TTLA: Contrasting the language of motherhood in English and Vietnamese motherhood blogs

1. Full name of PhD student: Pham Hoang Long Bien 2. Gender: Female
3. Date of birth: March 4, 1983 4. Place of birth: Phu Tho
5. Decision to recognize PhD students: Decision No. 2775/2020/QD-XHNV dated December 31, 2020 of the President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi; extension document No. 5109/QD-XHNV dated December 4, 2023 of the President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for a period of 12 months from November 31, 2023 to November 31, 2024.
6. Changes in the training process:
Adjust the thesis title from "Comparison of the language expressing the role of mothers in English and Vietnamese motherhood blogs based on evaluation theory" to "Comparison of the language expressing the role of mothers in English and Vietnamese motherhood blogs" according to Decision No. 3490/QD-XHNV dated September 12, 2023 of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU Hanoi.
Adjust the thesis topic title from "Comparing the language expressing the role of mothers in English and Vietnamese motherhood blogs" to "Contrasting the language expressing the role of mothers in English and Vietnamese motherhood blogs" according to Decision No. 1222/QD-XHNV dated March 6, 2024 of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU Hanoi.
7. Thesis topic: Comparing the language expressing the role of mothers in English and Vietnamese motherhood blogs
8. Major: Comparative Linguistics 9. Code: 9229020.03
10. Scientific advisor: Associate Professor, Dr. Lam Quang Dong
11. Summary of new results of the thesis:
11.1. Purpose and objects of research
- Research purpose:
The study sets out three basic objectives: a) to analyze the linguistic features expressing the role of mothers in English and Vietnamese blog posts (including the experiential value of vocabulary, the expressive value of vocabulary, and the use of metaphors) in English and Vietnamese blog posts; b) to compare the similarities and differences in linguistic features expressing the role of mothers in two corpora of English and Vietnamese motherhood blogs. From there, we find out the relationship between linguistic features and the expression of mothers' views and thoughts in two cultures: American and Vietnamese (according to the approach of critical discourse analysis).
- Research subjects:
The research object of this thesis is the linguistic features expressing the role of the mother in blog posts in English and Vietnamese. Specifically, we analyze the experiential value of vocabulary, the relational value of vocabulary, the expressive value of vocabulary and the metaphors used in 1000 posts in two corpora.
11.2. Research methods
The thesis uses the following main research methods:

11.3. Main results and conclusions
The results of the analysis of the lexical features in the two corpora show many similarities and a few differences. In terms of the experiential value of vocabulary, both American and Vietnamese mothers use a very diverse and rich lexical field in each topic. However, the lexical field in English motherhood blog topics is mainly synonymous words/phrases, while the lexical field in Vietnamese motherhood blog topics includes both synonymous words/phrases and lexical repetition.
Regarding the relational value of vocabulary, both English and Vietnamese blog posts show a less formal style (through the use of colloquialisms, linguistic variations, and euphemisms). The difference in the relational value of vocabulary is that: in the Vietnamese corpus, there is also the phenomenon of foreign language (English) insertion, while this phenomenon does not appear in the English corpus. In the English corpus, less formal language is also shown through the use of colloquial language (characteristic of spoken text) in the posts, and the use of verbs rather than nouns in describing the interactive roles of mothers with their children (low nominalization).
The expressive value of vocabulary in both corpora is demonstrated through the use of evaluative language belonging to the category of Attitudes related to the mother role (including Emotion evaluative language, Behavioral judgment language and Appraisal language). Both corpora have a higher frequency of positive evaluative language than negative evaluative language. The frequency of evaluative resources of the sub-items in the English corpora is greater than that in the Vietnamese corpora (except for the Behavioral Judgment sub-item). In the English corpora, the frequency of Appraisal language is greater than that of Behavioral judgment language, while Behavioral judgment language has a higher rate than Appraisal language in the Vietnamese corpora.
Regarding the use of metaphors, conceptual metaphors (MOTHERHOOD IS A JOURNEY, and the conceptual metaphor “heart”) are used extensively in both corpora, contributing to deeply expressing the emotional states (positive and negative) of mothers in the process of caring for and raising children. The frequency of the metaphor MOTHERHOOD IS A JOURNEY is greater in the English corpora than in the Vietnamese corpora, while the conceptual metaphor “heart” is greater in the Vietnamese corpora than in the English corpora. Specifically, in the conceptual metaphor “heart”, the frequency of the metaphor HEART IS AN OBJECT is greater in the English corpora than in the Vietnamese corpora, while the frequency of the metaphor HEART IS A CONTAINER OF EMOTIONS is greater in the Vietnamese corpora than in the English corpora.
- New contributions of the thesis:
In theory
Currently in Vietnam, there is almost no research related to motherhood blogs, so this can be considered one of the first studies on this topic. This thesis presents the theoretical basis related to the method of critical discourse analysis, corpus analysis, systemic functional grammar; synthesizes domestic and foreign studies related to critical discourse analysis, corpus-based discourse analysis, and evaluation theory. Therefore, the thesis contributes to enriching the theory related to the above topics. In addition, the application of corpus analysis and critical discourse analysis to the analysis of motherhood blogs is a new research direction in Vietnam, so this thesis will contribute to suggesting new research directions (for the author, and for other researchers) in the future.
During the process of conducting this thesis, we built two motherhood blog corpora in English and Vietnamese, with a total of 1000 articles. Building a large number of corpora, combined with the use of the quantitative data analysis tool Sketch Engine, helps to analyze a very large amount of data, improving the representativeness of the research data. In addition, these two corpora will be very important data for future linguistic and sociological studies on motherhood blogs, a topic that is still little studied in Vietnam.
In practice
In practice, the research results related to the lexical features expressing the role of mother will be a useful reference source for language teachers and learners (English and Vietnamese). In addition, the research results related to the language expressing the role of mother in motherhood blogs are a useful reference source for those who study language, culture, sociology, or gender roles, etc.
12. Further research directions:
The thesis gives some suggestions for further research directions as follows:
- First, the author will expand the size of the two data sets, increasing the number of articles, the number of blogs, and the posting time of the blog posts.
- Second, this study initially exploited the lexical features related to the role of mother in blog posts based on some basic tools of corpus linguistics. To have a more general view of the linguistic features describing the role of mother, future studies can expand to the grammatical features and the linking structure in the discourse.
- Third, the study of language in mom blogs is a rich and growing field of research that intersects with a variety of disciplines, including sociology, gender studies, media studies, and psychology. Future interdisciplinary research might explore several aspects, including: a) examining how mothers use language to construct their personal and maternal identities in mom blogs; b) examining the linguistic interactions between mom blog writers and their readers; c) examining changes in the topics of mom blogs over time, to see whether these changes reflect changing social attitudes toward motherhood; d) comparing the linguistic features of motherhood representations in mom blogs with those in other forms of media (e.g., newspapers, magazines, television).
13. Publications related to the thesis:
1. Pham Hoang Long Bien (2023), “Intensive mothering in Vietnamese mommy blogs: A thematic analysis”, International Graduate Research Symposium, ULIS -VNU, ISBN 978-604-384-167-1, pp.196-210.
2. Pham Hoang Long Bien (2023), “Linguistic depiction of mother's roles as children's playmate in English and Vietnamese mommy blogs: a comparative study”, International Conference on Interdisciplinary Research in Linguistics and Language Education, University of Foreign Languages, Hue University, ISBN: 978-604-489-031-9, pp.77-85.
3. Pham Hoang Long Bien (2023), “Depiction of motherhood in American mommy blogs: An analysis of evaluative language of attitude category in the light of Appraisal Theory”, International Conference of Teaching English for specific purpose: perspective, policies and practices, ULIS, VNU, ISBN: 978-604-369-478-9, pp.365-372.
4. Pham Hoang Long Bien (2023), “Thematic analysis of American mommy blogs”, International Conference of Teaching English for specific purpose: perspective, policies and practices, ULIS, VNU, ISBN: 978-604-369-478-9, pp.373-383.
5. Pham Hoang Long Bien (2024), “Analyzing the characteristics of vocabulary expressing the role of mothers in English motherhood blogs according to the theoretical approach of critical discourse analysis”, Journal of Language and Life (3), pp.106-119.
6. Pham Hoang Long Bien (2024), ““Conceptual “heart” metaphors in American mommy blogs”, Journal of Foreign Studies (VNU Journal of Foreign Studies) Vol. 40 (3), ISSN: 2525-2445, pp.35-47.

 

 

INFORMATION ON DOCTORAL THESIS

 

1. Full name: Pham Hoang Long Bien 2. Sex: Female
3. Date of birth: March 4, 1983 4. Place of birth: Phu Tho
5. Admission decision number 2775/2020/QD-XHNV dated December 31, 2020 by University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi; extension document number 5109/QD-XHNV dated December 4, 2023 by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for a period of 12 months from November 31, 2023 to November 31, 2024.
6. Changes in academic process:
Change in thesis title from “Comparing the linguistic depiction of mother's roles in English and Vietnamese mommy blogs in light of Appraisal theory” to “Comparing the linguistic depiction of mother's roles in English and Vietnamese mommy blogs” according to Decision No. 3490/QD-XHNV dated September 12, 2023 of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU Hanoi.
Change in thesis title from “Comparing the linguistic depiction of mother's roles in English and Vietnamese mommy blogs” to “Linguistic depiction of motherhood in English and Vietnamese mommy blogs: a contrastive discourse analysis.” according to Decision No. 1222/QD-XHNV dated March 6, 2024 of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU Hanoi.
7. Official thesis title: Linguistic depiction of motherhood in English and Vietnamese mommy blogs: a contrastive discourse analysis
8. Major: Contrastive - comparative Linguistics 9. Code: 9229020.03
10. Supervisors: 1. Assoc. Prof. PhD. Lam Quang Dong
11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:
- Research objectives:
The study aims to a) to analyze the linguistic features that express the role of the mother in
English and Vietnamese blog posts (including the experiential value of vocabulary, the
expressive value of vocabulary, and the use of metaphors) in English and Vietnamese blog
posts; b) to contrast the linguistic depiction of mothers' roles in English and Vietnamese mommy blogs. From there, the authors analyze the relationship between linguistic features and the mothers' ideology in American and Vietnamese societies (in light of critical discourse analysis).
- Research object:
The research object of this thesis is the linguistic features that express the role of the mothers in English and Vietnamese blog posts. specifically, we analyze the experiential value of vocabulary, the relational value of vocabulary, the expressive value of vocabulary, and the metaphors used in 1000 articles in two corpora.
11.2. Research methods
The thesis utilizes the following main research methods:

11.3. Major results and conclusion
The analysis of the lexical features in the two corpora shows many similarities and a few differences. Regarding the experiential value of vocabulary, American and Vietnamese mothers both use a very diverse lexical field in each topic. However, the lexical field topics in English motherhood blog topics are mainly constructed by synonymy, while the lexical field in Vietnamese motherhood blog includes both synonymy and antonymy.
Regarding the relational value of vocabulary, both English and Vietnamese blog posts show a less formal writing style (through colloquialisms, linguistic variations, and euphemisms). The difference in the relational value of vocabulary is that: in the Vietnamese corpora, there is also the phenomenon of code-mixing (English), while this does not appear in the English corpora. In the English corpus, less formal language is also demonstrated through the use of colloquial language, and the use of verbs rather than nouns in describing the mother's interactive roles with her children (low level of nominalization).
The expressive value of vocabulary in both corpora is demonstrated through evaluative language in the Attitude category (including Affect, Judgment and Appreciation). Both corpora have a higher frequency of positive evaluative language than negative one. The frequency of evaluative resources of the sub-items in the English corpus is greater than that in the Vietnamese corpus (except for the Judgment language). In the English corpus, the frequency of Appreciation language is greater than that of Judgment language, while Judgment language has a higher rate than that of Appreciation in the Vietnamese corpus.
Regarding the use of metaphors, conceptual metaphors MOTHERHOOD IS A JOURNEY, and the conceptual “heart” metaphors are used extensively in both corpora, expressing the mother's emotional states (positive and negative). The frequency of the metaphor MOTHERHOOD IS A JOURNEY is greater in the English corpora than in the Vietnamese corpora, while the conceptual metaphor “heart” is greater in the Vietnamese corpora than in the English corpora. Specifically, in the conceptual metaphor “heart”, the frequency of the metaphor HEART IS AN OBJECT is greater in the English corpora than in the Vietnamese corpora, while the frequency of the metaphor HEART IS A CONTAINER OF EMOTIONS is greater in the Vietnamese corpora than in the English one.
- Thesis's major contributions:
Theoretical contributions:
Currently, there is almost no research related to mommy blogs in Vietnam, so this can be considered one of the first studies on this topic. This study provides the literature review related to critical discourse analysis, corpus-based discourse analysis, systemic functional grammar; reviews studies related to critical discourse analysis, corpus-based discourse analysis, and Appraisal theory. Therefore, the thesis contributes to enriching the theoretical aspects related to the above topics. In addition, the application of corpus analysis and critical analysis discourse to the analysis of mommy blogs is a new research direction in Vietnam, so this thesis may suggest new research directions (for other researchers) in the future.
Two corpora of mommy blogs in English and Vietnamese, with a total of 1000 articles are built in this study. This, combined with the use of the quantitative data analysis tool Sketch Engine, helps to analyze a very large amount of data, improving therepresentativeness of the research data. In addition, these two corpora will be valuable resources for future linguistic and sociological studies on mommy blogs, a topic that has not been properly studied in Vietnam.
Practical contributions:
The research results related to the lexical features expressing the role of mothers will be a useful reference for language teachers and learners (English and Vietnamese). In addition, the research results related to the language express the role of mothers in mommy blogs are valuable resources for researchers in linguistics and sociology, etc.
12. Further research directions:
- First, the corpora for future studies includes the larger number of articles, higher number of blogs to increase representativeness.
- Second, to have a more general view of the linguistic features depicting the role of mothers, future studies can investigate grammatical features and the linking structure in the discourse.
- Third, future interdisciplinary research about mommy blogs might explore: a) how mothers use language to construct their personal and maternal identities in mom blogs; b) the linguistic interactions between mom blogging mothers and their readers; c) changes in the topics of mommy blogs over time, whether these changes reflect changing social attitudes toward motherhood; d) the linguistic representations of mothers in media (eg, newspapers, magazines, television).
13. Thesis-related publications:
1. Pham Hoang Long Bien (2023), “Intensive mothering in Vietnamese mommy blogs: A thematic analysis”, International Graduate Research Symposium, ULIS -VNU, ISBN 978-604-384-167-1, pp.196-210.
2. Pham Hoang Long Bien (2023), “Linguistic depiction of mother's roles as children's playmate in English and Vietnamese mommy blogs: a comparative study”, International Conference on Interdisciplinary Research in Linguistics and Language Education, University of Foreign Languages, Hue University, ISBN: 978-604-489-031-9, pp.77-85.
3. Pham Hoang Long Bien (2023), “Depiction of motherhood in American mommy blogs: An analysis of evaluative language of attitude category in the light of Appraisal Theory”, Teaching English for specific purpose: perspective, policies and practices, University of Foreign Languages ​​and International Studies, VNU, ISBN: 978-604-369-478-9, pp.365-372.
5. Pham Hoang Long Bien (2023), “Thematic analysis of American mommy blogs”, Teaching English for specific purpose: perspective, policies and practices, University of Foreign Languages ​​and International Studies, VNU, ISBN: 978-604-369-478-9, pp.373-383.
5. Pham Hoang Long Bien (2024), “An analysis of lexical resources that depict motherhood in American mommy blogs in light of critical discourse analysis”, Language and Life, 3(351), pp.106-119.
6. Pham Hoang Long Bien (2023), “Conceptual “heart” metaphors in American mommy blogs”, VNU Journal of Foreign Studies, 40(3), ISSN: 2525-2445, pp.35-47.