An exemplary teacher, a great scientist

Professor Le Quang Thiem's ​​linguistic research career focuses on three main areas: Comparative studies of languages; Research on the history of vocabulary development and semantic development of Vietnamese; Semantics research.

The comparative study of languages ​​has appeared in linguistics for a long time. Contrastive linguistics has become a strongly developing branch of modern linguistics, because it meets the requirements of linguistic theory in the new period, and at the same time it allows linguistic knowledge to be applied widely and practically. The workComparative studies of languages(first published in 1989, University and Vocational High School Publishing House) by Professor Le Quang Thiem is the first comprehensive and in-depth study of contrastive linguistics. The book systematically introduces general knowledge, general understanding of the history of research and theoretical premises of contrastive linguistics as an independent scientific branch, and at the same time compares some aspects of the language levels: comparative study of vowels, consonants, syllables and Vietnamese-English prosody; comparative study of morphemes in terms of structure and function; comparative study of sentences in terms of sentence structure, sentence components, interrogative sentences and negative sentences in Vietnamese-English; comparative study of word and meaning aspects, from which focuses on studying the phenomenon of homonymy, polysemy and semantic similarities in languages.

Based on a deep understanding of the knowledge of general linguistics and the acquisition of achievements of comparative linguistics in the world, Professor Le Quang Thiem has effectively applied it to survey and research specific issues of comparative linguistics. Therefore, the research content in this book has been updated and kept up with scientific information on comparative linguistics in the world to creatively and effectively apply it to research specific issues of Vietnamese in comparison with other languages. This work has laid the foundation for the field of comparative linguistics in Vietnam and Professor Le Quang Thiem has become a leading expert in the field of comparative linguistics.

Professor, Doctor, People's Teacher Le Quang Thiem.

He was Head of the Faculty of Philology (1985-1987); Secretary of the Party Committee of Hanoi University of Science (1988-1990); Vice Principal of Hanoi University of Science (1988-1992); President of the Vietnam Linguistics Association (2006-present).

Vietnamese semantic vocabulary is a very large and complex system with a very long history. The bookHistory of Vietnamese vocabulary from 1858 to 1945compiled by Professor Le Quang Thiem is the first Vietnamese linguistic work to systematically and fundamentally study the development of Vietnamese vocabulary during the period from 1858 to 1945, a very special period of Vietnamese history from the time the French invaded Vietnam until the successful August Revolution of 1945. This historical period has influenced and reflected particularly clearly in the Vietnamese vocabulary system. Professor Le Quang Thiem has deeply described and analyzed the entire appearance and development of Vietnamese on the lexical-semantic level through a rich and diverse system of data considered both synchronic and diachronic levels. The study of the history of Vietnamese vocabulary during the period of nearly 100 years is described and analyzed by Professor Le Quang Thiem through linguistic events in the contrast between monistic synchronicity and dynamic synchronicity. This is a scientific and skillful approach: with a complex subject, with too many relational planes and related factors such as the vocabulary-semantic system, choosing a plane, an aspect in that system to survey, to analyze, to research through linguistic data and specific linguistic events has made this work very valuable in theory and practice. Surveying the history of vocabulary through a series of events has created the high value of this work.

As an independent work,The development of Vietnamese vocabulary from 1945 to 2005compiled by Prof. Dr. People's Teacher Le Quang Thiem (Hanoi National University Publishing House, 2015), although extending the research on the history of Vietnamese vocabulary, it delves into the field of Vietnamese lexical semantics. Starting from a synchronic perspective, the development of the Vietnamese lexical semantic system over the past 60 years has been surveyed, researched and analyzed as a dynamic system formed "through functional activities", surveyed both at the macro level in the direction of generalizing the entire Vietnamese lexical meaning system and at the micro level from the intellectual meaning level to the practical meaning level and the symbolic meaning level. Studying the development of Vietnamese lexical meaning in a dynamic mechanism, Prof. Le Quang Thiem has divided the general system of lexical meaning into subsystems with basic units in a hierarchy from high to low in different semantic fields. Thanks to that, the problem of lexical meaning of words, a problem that is inherently very abstract and complex, has been solved by Prof. Le Quang Thiem presents more specifically, more clearly, especially more deeply and logically. The descriptions and analyses of word meanings cover a wide period, and are meticulous and profound in the cases of studying the changes in practical semantic fields after 1945; studying the characteristics of intellectual semantic fields through specific descriptions and analyses of the development of meanings in a number of scientific terminology systems, which are very new and unique research results of Professor Le Quang Thiem on the development of Vietnamese vocabulary meanings in the past 60 years. The uniqueness and novelty obtained in the semantic research of lexical units by Professor Le Quang Thiem originate from the dynamic approach in the study of meanings, but more importantly, it comes from the shift in theory and perspective on the content of the concept of the semantic system. The meaning of words is one of the most important issues in linguistics, so there are two different trends of interpretation surrounding this issue: a. Considering word meanings as a certain entity; b. Given that word meaning is a certain relationship. As the expressed aspect (content aspect) of a language signal, meaning is considered by Professor Le Quang Thiem to be an abstract spiritual entity that exists in all manifestations and levels of language so that language can perform the function of a communication and thinking tool as well as all other diverse specific functions, especially in speech, in writing, and discourse: "Meaning is a spiritual entity, that is, a form created by humans and by humans, using language as a means and tool, so the functional perspective must be considered the core of meaning interpretation". As a product of human thinking activities, in Professor Le Quang Thiem's ​​view, meaning is always associated with the human cognitive process. The formation of word meaning plays a crucial role in human cognitive activities. To talk about meaning is to talk about knowledge, understanding, the content of feelings, reflections of the world in human perception expressed in word symbols in the world of language. Therefore, the semantic plane also reflects through vocabulary the cultural and spiritual characteristics of the people using the language.

The dynamic perspective on the study of meaning, the shift in theory, the shift in perspective on the system of conceptual content of meaning as above has been clearly presented by Professor Le Quang Thiem in the workSemantics(published as a book in 2008, Education Publishing House). This scientific work has marked a new development step, a new approach, a new perspective in the study of semantics in general and Vietnamese lexical semantics in particular.

Two projects aloneHistory of Vietnamese vocabulary from 1858 to 1945andThe development of Vietnamese vocabulary from 1945 to 2005, Prof. Le Quang Thiem has completed a historical survey of a period of nearly 150 years (from 1858 - 2005) on Vietnamese vocabulary and lexical meaning on a massive corpus unprecedented in the history of Vietnamese development. The work has set a milestone on the path of studying the history of Vietnamese. These two scientific works of Prof. Le Quang Thiem are exemplary in both breadth and depth of approach to the research subject, in the way of exploiting documents, in the way of solving problems to obtain comprehensive and profound research results on a complex and diverse subject - the history of modern Vietnamese vocabulary and semantics.

As the first generation of students of Professor Le Quang Thiem, we have known him since the 70s of the last century, when he was a student of the 14th course (1969 - 1973), Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University of Science. At that time, he was the head teacher of our Language class. Although he was young, he had a very dignified style and was especially strict. Since then, nearly half a century has passed, Professor, Doctor, People's Teacher Le Quang Thiem has trained many generations of students, graduate students, and researchers in Linguistics in the country and abroad. As someone who was very well trained abroad, with extensive knowledge in the fields of comparative linguistics, vocabulary - semantics, his lectures and topics have provided a system of deep and comprehensive knowledge for learners. Many graduate students and post-graduate students have successfully defended their master's and doctoral theses on lexicon - semantics and comparative linguistics under the systematic and scientific guidance of Professor Le Quang Thiem, a knowledgeable teacher in his field of expertise and a role model in the field of pedagogy. Many generations of his students have graduated and grown up in the field of linguistics research and teaching. He has imparted his professional knowledge to them, taught them the art of living and how to behave in life.

I would also like to add that there is a topic area, a knowledge area that fits your style, which is culture. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to read it carefully and systematically, so I cannot record my detailed understanding here. I noticed that wherever and in whatever specific circumstances you study linguistics, you also pay attention to learning about culture. In your works, there is always a connection and attention to culture in language, with language. When there isDecade of world cultureLaunched by the United Nations (1987 - 1996), he and a number of veteran professors: Tran Dinh Huou, Nguyen Kim Dinh, Thanh Duy published the bookCulture with the development of Vietnamese society in the direction of socialism(National Political Publishing House, 1998) edited by him. When he went to work as a visiting professor in Paris VII and did research for several months at the invitation of the Korean Foundation in Seoul, Korea, he published the bookKorean culture and traditional cultural elements(Literature Publishing House, 1998, reprinted 2005, Hanoi National University Publishing House). He also edited the bookBru - Van Kieu ethnic group, current situation and solutions for sustainable development(Agricultural Publishing House, 1997); and co-authored the publication of the bookCultural personality in Vietnamese value table(Social Science Publishing House, 1993),Truth, Goodness, and Beauty - Unity and Diversity in Culture and Art(Social Science Publishing House, 1994),...

For generations of students, he is always a shining example of the spirit of work and scientific creativity, of the kindness of a teacher. He himself passed on the flame of enthusiasm, passion for scientific research, the flame of love for humanity, love for the country to many generations of students.