Negative questions in english and vietnamese - A contrastive analysis

Declaration I - Ngo Thi Thu Hien, hereby state that, this thesis is the result of my own research and the substance of the thesis has not, wholly or in part, been submitted for any degrees to another universities or institutions Signature:…………………………… Date : August, 2007 Abstract This paper focuses on English and Vietnamese negative questions in term of structures and word using. The author wishes only to concentrate on four types of negative questions: negative Yes/ No question, negative Tag- question, negative Wh- question, negative alternative question. The thesis is divided into three parts, the main content is presented in part two. The similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese negative questions have been analysed and pointed out. With an ambition to help teachers and learners have a clear understanding about the English and Vietnamese negative questions, the author also drawn out a survey questionnaire to find out the common mistakes made by Vietnamese students. And then the author has managed to suggest some ways to correct common those mistakes. Suggested exercises are also offered to help learners to practice and avoid committing mistakes. The thesis mainly focuses on the structures of four types of negative questions in English and Vietnamese, the negative words that are used in negative questions are also considered. However, the pragmatic and semantic features have been initially investigated; a deeper approach to the pragmatic and semantic feature is suggested for further study. Acknowledgements Writing a dissertation is not just a matter of getting the work done efficiently and with good input-output ratio, for me it has been much about finding my place in the matrix of different research traditions and people doing that research. I feel very fortunate to have come across and made friends with a large number of kind, bright and encouraging people during my research. This work would never have been possible without the encouragement and support from my supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Do. I have been extremely lucky to have him as my mentor and guide in writing this thesis. I am also indebted to all my lecturers at University for their precious knowledge, useful lectures in linguistics, which lay the foundation for this study. Lastly, I would like to thank the most important people in my life, my family and friends. I am forever grateful for my parents, who have given me their unconditional support and provided me with the feeling that I am free and capable to pursue any goal in life that I set my mind. Table of Contents Declaration…………………………………………………………………………………. i Abstract.................................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………… iii Contents……………………………………………………………………………………. iv List of tables……………………………………………………………………………….. vi Part 1: Introduction Rationale .................................................................................................................... 1 Aims of the study........................................................................................................ 2 Scope of the study…………………………………………………………………... 2 Methods of the study………………………………………………………………... 2 Design of the study…………………………………………………………………. 2 Part 2: Development Chapter 1: Theoretical Background 1. Negation in English and Vietnamese in brief………………………………………... 1.1 Definition of negation…………………………………………………………... 1.2 Scope of negation ………………………………………………………………. 1.3 Focus of negation ………………………………………………………………. 1.3.1 End – focus………………………………………………………………… 1.3.2 Contrastive focus………………………………………………………….. 1.4. Relationship between Scope and Focus of negation…………………………… 2. Negative questions in English……………………………………………………….. 2.1 What is a negative question?................................................................................. 2.2 The semantic and pragmatic approach to English negative questions…………. 4 4 4 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 Chapter 2: A contrastive analysis of the English and Vietnamese negative questions 1. Negative forms and non- assertive forms in English………………………………… 1.1 Negative forms…………………………………………………………………… 1.2 Words with negative meaning…………………………………………………... 1.3 Non – assertive forms…………………………………………………………... 2. Negative orientation………………………………………………………………….. 3. English negative questions……………………………………………………………. 3.1 Negative Yes/ No questions…………………………………………………….. 3.2 Negative Tag- questions………………………………………………………… 3.3 Negative Wh- questions……………………………………………………….... 3.4 Negative alternative questions………………………………………………….. 4. A contrastive analysis of negative questions in English and Vietnamese equivalents. 4.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………. 4.2 Structures..……………………………………………………………………….. 4.2.1 Negative structures in Yes/ No questions………………………………….. 4.2.2 Negative structures in Tag- questions……………………………………… 4.2.3 Negative structures in Wh- questions……………………………………… 4.2.4 Negative structures in alternative questions………………………………... 4.3 Subclause ………………………………………………………………………... 4.3.1 Use of “not” in English negative question and negative words in Vietnamese equivalents………………………………………………………… Chapter 3: Common errors made by Hanoi commercial and tourism college (HCTC) students in using English negative questions and suggested solutions Introduction……………………………………………………………………........ Research background and Methodology…………………………………………… 2.1 The subjects……………………………………………………………………… 2.2 Instrument………………………………………………………………............. 2.3 Procedures……………………………………………………………………….. 2.4 Findings………………………………………………………………………….. Some suggestions to correct common errors………………………………………. Part 3. Conclusion Summary of the findings……………………………………………………………. Implication for teaching and learning………………………………………………. Suggestion for further studies……………………………………………………… Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………. Appendix 1: Questionnaire..................................................................................................... 11 11 12 12 13 14 14 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 22 23 27 29 29 32 32 32 33 33 33 35 39 39 40 41 I List of tables Table 1: Structures of English and Vietnamese negative Yes/ No question Table 2: Structures of English and Vietnamese negative Tag- question. Table 3: Structures of English and Vietnamese negative Wh- question Table 4: Structures of English and Vietnamese negative alternative question Part 1: Introduction Rationale English is not the most widely spoken language in the world in terms of the number of native speakers--there are many more Chinese speakers than native English speakers--but Chinese is spoken little outside of Chinese communities, so English is the most widespread language in the world. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many English speakers there are, but according to one estimate there are more than 350,000,000 native English speakers and more than 400,000,000 speakers of English as a second language (a language used in everyday life, even though it is not the native language) or foreign language (a language studied but not used much in everyday life). However, even these numbers do not really indicate how important English is as a world language, because less than fifteen percent of the world population uses English. The importance of English is not just in how many people speak it but in what it is used for. English is the major language of news and information in the world. It is the language of business and government even in some countries where it is a minority language. It is the language of maritime communication and international air traffic control, and it is used even for internal air traffic control in countries where it is not a native language. In communicative process in English as well as in other languages, questions play an important role in our daily life. We are not able to keep communicating going on well without asking questions. We ask in order to exchange information, ideas, feeling and knowledge. On the other hand, we sometimes ask questions not for the above purposes but for confirmation, refusal irony or reply avoidance. It is undeniable that questions can not be missed in communication. There are a lot of types of question in English but in this paper I would like to devote all my interest in English negative questions in order to get more understanding of this type of questions and we can be able to use it flexibly and fluently. The contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese negative questions also reveals the similarities and differences in both languages. From my experience and knowledge, I will go deep into this matter in a hope of assisting to help people who are interested in the subject matter. Aims of the study The study is mainly aimed at: Examining how structures and negative words of English and Vietnamese negative questions are built and used in details Making a comparison of English negative questions with Vietnamese equivalents Exposing some common mistakes made by Vietnamese students and presenting some suggested solutions Heightening learner’s awareness in teaching and learning English and Vietnamese negative questions. Scope of the study The study “English negative questions in English and Vietnamese - a contrastive analysis” focuses on English negative questions in English and Vietnamese equivalents within the frame of structures and using negative words. There are four types of questions will be focused: Yes-No question, tag question, wh-question, alternative question. Especially, only negative questions that use negator “not” will be discussed, other will be suggested for further study. Then the author also conducted two questionnaires to find out the mistakes made by Vietnamese students, and from these mistakes, some suggestions to improve are provided. Methods of the study The study is conducted by carefully collecting materials from various sources to have full –blown information of English and Vietnamese negative questions. Moreover, I have consulted with my supervisor, and obtained much suggestion, instructions and encouragement from him. And lastly, the contrastive analysis is made intra- and interlingually: English negative questions with Vietnamese counterparts, contrastive analysis involves two stages: description of the structures and the use of negative words in both languages. Design of the study This study is divided into three main parts: Part 1 is the Introduction of the study. It includes the rationale for choosing the topic, the aims, the scope, the methods and design of the study. Part 2 contains three chapters, in which Chapter 1 provides readers some theoretical background on negation, negative questions in English and Vietnamese in brief. Chapter 2 is also the main part of the study, provides the contrastive analysis of English and Vietnamese negative questions. Chapter 3 presents a small research of the author to find out some common mistakes made by Vietnamese students in using English negative questions and suggested solutions. Part 3 is the Conclusion of the study. It also gives out implication for teaching and learning Negative questions and some suggestions for further studies. Part 2: Development Chapter 1: Theoretical background This chapter focuses on some theoretical background on negation, negative questions in English and Vietnamese in brief. As negation is a complex part, many grammarians have studied on it. They also gave out ideas about negation and forms of it and I have consulted some grammar books before carrying out my study. Negation in English and Vietnamese in brief. Definition of negation. According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, published in 1994, negation is the act of stating that something does not exist or is untrue, and the Vietnamese Dictionary, published in 1998 by the Centre of dictionary and Da Nang Publishing House says that negation is the act of rejecting the existence, the necessity of something; is the opposition of affirmation. There also have been many definitions of negation made by many scholars so far: Frank, Marcela (undated; 205) states that negation shows disagreement, denial, absence of somebody or something, or an opposite idea or quality. Forming a negative clause means putting “not” directly after operator. Semantically speaking, Frank has pointed out the importance of negation in establishing “a counter–part” of affirmation. Grammatically speaking, the insertion of “not” in predicate of a sentence is a signal of negation. My research mainly bases on English Grammar book “A University Grammar of English” (R, Quirk.1973). According to him, the negation of a simple sentence is accomplished by inserting not, n’t between the operator and the predication. Although the definition of negation varies from scholar to scholar, from dictionary to dictionary, we can draw some main points as follows: Negation is a part of men’s cognition activity and communication process. It also a basic category of thinking, of formal logic. It is the opposition of the affirmative category. Scope of negation The term scope of negation is introduced to refer to the stretch of language over which the negative has its effect. The relation between negative words and non-assertive words that they govern will happen in scope of negation (that is part of language that the negative meaning operates through). The scope of negation formally extents from the negative words to the end of the clause or to the beginning of a final adjunct. The subject and any adjuncts occur before a final predication often lies outside it. Thus, the operator can be within or outside the scope. Below are some examples to illustrate: E.g.: I completely did not agree with you. (1) Versus I did not completely agree with you. (2) In (1), the scope of negation stretches from “not” to “you”, subject (I), adjunct (completely), operator (did) are excluded, the predication takes full negative effect = It is complete that I did not agree with you or = that I did not agree with you is complete Sentence (2) I did not completely agree with you, subject (I) and operator (did) are put outside while adjunct is inside, negative meaning extends from negative word to the end of the clause. (2)= I agree with you, but not always. The scope of negation also extends to the beginning of a final adjunct. E.g.: He did not come back in the afternoon (3) Versus: He did not come back in the afternoon (4) Two examples above, final adjunct as adverbial maybe within and outside scope: (3)= It is not true that he came back in the afternoon (4)= In the afternoon, he did not come back. The adverbial is not always essential to the structure of a sentence, thus, it can move to the initial or final position of the sentence. Final adjunct in the negative sentence is to tell us the time that action happens. Similarly, to take another example: E.g. 1: He doesn’t listen to you on purpose = That he listens to you on purpose is not true (implies, sometimes he does this) E.g. 2: He doesn’t listen to you on purpose = On purpose, he doesn’t listen to you (He never does this) The negative clause that has adjunct is ambiguous to interpret. Because adjuncts are optional elements and have no fixed position that listeners understand in their own ways. The scope of negation only works with non-assertive forms. In the negative with assertive forms, the scope does not include them. It is because assertive-forms do not exert negative effect. E.g.: He did not collect some stamps ≈ He collected some stamps He did not collect any stamps ≈ He collected no stamps A negative with assertive-form implies another affirmative or is regarded as “partial negative”. Apart from adverbials, the ambiguity is also made by an operator in a negative, here, operator is not a normal auxiliary expressing grammatical function, but a modal auxiliary. With a negative modal auxiliary, verb phrase falls into a situation that the negation belongs to main verb or auxiliary, the interpretation of the negative depends on the negative meaning of modal auxiliaries themselves. Focus of negation We need to identify not only the scope, but the focus of negation. Focus of negation gives a stress on particular part of a negative clause, this not only indicates the contrast of meaning implicit in the negative but also implies the rest of the clause in the positive. The focus of negation is to place effect on single word, which belongs to either open-class item in clause. The grammarians divided focus of negation in English into two types: End-focus Quirk (1974; 407) defines that end focus is the chief prominence on the last- open items (verbs, adjectives, nouns, adverbs) and proper noun. The end focus is used to withdraw hearer’s attention to information that speaker wants to convey; when a negative clause has end-focus, only last item is negated the rest is positive. E.g.: She wasn’t at home ≈ (She was at somewhere, not at home) They haven’t been to Paris ≈ (They have gone to somewhere, but not Paris) Contrastive-focus Special or contrastive focus may be placed at earlier points and falls on any of the non-final elements of the clause or final item which belongs to closed-system items (prepositions, pronouns, etc...). Using contrastive focus, only one item is negated and the rest of clause is understood in positive sense. E.g.: `Peter did not send a postcard to Mary on Christmas ≈ (Someone sent a postcard to Mary on Christmas, not Peter) Peter did not send a `Postcard to Mary on Christmas ≈ (Peter sent something to Mary on Christmas, not postcard) The contrastive focus points out which element is negated in a clause to contrast it with something or somebody already mentioned. Contrastive focus falls on a final item, but not end-focus. E.g.: She is not waiting for `me ≈ (She is waiting for someone, not me) His father was not `out ≈ (He was in) Operator also gets a contrastive focus which places contrastive emphasis on tense. E.g.: She `didn’t study English two years ago (Now, she is learning English) Operator is used in elliptical replies to concentrate attention on new information by avoiding repetition of given information. E.g.: Have you phoned your parents? No I ` haven’t ≈ (I haven’t phoned my parents) Did you go out last night? No, I `didn’t ≈ (I didn’t go out last night) The participation of end focus and a contrastive focus makes the focus of negation not as ambiguous as the scope of negations they also have a certain contribution to finding appropriate account for ambiguity in the scope of negation. The relationship between scope and focus of negation The scope and focus are interrelated in such as a way that the scope must include the focus. In an independent clause the scope of negation covers all the negative effect the extent of the scope is identified by the position of the focus. Negative questions in English 2.1 What is a negative question? Negative questions differ in meaning from normal questions only in that the speaker expresses an implied assumption or hope for which he is requesting affirmation or denial.  The structure calls for the speaker to state his/her assumption and then ask the question "do you" if his assumption is negative or "don't you" if his assumption is positive. E.g.: You (do) swim, don't you? The speaker of this question is assuming and / or hoping that the other person does swim and requesting affirmation. The “do” in parentheses is optional. Conversely, one may also say this: E.g.: You don’t swim, do you? In this version, the speaker suspects and /or hopes that the other person does not swim and is requesting affirmation. Thir