TTLA: Semantics of Chinese flower words (related to Vietnamese)

Author name: Le Thi Kim Dung

Thesis title:Semantics of Chinese flower words (related to Vietnamese)

Dissertation field: Linguistics

Major: Comparative Linguistics Code: 62 22 01 41

Name of the postgraduate training unit: University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

1. Purpose and research objects of the thesis

1.1 Purpose of the thesis

The purpose of the thesis is to clarify the semantic structure and semantic transfer methods of Chinese flower words, compare them with Vietnamese, find out the semantic similarities and differences of flower words in Chinese and Vietnamese, thereby highlighting the cultural implications as well as the cognitive characteristics of Chinese and Vietnamese people expressed through the meaning of this group of words. Finally, this study aims to contribute to the work of comparative linguistic research, teaching and translation of Chinese - Vietnamese to achieve higher efficiency.

1.2 Research object of the thesis

The research object of the topic is a number of words "flower” in Chinese and Vietnamese, mainly on the semantic level. The scope of the study will be narrower than the field of botanical vocabulary in general. Based on the meaning of the word “flower”, we choosechrysanthemum, peach, apricot, orchid, lotusare the names of five typical flowers in both Chinese and Vietnamese to analyze in depth the development of the meaning of the words for these five flowers. Hopefully, from the point of view, through case studies, flowers and some typical words for flowers can help readers visualize the general picture of the meaning of the names of flowers in Chinese and Vietnamese.

2. Research methods used

To conduct this thesis, we apply the following methods:

The first is the semantic analysis method, specifically the semantic component analysis method, to detect the semantic structure and examine the rules of semantic transfer.

The second is the contrastive method, which is used to compare words with words, to compare the semantics as well as the method of meaning transfer of the word "flower" and specific flower words.chrysanthemum, peach, apricot, orchid, lotusin the two languages ​​to find out the similarities and differences between them, especially the acculturation of Chinese characters in Vietnamese language and literature.

In addition, some quantitative analysis and description will also be used where necessary to contribute to clarifying the relevant issue.

3. Main results and conclusions

3.1. Main results

- Regarding the semantic structure of the word flower, the thesis, through the statistical meaning of the word flower in the dictionary, summarizes that flower has 21 meanings, from which the thesis presents a diagram of the semantic structure of the word flower in the word flower in Chinese. In Vietnamese, the word "flower" has 11 meanings. Through the synthesis and analysis of the semantic structure of the word flower in two languages: Chinese and Vietnamese, it can be seen that they are all polysemous words. Derivative semantic features develop diversely and richly. The meaning of the word flower in Chinese has 8 similar meanings, the rest are not the same. This shows the thinking and association characteristics of each ethnic group towards the same objective entity.

- Regarding the phenomenon of semantic change, the word “flower” in Chinese and Vietnamese both have a very rich ability to change meanings. We believe that the main mapping of the word “flower” in Chinese and Vietnamese is specifically expressed as: (1) From flower to reflect on things that are not flowers, (2) From things that are not flowers to reflect on flowers, (3) From the characteristic growth habits of flowers to reflect on flowers. The associative meaning of the word “flower” in addition to good and neutral meanings also has negative meanings.

- Regarding word expressions containing flower words, the thesis conducted statistics on word expressions containing flower words in Chinese and Vietnamese dictionaries, showing that: in Chinese there are 645 expressions, in Vietnamese there are 96 expressions, from which it can be seen that the ability to combine and apply words in Chinese is much richer and more diverse than in Vietnamese.

- Next, choose 5 words that describe flowers.chrysanthemum, peach, apricot, orchid, lotusTo analyze and synthesize the meanings of these 5 words in the dictionary as well as their symbolic meanings in the process of use, it can be seen that the meanings of these flower words are very rich. These derivative meanings clearly show characteristics coming from the natural environment as well as from cultural factors and national identity. In addition to conducting a detailed analysis of the meanings of 5 typical flower words in Chinese, the thesis also compares them with the corresponding flower words in Vietnamese. Then, a summary table is provided to compare their symbolic meanings in Chinese and Vietnamese, finding the similar and different meanings in the two languages. These similarities and differences clearly show the cultural, historical, geographical characteristics as well as the customs and habits of the two countries, which have similarities and differences.

3.2. Conclusion

- Through research, we affirm that the two countries Vietnam and China, because they are located in the same cultural space, are also influenced by the Sino-Vietnamese contact process, causing the word "flower" as well as words referring to some types of flowers such as"chrysanthemum", "peach", "apricot", "orchid", "lotus"..., in Vietnamese, is closely related to Chinese in both phonetic form and meaning, creating similarities and differences in derivative meanings, especially the symbolic meanings of words referring to flowers in general and words referring tochrysanthemum, peach, apricot, orchid,lotusin particular.

- The words referring to flowers are used subtly in the artistic creation of language in the ancient poetry of the two countries. The symbolic meanings of the five words referring to flowers that we chose in the thesis are all associated with people, with their good qualities as well as their desire for love,... Flowers bloom and then wither, just like the birth, aging, sickness and death of people. The symbolic meanings of the words referring to flowers therefore symbolize youthfulness and freshness on the one hand, and old age and decay on the other hand. Flowers and people are closely linked, demonstrating the ability to explore the world, cognitive characteristics as well as the rich spiritual world and boundless linguistic creativity of the people of the two countries. The symbolic meanings of flowers in the ancient poetry of the two countries also reflect the elements of the times and history. Although they are symbolic, they are "fossils" of language and culture, a mirror reflecting the times of the people of Vietnam and China that need to be cherished and preserved.

- From the research results of the thesis, it is related to foreign language teaching as well as translation work. Through in-depth analysis of the Chinese language, it helps us have a deeper understanding of the Chinese language and culture. On the basis of comparison with Vietnamese, it helps Vietnamese people learning Vietnamese, as well as Chinese people learning Chinese, to have a deeper understanding of the languages ​​of ethnic groups, contributing positively to foreign language learning, textbook compilation as well as translation and dictionary compilation.

- Within the framework of the thesis, studying the relationship between language, culture and cognition, especially conducting the connection between two languages, the thesis still has some issues that we have not had the conditions to thoroughly study in both languages. Therefore, we really hope that when we have the conditions, those will be the next research directions that can continue this thesis in the future.

SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS

The author's name: Le Thi Kim Dung

Thesis title: Semantics of words for flowers in Chinese (in relation to Vietnamese)

Scientific branch of the thesis: Linguistics

Major: Comparative-contrastive Linguistics Code: 62 22 01 10

The name of postgraduate training institution: University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University (VNU-USSH

1. Thesis purpose and objectives

1.1. Thesis purpose

The purpose of the research is to clarify characteristics of structure and method of translating Chinese words for flowers, comparing with Vietnamese, finding similarities and differences in semantics of words for flowers in Chinese and Vietnamese. This highlights the cultural implications as well as the cognitive characteristics of Chinese and Vietnamese people through the meaning of this group of words. Finally, this study aims to contribute to the study of language reconciliation, teaching and translation of Chinese - Vietnamese language more effectively.

1.2. Thesis objectives:

The object of the thesis is some words for "flowers" in Chinese and Vietnamese, mostly in the semantic plane. The scope of the study will be narrower than that of the general plant vocabulary. On the basis of the meaning of the word "flower", we choose daisy, peach, apricot, orchid and lotus, which are the five typical flower species in both Chinese and Vietnamese to deeply analyze the process of developing the meaning of the word only. Hopefully, from the point of view, through case studies, flowers and some typical flower words can help readers visualize the general picture of the meaning of the names of Chinese and Vietnamese flowers.

2. Research methods
To implement this thesis, we apply the following methods: The first is the method of semantic analysis, specifically the method of analyzing the meaning, to detect the structure of meaning and examine the rules of transformations. The second is the contrastive method, which is used to compare words with words, contrast semantics as well as the method of translating the meaning of the words for "flower" and from the specific flower daisy, peach, apricot, orchid and lotus in two languages ​​to find similarities and differences between them, especially the continuation of Chinese texts in Vietnamese language - literature. In addition, a number of analytical analyzes and descriptions will also be used when needed to help clarify the issue.

3. Major results and conclusions

3.1. The major results

- Regarding the structure of the meaning of the words for flower, the thesis adopts the statistical meaning of the words for flower in the dictionary, summing up the word of flower has 21 meanings, from which the thesis gives the structure of the meaning of the word of flower in Chinese flower words. In Vietnamese, the word "flower" has 11 meanings, by synthesizing the structural analysis of the meaning of flower words in two languages: Chinese and Vietnamese can be seen, they are multi-word words. Definition of derivative diversity, richness. The meaning of Chinese words in Chinese has 8 similar meanings, others are not the same. This shows the thinking and association characteristics of each ethnic group for the same objective entity.

- Regarding the phenomenon of changing meaning, the word "flower" in Chinese and Vietnamese has the ability to change the meaning. We believe that the main mapping of Chinese and Vietnamese flower words is specifically: (1) From flowers to reflect things that are not flowers, (2) From things that are not flowers reflect on flowers, (3) From the habit of customary growth of flowers to reflect flowers. The connotation of the word "flower" in addition to good meaning and the neutral meaning also has a negative meaning.

- Regarding the word expression containing the word flower, the thesis conducts statistical expressions of words containing the words in Chinese and Vietnamese dictionary, showing that there are 645 expressions in Chinese and 96 expressions in Vietnamese, since then can see the ability to combine and apply the words of Chinese language richer and more diverse than Vietnamese.

- Following the selection of 5 words fordaisy, peach, apricot, orchid, lotusto analyze and synthesize the meaning of these 5 words in the dictionary as well as their symbolism in the process of use can see the meaning of the words for flower is abundant. These derivative meanings show very clearly the characteristics coming from the natural environment as well as from cultural factors, national identity. In addition to conducting a thorough analysis of the meanings of the five typical Chinese words in Chinese, the thesis also refers to the corresponding Vietnamese flower words. Then give a summary table comparing their symbolism in Chinese and Vietnamese, finding similar and different meanings in two languages. This similarity and difference clearly shows the characteristics of culture, history, geography as well as customs and habits, and the living habits of the two countries have similarities and differences.

3.2.Conclusions

- Through research, we affirmed that the two countries of China and Vietnam are in the same cultural space, under the influence of contact with Sino-Vietnamese, making the word "flower" as well as the words of some flowers. such as "daisy", "peach", "Apricot", "orchid", "lotus" ..., in Vietnamese, there is a close relationship with Chinese in both phonetic and meaning forms, creating similarities and the differences in derivative meaning, especially the meaning of the words that refer to symbolic flowers in general and fromdaisy, peach, apricot, orchidandlotusin particular

- The words for flowers are modified used in the artistic creation of words in the ancient poetry of the two countries. The symbolic meaning of the 5 words that we choose in the thesis are related to people, with good qualities as well as the desire for love of the couple... Flowers bloom and fade, also like the birth of a human illness. The symbolism of the words for flowers therefore represents a fresh youth on the one hand, and on the other hand symbolizes aging. Flowers with people are closely linked, demonstrating the ability to explore the world, exempting characteristics as well as the world of abundant spirit and creative capacity of endless languages ​​​​of the two peoples. The significance of the symbolism of flowers in the ancient poetry of the two countries also reflects the elements of history and history. Despite its conventions, these are the "fossils" of language and culture, reflecting the era of the people of the two Sino-Vietnamese people that need to be embraced and preserved.

- From the research results of the thesis, related to the teaching of foreign languages ​​​​as well as in the translation work, through an in-depth analysis of the Chinese language, we have a deeper understanding of Han language and culture. On the basis of contacts compared with Vietnamese, helping Vietnamese learn Vietnamese, as well as Chinese learners of Chinese can gain a deeper understanding of ethnic languages, contributing positively to learning. foreign languages, textbook compilation as well as translation and compilation of dictionaries.

- In the framework of the thesis, studying the relationship between language, culture and perception, especially conducting a relationship between the two languages, the thesis still has some problems that we do not have conditions to understand. thoroughly thoroughly both languages. Therefore, we look forward to when there are conditions, it will be the next research directions that can continue this thesis in the future.