TTLV: Characteristics and personality traits of people through idioms and proverbs containing animal elements in Vietnamese and Ukrainian.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE MASTER'S THESIS

1. Student's full name: Leleka Artem                                     2. Gender: Male

3. Date of birth: October 22, 2001

4. Place of birth: Mankivka, Cherkaska Oblast, Ukraine

5. Decision on student admission No. 3989/QD-XHNV dated August 7, 2024, by the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

6. Changes in the training process: None.

7. Thesis title: Characteristics and personality traits of people through idioms and proverbs containing animal elements in Vietnamese and Ukrainian.

8. Major: Vietnamese Studies;      Code: 8310630

9. Scientific supervisor: Dr. Tran Thi Hien, Department of Linguistics and Vietnamese Studies

10. Summary of the thesis results: This thesis studies and compares the symbolic meanings of animal imagery in Vietnamese and Ukrainian idioms and proverbs used to describe human characteristics and personalities. The research results show that both languages ​​use animal imagery as an important symbolic means to reflect human qualities, personalities, and characteristics. Based on the survey, the thesis develops a classification system of symbolic meanings in the two languages, while also pointing out similarities and differences in the selection of animal imagery and their expressive scope.

The comparative results reveal many universal symbolic meanings, formed from observations of the appearance, behavior, and role of animals in human life. For example, in Vietnamese, the buffalo is closely associated with rice farming, thus symbolizing diligence, perseverance, endurance, and resilience; at the same time, in some cases, it also symbolizes negative traits such as slowness of mind, gluttony, envy, narrow-mindedness, lack of judgment, or sluggishness. Meanwhile, in Ukrainian, the bull, primarily used as draft animal in traditional agriculture, often symbolizes hard work, perseverance, decisiveness, greed, and recklessness.

Based on that, the thesis identifies three main bases for the formation of symbolic meaning, including: (1) the physical characteristics and behavior of animals; (2) the role of animals in human life; and (3) practical experience, cultural knowledge and folk beliefs. The research results contribute to clarifying the relationship between language and culture, and at the same time supplement the data for comparative research on Vietnamese and Ukrainian in the fields of cultural linguistics and cognitive linguistics.

11. Applicability in  Practical applications: The research results can be used as a reference in teaching Vietnamese to foreigners, teaching Ukrainian, comparative linguistics research, cultural linguistics, compiling idiom dictionaries, as well as in translation activities and intercultural communication between Vietnam and Ukraine.

12. Further research directions: Research could be expanded to include groups of idioms containing animal-related elements symbolizing psychological states, social relationships, behaviors, or human destinies; and the scope of comparison could be broadened to other languages ​​to further clarify the universality and cultural specificity of animal symbolism.

13. Published works related to the thesis: None

INFORMATION ON MASTER'S THESIS

1. Full name: Leleka Artem 2. Sex: Male

3. Date of birth: October 22, 2001 4. Place of birth: Mankivka, Cherkaska Oblast, Ukraine

5. Admission decision number: 3989/QD-XHNV Dated August 7, 2024

6. Changes in academic process: None.

7. Official thesis title: Human characteristics and personality traits through animal-related idioms and proverbs in Vietnamese and Ukrainian

8. Major: Vietnamese studies 9. Code: 8310630

10. Supervisors: Dr. Tran Thi Hien, Faculty of Linguistics and Vietnamese Studies

11. Summary of the findings of the thesis: This thesis investigates and compares the symbolic meanings of animal images in Vietnamese and Ukrainian idioms and proverbs used to describe human characteristics and personality traits. The findings show that both languages ​​employ animal images as important symbolic devices for representing human qualities, personalities, and characteristics. Based on a systematic survey, the thesis establishes a classification of symbolic meaning groups in Vietnamese and Ukrainian, while identifying the similarities and differences in the selection of animal images and their semantic scope in the two languages.

The comparative analysis reveals that many symbolic meanings are universal, derived from observations of animals' physical characteristics, behavioral patterns, and roles in human life. For example, the buffalo occupies a central position in traditional Vietnamese wet-rice agriculture and is closely associated with farming activities. Through long-term practical experience, Vietnamese people have generalized the buffalo's characteristics—such as diligence, perseverance, endurance, and resilience—to symbolize corresponding human qualities. In some contexts, however, the buffalo also represents negative traits, including slow comprehension, gluttony, jealousy, narrow-mindedness, poor judgment, unconventional behavior, and sluggishness. By contrast, the ox, traditionally used as a draft animal in Ukrainian agriculture, symbolizes such qualities as industriousness, perseverance, decisiveness in dealing with problems, excessive greed, and recklessness.

Based on these findings, the thesis identifies three principal foundations underlying the formation of symbolic meanings: (1) the physical characteristics and behavioral patterns of animals; (2) the roles of animals in human life; and (3) practical experience, cultural knowledge, and folk beliefs. The study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between language and culture while providing additional materials for comparative research on Vietnamese and Ukrainian in the fields of cultural linguistics and cognitive linguistics.

12. Practical applicability, if any: The findings of this study can serve as reference materials for teaching Vietnamese as a foreign language, teaching the Ukrainian language, conducting research in contrastive linguistics and cultural linguistics, compiling idiom dictionaries, as well as supporting translation and intercultural communication between Vietnam and Ukraine.

13. Further research directions, if any: Future research may extend to idioms containing animal-related elements that symbolize psychological states, social relationships, human behavior, or human destiny. In addition, comparative studies involving other languages ​​may further clarify the universal and culture-specific characteristics of animal symbolism.

14. Thesis-related publications: None