Vietnamese people usually raise and breed

buffaloes, pigs, poultry,...In fact, agriculture is intimately linked with aquaculture. On

the other hand, British people used to follow nomadic culture. Unlike the


Vietnamese, the British developed and invested in farming agriculture and industry

very early. Agriculture does not serve the most significant part in British economy.

The working population employed in agriculture is estimated at less than 3%.

Cereals, dairying of beef, cattle, poultry meat, eggs, …are some principle agricultural

products in Britain. When it comes to husbandry, people often mention cows, cattle,

sheep, poultry, horses,…

It’s also necessary to take a cursory glance over the food and drink culture.

For Vietnamese people, rice is regarded as the basic of the meals. People use tea

as the traditional drink. On the other hand, in Britain, cereal and meat are staple in

their meals. British people use knives and forks instead of chopsticks (as

Vietnamese do) and generally drink lots of coffee.

To other Europeans, the British people, especially the English, are widely

known for their modesty, humour and sportsmanship. In addition, politeness is

believed to be a conspicuous characteristic of British society although on the whole,

their habits of politeness are very informal. English people are also perceived as

being “reserved” .They often keep certain distance to people they don’t know, do not

talk much about themselves and do not have the habit of showing freely strong

emotions. The major and common religion in Britain is Christianity.

Taking about Vietnamese, the Oriental cultures and values are notably

different from those of the West. Vietnam has an age-old and wonderfully heroic

history. Through the history of thousands of years, to protect their country as well as

gain their independence and freedom, Vietnamese people courageously and

unyieldingly fought against lots of fierce enemies. Because of the profound influence

of Confucianism, proper form and appearance are very crucial to Vietnamese. With

its code of ethics and morals, Confucianism puts an emphasis on the society


hierarchy and accentuates the worship of ancestors. As a matter of fact, Oriental

culture, including that of Vietnam, has dignified Yin-Yang philosophy, which

highlights the perfect harmony between people with people as well as people with

nature. In Vietnam, Buddhism is the dominant religion besides some other ones.

Generally speaking, Vietnamese people are patriotic, hard-working, faithful, intrepid,

modest and self-controlled. As Nguyen, M. D (1985) stated, “Vietnamese cherish

and uphold their ties with the past and their historical heritage of 4,000 years of

civilization,…,Vietnamese prefer activities that develop the human essence, such as

philosophy, poetry and meditation.” (p. 411).

To sum up, it’s undeniable that the two countries, Vietnam and Great Britain,

in general, do not share the same culture. The dissimilarities are especially

conspicuous when it comes to lifestyle and living condition. As we have discussed

above, culture has a significantly strong influence on language and language,

certainly, acts as a mirror reflecting most of the culture. Because of the lucid

differences between the two cultures, it’s indisputable that there will be lots of

interesting dissimilarities when we fathom and study the language units of English

and Vietnamese, especially idioms.

Idioms, Similes and Idioms of Comparison

Idioms.

Definitions of idioms. Each word certainly has its own meaning. However,

words do not just exist separately and individually, they, in fact, also come in groups

or expressions. Idioms can be said to be one of the most common expressions that

one must acquire if he/she wants to master a language. What is an idiom? Hornby

(1995) stated in his Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary that an idiom is “a phrase

or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and


which must be learnt as a whole unit”. In Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

(2006), Hornby changed the definition a little bit, noting that an idiom is “a group of

words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words”. (p.

740). To put it in a simple way, an idiom is a phrase in which the words together

have a meaning that is somehow different from the dictionary definitions of the

individual words, which can make idioms arduous to understand. It should be kept in

mind that an idiom is differentiated from a collocation since a collocation is,

according to Cruse (1986), “a sequence of lexical items which habitually co-occur

and each lexical constituent is also a semantic constituent." (p. 40).

The number of idioms in English is considerable. Some interesting examples

are: “It was for the birds” (means: It’s is really meaningless and uninteresting), or “to

bury the hatchet” (to make peace), “to call it a day” (to stop doing something), “to

paint the town red” (to carouse and have a good time), ...

In Vietnamese, we also possess a lot of idioms, such as: “Nghèo rớt mùng

tơi” (Very poor, penniless); “Chọc gậy bánh xe” (to prevent someone from doing

something they have planned); “cao chạy xa bay” (to flee, to run away); “ném đá dấu

tay”; “cao chạy xa bay” ,..

Main features of idioms in English and Vietnamese. Idioms have some

remarkably special features. In this paper, let’s examine the two most important

ones: semantic and structural features.

Semantic features. Vinogradow (1977) once cleverly likened the meaning of

an idiom to “the special chemical mixture” of the meaning of all the components,

which is, notably and completely new in quality. Just take an example to elucidate

his point: “to give someone the slip”, it would be inappropriate to translate every word

and understand the meaning literally (one has a slip and then he/she gives it to


another person). Actually, the meaning is “to make a getaway”, “to escape from

some one”. The idiom “to take one’s medicine” (to accept, acquiesce something

unpleasant without complaining or protesting) is also a good example. Its meaning

can not be drawn out if we just base on the component words. No doubt, the real

meaning of the idiom is far different from that of the set phrase. That is to say, we

have to translate and interpret idioms figuratively and metaphorically. It’s quite

puzzling to comprehend an very idiom despite the fact that we may know the

meanings of all their components.

However, not all idioms have their meaning completely differ from the

meaning of all their individual components. There are many idioms whose literal

meaning and figurative one are almost identical. This point was buttressed by Kunin,

A.V. (2006) when he said that “the meaning of an idiom is either partly or completely

different from the meaning of all components.” For example, “give and take”, “as

busy as a bee”, “cat and dog life”,…We can, more or less, guess their meanings.

The case is also true in Vietnamese, we can take “cá nằm trên thớt” (to take

great risk), “con ông cháu cha” (born into a wealthy family, born with a silver spoon in

one's mouth) or “ăn cháo đá bát” (to repay kindness with ingratitude) as examples.

Obviously, we can not interpret them literally but must perceive them as separate

semantic units which have figurative meanings, revealing the reflection of things and

concepts. However, there are also some idioms in Vietnamese which have literal

sense and their meanings can be deduced correctly from the components. To

illustrate this point, we have “cứng như đá” (as hard as a stone), “đẹp như tranh” (as

pretty as a picture), “bám như đỉa đói” (to stick like a limpet), “bán tín bán nghi” (half

doubtful) or “bách phát bách trúng”, ….


Secondly, idioms can convey positive, neutral or negative meanings. When it

comes to positive meanings, we may take “to have a heart of gold” (to be a good and

honest person), “to be in the pink” (to be very healthy), “the fruit of something”

(meaning: the good and satisfactory result of an activity) or “a lucky dog” (a really

lucky person) as examples. Some examples of idioms with negative meanings are “a

fair-weathered friend” ( a friend who stays beside you in good times, but forgets

about you once things become difficult), “to shed crocodile tears” (to pretend, make

believe that one is weeping),...Some idioms such as “ in somebody’s shoes” (in

one’s position), “see something with half an eye” (something very easy, effortless to

see or notice),…are considered as idioms with neutral meanings. Interestingly, some

idioms can have both positive and negative meanings, such as “to take advantage

of”. It can mean “to make use of an opportunity” (positive meaning), or “to exploit, to

make use of somebody or something in an dishonest way” (negative meaning).

Structural features. Idioms are commonly said to be the “set-expressions”,

which means that we can not add, omit or freely substitute the components in an

idiom without adversely influenced its metaphorical meaning or even impairing it.

Another way to say, the components of idioms can’t be varied or simply modified in

the way we often do with literal and normal expressions. This is true both in speaking

or writing, both in English and Vietnamese. For example: “chuột sa chĩnh gạo” (to get

a windfall), “cá chậu chim lồng”, “chim sa cá lặn”,..., or “ hit the hay” (go to bed), “bite

the buller” (undergo a difficult, unpleasant situation), “bury the hatchet” (make

peace). Certainly, if we simply change them to “hit the grass” or “bury the axe”, they

are not idioms any more. In addition, we can not transform an idiom into passive

form, especially when it’s utilized in a full sentence.


Secondly, idioms can very differ at length. That’s irrefutably right, especially

when it comes to English idioms. We have many idioms which just have one or two

words, for example: “lemon” (something defective) or “fishy” (suspicious and

strange), “horse around” (play around), “on ice” (to set aside for future use),…We

also have those idioms which are quite long, such as “get up on the wrong side of

the bed” (wake up in bad mood), or “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw

stones” (one should not criticize or chide when he/she is equally at fault,

blameworthy),…

Thirdly, it’s evident that idioms can take many forms as well as structures.

Take English ones into consideration, we have many idioms that are in the form of

noun phrases ( “a new man”, “a lucky dog”, “crocodile tears”, “a bad apple”, “a storm

in a tea cup”,..), verb phrases (“keep something under one’s hat”, “face the music”,

“bite the bullet’,…) or prepositional phrases ( “in the hole”, “on ice”, “up one’s

sleeve”,..). Moreover, idioms can have regular structures (the ones whose meanings

we can not easily guess), irregular structures (those which have unconventional

forms but meanings can be deduced from the components) or sometimes,

grammatically incorrect structures. Typical examples of the last type are “to go

through thick and thin”, “to be at large” , or “to be good friends with somebody”,…

They are widely accepted despise the improper structures.

All in all, from the points given above, it’s clear that although English idioms

and Vietnamese idioms may not totally similar here and there, the common ground is

that they are almost fixed and figurative expressions and operate as semantic units

which is definitely unchangeable. To make it succinct, they are notably special

because of their semantic unity, structural stability and metaphorical meanings.


Differences between idioms and proverbs.

Definitions of proverbs. It’s necessary to spend some time distinguishing

idioms from proverbs. Although many people believe the boundary between them is

very weak and unclear, it’s indisputable that there should be some plausible and

significant points which can somehow tell them apart.

What is a proverb? According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

(2006), a proverb is “a well-known phrase or sentence that gives advice or says

something that is generally true”. For example: “Don’t put all your eggs in one

basket”, “ Waste not, want not”,… Vu Ngoc Phan (2000), particularly considered a

proverb as “a complete saying expressing one idea of comment, experience,

morality, justice or criticism”.(p. 39). Some Vietnamese proverbs are “Ngọt mật chết

ruồi”, “con có cha như nhà có nóc”, “phép vua thua lệ làng”, “no nên bụt, đói ra ma”,

…

Similarities between idioms and proverbs. In no uncertain terms, we can find

some similarities between idioms and proverbs. Firstly, idioms and proverbs

conventionally employ language metaphorically. That is the reason why it’s arduous

to discover their true meanings just by looking up all the individual words in a

dictionary .

Not only idioms but also proverbs are “set-expressions” whose meanings

meanings can not be easily inferred from their components but must be understood

as a whole. Generally, we can not add, omit or replace any components of an idiom

or a proverb because that will inevitably result in unwanted changes in the meaning

of the whole group, making them lose their figurative meanings.


Moreover, idioms and proverbs are the “fruit” of human’s thinking, cultures

and experiences accumulated from the processes of laborious working, discovering

and learning. Both of them are primarily passed along from generation to generation.

Differences between idioms and proverbs. There are some points that can

help us distinguish idioms from proverbs. Specifically, proverbs are short but popular

phrases or sentences which express a judgement, give useful advice or reveal a

moral or empirical truth about life. They are widely evaluated to have three major

functions: educational function, perceptive function and finally, aesthetic function.

Idioms, on the other hand, mainly have the functions of naming, depicting things,

properties or various phenomena,…In general, they don’t pass judgements, offer

advice or state the universal truth. Another way to say, idioms rarely have perceptive

and educational functions. In addition, we can differentiate proverbs from idioms by

examining their grammatical structures. While proverbs are complete phrases or

sentences that can convey a whole idea (for instant, “Where there is a will, there is a

way”), idioms are just phrases which serve as parts of sentences (eg, “smell a rat”,

“on ice”,…). Actually, idioms are commensurate to words only.

In a nutshell, although proverbs and idioms have a lot of things in common,

they can be distinguished from each other when it comes to functions and structures.

Similes.

Definitions of similes. Among many figures of speech, similes appear to be

the simplest one. There are plenty of definitions of similes. According to Oxford

Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2006), simile is “(the use of) a word or phrase that

compares something to something else, using the words like or as”. In American

Heritage College Dictionary (1997), simile is defined as “a figure of speech in which


two essentially unlike things is explicitly compared, usually by means of like or as” (p.

1270).

Those definitions above really help us to have certain knowledge of such an

interesting figure of speech. Generally, simile involves a clear comparison between

two unlike entities. The resemblance is usually indicated by the use of “like”, “as” or

“than”, for example: “as white as snow”, “as cold as ice”, “as angry as a wasp”, “to

cry like a baby”, “life is like a journey”,…In Vietnamese, similes are found to make

use of the words “như”, “bằng”, “tựa”, “bằng”. There are ample examples for this,

such as “Đẹp như tiên”, “xấu như ma”, “đen như than”, “trắng như tuyết”, “học thầy

không tày học bạn”, “bao nhiêu tấc đất tấc vàng bấy nhiêu”,….

Like numerous other types of figurative language, simile is regularly in written,

spoken as well as daily language. It indisputably makes language more vividly

symbolic and comprehensible. Just have a glance at some similes utilized in some

famous authors’ work. For example:

“Death lies on her like an untimely frost”. (“Romeo and Juliet”- Shakespeare)

“Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh” (Wilfred Owen)

“Nụ cười ai trắng như pha lê

Trắng xoá bên kia vùng trời Phan Thiết” (Bích Khê)

“Tiếng suối trong như tiếng hát xa” (“Cảnh khuya” - Hồ Chí Minh)

In everyday speech, everyone (of course including Vietnamese and English)

utilizes similes very frequently. Sometimes, in view of its popularity, we easily fail to

remember that we are using such a “highly effective means of description”. Simile is,

then, seemingly a valuable “bridge” between interlocutors.

In fact, there are many ways to classify similes, but the easiest way may be

the one that splits similes into two categories: explicit similes and implicit ones. The


explicit similes are those which utilize the function word “as” to make comparison.

(for example: “as harmless as a dove”). On the other hand, an implicit simile is the

one making use of the word “like” to form the comparison ( to sleep like a baby).

A simile may seem to be nearly similar to a metaphor, yet they are different in

some ways. Though both of them compare one object with another, while a

metaphor only makes implicit comparison (eg, “He is a lion), a simile can especially

make the it explicit and open (eg, “He is as brave as a lion”).

Main features of similes. It’s easy to see that in a simile, an object is

explicitly or implicitly compared with another and they are connected by the words

“like”, “as”, “như”, or “bằng”,….The interesting point is that those objects compared in

a similes normally don’t belong to the same semantic class. Another way to say,

they are conventionally incomparable. For instance, a person can be brought into

comparison with an animal or a thing. The linchpin lies in the fact that all similes

require a shared feature for the things that participate in forming the comparison.

Below is some illustrative examples:

“ John is as greedy as a pig.”

Obviously, John and a pig do not belong to the same semantic group as one

is human while the other is an animal. But as John is greedy and so is a pig, there

emerges a point of similary which can link them together. That’s the shared element

between the two.

In the simile “Mary swims like a fish”, the action of “swimming” of a woman is

graphically compared with that of a fish. Since Mary swims very well and a fish is, of

course, excellent at swimming in the water, there appears a shared element that

makes the comparison plausible and meaningful.


From the analysis above, we can come to a conclusion that a simile consists

of three necessary factors. They are: topic (the thing that is being talked about),

image (the thing that is compared) and significantly, the point of similarity. As in the

example “John is as greedy as a pig”, “John” is the topic, the pig is, clearly, the

image and “ to be greedy” is the point of similarity connecting the topic and image

together.

Foundation of similes. As mentioned above, there is no altercation about

the fact that a simile needs a shared element for the two objects compared.

Similarity in character between the objects that involve in the comparison is

considered to be the “foundation of simile”. Such similarities are usually found in

quality, appearance and behaviour or demeanor. The quality can be interpreted as

good, bad, cool, hot, cold, cunning, gentle,…For example: “as cold as ice” or “lạnh

như băng” in Vietnamese. Similarities in appearance can be that of shape,

measurement of the identities and even color (white, red, black,…). We have “as

black as crow” in English or “đen như quạ”, “ đỏ như máu” in Vietnamese. We have

lots of similes when it comes to similarities in behaviour or actions such as “to swim

like a fish”, “to fight like a lion”, “run like a cheetah”, “cry like a baby”, “nói như sáo”,

“khóc như mưa”,….

Idioms of comparison.

Definition. As we can see, similes are used very popularly and brilliantly in

lots of aspects and various fields in our life. We can “catch sight of” them very often

in daily language, spoken language as well as in written one, especially literature

(including prose, poetry, folksongs,…). Similes really help the hearers or readers

experience, imagine the intense and graphic pictures or emotions. Utilizing similes in

an effective way makes the language vividly “to the point”, resulting in successful


and competent communication. Interestingly, we can also find similes in idioms and

proverbs with metaphorical meanings. Specifically, idioms with similes are called

“idioms of comparison” or sometimes, comparative idioms. In fact, there is a large

number of idioms of comparisons in both English and Vietnamese. Some good

examples are: “as fair as a rose”, “as poor as a church mouse”, “as slow as a snail”,

“as pretty as a picture”, “as sharp as a razor”, “to cry like a baby”, “to shake like a

leaf”,… In Vietnamese, we have “cứng như đá”, “đẹp như tiên”, “dễ như trở bàn tay”,

“to như voi”, “rẻ như bèo”, “run như cầy sấy”,…

Features of comparative idioms. Idioms of comparison have many features

that are the same as those of idioms and similes. Firstly, a comparative idiom can be

considered to be a “fixed group of words including a comparison with figurative,

symbolic meaning”. It should be kept in mind that idioms of comparison are similes,

but not all similes are comparative idioms. Secondly, although they are idioms with

figurative images, it’s not strenuous to figure out their meanings through the

components. For instant, it’s extremely easy to understand these idioms of

comparison: “as cold as ice” (very cold, frigid), “as busy as a bee” (very busy, up to

the neck with work), “vui như tết” ( very merry, happy, cheery), “chạy như ma đuổi”

(run very fast),…

Identification of idioms of comparison. There are a few ways to identify

idioms of comparison. Below are two seemingly common ways: Identification based

on component words or phrases and based on structures, more specifically,

grammatical structures.

Based on component words and phrases. We have three smaller cases:

+ Comparisons with adjectives:

AS + Adjective + AS + (a/an/the) +Noun


For instant: As black as midnight

As bold as a lion (very brave, courageous)

As changeable as the weather / the moon

As clear as the nose on your face (obvious and very clear)

As dry as a stick

As easy as ABC

As dumb as a fish

As innocent as a dove

As loud as thunder

As merry as a cricket

As sour as vinegar

It’s beyond doubt that the point of similarity is stated out very explicitly and

lucidly. When it comes to Vietnamese, we also have this case, in stead of using

“as…as” we usually make use of “như”, for example: “Đen như mực”, “tươi như

hoa’, “nhạt như nước ốc”, “nhẹ như lông hồng”, “dơ như quỷ”,…

+ Comparisons with verbs:

This kind of comparison is said to be implicit, yet it’s not hard to interpret the

meaning of the whole comparative idioms. With simple and common verbs used in

the structure, the users draw attention to the actions or demeanor of the subjects. It’s

not arduous to find comparative idioms of this kind both in English and Vietnamese.

For example: “to sleep like a log”, “to smoke like a chimney”, “to spend money like

Verb + LIKE + a/an/the + Noun


water”, “to sell/go like hot cakes”, “ăn như mèo”, “khóc như mưa”, “run như cầy

sấy”,..

+ Miscellaneous comparisons

Examples of this are not as abundant as those of the other kinds; however,

they are employed very often in reality, such as: “ to be like a bull in a china shop”,

“to have a memory like an elephant”, “(to go) at a snail’s pace”, “như hạn gặp mưa

rào”, “tiền vào nhà khó như gió vào nhà trống”, “ăn như rồng cuốn, nói như rồng leo,

làm như mèo mửa”, “béo như chim ra ràng”,…

There is another way to classify idioms of comparison which mainly bases on

grammatical structure. As mentioned in “A study on metaphor and simile in English

idioms and Vietnamese equivalents” ( Dang, 2010, p. 47), if we follow this way of

classification, there emerges three main cases:

English idioms Vietnamese idioms

+As A as B A như B

Ex: as black as coal Ex: đen như than

+Like/as B như B

Ex: Like two peas in a pod Ex: như hai giọt nước

+C like/as B C như B

Ex: To eat like a pig Ex: Ăn như lợn

(Verb) + LIKE/ AS + clause (S +V+…)

(Verb) + LIKE/ AS + noun phrase

(Verb) + LIKE/ AS + verb phrase



Idioms of Comparison in English and Vietnamese: Contrastive Analysis

Similarities of Idioms of Comparison in English and Vietnamese

The general features. Whether in English and Vietnamese, idioms of

comparison have been considered to be a very engrossing topic which has intrigued

lots linguists.The number of this kind of idioms are comparatively large in both

English and Vietnamese. In estimation, there are approximately 700 of them in each

language. Comparative idioms are utilized very often in daily life, both in spoken and

written language. Generally they have structural stability. With figurative and

symbolic meanings, they add vividness, emotions, emphasis and “life” to the

language, making every conversation more exciting and engaging. Moreover,

through idioms of comparison, a considerable amount of “culture” of each country is

graciously and truthfully revealed, helping us understand a lot more about the

lifestyles and viewpoints of those people who live far way from us.

Coincidences in translation. As we have discussed in the previous parts, no

culture is completely isolated and unique. People of various cultures can sometimes

share the same ways of thinking and viewing in some matters. That may result in the

shared biological and cultural features which are usually referred as “biological and

cultural universals”. That’s to say, although Vietnamese culture and English culture

are remarkably different from each other, there still exists some cases in which the

ways of observing the world of the two peoples are so similar. Vietnamese people

and English people can at times express concepts and ideas in the same ways. That

reflects in language and also in idioms of comparison. In fact, many comparative

idioms in English have the exact equivalents in Vietnamese. Below are some

examples illustrating for those interesting coincidences:

Ex: Idioms of comparison in:


English Vietnamese

- As black as coal Đen như than

- As black as crow Đen như quạ

- As bright as day Sáng như ban ngày

- As brief as a dream Ngắn như một giấc mộng

- As brilliant as stars Sáng như sao

- As cold as ice Lạnh như đá/băng

- As fierce as a tiger Dữ như cọp

- As firm as rock Vững như đá

- As fleet as the wind Nhanh như gió

- As fresh a rose Tươi như hoa

- As green as a leaf Xanh như tàu lá

- As heavy as an elephant Nặng như voi

- As hard as a stone Cứng như đá

- As heavy as lead Nặng như chì

- As hot as fire Nóng như lửa

- As keen as a razor Sắc như dao

- As light as down Nhẹ như lông hồng

- As light as a feather Nhẹ như lông hồng

- As pretty as a picture Đẹp như tranh

- As quick as lightning Nhanh như chớp

- As red as blood Đỏ như máu

- As sharp as a razor Sắc như dao cạo

- As sour as vinegar Chua như giấm

- As stink as a polecat Hôi như chồn


- As swift as lightning Nhanh như chớp

- As smooth as velvet Mượt như nhung

- As slow as a snail Chậm như ốc sên

- As swift as an arrow Nhanh như tên bắn

- As steady as rock Cứng như đá

- As timid as a hare Nhát như thỏ đế

- As thick as ants Nhiều/đông như kiến

- As transparent as glass Trong suốt như thủy tinh

- As yellow as saffron Vàng như nghệ

- As wet as a drowned mouse Ướt như chuột lột

- As white as snow Trắng như tuyết

- As white as a sheet Như tờ giấy trắng

- To fight like cat and dog Như chó với mèo

- To stick like a leech Bám dai như đỉa

- To cry like a baby Khóc như đứa trẻ

- To follow like a shadow Theo như hình với bóng

- To stick like glue Dính như keo

- To swim like a fish Bơi như cá

……………….

As we can see, there are lots of English idioms of comparison which have

exact equivalents in Vietnamese language concerning not only meaning but also

vocabulary. In no uncertain terms, such coincident cases somehow make translation

a little bit easier.


Dissimilarities of Idioms of Comparison in English and Vietnamese

As we have discussed in part I, culture always has a huge amount of influence

on language, which is, on its part, much like a mirror truthfully reflecting most of

culture. English and Vietnamese cultures are not comparatively the same. In fact,

there are lots of dissimilarities between them. Differences in culture indubitably entail

differences in language, including idioms of comparison.

Images compared are different but the same meanings. We can find lots

of English and Vietnamese idioms of comparison which have similar meanings but

utilize different comparative images. Difference in culture is the major explanation.

It’s been clarified that Vietnamese people have an age-old tradition of wet-rice

cultivation. Since idioms as well as idioms of comparison are generally “product” of

labouring people through the process of working, discovering and creating, they also

carry with them the traces of wet-rice agriculture. In everyday life, Vietnamese

people usually have to do with different tools and animals that effectively serve their

farming. Consequently and easy to understand, when making and using comparative

idioms, they often take those familiar things into comparison.

For instant, the image of “buffaloes” was especially familiar to Vietnamese in

the past. As a strong, laborious, amenable domesticated animal, buffaloes are

considered to be good companions of farmers and sometimes, an indication of

personal wealth. Year by year, they plough paddy fields and work very hard to assist

farmers effectively. The image of a buffalo tender sitting on a buffalo’s black back

and happily fluting in a breezy afternoon has become symbolic of a peaceful and

idyllic rural life. For Vietnamese people, “buffalo” is a symbol of strength, toil and

diligence. That’s the reason why when mentioning someone who is very muscular

and robust, Vietnamese people usually say “khỏe như trâu”. Besides that, we also


have “cực như trâu”, “đen như trâu”,…The image of buffaloes or “trâu” can also be

found is many folksongs, sayings and proverbs, such as “Con trâu là đầu cơ nghiệp”;

“Trâu khỏe chẳng lo cày trưa”; “Trâu ơi ta bảo trâu này, trâu ăn no cỏ trâu cày với ta,

…”.

On the other hand, when talking about strength, English people, with nomadic

culture, usually say “as strong as a horse”. It’s because that “horse” is much more

familiar, intimate to them. In English culture, horses are such versatile and special

animals. Being very strong, loyal and vigorous, they are used in wars, fighting, in

transportation and entertainment and even in farming work. If a person is really

sturdy and energetic, he should be likened to a horse.

Certainly, that English people use “horses” in comparative idioms does not

mean that “buffaloes” are not strong in their mind. It’s just because of differences in

culture that often lead to dissimilarities in language.

Similarly, take “as gentle as a lamb” and “hiền như củ khoai” into

consideration. As a matter of fact, lamb is far more familiar to English people than it’s

to Vietnamese people. Conversely, “khoai” (sweet potatoes) which are cultivated and

used as a kind of food, is one common product of every Vietnamese family.

In addition, the image of “dragon” is very powerful, distinct, vivid and even

sacred in Vietnamese people’s imagination. The comparison “ăn như rồng cuốn” is

utilized to indicate someone who eats very fast and devours a large amount of food.

On the other hand, for English people, when talking about big appetite, they would

like to mention the horse, as in “to eat like a horse”.

There are many other cases in which English and Vietnamese idioms, despite

having similar meaning, use different images of comparison. Below are some

illustrations:


English comparative idioms Vietnamse comparative idioms

As dumb as a statue Câm như hến

As easy as ABC Dễ như trở bàn tay

As easy as pie Dễ như trở bàn tay

As easy as anything Dễ như trở bàn tay

As smooth as butter Mượt như nhung

As round as a barrel Tròn như quả bóng

As pale as a ghost Xanh như tàu lá

As soft as wax Mềm như bún

As merry as a cricket Vui như tết

As cheerful as the birds Vui như tết

As glad as a fly Vui như tết

As dark as midnight Tối như đêm ba mươi

As lazy as a lizard Lười như hủi

As strong as a horse Khỏe như trâu

As red as lipstick Đỏ như gấc

As close as herrings Chặt như nêm

As soundly as a log Say như chết (ngủ)

As cold as marble Lạnh như tiền

As cold as ice Lạnh như tiền

As dry as a bone Khô như ngói

As silent as the dead Im lặng như tờ

As thin as finger Gầy như bộ xương

As weak as a kitten Yếu như sên


As black as the ace of spades Đen như cột nhà cháy

Like hot cake Đắt như tôm tươi (buôn bán)

…………………..

Those dissimilarities are the inevitable result of different cultures, living

condition as well as ways of thinking, observing and interpreting the world. As we

can see, some concepts are obviously distinct in a certain region or culture, which

makes it easier to explain the unlikeness in language and particularly, in idioms. For

instant, in old days, “ice, ABC, butter,…” are quite strange to Vietnamese people just

as “bún, mồng tơi, hến, ngói, gấc, trâu, nhung,…” to people in England. This should

be paid attention when it comes to translation and teaching.

Same images of comparison but different meanings. People of different

culture can have different points of view. Some objects, animals or phenomena

sometimes can be found in both nations, both cultures, but they can be associated

with positive meanings in one culture and negative meanings in the other. That

easily explains why there are many idioms of comparison which have the same

comparative images but express different meanings in English and Vietnamese.

An excellent example is “as good as gold”. In English, this comparative idiom

is usually used to indicate a child or an adult who is well-behaved, decorous and

very disciplined. Differently, Vietnamese people often say “Tốt như vàng” to mention

a thing or object which has very good quality . In fact, nobody would use “tốt như

vàng” to talk about a person.

Another illustration is “as bright as day” and “rõ như ban ngày”. In reality,

English people “as bright as day” to describe the good, sunshiny and cloudless

surroundings, ambience or a room which is well-ventilated and full of light. On the

other hand, Vietnamese people say “rõ như ban ngày” to emphasize an affair which


is unsuspicious, convincing and clear (eg: Việc đã rõ như ban ngày rồi còn gì). In

addition, “chắc như đinh đóng cột” is a very commonly used comparative idiom

which depicts something unchangeable, steadfast. Interestingly, in English, “as hard

as nail” often indicates a very strict person.

Comparative idioms with images of well-known persons. One interesting

and noteworthy point is that people often liken certain human characteristics,

qualities (whether good or bad) or appearances to those of well-known persons that

used to exist in Literature or History of their country. Distinctly, each culture, each

nation has its own characters. For example, Vietnamese people are all familiar with

“Cuội”, “Hoạn Thư”, “Bụt”, “chúa Chổm” just as English people with “Othello”,

“Croesus”, “Larry”, “Adam”, “Lazarus”, “Trojan”,…Because of that fact, each place

has very typical and unique phrases as well as comparative idioms.

In Vietnamese, when talking about someone who lies to others deftly and very

often and we have “ Nói dối như Cuội” since according to a famous anecdote, “Cuội”

is an expert at pretending and telling lies. Another example is “Nợ như chúa Chổm”,

which is utilized to indicate somebody who is over head and ear in debt. According to

classic reference, “Chúa Chổm” is a person who was deeply in debt before he

became a King. Then he didn’t know to whom he owed money and how to pay them

all, so he had to exempt everyone from tax for one year. There are many other

examples: “Vắng như chùa bà Đanh” (deserted, unvisited, empty); “Ghen như Hoạn

Thư” (bitterly and insanely jealous, green with envy), “Sướng như tiên” ( very happy,

ecstatic); “Hiền như bụt” ( very gentle, benign, willing to help); “Đa nghi như Tào

Tháo”,…Similarly, in English, we can see many examples. One typical example is

“as rich as Croesus”. Croesus was an extremely wealthy king. He was so rich and

generous that his guests were all given the permission to take as much gold as they


could on their leaving. Besides that, we have “as old as Adam”; “as poor as

Lazarus”; “as jealous as Othello”; “ as happy as Larry”; “to work like Trojan” ( The

Trojan are said to be laborious and hard-working people),…

When taking about a furiously jealous person, Vietnamese people use “ghen

như Hoạn Thư” ( a character in Truyen Kieu) while in English, people will remember

the idiom “as jealous as Othello” ( a famous character in Shakespeare’s drama).

Certainly, the image of comparison is different but we have the same indication and

meaning. Moreover, for depicting the state of happiness and great fortune,

Vietnamese people usually use “sướng như tiên” while it would be “as happy as a

king” in English language. Actually, “tiên” or “bụt” are powerful and benevolent ones

created by the imagination of the poor and weak people who wish to be helped and

have a better life. As we can see, when talking about happiness, English people use

a concrete, real image “king” who is a person having the highest status and power in

society. In contrast, Vietnamese people tend to think of “tiên” (fairy) which is an

imaginative image.

In no uncertain terms, using idioms of comparison with images of well-known

persons is a good and even impressing way to convey an idea. However, for every

culture has its unique images, it is arduous for foreigners or language learners to

fully and correctly interpret and understand them.

The same animal images with different connotations and meanings. It

would be very exciting to spend some time taking animal images into account. In

fact, animals can be a viewed as good or bad, sacred or low in different cultures.

Because of that, the same animal image can be put in to comparison with different

meanings and indications in English and Vietnamese. Take “owl” as an illustrative

example, in Asian culture, particularly in Vietnam, “owl” is seen as a dirty, smelly or


mephitic animal and it is often associated with uncleanliness. That’s the reason why

we have the comparative idiom “hôi như cú”.Conversely, in English culture, people

often say “as wise as an owl”. Obviously, the owl is viewed as a symbol of wisdom,

shrewdness or reverent sagacity. Another example is that Vietnamese people

frequently liken somebody dull, obtuse to a pig (heo) or a cow/ox (bò), as in “ngu

như bò”, “ngu như heo”,…while in English people like to say “as stupid as a donkey”

or “as stupid as an ass”.

To sum up, it’s because of differences in culture and viewpoints that cause a

lot of interesting dissimilaries in language in general and in idioms of comparison in

particular. Obviously, by examining, pondering and comparing the images of

comparion in idioms of different languages, we can know a lot of things. It’s true that

the images of comparison often take along with them the national or regional

identities which can not be totally confounded.


Solutions for Better Translation and Some Teaching Implications

Having examined some riveting and noteworthy similarities as well as

differences between English and Vietnamese idioms of comparison, here comes

some implications, suggestions that may be especially useful for language teachers

and those who work on translation.

Implications for Translation

As we can see, although idioms of comparison are just a small part of

language, there are lots of things for us to pay attention. Besides some certain

similarities, coincidences which make translation a bit easier, idioms of comparison

in English and those in Vietnamese have many striking dissimilarities. The same

comparative images can lead to different meanings and vice versa, the same

meanings can be expressed by various images. Human-related components in

comparative idioms which carry with them distinct and national identities are also

daunting impediments to interpretation and translation. Obviously, we can not

translate “Harry is as good as gold today” into Vietnamese as “Hôm nay, Harry tốt

như vàng vậy”. It’s just “not right” and meaningless to Vietnamese people. Similarly,

“as easy as ABC” shouldn’t be translated as “dễ như là ABC” or “as strong as a

horse” as “ khỏe như ngựa” ,…Those clumsy and unnatural translations need to be

avoided at all cost. To make better translations, especially when it comes to idioms

of comparison, there are some points that should be taken into consideration.

Firstly, since each country has its own culture and differences in language are

usually caused by unalike cultures, a translator need to keep in mind that a good

understanding of culture is a must if he/she wants to make proper translation.

Mastering other cultures is indisputably strenuous and time-consuming. In fact, the


most important thing is that we should foster a general and keen awareness of

cultural differences, which will in some ways help us to avoid such unnatural and

maladroit translating works and improve ourselves in translation.

Additionally, encountering some unfamiliar concepts, exceptionally different

viewpoints or some idioms as well as expressions that appear hard to understand is

something we can’t help shunning in translation. It’s of paramount significance to

have an open-minded view to accept the thought and belief of oversea people, to

feel what they feel and to say what they say. It’s also necessary to “think twice” and

base on the context, the circumstances or the situations in order to deduce, render

the exact meanings. Never should we firmly cling to word-by-word translation,

especially when it comes to idioms since they are separate semantic units whose

meanings generally can not be elucidated by translating all of the component words.

Moreover, we need to be flexible when translating. In many cases, a translator has to

carefully make a decision on whether he/she should keep the literal denotation or

change it if necessary to make better and the most satisfactory translations.

Last but not least, idioms as well as idioms of comparison can be seen as a

hugely intriguing and challenging part in language. In fact, they are utilized very

frequently and effectively not only in spoken but also in written forms. Thus, to

develop or advance translation ability, one should spend time investigating and

enhancing his/her knowledge of idioms, especially paying close attention to those

remarkably noteworthy dissimilarities resulting from different languages and cultures.

The more properly one can translate idiomatic expressions and structures, the better

he/she is as a skilful and competent translator.


Implications for Language Teaching

It’s clear that in many cases, to learn a foreign language effectively, one

should have good knowledge of his/her own mother tongue. Therefore, ameliorating

native language’s competence of students is such a significant thing to do. However,

knowledge of the first language can sometimes interfere with the foreign language

acquisition of students. In reality, they tend to make generalization or translate

language items word by word from their mother tongue into the target language

without sufficient understanding and awareness of the dissimilarities between them,

which often results in misinterpretation and clumsy rendering. Moreover, as a matter

of fact, especially when it comes to idioms and idioms of comparison, differences in

culture viewpoints as well as concepts usually cause considerable difficulties in

learning and hinder students’ understanding. Therefore, besides teaching linguistic

knowledge, which is always necessary, teachers should “equip” students with

general understanding of culture in the target language-speaking country. Moreover,

it’s of paramount importance to regularly raise students’ awareness of the cultural

and social dissimilarities between the two languages and nations.

In language teaching, it’s essential to pay attention to idioms of comparison

and similes as they can be utilized to better students’ language, kindle their creativity

and create funny, interesting activities as well as add humor to the lessons. Using

comparative idioms in teaching grammar (comparison, for instant) will surely make

grammar periods more exciting, intriguing and easier to understand. It can even

foster students’ vocabulary as well as structures.

Actually, learning idioms and idioms of comparison is very important step on

the arduous road to master English. Beyond doubt, teachers should help students to

acquire idioms, especially comparative ones so that they can confidently and


properly utilize them in the learning process as well as in daily life. When it comes to

teaching idioms of comparison, there are some key points that should be taken into

consideration. Firstly, teachers need to draw students’ attention and increase their

awareness of the similarities and differences between Vietnamese and English

idioms of comparison. It’s advisable to teach exactly identical comparative idioms

first, then move on to those which are quite similar and lastly, different ones. For

each idiom, teachers should let students guess, then find the differences (if there are

any) and try explaining. That way of teaching will enhance students’ knowledge,

interest and help them have a better memorization. Secondly, because the number

of idioms of comparison in both English and Vietnamese is very enormous, we can

not teach students all, it is necessary to choose the appropriate ones to present,

especially those comparative idioms which are frequently utilized in English and do

not contain puzzling problems with grammatical structures or so enigmatic

vocabulary. Thirdly, to make it easier for the learning of idioms, teachers can divide,

classify them into many distinct categories, for example: comparative idioms with

verbs and those with adjectives, or idioms concerning appearance, quality, actions,

…

Besides the teaching of idioms of comparison, we need to encourage students

to use them in conversations as well as in writing. Teachers should be the ones who

do that first. With figurative and symbolic meanings, idioms and comparative idioms,

as we have discussed above, usually add vividness, emphasis and “life” to the

language, making every conversation more exciting and engaging.


Conclusion

Culture has an especially strong influence on language which on its part,

faithfully and remarkably acts as a mirror reflecting culture. There are lots of

similarities and dissimilarities between English and Vietnamese comparative idioms

which mainly result from cultural differences. The same comparative images can

sometimes lead to different meanings and vice versa, the same meanings can be

expressed by various images. Investigating idioms of comparison in the two

languages actually help to “harvest” a lot of useful things, some of which are the

increase in knowledge of idioms, the more understanding of culture and the

improvement of researching as well as language contrasting skills. Moreover, after

the study, there also emerges many good points that can be feasibly applied in

language teaching and translation.


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Documents

4A08 Nguyen Dinh Tuan Idioms of Comparison in English and Vietnamese-A Contrastive Analysis (1)