a cross-cultural study on weather proverbs in english and vietnamese. Đỗ thị minh ngọc....

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

ĐỖ THỊ MINH NGỌC

A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY ON WEATHER

PROVERBS IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE

DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS (TEFL)

Hanoi, May 2010

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

ĐỖ THỊ MINH NGỌC

A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY ON WEATHER

PROVERBS IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE

DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS (TEFL)

SUPERVISOR: PHAN THỊ VÂN QUYÊN, MA.

Hanoi, May 2010

ACCEPTANCE

I hereby state that I: Đỗ Thị Minh Ngọc, 061E10, being a candidate for the

degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the College

relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited

in the library.

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in

the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in

accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the

care, loan, or reproduction of the paper.

Signature

May, 2010

Graduation Paper

Do Thi Minh Ngoc – 06.F1.E10 – Faculty of English Language Teacher Education i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

irst and foremost, I would like to express the most sincere

gratitude to my supervisor, Ms. Phan Thi Van Quyen, for all of

her devotion, careful instructions and prompt feedback. I am also obliged to

all of my friends for their support and helpful advice for my search of

information needed for the study. Finally, special thanks go to my family

who have always stood by me and encouraged me a lot during the process of

accomplishing the thesis.

F

Graduation Paper

Do Thi Minh Ngoc – 06.F1.E10 – Faculty of English Language Teacher Education ii

ABSTRACT

Due to the inextricable relationship between language and culture, it is

essential that learning and teaching a language be accompanied with

learning and teaching its culture. Proverb is an integral part of language

which is assumed to best encapsulate the cultural values and beliefs.

Therefore, an investigation into a nation‟s proverbs can bring such profound

knowledge about its culture. The study limits the investigation to weather

proverbs in English and Vietnamese with the aim of finding out the cultural

similarities and differences between two countries. The qualitative method is

mainly employed for the search of in-depth knowledge and comparative

perspectives are used to find out the similar and distinctive cultural features.

It is revealed from the research that Vietnam generally has more weather

proverbs than England does. Most of images and words used in Vietnamese

weather proverbs are agriculture-specific whereas those in English are more

likely associated with cattle breeding and fishing. This implies the difference

in people‟s attitude towards nature and in their conception of relation

between nature and their lives. The main factor that leads to such difference

is attributed to the climatic patterns and the influence of the principal and

prevalent economic activities carried out in each country. Based on the

research results, an implication can be drawn that teaching and learning

weather proverbs is of great significance for the further discovery of culture.

Weather proverbs can be applied into the teaching process not only as good

examples of linguistic factors or a further practice to engage learners but

also as a clear illustration of cultural points and an effective instrument for

further study into the field of culture.

Graduation Paper

Do Thi Minh Ngoc – 06.F1.E10 – Faculty of English Language Teacher Education iii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. ………………………………………………………………..15

Components of Culture

Figure 2. ………………………………………………………………..53

The number of English weather proverbs and Vietnamese weather proverbs

in three categories

Figure 3. ………………………………………………………………...54

The proportion of English proverbs in three categories

Figure 4. ………………………………………………………………..55

The proportion of Vietnamese weather proverbs in three categories

Figure 5…………………………………………………………………56

Weather proverbs that anticipate weather changes

Figure 6. ………………………………………………………………..58

Weather proverbs that represent weather’s influence on production

Graduation Paper

Do Thi Minh Ngoc – 06.F1.E10 – Faculty of English Language Teacher Education iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................................... i

ABSTRACT ..........................................................................................................ii

LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................... iii

Chapter I: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1

I.1. Rationale ...................................................................................................... 1

I.2. Research aims and research questions ......................................................... 3

I.3. Scope of the research ................................................................................... 4

I. 4. Methods of the research .............................................................................. 5

I. 5. Significance of the research ........................................................................ 6

I. 6. Design of the research ................................................................................. 6

Chapter II: LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................. 9

II.1. Culture ........................................................................................................ 9

II.1.1. Definition of culture ............................................................................. 9

II.1.2. Features of culture ............................................................................. 11

II.1.3. Functions of culture ........................................................................... 14

II.1.4. Components of culture ....................................................................... 15

II.1.5. English culture and Vietnamese culture ............................................ 18

II.2. Language .................................................................................................. 21

II.2.1. Definition of language ....................................................................... 21

II.2.2. Language varieties ............................................................................. 22

II.2.3. Functions of language ........................................................................ 23

II.3. The relation between language and culture .............................................. 28

Graduation Paper

Do Thi Minh Ngoc – 06.F1.E10 – Faculty of English Language Teacher Education v

II.4. Proverbs .................................................................................................... 32

II.4.1. Definition of proverbs ........................................................................ 32

II.4.2. Typical features of proverbs .............................................................. 33

II.4.3. Origins of proverbs ............................................................................ 36

II.5. Proverbs as an expression of culture ........................................................ 37

II.6. Weather proverbs ...................................................................................... 37

II.6.1. What is weather proverb? .................................................................. 37

II.6.2. Cultural values of weather proverbs .................................................. 39

Chapter III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .............................................. 41

III.1. Data collection method ........................................................................... 41

III.1.1. Data collection instruments .............................................................. 41

III.1.2. Data collection procedure ................................................................ 42

III.2. Data analysis ........................................................................................... 43

III.2.1. Data analysis method ....................................................................... 43

III.2.2. Data analysis procedure ................................................................... 44

Chapter IV: DATA ANALYSIS ....................................................................... 47

IV.1. The quantitative account of the number of weather proverbs in each

proverb stock ................................................................................................. 47

IV.2. Based on the images frequently used in weather proverbs ..................... 58

Chapter V: MAJOR FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................ 65

V.1. Major findings .......................................................................................... 65

V.1.1. Cultural types ..................................................................................... 66

V.1.2. Attitudes towards the environment ..................................................... 68

Graduation Paper

Do Thi Minh Ngoc – 06.F1.E10 – Faculty of English Language Teacher Education vi

V.1.3. Factors leading to cultural differences .............................................. 76

V.2. Recommendations on the application of weather proverbs into the

teaching of English as a foreign language .................................................... 79

V.2.1. The importance of teaching and learning the proverbs of the

target language ............................................................................................. 79

V.2.2. Applying English weather proverbs into the teaching ....................... 82

Chapter VI: CONCLUSION ............................................................................ 85

VI.1. Summary and conclusion ........................................................................ 85

VI.2. Limitations of the study .......................................................................... 86

VI.3. Suggestions for further study .................................................................. 87

REFERENCES ......................................................................................................

APPENDIX .............................................................................................................

Graduation Paper

Do Thi Minh Ngoc – 06.F1.E10 – Faculty of English Language Teacher Education 1

Chapter I: INTRODUCTION

I.1. Rationale

Never should learning a language be separated from learning its

culture. There is such a statement that “Language is Culture and Culture is

Language” which emphasizes the complex homologous relationship between

language and culture. As Franz Boas, a German American anthropologist,

stated, one could not really understand another culture without having an

access to its language because of the intimate connection between them. In

other words, the relation between language and culture is so inextricable that

we could not understand or appreciate the one without the knowledge of the

other (To M.T., 2000). It can be said that learning the culture of the

countries in which the target language is spoken as the first language is

indispensable part of the learning process. “We cannot really learn a second-

language – or more precisely, learn the uses of that language unless we learn

about the culture because many of the meanings constructed in the language

are culture specific.” (Pollock, 1990 in To M.T. 2000). Thus, to language

learners, understanding and exploring the culture of the target language is of

vital and unprecedented importance, especially in the context of

globalization as these days. Learning the language and its culture

simultaneously has become nearly a “should”, or to be more strongly

emphasized, a “must”; otherwise, learners might stand a great chance of

suffering from embarrassment and culture shock when they take part in

every daily life cross-culture communication.

Graduation Paper


However, there exists a fact that the teaching of a foreign language,

most typically the English language teaching in Vietnam seems to place so

much emphasis and focus on the language knowledge itself; yet, the culture

has not been sufficiently paid attention to. Regarding this problem, there

may be an argument from teachers that there is no time left for such a non-

linguistic feature when all other linguistic factors and vocabulary which are

directly beneficial to learners‟ preparation for the national tests have not yet

been fully covered. It is true that the amount of knowledge needed to meet

the requirement of the tests nearly leaves no time for a deep focus on the

culture. Nevertheless, we should bear in mind that the culture is not

necessarily taught in isolation; instead, it can be integrated into the process

of learning and teaching through the application of some sources of

authentic materials, of which the use of proverbs is a typical example.

The exploitation of proverbs in the language teaching not only

provides learners with a rich source of vocabulary items and exemplifies

some certain grammatical structures but also equips them with a good basis

of cultural knowledge reflected in the proverbs themselves. According to the

standard dictionary definition, a “proverb” is “a short saying in common use

that strikingly expresses some obvious truth or familiar experience”

(Guralnik and Solomon 1980:1144). Proverbs are what hundreds of human

generations have drawn through their keen observation of the world and are

passed over time. They are always interesting and challenging topic for

linguists to explore because they not only tap into universal, such as the

physiological rhythms of the human life cycle (Matthew S.& Aplan, Ph.D.),

but they also vary in the way that appears to reflect specific cultural

differences.

Graduation Paper


So far, there have been a large number of researches conducted to

investigate the cultural values of proverbs as well as their applicability in

language teaching. Yet, most of the studies deal with proverbs in general. In

this paper, the researcher would like to focus only on the English weather

proverbs and put them in the comparison and contrast with Vietnamese ones.

The reason for the researcher‟s choosing weather proverbs is that more than

any other kind of proverbs, they illustrate the process human beings explore

the natural world and form their world-view as well as gain experience in

dealing with nature, serving their need of economic development. An

interesting point here is that any geographical difference between two

countries can lead to difference in the way people perceive the world, which

in turn results in different experience asserted in the weather proverbs.

Therefore, a contrastive look into distinctive features of Vietnamese and

English ones can tell us much about similarities and differences between two

cultures.

All the points mentioned above are fundamental impetuses that

stimulate the researcher to conduct this study.

I.2. Research aims and research questions

This research has three main aims as the followings.

First of all, through the investigation into the formation of weather

proverbs as well as their linguistic and non-linguistic features, the researcher

aims at discovering the cultural and traditional values underlying the literal

words.

Secondly, the research is to work out the similarities and differences

in the cultures of the two countries that are reflected through their proverbs.

Graduation Paper


Thirdly, the study is to equip both those learning English and those

learning Vietnamese as their foreign language with rich knowledge on

Vietnamese proverbs and English proverbs in general and on weather

proverbs in particular. At the same time, it will help them to link the

knowledge they already have about their culture with the newly learned

foreign one, from which they build cross-cultural knowledge that afterwards

effectively serve their communicative purposes in daily-life and

international contexts.

To achieve the above aims, the following research questions are put

forward:

1. What cultural values and beliefs are reflected in the weather

proverbs in both English and Vietnamese?

2. What are the cultural similarities and differences between

Vietnamese culture and English culture that weather proverbs can convey?

What factors lead to such differences?

I.3. Scope of the research

As proverb is a very broad topic, under the constraint of time and

experience, the researcher cannot cover all kinds of proverbs but focus on

weather proverbs only. Also, the researcher only concentrates on three

categories of weather proverbs; they are: weather proverbs that simply

anticipate weather changes, weather proverbs that express weather‟s

influence on production, and weather proverbs that show weather‟s

influence on human life.

Within the limited amount of time, the number of proverbs referred to

in order to select weather proverbs in each language is restricted to about

Graduation Paper


2000 proverbs. After being selected, these proverbs are compared and

analyzed. Collating proverbs is indeed a hard job; therefore, the researcher

only put an emphasis on two bases: first, based on a quantitative comparison

of the number of proverbs, and second, based on the analysis of typical

images used in proverbs. The main focus of the study is to find out the

similarities and differences in cultural values that are reflected through

weather proverbs.

I. 4. Methods of the research

The basic material collection method that is employed in the research

is referring to all publications concerning English and Vietnamese proverbs,

especially those which have already contain a list of proverbs together with

their meanings. The research will scan all the publications to pick up the

weather proverbs of the two languages.

After having compiled the collection of proverbs, the researcher will

classify them into three categories: weather proverbs that simply anticipate

weather changes, weather proverbs that describe weather‟s influence on

production, and weather proverbs that show weather‟s influence on human

life.

Finally, the researcher will analyze the characteristics of each

category, taking an insight into each proverb to work out their remarkable

features which indicate cultural values and beliefs embedded in the sentence.

These characteristics will be synthesized to make a generalization about

typical features of English and Vietnamese weather proverbs. Moreover, it is

necessary to emphasize that English and Vietnamese proverbs are always

Graduation Paper


analyzed in the comparison and contrast with each other in order to highlight

their similarities and differences.

I. 5. Significance of the research

The significance of the research lies in its contribution, first and

foremost, to the language learners‟ discovering process of the target culture.

Once completed, it will be a useful source for those whose interests are

placed in investigating the distinctiveness of cultures all around the world.

Also, thanks to a rich source of proverbs the research offers, language

learners can exploit it as a source of language units to enrich and color their

writing and speaking in both academic and daily settings. As regards the

teaching process, this thesis can also provide such a great reference not only

in the subject of cross-cultural study but in many other skill-focused subjects

as well. It can help to improve teachers‟ awareness of the importance of

proverbs as an inseparable unit of the linguistic system and the need to

include them into the curriculum. The knowledge of the target language will

be biased with the absence of cultural knowledge which can be obtained in a

vivid way through the proverb stocks. That‟s why besides grammar points

and normal vocabulary items, proverbs together with idioms should be paid

sufficient attention to.

I. 6. Design of the research

This research is composed of six chapters.

The first chapter provides an introduction to the issue and an overview

of the thesis. In this chapter, the researcher would clarify her reasons for

conducting the study as well as her research methodology, the research

questions that need to be dealt with, the scope of the study, and after all the

Graduation Paper


significance of the study to English language teaching and learning process

once it has been accomplished.

Then comes chapter two named Literature Review which supplies a

review of the theoretical background necessary for the research. An effort

will be made to find out the definitions for the entire glossary terms,

including culture, language, proverbs and weather proverbs. The distinctive

and remarkable characteristics of these phenomena will also be unearthed in

order to provide a clear concept from the beginning.

Chapter 3 deals with the research methodology. In this chapter, the

method embracing the setting of the study, the research tools, the data

collection method, and analysis method will be clarified.

Chapter 4 analyzes the weather proverbs that have been collected

under a comparative and contrastive perspective with the aim of

investigating the cultural values and beliefs embodied in this kind of

proverbs. The main focus is to compare the remarkable features of English

weather proverbs and Vietnamese weather proverbs to find out the

similarities as well as the differences between them.

Chapter 5 is the main part of the research which is developed into two

sub-parts: major findings and recommendations. The former includes a

generalization about the cultural values and beliefs reflected in weather

proverbs in both languages - English and Vietnamese - and in what ways

they are similar to or different from each others. The latter proposes some

practical recommendations of how to apply teaching proverbs into the

general English language teaching.

Graduation Paper


Lastly, chapter 6 concludes the research plus directions for further

studies. Apart from that, references and appendices are enclosed for those

who are interested in studying the same issues of this thesis.

Graduation Paper


Chapter II: LITERATURE REVIEW

II.1. Culture

II.1.1. Definition of culture

Various definitions of cultures have been given by scholars from

different points of view.

The term “culture” derives from the Latin cultura. The original

meaning is agriculture, referring to the practice of tilling the soil, growing

crops and raising animals.

Until 1871, in his enormously influential and classic book Primitive

Culture, British anthropologist Edward Taylor became the first to give a full

definition of culture which is widely quoted: “Culture…is that complex

whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, custom and any

other capacities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.”

Nguyen Quang in his book “Intercultural communication” also

claimed that “Culture is a shared background (for example, national, ethnic,

religious) resulting from a common language and communication style,

customs, beliefs, attitudes, and values.” The nature of culture is aptly

compared to an iceberg, most of which is hidden under water. Just as an

iceberg has a visible section above the waterline, and a larger, invisible

section below the waterline, culture has some aspects that are observable

such as literature, gestures, foods and eating habits and others that can only

be suspected, existing only in the realms of thought, feeling, and belief.

“Like the iceberg most of the influence of culture on an individual cannot be

seen. The part of culture that is exposed is not always that which creates

Graduation Paper


cross-cultural difficulties; the hidden aspects of culture have significant

effects on behavior and on interactions with others.” (Nguyen Quang, 1996).

Also like an iceberg, the part of culture that is visible (i.e. observable

behaviors) is only a small part of a much bigger whole.

In 2000, a Japanese anthropologist, Matsumoto, delivered another

definition of culture as many characteristics of a group of people, including

attitudes, behaviors, customs and values that are transmitted from one

generation to the next. His point is supported by Edward T. Hall, who wrote

that “culture is a way of life of a people, the sum of their learned behavior

patterns, attitudes, and materials things”. In this definition, he mentioned

three elements of human life; they are: learned behavior patterns (referring

to what people do), attitudes (referring to what they think and believe), and

material things (referring to their property).

UNESCO also provides a definition of culture in which it is noted that

“Culture comprises the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material,

intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or social

group. It includes not only the arts and letters, but also modes of life, the

fundamental rights of the human being, value systems, traditions and

beliefs”.

Taking a glimpse at all the definitions above, we can see that culture

is studied from various perspectives. Some treated culture superficially as a

set of specific artifacts, man-made environment, patterns of social

organization and overt forms of behavior. Others treated culture in a more

abstract way as the shared knowledge of members of social communities

like world views, value orientations, norms, manners, customs, preferred

styles of thinking and arguing.

Graduation Paper


Being taken as “socially acquired knowledge” (Hudson, 1980:74)

culture is classified by some scholars into cultural knowledge information

and cultural communication information. The former refers to the factual

information which does not exert a direct influence on the cross-cultural

communication, including a nation‟s history, geography and so on. The later

points to the socio-pragmatic rules in daily communication which entail not

only ways of greeting, thanking, apologizing and addressing, but also

attention to taboos, euphemism, modesty and polite formula in use, and so

forth.

II.1.2. Features of culture

Culture, argued by many anthropologists, most notably Clifford

Geertz, is a symbolic meaning system. It is semiotic system in which

symbols function to communicate meaning from one mind to another.

Cultural symbols encode a connection between a signifying form and a

signaled meaning. From the standpoint of contemporary cultural

anthropologists, culture is characterized by the following four basic features:

1 – Culture is a kind of social inheritance instead of biological

heritage.

2 – Culture is shared by the whole community, not belonging to any

particular individual.

3 – Culture is a symbolic meaning system in which language is one of

the most important ones.

4 – Culture is a unified system, the integral parts of which are closely

related to one another.

Above are four principal features of culture. Added to this, culture in

general has some more important characteristics as following:

Graduation Paper


Culture is not innate; it is learned

According to Porter and Samovar (1993, p.12), culture is learned; it

means that when we are born we are “culturally clean” human beings. Right

after that, we start receiving cultural information from our family that will

teach us how to behave. For example, a Vietnamese child is taught how to

greet older people immediately when he or she begins learning to speak. We

learn the language, the social norms, and adopt our own culture‟s values and

beliefs first and foremost from our parents and grandparents. In other words,

our culture learning proceeds through interaction, observation, and imitation.

We start to learn the culture when we are very young, and this process seems

to never finish.

Culture is transmissible

“Culture is described as a very large pool of information passed along

from generation to generation, composed of “learned programs” for action

and understanding” (RG D‟Andrade, 1981). The symbols of a culture enable

us to pass on the content and patterns of a culture. We can spread our culture

through the spoken words or written scripts. Vietnamese folklore, for

instance, is a kind of culture vocally handed down to present from the past.

We also can use nonverbal actions as symbols, for example, showing others

that we usually shake hands to greet one another. The portability of symbols

allows us to package and store them as well as transmits them. The mind,

books, pictures, films, video, and so on, enables a culture to preserve what is

important and worthy of transmission. “Each individual, regardless of his or

her generation, is heir to a massive “library of information” that has been

collected in anticipation of his or her entry into the culture” (RG D‟Andrade,

1981).

Graduation Paper


Culture is selective

Every culture represents a limited choice of behavior patterns from the

infinite patterns of human experience. “Culture is selective in that among the

gamut of human possibilities it chooses some options rather then others for

its bearers” (Charles Tabor - quoted by Dr. Curt Watke, 2003). This

selection is made according to the basic assumption and values that are

meaningful to each culture. Therefore, culture helps to defines the

boundaries of different groups.

According to Dr. Curt Watke, this characteristic is important to all

students of intercultural communication for two reasons. First, it reminds us

that a culture selects to tell each succeeding generation is a reflection of

what that culture deems important. Second, the notion of selectivity also

suggests that cultures tend to separate one group from another. If one culture

selects work as an end (Japan), while another emphasize work as a means to

an end (Mexico), so we have a cultural separation.

Culture is not static

Culture is not static but it keeps on changing over time. “All cultural

knowledge does not perpetually accumulate. At the same time that new

cultural traits are added, some old ones are lost because they are no longer

useful”. One cultural trait that is changed will have an impact on other traits

because they are functionally interconnected. As a result, there commonly is

a resistance to major changes. For example, many men in North America

and Europe resisted the increase in economic and political opportunities for

women over the last century because of the far ranging consequences. It

inevitably changed the nature of marriage, the family, and the lives of all

Graduation Paper


men. It also significantly altered the workplace as well as the legal system

and the decisions made by the governments.

One more point to notice is that culture influences people‟s beliefs,

attitudes and values. Cultures throughout the world share many similarities,

but are marked by considerable differences. For example, while people of all

cultures experiences happiness, how this feeling is expressed varies from

one culture to the next. One more example that can be observed is whereas

table manner or eating etiquette exists in every culture, it is never the same

but very unique and distinctive. It can be calculated that only one third of the

world population uses tableware to eat, another third uses chopsticks, and

the rest enjoys their meals with their own fingers. Even in the same country,

these differences are still so apparent. With just a look at the South and the

North of Vietnam, we can see such differences in eating practices. While

Northerners consider the act of inviting the others, especially older people,

before meals nearly a must which shows the respect, Southerners tend to be

more easy-going and they seldom or never practise this action.

II.1.3. Functions of culture

Porter and Samovar said that “Culture is a complex, abstract and

pervasive matrix of social elements that functions as an all-compassing form

or pattern for living by laying out a predictable world in which an individual

is firmly oriented. Culture enables us to make sense of our surroundings,

aiding the transition from the womb to this new life”

Dr. Ta Van Thanh (1986) defined culture as having five main

functions. The central one is education, which is addressed through four

other functions, including cognitional function, the function of determining

standard, orienting assessment and adjusting human behaviors,

Graduation Paper


communicative function, and the function of guaranteeing the continuity of

history and traditions. He added that some components of culture also had

their own functions such as aesthetic or entertaining ones.

In some other materials, we may come across different names of

culture‟s functions. However, as stated by Dr. Tran Quoc Vuong, they are

just the different ways to express the same notions or simply they are viewed

from different perspectives. No matter how many functions of culture the

scholars define, they all agree that educational function is the most important

one.

II.1.4. Components of culture

Figure 1. Components of Culture

(Adopted from the textbook “Cơ sở văn hóa Việt Nam”

by Dr. Tran Quoc Vuong et. all)

literature

Mass media

Information &

Signals

Performing artsHandicrafts

Festivals

Audio arts

Plastic arts

Habits and customs

Religions

Dramma

photography and

cinema

Lifestyle

Language

Architecture

Lifestyle

photography and

cinemaliterature

Mass media

Information & Signals

Architecture

Performing arts

Language

Handicrafts

Dramma

Festivals

Audio arts

Habits and customs

Religions

Plastic arts

Components of Culture

Graduation Paper


Looking at the pie, we can see that culture is a system composed of a

variety of components. Each component both shares the common features of

culture and at the same time has its own unique characteristics. Dr. Tran

Quoc Vuong in the book “Cơ sở văn hóa Việt Nam” put an emphasis on

four, as he believed, main components; they are language, religions, beliefs,

and festivals.

The scope of cultural components is broadened by Emerald, who

defines that culture is not only the attitudes, beliefs, customs, traditions and

arts but also achievements of society that are passed on to each generation.

On that basis, eight groups of components of culture are shown, including

(1) environment, (2) math, science, tools, technology, (3) economics, (4)

religion, spiritual beliefs, (5) arts, language, writing, architecture, (6) laws

and government, (7) daily life, and (8) social structure.

In this part, I would like to consult Helmy H. Baligh‟s viewpoint

which classifies culture into six main components: customs, values, beliefs,

language, symbols, and norms.

First, customs are activities and events that occur on a regular basis. If

you go to church on Sundays, you are participating in culture. If you

celebrate annual memorial days of deceased family members, you are

participating in culture. Customs, in turn, have another element that makes

them so important - “customs provide the place and time where people form

their identity of who they are, who belongs to them, and who they belong to.

Moreover, customs play an important role in developing and maintaining the

identity of the group. Along with identity, customs bring about the cohesion

of a group” (Dean Papadopoulos, PhD).

Graduation Paper


Second, values and beliefs represent standards used to evaluate

desirability of things. They define what is right, good and moral and what is,

in contrast, wrong, bad and immoral. For example, in the US, there are such

American values and beliefs as individualism, freedom, practicality,

volunteerism, psychology of abundance, mobility, and patriotism, and so on.

The third element is symbols. A symbol, in a broader sense, is

anything that represents something else. A symbol can be a sign, a place, a

gesture, or even a person which hold such a meaningful cultural message.

For example, a flag is the symbol of the patriotic tradition of a nation; or the

Bucking Ham Palace is the symbol of British monarchy.

Fifth, norms, or as more often described – social norms, are guides

and models of expected behaviors which tell what is proper and what is not,

appropriate or inappropriate, right or wrong. Norms set limits within which

individuals may seek alternatives or ways to achieve their goals. In other

words, they regulates people‟s behaviors in a given society. Examples can

run from taking a bath frequently and regularly, to shaking hand in meeting,

and to not drinking liquor in the church.

Finally, language refers to a system of the sounds of written symbols

that have specific and arbitrary meaning in a given society. It allows people

to express their thoughts, their feelings, their hopes, and their dreams with

themselves and with one another. “Language is the one unifying component

of culture that binds one member of a group to another. In fact, language can

be said to be a major cornerstone of culture. Without language, people

cannot interact; without interaction, there is no identity with the group. “To

begin with, your first language, the one taught to you by your mother, is the

language that will bind you to your parents. Your first language not only

Graduation Paper


binds you to your parents, but just as importantly, it binds you to your

grandparents. Your grandparents are your link to understanding two major

questions in life: Where did we come from? And Where are we now?

Answering these important questions life asks you: Who am I? and Who will

I become? The link that language provides to family, group identity, and

individual identity makes it a major component of culture” (Dean

Papadopoulos, PhD).

As shown above, language is the major component of culture. It is

also the focus of this research. Further background knowledge related to

language will be given in the next part.

II.1.5. English culture and Vietnamese culture

II.1.5.1. Vietnamese principal cultural values

Vietnamese cultural values describe abstract ideas about what

Vietnamese society believes to be good, right, and desirable. Vietnamese

cultural values emphasize the importance of family and community. “Its

core values, which embrace the principles of Confucianism, are harmony,

duty and honor, respect, education and allegiance to the family” (Shapiro,

M. E.). Also, according to Hunt P. C. (2002), these values are represented as

the following:

Harmony

To achieve harmony, one must observe moderation and avoid

extremes in communication, daily life activities, consumption of food and

drink, and social interaction to ensure physical safety and adhere to the

moral imperative of keeping one‟s dignity unimpaired.

Duty and honor

Graduation Paper


Individuals have the ultimate duty to carry out with the utmost dignity

in all circumstances so as not to bring shame to oneself and the family. The

duties and roles of each family member are well defined. They govern the

actions of the individual and are the sacrifices one makes to one‟s family.

For example, the role of parents is to raise and educate children, instill them

with moral values. The children‟s duty is to obey their parents and never to

question their authority or teaching.

Respect

This is the guiding principle of all relationships. It is conveyed

through language and demeanor. At home, one is expected to show respect

to parents and family members. Outside the home, it is shown to elderly

people, teachers, and other authority figures. By showing respect to others,

individuals indicate their expectation that they will also be treated with the

respect.

Education

Education, valued more than material wealth and success, is the pillar

of the culture and begins at home. An uneducated rich person is regarded as

inferior to a learned person who is poor. In the traditional social system, the

scholar is at the top of the social hierarchy, followed by the farmer, the

artisan, and the tradesman.

Family

Traditionally, children were taught to forsake and make sacrifices to

ensure the family‟s welfare and harmony. Allegiance to one‟s family was

absolute and included fulfilling one‟s responsibilities and proper conduct

(i.e., modesty, self-control, moderation). Traditionally, the father has been

responsible for the wellbeing of family members and the ultimate decision-

Graduation Paper


maker and provider. Grandparents and elder relatives within the household

often share authority with the father. Hierarchy of authority also exists

among siblings. The oldest son of the family has the most authority and it is

his duty to look after the siblings if the parents are deceased. Familial duties

and obligations extend to the extended family and beyond. Ancestor

worship, for example, is a form of filial piety and children are responsible

for the maintenance of the ancestral tombs and pay homage to ancestor‟s

spirit at home.

II.1.5.2. English cultural values

According to David Marsland (1995), three primary English cultural

values are freedom, the work ethic (i.e., the commitment to hard work) and

the family.

Freedom

Freedom is the most fundamental element. It is construed as the

capacity of individual men and women to make rational decisions as

autonomous moral agents about their own best interests.

Work and the work ethic

It is assumed that work is man‟s normal and natural mode and arena

of individual creativity, self-expression, and competitive achievement

(Rand, 1994). In free societies, this arena is liberated from arbitrary

authoritarian interference, and scope for creativity, self-expression, and

achievement is thus maximized. Work is also traditionally regarded as a

fundamental characteristic of the free society and of liberal culture.

Individuals are encouraged to work hard, freely make their economic choice

for the pursuit of their own material life.

Graduation Paper


The family

English culture put an emphasis on the crucial role played by properly

functioning families in civilizing children‟s natural barbarity, and in

socializing them to the disciplines and ambitions of the world of work

(Dennis, 1993). The family is where morals are learned and also where the

necessary psychological infrastructure of freedom is laid down (David

Marsland, 1995). Therefore, children are always encouraged by their parents

to lead their independent lives when they are still young.

II.2. Language

II.2.1. Definition of language

A variety of definitions of language are offered in various linguistic

books and websites. Literally defined, a language is a system of

communicating with other people using sounds, symbols and words in

expressing a meaning, ideas or thought. This language can be used in many

forms, primarily through oral and written communications. In the linguistic

perspective, a language is a linguistic process or cognitive processes

involved in producing and understanding linguistic communication. To be

more specific, it is a particular kind of system for encoding and decoding

information. 1

In the Random House Dictionary of the English Language, language

is defined as “any set or system of linguistic symbols as used in a more or

less uniform fashion by a number of people who are thus enabled to

communicate intelligibly with one another.” In other words, “language is a

complex and abstract phenomenon that can be realized through a number of

1 Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language

Graduation Paper


verbal and non-verbal codes” (Emmitt and Pollock). No matter how

language is defined, it is always put into a particular community and is

always considered to function as a means of communicating.

II.2.2. Language varieties

Primarily there is a distinction between one language and another;

usually it may be through country boundaries, population culture,

demographics and history. Each country, as time elapsed, has evolved their

own unique style of language. Although Australia, United States and United

Kingdom all speak English, they all possess different mannerisms, words

used and accents. It is also common that many dialects have formed over

time in many different towns within the same country. For example in Italy

many dialects from the south and vastly differ from the north. Or in the UK,

in London itself, there is also a huge difference between the language of the

West London and the East London (the Cockney). Whereas West London

accent is normally appreciated and considered as standard one, the Cockney

accent has long been looked down on and thought of as inferior by many

people. “Cockney”, a strong London accent, like any such local accent, is

associated with working-class origins. A feature of Cockney speech is

rhyming slang, in which, for example, „wife‟ is referred to as „trouble and

strife‟ and „stairs‟ as „apples and pears‟ (usually shortened to „apples‟).

Some rhyming slangs have passed into general informal British usages;

some examples are „use your loaf‟, which means „think‟ (from „loaf of

bread‟ = „head‟) and „have a butcher‟s‟, which means „have a look‟ (from

butcher‟s hook = look). It is the widely-used slangs in the language of the

Graduation Paper


Cockney that make them distinguishable from those in the Western part of

London.

In Vietnam, although Vietnamese is spoken throughout the country,

there is still a slight difference between the North and the South with regard

to certain words and pronunciations. For instance, the word “ao dai” is

pronounced “ao yai” by the Southerners but “ao zai” by Northerners.

Northerners tend to have a slightly clipped accent and have a tendency to

switch the „l‟ and „n‟ sounds around in Vietnamese words. “If you speak

Vietnamese, it just means that it is easy to tell which part of the country a

Vietnamese comes from.” (Claire Ellis)

II.2.3. Functions of language

Originally, language was developed essentially as a vehicle for the

communication of ideas and thoughts between people. Language is a

medium of expression and a link in concerted human activity. It is a piece of

human behavior. Obviously, language is always used, either in written form

or in spoken form, with some particular purposes. In the context of daily

conversations, speakers can use language to thank or apologize for

something, to greet each other, to express feelings, and so on. It is even said

that we can use language to study social issues, to provoke others, to make

others happy or to hurt each other; we can disrupt, condemn, and silence

others with, or through, or sometimes because of, language. A relationship

also can be built or destroyed due to the way we use our language.

Therefore, it can be concluded that, language carries such important

functions in life.

Graduation Paper


There are different descriptions of language functions developed by

different linguists. In this paper, the work of two linguists Finch G., and

Richard will be taken into consideration.

According to Finch G., some of the roles of languages are so mundane

that they are hardly ever noticed, others are very elevated, or even abstract.

Due to their diversity the functions of language might be divided into two

categories: (1) micro functions which refer to specific individual uses, and

(2) macro functions which serve more overall aims.

a. Micro functions

Micro functions include physiological function, phatic function,

recording function, identifying function, reasoning function, communicating

function, and pleasure functions.

Physiological function: This function of language is to help the

speaker to release physical and nervous energy. The example of this function

can be found in daily life situation such as the cheer from a group of devoted

fans of sports while watching their favorite discipline on TV. Such fans

often shout instructions, express support or disappointment; and while as a

means of communicating with sportsmen they are useless, such cheers are to

release repressed energy.

Phatic function (for sociability): The use of such phrases as “nice day

today”, or “how do you do” is characterized by lack of any informative

content and is intended to link people and make the coexistence peaceful and

pleasant. The phatic use of language is characteristics mainly of speech;

however, in certain types of writing it can also be noticed, as in letters for

Graduation Paper


example, where the beginning Dear Sir/ Madam and ending Your faithfully

also serve that purpose.

Recording function: Recording function denotes using language to

make a durable record of things that ought to be remembered. Owing to its

omnipresence, writing is probably the most significant function of language.

Identifying function: Language is used to identify the objects and

events in the world we live in. Without this function language would be

almost useless, as it is thanks to the names of things that we know what is

talked about. We use names to classify different types of things, whether we

call a car an automobile, a lorry, a van or a truck makes a big difference.

Reasoning function: language is said to be the instrument of thought.

In most cases it is extremely difficult to think about anything without any

use of words. In fact, it is also difficult not to think for a longer period of

time as human brains work all the time processing information, thus

providing us with concepts formulated by means of language.

Communicating function: We use language to communicate our

ideas, feelings, and thoughts. Requesting, apologizing, informing, ordering

as well as promising and refusing are all reasons for communicating our

ideas.

Pleasure functions: Depending on the sounds of languages some are

perceived as being mild as English, for example, or as being crude as

German. People also derive pleasure from unusual use of syntactic rules, as

well as novelties of word meanings which are often used by skilful writers.

b. Macro function

Graduation Paper


The functions belonging to the macro category are ideational function,

interpersonal function, poetic function, and textual function.

Ideational function: Ideational function refers to the conceptualizing

process involved in our mental activities. Thanks to language we are able to

understand what happens around us.

Interpersonal function: Interpersonal function emphasizes that

language is mainly a social phenomenon, but apart from enabling

communication with other people it enables to project the speaker in the

desired way and to represent the speaker.

Poetic function: Here, the word poetic does not refer to the ability to

write poetry, but the ability to manipulate language in a creative way. With

the use of jokes and metaphors we can play with words and meanings simply

for joy.

Textual function: Textual competence refers to our ability to create

long utterances or pieces of writing which are both cohesive and coherent.

Unlike animals people, by use of certain linguistic devices, are able to

produce long sentences and text, and not only simple phrases.

In addition, Richard I. et all describes language as having “three main

functions: descriptive, expressive and social” (1990:150).

First of all, the descriptive function of language is to convey factual

information. This is the type of information which can be stated or denied, or

in some cases even tested. This function can be usually found in statements

of facts, assertions, conclusions, and descriptions in which speakers

represent the world as he or she believes it is. For example:

Michael Jackson is a talented singer

Graduation Paper


Once this sentence is uttered, it conveys a fact that there exists a

person named Michael Jackson and he is a singer. Added to this, he is quite

talented. The speaker utters this sentence because he believes that it is true.

Of course, the information the utterance bears can be supported or denied by

other people, and it can be tested based on the real achievements of Michael

Jackson throughout his life.

The second function as Richard pointed out is the expressive function

which is to supply information about the speakers, his or her feelings,

preferences, prejudices, and past experiences. For example, we have the

following utterance:

You are always making a fuss!

Basing ourselves on the structure of present progressive with the

adverb „always‟, we can realize the feeling of speaker hidden behind such

utterance. Obviously, the speaker is expressing his extreme anger and

frustration towards the repeated and continuous action of making a fuss of

the hearer in this context.

The third function of language, according to Richard, is social

function. The social function of language is to establish and maintain social

relations between people. For example, the utterance “What can I do for

you, sir?” used by a waiter in a restaurant shows a particular social relation

between the waiter and the guest. The waiter puts the guest in a higher role

relationship (Richard, 1996:50).

Similarly, in Vietnam, when two people meet each other, they usually

greet each other by giving such „display question‟ as “Bác vừa đi làm về à?”

(Have you just come back from work?). It is obvious that the asker does not

aim at getting the answer to such question but perform it just as a way of

Graduation Paper


greeting. With that way, it helps them to start a conversation and to maintain

the relationship.

Richard assumes that the expressive and social functions of language

particularly overlap. When a waiter says to the customer “What can I do for

you, sir?” he more or less wants to show his respect to the guest. In

Vietnamese, it is very easy to see the expressive and social functions overlap

in addressing form. For example, if a person is addressed as “ngài/ ông”, it

means that in the eye of the speaker, he is in a higher social position in terms

of age or economic status. The speaker expresses an attitude of respect to the

hearer, and at the same time, aims at establishing and maintaining a good

social relationship which is based on mutual respect. In contrast, if a speaker

calls anyone “thằng/ mày”, this way of addressing can be interpreted as an

expression of either disrespect and hatred or a closeness in relationship

between two friends. If the former is applied, this way of addressing tends to

result in a breakdown of a social relationship. And if the latter is applied, on

the contrary, it helps to reinforce or improve the closeness and friendliness

between two people.

II.3. The relation between language and culture

Between language and culture exists a close relationship. In the

definition of language itself, this relation has been shown by a number of

linguists.

According to Sapir (1921), “language is a purely human and non-

instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desire by means

of voluntarily produced symbols. Language is a part of culture and a part of

human behavior.”

Graduation Paper


Added to this, Krech (1962) in his attempts to clarify the functions of

language also unearthed the relation between language and culture. Three

functions of language as he noted out included:

1 – Language is the primary vehicle of communication.

2 – Language reflects both the personality of the individual and the

culture of his history. In turn, it helps shape both personality and culture.

3 – Language makes possible the growth and transmission of culture,

the continuity of society, and the effective functioning and control of social

group.

From Krech‟s theory, we can conclude that language was originally

and essentially a means of communication. It provides the opportunity for

engaging in social intercourse and is a vehicle that integrates one into a

culture. Through a common language, the common experiences, wisdom,

cultural values and beliefs of a given society are gradually embedded.

It is apparent that language plays a paramount role in developing,

elaborating and transmitting culture, enabling us to store meanings and

experience to facilitate communication. It makes life, culture and civilization

possible (Arthur Yap, 1977). Arthur gave an example of the language‟s

effect on the cultural development of a child as follows:

“…It is through the mother tongue that the child learns about himself, his family

and environment. Through it, he is also exposed to the songs, the heroic tales,

poetic description of the landscape, and the traditional wisdom and achievements

of his people. The child cherishes the authentic evidence of greatness of his

people and cultural achievements; he quite naturally develops a sentimental

attachment and also loyalty which he feels his duty to protect…”

Graduation Paper


This brings us to an interesting point developed by Emmitt and Pollock

(1997), who argued that even though people were brought up under similar

behavioral backgrounds or cultural situations but speak different languages,

their world view might be very different.

Added to this, it has been proved that language is closely linked with

thought. “Language is the formative organ of thought. Intellectual activity,

entirely mental, entirely internal, and to some extent passing without trace,

becomes through sound, externalized in speech and perceptible to the senses.

Thought and language are therefore one and inseparable from each other”

(Wilhelm von Hamboldt in Arthur Yap, 1977). Then, it is thought which

determines people‟s way of thinking and behaving in life. Thoughts which

are shared by a number of people in a community, together with time, will

turn into an aspect of their culture.

Such relation between language, thought and culture stems from the

relationship between the sounds, words, syntax of a language and the ways

in which speakers of that language experience the world and behave in it.

According to Whorfian hypothesis, it is stated that:

“The background linguistic system (in other words, the grammar) of each

language is not merely a reproducing instrument for voicing ideas but rather it

itself the shape of ideas, the program and guide for the individual‟s mental

activity, for his analysis of impressions, for his synthesis of his mental stock in

trade. Formulation of ideas is not an independent process, strictly rational in the

old sense, but is part of a particular grammar, and differ, from slightly to greatly,

as between different grammar. Grammatical categories available in a particular

language not only help the users of that language to perceive the world in a

certain way but also at the same time limit such perception. They act as blinkers:

you perceive only what your language allows you or predisposes you to perceive.

Graduation Paper


Your language controls your “world-view”. Speakers of different languages will,

therefore, have different world-views” (1940:229 – 31, 47-8)

Additionally, the meanings of the words in a language are deeply

affected by cultural views. Each culture has its own peculiarities and throws

special influence on the language system. For example, referring to the same

common domestic animal – dog, in both English and Vietnamese there are

various phrases including the word „dog‟; however, the meanings attributed

to such expressions are completely different according to Vietnamese culture

and Western culture respectively. To Westerners, „dog‟ has a positive

meaning since the word „dog‟, in most cases, is associated with an image of

a pet – the favorite and loyal friends of men. Thus, they have the phrases

„lucky dog’, „top dog’, „old dog‟, and the image of a dog is usually used to

describe everyday life and behaviors, as in “Love me, love my dog” or

“Every dog has its day”. Nevertheless, in Vietnamese, the word „dog‟ has a

rather negative meaning. It is often used to refer to a lackey or an obsequious

person. Therefore, Vietnamese people tend to avoid using that word in

conversation; otherwise, the hearer will assume that he is being insulted. All

in all, we can obviously see that the meaning attributed to language is

cultural-specific. A great deal of cross-cultural misunderstanding occurs

when the meanings of words in two languages are assumed to be the same,

while they are not.

In conclusion, the relation between language and culture is a two-

sided one. On one hand, language is an integral and key component of

culture. It is the primary medium for transmitting much of culture. “Cultural

patterns, customs and ways of life are expressed in language: cultural-

specific world views are reflected in language” (Brown, 1986:45.) Without

Graduation Paper


language, culture would not be possible and would hardly be passed from

one generation to the next (Emmitt and Pollock, 1997). On the other hand,

language is influenced and shaped by culture. Cultural differences are the

most serious areas causing misunderstanding, unpleasantness and even

conflict in cross-cultural communication.

Therefore, just like a child when he learns his native language, he is

learning his own culture, when we learn a foreign language, we are also

coming to contact its culture, and the learning of this new culture can never

be separated from the process of learning the language.

II.4. Proverbs

II.4.1. Definition of proverbs

There are numerous definitions of proverbs. Buridge, in 1981,

assumed that “a proverb is a wise saying.” It is a typical spoken,

conversational form with didactic function and not associated with any

particular source (Neal R. Norrick, 1985, p51-55). In other words, a proverb

is a short traditional saying expressing a truth or moral instruction. (Geddes

& Grosset, 1994)

According to Archer Taylor “An incommunicable quality tells us this

sentence is proverbial and that one is not. Hence, no definition will enable us

to identify positively a sentence as proverbial” (1989:14).

However, most of the definitions above help to make clear the

remarkable features of a proverb. In terms of form, it is short and lapidary.

In terms of content, it expresses a truth, moral instruction, advice and

traditional wisdom.

Graduation Paper


It is also necessary to note that proverbs belong to language, or in

other words, they are an integrated component of language. As a part of

language, a proverb has all language functions, including: descriptive

function, expressive function (expressing advice, admonishment, experience,

and morality), and social function (reflecting relations between people in

society). What‟s more, proverbs also reflect much of culture just as language

does. Both language and proverbs reflect values, beliefs of their cultures.

II.4.2. Typical features of proverbs

II.4.2.1. Form and structure

Proverbs are prefabricated units. They are usually short, pithy and

lapidary. A proverb has few words but is full of meaning. No words in a

proverb are redundant. Each word contributes the same proportion to

creating “a soul”, a big effectiveness in both rhythm and meaning for a

proverb. And for the sake of memorability, proverbs tend to be alliterative.

For example:

A flow has an ebb

(Sông có khúc, người có lúc.)

The structure of a proverb is normally fixed and not easy to break.

Even though in daily talk, speakers have a tendency to add some words into

proverbs as in “môi hở (thì) răng lạnh”, these added units in general do not

bring much variation to the whole structure of the proverb. The general

structure remains unchanged.

Another characteristic in the structure of proverbs is the frequent use

of many types of meaning transference such as metaphor and simile which

shows the creativity of ancient generations as well as their original

Graduation Paper


worldview. Thanks to this characteristic, proverbs become figurative,

imagery, ornate, and easy to remember. Some Vietnamese proverbs

containing similes are:

Bạc đeo đầy mình không bằng thông minh sáng suốt

Vợ chồng như đũa có đôi

Cơm với cá như mạ với con

Similes also appear in a lot of English proverbs, such as:

Goodness is better than beauty

Actions speak louder than words

Children are better than riches

II.4.2.2. Content and function

Regarding content, proverbs usually carry advice and moral lessons

which have been drawn from the real experience of life of many generations.

In terms of functions, not only do proverbs have aesthetic function as

they beautify the speech but they perform educational function as well. It is

likely that each proverb contains a piece of advice, an admonishment

summarized from experience of life. They criticize and satirize bad things of

society. They teach people what is wrong and what is right. They show

people way to live and to behave in life. For example:

“As you sow, so shall you reap”

(Gieo gì gặt nấy – Vietnamese Equivalent (V.E))

One will either enjoy or suffer from the consequences of his earlier

actions. Therefore, for the peace of your mind, it is advisable that you do

good things to others. No one can escape from punishment after their

immoral actions.

Graduation Paper


“Better to give than to take”

(Thương người như thể thương thân – V.E)

People should have affection for others and help each other to

overcome difficulties. Giving other people your support and assistance is as

important as your receiving help from them. Therefore, we should be kind

and not be mercenary or selfish.

“Spare the rod, spoil the child”

(Yêu cho roi cho vọt, ghét cho ngọt cho bùi – V.E)

When raising and educating children, parents should not “wrap their

children in cotton wool”. A pampered children can be easily become spoilt.

Gentleness is necessary but seriousness and discipline are important, too. If

you are ignorant of your child‟s mistake, you will fail to fulfill the educating

function of a parent and you will indirectly spoil your child. Therefore,

punishment at proper time and proper place is vital for the sake of a good

education.

II.4.2.3. Traditionality and transmissibility

Proverbs are a kind of oral folklores which are passed down from old

generations to young generations. Before being recorded in written form,

they were transmitted orally. Children listened to and learned proverbs in

their parents‟ and grandparents‟ speech. It is people who created proverbs,

used them in speech, and then taught them to their descendants. Therefore,

as time passes by, the stock of idioms is also enriched.

Like words in a language, proverbs are units created a long time ago.

They are used widely especially in everyday language. Most proverbs people

Graduation Paper


frequently use today make use of simple and common images and plain

words that were ever-used by ancient generations. That is the reason why

sometimes we can pick from proverbs some words which sound unfamiliar

as they are no longer used in daily conversations these days.

Nevertheless, the traditional characteristic of proverbs is not only

shown in the use of old-fashioned words but also expressed in the deep

cultural and social content they carry. For example, the proverb “con dại cái

mang” is considered to appear a long time ago, maybe in matriarchal period.

They have traditionality because they reflect philosophy, morality, social

struggles, social behaviors, production experience from generations to

generations which still have been valuable in our society nowadays.

II.4.3. Origins of proverbs

Most of proverbs emerged from daily socializing and working life.

They were initially just plain sentences made up by a certain person; but

thanks to their rightfulness, and memoriability, they got attention from

others and got repeated. The words were then gradually polished and widely

used by a large number of people.

Also, there are some proverbs translated from foreign language, like:

Ở hiền gặp lành (Tích thiện phùng thiện - Chinese)

Có công mài sắt, có ngày nên kim (Ma chử thành châm - Chinese)

Lửa cháy đổ dầu thêm (Hỏa thượng thiêm du - Chinese)

Thời giờ là tiền bạc (Time is money - English)

Muốn là được (Vouloir, c’est pouvoir - French)

There are even some sayings retrieved from poems. However, as

being too frequently used by the masses, they are gradually treated as

Graduation Paper


proverbs. Some of them are: “Thương người như thể thương thân” in Gia

huấn ca (assumedly attributed to Nguyen Trai), “Khi nên trời cũng chiều

lòng người” or “Chữ tài liền với chữ tai một vần” in “Truyện Kiều” by

Nguyen Du.

II.5. Proverbs as an expression of culture

It is said that nothing expresses a culture as clearly as its language,

and the element of language that best encapsulates a society's values and

beliefs is its proverbs. Proverb is a mirror reflecting socio-cultural traditions

in a most reliable way. Proverbs provide a good access to the vast and

profound knowledge on the history, culture, tradition, economy, society and

customs of a country. Noticeably, proverbs reflect the remarkable features

of the language as well as the national culture.

It is stated that proverbs, as a kind of folklore, have many cultural

aspects. In addition, they can also serve to validate a culture (romantic

nationalism), as well as transmit a culture‟s morals and values from one

generation to the next.

II.6. Weather proverbs

In the proverbs stock exist many types of proverbs, ranging from

proverbs about production, proverbs about living customs to proverbs about

weather. Weather proverbs are chosen to be the main topic of this study.

Therefore, I hereby would like to make a brief introduction of what weather

proverbs are about.

II.6.1. What is weather proverb?

Graduation Paper


Weather proverb is the kind of folklore representing human

observations of weather and climatic situations. These observations are

gradually refined into a set of experience on how particular climatic

phenomena can indicate the weather situations that follow.

People have been observing the weather for centuries. They once

looked to plants and animals, to the movements and color of the cloud and

the directions of the wind for hints about what the weather would be like in

the days to come. For example, before it rained, some people often observed

that ants moved to higher ground, cows lay down, pine cones opened up,

frogs croaked more frequently, and sheep' wool uncurled 2. Over the years,

people began to notice other natural clues to upcoming weather, and several

weather "sayings" grew up over the years.

In the past, professional meteorologists derive their expertise from

direct observation. Today, we believe this expertise derives mainly from the

collective experience of persons whose lives and livelihood depend on their

ability to predict changing local weather such as anglers, hunters, farmers,

sailors, bush pilots, mountaineers, campers, balloonists, and persons living

permanently in the backcountry. Fortunately, many of their insights have

been passed down from one generation to the next as "weather lore" and

collected in various weather almanacs.

It may be appropriate to say that it has been a human desire for

millennia to make accurate weather predictions. Oral and written history is

full of rhymes, anecdotes, and adages meant to guide the uncertain in

determining whether the next day will bring fair or foul weather. For the

farmer wanting to plant crops, for the merchant about to send ships on trade,

2 Retrieved from http://www.worldweatherpost.com/2009/05/06/weather-proverbs-true-or-false/

Graduation Paper


foreknowledge of tomorrow's circumstances might mean success and failure.

Prior to the invention of the mercury barometer, it was very difficult to

gather numerical data of any predictive value. Even though there were

devices such as the weather stick which gave some indication of moisture

changes, the only instrument of any reliability was human experience.

When looking at weather proverbs, we should bear in mind that they

are usually “human experience”, are based on someone's observations and

not on scientific studies. Because climates and weather patterns differ

throughout the world, a weather proverb based on observations in one

location may not be accurate in another location.

II.6.2. Cultural values of weather proverbs

As far as the researcher is concerned, weather proverbs have three

main cultural values, according to Shirley (1995), including:

First, they allow an imagination of the living and working conditions

of people in the past. Based on what are represented on the surface of

language, we can draw a picture of how people lived and worked. For

example, while investigating Vietnamese weather proverbs, we can imagine

the scene of Vietnamese peasants working industriously on the fields from

day to night. We can also realize how their lives were continuously

threatened by natural disasters such as storms and floods. However,

regardless of these difficulties, they still tended to be very optimistic, which

is expressed through the humorous tone they attached to their proverbs as

well as many other kinds of folklores and sayings.

Second, weather proverbs reflect human attitude towards the

environment. This value is normally expressed through the number of

Graduation Paper


proverbs that exist in the stock or through the use of some specific

expressive words in the proverbs. For example, in Vietnamese proverbs, the

word “lạy trời…” expresses the feeling of being inferior and afraid as well

as an attitude of respect and worship toward the nature.

Third, weather proverbs can give implication of human cognition

level. It answers the question whether the experience about weather

embodied in weather proverbs are the results of scientific studies or only of a

pure observation followed with some explanations based on deification and

superstition.

Above are three main cultural values of weather proverbs which are

also what the researcher needs to clarify during his research through the

process of analyzing and comparing weather proverbs in English and in

Vietnamese.

Graduation Paper


Chapter III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

III.1. Data collection method

III.1.1. Data collection instruments

In this paper, the researcher employs the qualitative data collection

method for the search of in-depth information.

Different from quantitative method with such typical instruments as

survey questionnaires, in the qualitative method, it is the researcher that is

the instrument. In other words, instead of using a test or questionnaire to

collect data, the researcher is the instrument that collects data by observing

and examining records and documents in the research setting.

The main qualitative research method utilized in this study is records,

documents, and materials review. As everyone may know, the focus of this

research is placed on proverbs which are invented neither recently nor at any

particular point of time. Therefore, the qualitative researcher must turn to

these documents and materials to get “the necessary background of the

situation and insights into the dynamics of everyday functioning.” (Donna

M. Mertens, 2005:389). The researcher cannot be in all places at all time;

thus, documents and records give the researcher access to information that

would otherwise be unavailable.

However, this method does contain a drawback. As recently stated, it

may not be possible to interact with people who produced the materials. The

researcher then faces the challenges of how to interpret the meaning of such

materials appropriately, because “the use of extant materials must always be

tempered with an understanding of the time, context and intended use for

which the materials were created” (Hodder, 1994 in Mertens D.M., 2005). If

Graduation Paper


the authors are still alive, the researcher can conduct “member checks” to

determine the perspective for the interpretation of the data. However, in the

case of proverbs, this solution can hardly apply. There are several reasons

for this. First, proverbs are common inventions attributed to a large group of

people in a community, not a particular individual. Second, most of them

were fabricated a long time ago, but new proverbs have still continued to be

created so far. Third, proverbs are culturally specific units which represent

the cultures of a particular group or community defined by geographic

borders and within a specific period of time in human development history.

For all the reasons above, it is essential that materials to be reviewed

be selected carefully and seriously. They must be reliable enough and must

contain profound contents, rich source of information, and hold unbiased

viewpoints. Bearing these notes in mind, the researcher has conducted an

extensive data search in some Vietnamese and English proverb dictionaries,

academic writings which were accomplished by some worldwide famous

anthropologists and uploaded to reliable educational websites. The

researcher has also consulted a number of publications written by both

Vietnamese and foreign anthropologists and researchers to avoid the biased

and/or prejudiced viewpoints that may accidentally be included in the

research.

III.1.2. Data collection procedure

The data collection procedure is comprised of two steps:

Step 1 is called the collection of weather proverbs in both English and

Vietnamese. In this step, the researcher refers to a number of English and

Vietnamese proverb and idiom dictionaries as well as some linguistic

Graduation Paper


websites which contain a list of proverbs in order to pick out all the weather

proverbs needed for the study.

Step 2 is carried out with the aim of collecting necessary background

knowledge for the research. A large amount of academic articles are

consulted so that the researcher can obtain a full concept of all the items she

is studying. Added to this, the researcher studies several available cultural

books to detect the cultural values and beliefs of the two countries. Last but

not least, many of the previously conducted researches are referred to so that

the researcher can find out what has been studied, what results have been

drawn, and what is more and what is new she can contribute in her own

research.

III.2. Data analysis

III.2.1. Data analysis method

After all the necessary data has been fully collected, next comes the

data analysis process which applies both the quantitative and the qualitative

analytic strategies.

The quantitative method is applied in order to calculate and compare

the number of proverbs that exist in each proverb stock, and in each category

of proverbs.

The qualitative method is also employed for several reasons.

Firstly, as a cross-cultural study, it aims at discovering cultural aspects

which cannot simply be based quantitative results. Data analysis in

qualitative studies is an ongoing process. It does not occur at the end of the

study as in most quantitative studies (Donna M. Mertens, 2005:420).

Findings are generated and systematically built as successive pieces of data

Graduation Paper


are gathered. They are gradually “emerge” from the data through some types

of mystical relationship between the researcher and the data sources

(Bogdan & Biken, 2003; Paton, 2002; Wolcott, 2001 in Merterns 2005).

Therefore, the qualitative method is suitable for in-depth studies whose

results does not depend on fixed figures and statistics obtained from tests or

surveys piloted among a particular population but can vary and even

unexpectedly rise above the initial intention of the researcher.

Secondly, qualitative data analysis is not mechanistic. As far as the

researcher is concerned, not every type of data can be clearly counted up,

converted to percentage, and illustrated in a telegraph. Some of them need

an in-depth eliciting process together with repeated and continuous studying.

Cultural data is not a machine to be broken up, separated from others and

investigated as an independent unit. With qualitative method, the arbitrary

associations between cultural items are shown.

For all the reasons above, the qualitative analytic strategies are chosen

as the basic data analysis method in this research. The quantitative method is

applied to the synthesis of the total number of weather proverbs included in

each proverb stock only.

III.2.2. Data analysis procedure

In order successfully achieve all the aim of data analysis process, the

three following stages are implemented.

Stage 1: Classification – The researcher reads all the data and then

divides them into smaller units.

In this stage, an effort is made to classify the weather proverbs into

three categories. The first category is proverbs anticipating weather changes.

Graduation Paper


The second category includes proverbs expressing weather‟s influence on

production. And the last category holds proverbs that show weather‟s

influence on human life. In each group, the proverbs will be arranged

according to the alphabet order.

Stage 2: Comparison

This is the main analytic stage. First, the researcher count up the total

number of weather proverbs in English and Vietnamese, demonstrated it on

the graphs to make a pure comparison on the quantity. Next, the researcher

sifts through the materials to identify the similarities and differences

between English proverbs and Vietnamese proverbs in terms of images that

are frequently used. For example, in the category of weather proverbs

pertaining to animals‟ behaviors, the researcher will list out all the common

animal images used in English proverbs and Vietnamese proverbs to see

what images are shared between the two countries and what images are

typical of each culture.

Stage 3: Synthesis and generalization

After analyzing the remarkable features of both English and

Vietnamese weather proverbs, the researcher synthesizes all similarities and

differences to make a generalization about the similarities and differences

between the two cultures. Obviously, it is these similarities and differences

that reflect the cultural values and beliefs. Similarities express the

intersection of two cultures whereas differences represent the cultural

uniqueness and distinctiveness. Therefore, the researcher‟s task does not

stop at pointing out what is similar and what is different. A further step is

Graduation Paper


required to study the factors that lead to such similarities and differences and

investigate how these factors are influenced by cultural perspectives.

Graduation Paper


Chapter IV: DATA ANALYSIS

A comparison between English weather proverbs and Vietnamese

proverbs

Comparing cultures is a hard job which requires a careful

investigation into every cultural component. We have to look into all of its

specific manifestation in daily life. To collate languages is indeed a good

way to “dig out” the hidden cultural aspects that are embodied in language

items. In this study, the researcher would like to discover the cultural

similarities and differences between English culture and Vietnamese culture

through a process of comparing their weather proverbs. All elements that

play as the “raw materials for the building of proverbs” will be carefully

studied.

A comparison between English weather proverbs and Vietnamese

weather proverbs will be made, based on two following criteria:

1- The quantitative account of the number of weather proverbs in each

proverb stock.

2- Images frequently used in the proverbs

IV.1. The quantitative account of the number of weather proverbs in

each proverb stock

The researcher has referred to 2000 English proverbs from two

sources on the world wide webs; they are:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/proverbs.html

http://nativeenglish.eu/articles/171/1/A-few-weather-sayings-and-old-

folklore/Page1.html


http://nativeenglish.eu/articles/171/1/A-few-weather-sayings-and-old-folklore/Page1.html


Graduation Paper


From these 2000 English proverbs, 30 weather proverbs were

collected.

Similarly, around 2000 Vietnamese proverbs in the Vietnamese

proverb dictionary composed by Dr. Nguyen Lan was probed to pick out 49

weather proverbs.

Based on the quantity of weather proverbs that the researcher is able

to collect from nearly the same total number of proverbs in both languages,

it is seen that in this study there are more weather proverbs in Vietnamese

than in English.

All the proverbs selected are classified into three sub-groups:

(1) Weather proverbs that simply anticipate weather changes

For example, in Vietnamese we have:

“Cầu vồng móng cụt, không lụt thì mưa”

(If the rainbow appears short in two ends, there will be either a flood

or a rain)

Or:

“Vàng mây thì gió, đỏ mây thì mưa”

(If the cloud is yellow, it will be windy. If the cloud is red, rain is

likely to occur)

In English, some examples of this type can also be found, such as:

“Halo around the sun or moon, rain or snow soon”

(Quầng sáng quanh mặt trời hoặc mặt trăng báo hiệu trời hoặc sẽ mưa

hoặc có tuyết)

Graduation Paper


And:

“The north wind brings forth rain”

(Gió bắc mang theo mưa)

(2) Weather proverbs representing the weather’s influence on

production

Some weather proverbs belonging to this group can be pointed out,

such as:

In Vietnamese:

“Trăng mờ tốt lúa nỏ, trăng tỏ tốt lúa sâu”

(Dim moon signifies good weather for shallowly-planted rice trees,

while bright moon signifies good weather for deeply-planted rice trees)

In English:

“When March blows its horn,

Your barn will be filled with hay and corn”

(3) Weather proverbs representing the weather’s influence on

human life

Following are some typical weather proverbs in English and

Vietnamese that belong to this category:

“When your joints all start to ache

Rainy weather is at stake”

(Khi các khớp bắt đầu đau nhức, rất có thể là trời sẽ mưa)

Rét tháng Ba bà già chết cóng

(Cold weather in March is dangerous to old people)

Graduation Paper


Based on the statistic, we can demonstrate the number of English

weather proverbs and Vietnamese weather proverbs in the graph as

following:

Figure 2. The number of English weather proverbs and Vietnamese weather

proverbs in three categories

Figure 1 reveals the number of English weather proverbs and

Vietnamese weather proverbs falling into three categories, namely weather

proverbs that merely express weather changes, weather proverbs

representing weather‟s influence on production, and finally those

representing weather‟s influence on human life.

As seen from the graph, the total number of Vietnamese weather

proverbs by far outnumbers that of English ones (49 vs. 30), which implies

that a greater attention is paid to climate and weather by Vietnamese people

than by Englishmen.

Graduation Paper


It is also easy to notice that in most categories, the number of proverbs

in Vietnamese is larger than that in English. In the category about the

anticipation of weather changes, there are 41 Vietnamese proverbs, which

nearly equals three second of the number of English ones. In the two other

categories, while English has only 1 proverb in each, Vietnamese has a little

more number of proverbs with six in the category representing weather‟s

influence on production and two in the category that mentions weather‟s

influence on human life.

However, the distribution of proverbs among three categories in both

English and Vietnamese is alike.

Figure 3. The proportion of English proverbs in three categories

Graduation Paper


Figure 4. The proportion of Vietnamese weather proverbs in three

categories

The majority of weather proverbs fall into the first group which

anticipates weather changes with the figure showing 84% in Vietnamese and

94% in English. It is followed by the category of weather proverbs

expressing the impact imposed by weather conditions on production with the

figure standing at 12% and 3% in Vietnamese and English respectively. The

final category also the one with the smallest number of proverbs (only 3% in

English and 4% in Vietnamese) is about the weather‟s influence on human

life.

All in all, it can be concluded from the statistic that both Vietnamese

people and English people tend to create more proverbs to describe weather

changes or its influence on production rather than to talk about its impact on

their own life. An effort to clarify the reasons leading to this fact will be

made in the later chapter.

Graduation Paper


From now on, an investigation into each specific category of weather

proverbs will be conducted. The researcher will synthesize and compare the

proverbs in each category with the focus on comparing the quantity.

a) The first category contains weather proverbs describing weather

changes which were built based on the observation and experience of many

generations. They are mainly based on such observations of:

o First, climatic phenomena

o Second, animal‟s behaviors

o Third, vegetative reactions

Together, they form three smaller subgroups of the first category.

Demonstrated on the graph, the proportion of weather proverbs in

three subgroups is shown as following:

Figure 5. Weather proverbs that anticipate weather changes

Graduation Paper


Taking an overall look at the whole graph, it can be realized that the

majority of weather proverbs, in both English and Vietnamese, are created

based on the observation on climatic phenomena. In Vietnamese, these

proverbs count up to 31 out of 41 weather proverbs, which approximately

equals 75.6%, whereas in English, the statistic shows 16 cases out of the

total 28, which means 57.14%.

The sub-group of proverbs pertaining to climatic phenomena is

followed by the group with proverbs developed thanks to the observation on

animals‟ behaviors in the natural world, with 9 proverbs in English and 9 in

Vietnamese, which can be converted into 32.14% and 21.95% respectively.

The last group with the smallest number of weather proverbs is the one

holding the weather proverbs built based on the experience in observing

vegetation‟s conditions. In this group, there are only three English proverbs

and one Vietnamese proverb, which indicates that vegetation‟s conditions

seem not to be a reliable hints for the forecast of a change in the weather, so

the people in both countries rarely look at them to guess the forth-coming

climatic situations.

All in all, from the statistics, the researcher can draw that both English

people and Vietnamese people often refer to natural phenomena such as the

movement of wind, the color of cloud, the unusual behaviors of animals and

the changing conditions of plants, and so on, in order to predict a climatic

change. Therefore, the proverbs built from the observations of such things

are included in both languages. However, the climatic phenomena are the

most frequently consulted, followed by animals‟ behaviors, and then

vegetative reactions.

Graduation Paper


b) The second category that contains proverbs reflecting weather‟s

influence on production is also divided into three sub-groups. They express

such influences on:

o Producing or working time

o Production results

o Production method

The number of proverbs in these three sub-groups is demonstrated in

the graph as the following:

Figure 6. Weather proverbs that represent weather’s influence on

production

As seen from the graph, in this category, the number of Vietnamese

weather proverbs is also greater than that of English weather proverbs in all

sub-groups. There is only one proverb in English that describes weather‟s

impact on production; it is:

Graduation Paper


“When March blows its horn, your barn will be filled with hay and corn”

(Sấm tháng Ba báo hiệu kho thóc nhà bạn sẽ chất đầy ngũ cốc và cỏ kho)

“March blows its horn” is a metaphorical expression for the

appearance of thunder and rain. The clause “your barn will be filled with hay

and corn” symbolizes the good result of the crop. Thus, this proverb means

that rainy weather in March is very good for the crop. If it rains, the crop

will receive the sufficient amount of water which is the good condition for

the growth of corn; therefore, the crop will be sure a bumper crop.

Meanwhile, in Vietnamese, we have six proverbs discussing the

weather‟s impact on production. Two of them display the influence on

producing, or more specifically, cultivating time:

“Bao giờ đom đóm bay ra, hoa gạo rụng xuống thì tra hạt vừng”

(When the fireflies swarm around and “gao” flowers fall down, it is time to

sow sesame seeds)

“Gió đông là chồng lúa chiêm, gió bấc là duyên lúa mùa”

(East wind signifies the suitable weather condition for summer rice whereas

north wind - for winter rice)

Three others show the influence of weather on production results:

“Lúa chiêm lấp ló đầu bờ

Ì ùng tiếng sấm phất cờ mà lên”

(Summer rice grows well when there is a thunderstorm)

“Sao Rua đứng trốc, lúa lốc được ăn”

(“Sao rua” is a star cluster in the shape of a plough. “Lúa lốc” is a kind of

rice that can grow in dry soil and that is normally planted in steep milpa. It is

Graduation Paper


said that when this star cluster is in its highest position and appears brightest,

the yield of this kind of rice will be good)

“Trời nồm tốt mạ, trời giá tốt rau”

(Hot and humid weather is good for the growth of rice seedlings while cold

weather is good for vegetables)

And the last one describes weather‟s effect on production method:


(Dim moon is good for shallowly-planted rice trees while bright moon is

good for deeply-planted rice trees)

From the graph, once again, we can draw a conclusion that

Vietnamese people are more concerned about how weather conditions affect

their working life than English people are. The reasons for this will be also

given in the later chapter.

c) The last category contains weather proverbs that express weather‟s

influence on human life. This is the category with the fewest proverbs with

only one in English and three in Vietnamese.

In English, it is:

“When your joints all start to ache

Rainy weather is at stake”

(Khi các khớp bắt đầu đâu nhức, rất có thể là trời sẽ mưa)

In one aspect, this proverb anticipates a weather change based on the

reactions of the body to the weather. In another aspect, it somehow

expresses how the human body or human health condition is affected by the

weather.

Graduation Paper


In Vietnamese, we have such proverbs as:

“Ráng mỡ gà, có nhà thì chống”

(When the clouds at dusk appear yellow, you should prepare your house

against the coming severe weather)

“Rét tháng Ba bà già chết cóng”

(The cold weather in March is dangerous to old people)

Overall, this category contains very few proverbs. It seems that people

in the past did not pay as much attention to the effects weather imposed on

their living as to its effect on their working life.

IV.2. Based on the images frequently used in weather proverbs

The images employed for the creation of weather proverbs of each

country also represent its cultural identity. In this part, the researcher will

take an insight into each category of weather proverbs in both English and

Vietnamese to find out the frequently used images, and then compare them

with each other in a hope that the distinctive cultural identities will be

unearthed.

First of all, the researcher would like to compare the climatic images

appearing in English weather proverbs and Vietnamese weather proverbs. In

this aspect, English weather proverbs and Vietnamese weather proverbs

share a common characteristic that the common themes to be discussed

include rain, wind, cloud, thunderstorm, stars, halo, rainbow, fog and the

moon. There is no doubt that these weather elements are global phenomena.

However, in different parts of the world, they are displayed in different

ways, and therefore have different impact of people‟s lives. Regional climate

and weather phenomena are often as typical as the landscape where they are

Graduation Paper


occurring, and thus often have local names, too. In Vietnamese, to call a

rainbow, for example, we have various names such as “mống” (partial

rainbow), “vống”, “vồng” in addition to the official one “cầu vồng”

(rainbows) as in:

“Mống bên đông, vồng bên tây, chẳng mưa rây, cũng bão giật”

(when there is both a partial rainbow in the east and a full rainbow in the

west, it is a sure sign of either a prolonged rain or a severe storm)

Or:

“Mống dài trời lụt, móng cụt trời mưa”

(A long rainbow warns us about a flood while a short rainbow indicates

rainy weather)

And:

“Vồng rạp mưa rào, vồng cao gió táp”

(When the rainbow is low, there will be a shower; when the rainbow is high,

there will be a strong wind)

Besides the common climatic images such as wind and rain, there are

also such images that are typical of the country‟s climate pattern as snow in

England (Snow like cotton, soon forgotten/ Snow like meal, it'll snow a great

deal) and “gió nồm” (a kind of wind from the south that carries with it a

high degree of humidity) in Vietnam (Đầu năm sương muối, cuối năm gió

nồm). The climatic images, though not telling us much about cultural

aspects, they help the process of examining how weather pattern determines

the cultural type of each country.

Graduation Paper


Next, it can be seen that there is also a number of similarities and

differences in the animal images employed in weather proverbs between

English and Vietnamese.

To find out the similarities and differences, first of all, it is necessary

to take an account of what kinds of animals are included in weather

proverbs. In English, they are cows, cats, dogs, flies, crows, seagulls, ants,

bees, and squirrels. In Vietnamese, the mass authors use such animal images

as ants, dragonflies, crows, magpies, frogs, and cranes.

With regard to the similarities, both English people and Vietnamese

people observe the reaction of small animals or insects that are familiar in

their neighborhood such as ants or bees, as in:

“When ants travel in a straight line, expect rain; when they scatter,

expect fair weather”

(Khi kiến di chuyển thẳng hàng, trời mưa. Khi chúng di chuyển tán

loạn, trời đẹp)

And in Vietnamese we have:

“Kiến cánh vỡ tổ bay ra, bão táp mưa sa gần tới”

(When winged ants swarm out, a heavy rain or storm is approaching)

“Kiến đen tha trứng lên cao,

Thế nào cũng có mưa rào rất to”

(When black ants take their eggs to the upland, there will certainly

have a heavy shower)

However, because the natural environments in England and Vietnam

are different, in weather proverbs also appear the images of different kinds

of animals.

Graduation Paper


In Vietnamese proverbs, they are frogs (an animal whose image is

closely related to the wet-rice paddies) in the proverb “Ếch kêu uôm uôm, ao

chuôm đầy nước”; crows, and magpies (these two kinds of birds are also

very typical images of Vietnamese villages) as in “Ác (quạ) tắm thí ráo, sáo

tắm thì mưa” (a crow‟s bath signifies dry weather while a magpie‟s means

rainy days); and crane – a kind of bird frequently appears in Vietnamese

folklores and traditional sayings - “Gió bấc hiu hiu, sếu kêu thì rét” (Slight

northern wind and the sounds of crane are the first sign of winter). In

addition, Vietnamese people with their fertile imagination also use the image

of a “dragon” as a metaphor to climatic phenomena. They compare big rain-

clouds to an imposing dragon which is bringing water to their fields:

“Rồng đen lấy nước thì nắng, rồng trắng lấy nước thì mưa”

According to Professor Nguyen Lan, the image of the dragon here

indicates the pillar of cloud rising from the east. The broad masses regard it

as a dragon pulling water from the ocean to the land. Dragon, an imaginary

animal, for long has become the traditional symbol of Vietnam. It is said to

be the embodiment of Father Dragon – Father of the entire Vietnamese

nation, who comes from the deep ocean. Therefore, the appearance of the

dragon is always considered as being accompanied with images of clouds

which can bring water.

The animal images in English weather proverbs are also very copious.

There includes a wide range of animals, from small insects like bees and

ants, to kinds of fish as mackerel and kinds of birds as seagull and crow, and

to even bigger ones like cows, mares, dogs and cats. English people have

such weather proverbs as:

Graduation Paper


“Bees will not swarm before a storm”

(Ong không tụ thành bày trước bão)

“When ants travel in a straight line, expect rain; when they scatter, expect

fair weather”

(Khi bày kiến di chuyển thành hàng, trời sắp mưa; khi chúng di chuyển tán

loạn, trời đẹp)

“When bees stay close to the hive, rain is close by”

(Khi ong bay gần tổ, mưa gió sắp tới gần )

“Cats and dogs eat grass before a rain”

(Chó và mèo ăn cỏ trước khi trời đổ mưa)

They observe the behaviors of ants, bees, dogs and cats because they

are such close and familiar animals that can be seen in any place and at any

time of their daily life. They also refer to the image of cows as this kind of

animal are very acquainted with English farmers. It is one kind of cattle that

is usually bred in herb:

“A cow with its tail to the West makes the weather best,

A cow with its tail to the East makes the weather least”

(Khi bò quay đuôi về phía Tây, thời tiết thuân lợi

Khi nó quay đuôi về phía Đông, thời tiết trở nên tồi tệ)

“If cows are standing in a field it will be fine, but if they are lying down it is

going to rain”

(Nếu bò đứng trên cánh đồng, thời tiết sẽ đẹp. Những hễ chúng nằm xuống

nghĩa là trời sắp mưa)

Graduation Paper


As a country with dry and cold weather and a great proportion of

grassland, England‟s natural conditions are more suitable for breeding than

grain planting. Therefore, cows become one common images that repeatedly

appear in English proverbs.

Another typical animal image in English proverbs is kinds of seabirds

like seagull. For example:

“Seagull, seagull sit on the sand

It's never good weather when you're on land”

Seagull is, of course, a sort of seabirds. Their images remind

everybody of the sea. They are also familiar to English people, especially to

those who work as a sailor or a fisherman. It is even said that seagulls are

friends of sailors. They help sailors to predict good weather for their sails

and bad weather to avoid. Added to this, they are a good signal of the land.

Once sailors see many seabirds flying around, they can know for sure that

they are approaching the land and their sails have safely come to an end.

Additionally, when comparing the English and Vietnamese weather

proverbs, we can realize various images of vegetation and plants that bear

typical features of the countries. Common in Vietnamese weather proverbs

are the images of rice trees, of sesame – a tropical plant, and of eggplants

and beans. These all are the main produces of Vietnamese farmers.

Especially, rice plants are a perfect symbol of Vietnamese wet-rice

agricultural culture. The images of rice trees are repeated for many times in

weather proverbs, accompanied with the image of the water-full paddies:


Graduation Paper


(Eastern winds are good for summer rice, while northern winds are good for

winter rice)

Mùa nực gió đông thì đồng đầy nước

(Eastern wind blowing in summer will make fields full of water)


(Dim moon is good for shallowly-planted rice trees, while bright

moon is good for deeply-planted ones)

If rice trees are common vegetative images in Vietnamese weather

proverbs, corn is the one which appear the most frequently in English ones:

“When March blows its horn, your barn will be filled with hay and corn”

And:

“If corn husks are thicker than usual, a cold winter is ahead”

Due to the difference in eating habit, corn and other kinds of cereal

are more popular to English people than rice is. Corn, therefore, becomes

one of the most commonly planted trees in England. It is the rare

representative of planting agriculture that exists in English weather proverbs.

In conclusion, while making a comparison between commonly used

images in English weather proverbs and those in Vietnamese weather

proverbs, it is found out that most of the images in Vietnamese ones are

related to agriculture while those in English present an association with

castle breeding and fishing. What cultural aspects can be revealed through

the analysis of these images will be clarified in the next chapter.

Graduation Paper


Chapter V: MAJOR FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

V.1. Major findings

In the final analysis, the following points have been drawn about the

similarities and differences between English weather proverbs and

Vietnamese weather proverbs.

Firstly, in terms of similarities, both English and Vietnamese hold a

certain number of weather proverbs that not only anticipate weather changes

but also represent weather‟s influences on production and on human life.

Interestingly, both English people and Vietnamese people tend to pay more

attention to the anticipation of weather changes and how these changes

affect their production rather than its direct effect on their life.

These seem to be a few similarities between English weather proverbs

and Vietnamese weather proverbs. The differences between them appear

more apparent.

First, regarding quantity, Vietnamese proverbs stock obviously

contains more weather proverbs than English stock does. In any category,

the number of Vietnamese weather proverbs always outnumbers that of

English ones. Especially, in two first categories that anticipate weather

changes and express weather‟s influence on production, the distance in terms

of quantity is extremely remarkable. It indicates that Vietnamese people

have special concern about every change in weather conditions as well as

about the effect that the weather imposes on their working life.

Second, regarding the images included in weather proverbs, it can be

realized that besides some commonly used images, nearly all the other

images used in a language‟s proverbs represent cultural distinctiveness. To

Graduation Paper


be more specific, most of images in Vietnamese proverbs have an

association with planting, especially wet-rice planting. Meanwhile, images

in English proverbs display a close relation with cattle breeding and fishing.

The similarities and differences between English weather proverbs

and Vietnamese weather proverbs in terms of quantity and images that are

shown thanks to the analysis in the previous chapter help the researcher find

out the distinctive cultural features as well as cultural values and beliefs

between English and Vietnamese. All cultural points reflected include

cultural patterns, people‟s attitude towards environments and some specific

cultural values and beliefs manifested in the conception of the relation

between weather conditions and working process and in the conception of

human – nature relation. All of these points will be in turn clarified in the

following paragraphs.

V.1.1. Cultural types

As analyzed in the previous chapter, there exists an apparent

difference between English weather proverbs and Vietnamese weather

proverbs not only in the words and phrases but also in the images that are

used. Thanks to this difference, we can realize the different cultural types of

Vietnam and England.

All the agricultural-specific words and agriculture-related images

appearing in Vietnamese weather proverbs tell us that Vietnam is a country

with agricultural origin. The culture of Vietnam, an agricultural civilization

based on the cultivation of wet rice, is one of the oldest in Asia Pacific. As

far as we are concerned, Southeast Asia in general and Vietnam in particular

are considered some of the earliest agricultural centers of mankind. From

hilly and mountainous areas, primitive inhabitants went down to conquer the

Graduation Paper


delta and developed water rice culture which was the foundation of Dai Viet

Civilization. Vietnamese ancient people crucially depended on the

cultivation of wet rice to earn their livings. They lived on land, worked on

land, and even lay down forever in their mother land. They led a stable life

usually in a small farming village. Their grandparents, their parents, they

themselves, and then their children and ever descendants tend to grow a fond

of the plots passed down by their ancestors. Hundreds of years have passed

by and Vietnam nowadays is undergoing rapid changes, following the

orientation of industrializing and modernizing the whole country. However,

agriculture has always been the cornerstone of the economy. Nearly 70 % of

the population still lives dependently off the land and many more lead a rural

life in small villages. Therefore, agriculture still has a big influence on the

shaping of Vietnamese people‟s ways of life and ways of thinking. Although

it now has come to the era of information technology, thanks to the

availability of radar and weather satellites, people, even those living in

remote areas, are able to get a good access to the weather forecast,

Vietnamese farmers, yet, still consult the traditional weather proverbs as a

good source for the anticipation of weather conditions. It is not merely a

habit derived from the past. More than that, it has become a custom, a holy

part of their soul, and an obvious manifestation of the nation‟s culture.

Different from Vietnam, England is the world‟s first industrialized

nation, with the Industrial Revolution taking place in the late 18th century. In

medieval time (from 11th

to 15th

century), when Vietnam was just a

completely self-reliant and self-sufficient agricultural country, England had

developed a dynamic navigational commercial and trading sector, importing

and exporting its products from and to Europe. As a matter of course,

Graduation Paper


agriculture was also a part of English economy. However, unlike

Vietnamese agriculture at that time which applied backward methods that

used to be depicted in such folklore saying as “Trên đồng cạn, dưới đồng

sâu/ Chồng cày, vợ cấy, con trâu đi bừa” (On the field, the husband ploughs

the land, the wife plants and the buffalo draw the rake), English agriculture

was early mechanized with the application of machinery like tractors and

scarifying machines. Moreover, between two sections of agriculture, English

farmers seemed to concentrate more on cattle breeding than planting. This

explains why cultivation-related words and images are very blurred in

English weather proverbs. Instead, such words and images related to fishing,

sailing and cattle breeding are frequently seen.

In brief, studying weather proverbs helps the researcher uncover the

distinctive cultural types of both countries - England and Vietnam. While

Vietnam appears to be a typical agricultural country with a well-preserved

traditional culture, England is a good representative of nomadic-originated

nations with a highly developed industry.

V.1.2. Attitudes towards the environment

People‟s attitudes towards the environments are, first and foremost,

well expressed through the number of weather proverbs existing in each

nation‟s proverb stock.

As shown in the previous chapter, the total number of Vietnamese

weather proverbs is much greater than that of English ones, which implies

that to Vietnamese people, weather conditions are of greater concern than

they are to English people. Different concerns, in turn, originate from

different cultural values and beliefs. Two cultural values and beliefs that are

Graduation Paper


clearly reflected in weather proverbs are the conception of the relation

between weather conditions and working process, and the conception of the

human – nature relation.

V.1.2.1. Conception of the relation between weather conditions and

working process

First and foremost, the researcher would like to emphasize that

weather conditions, either in England or in Vietnam, do occupy a certain

role in people‟s mind. It will be a big mistake if we think that English people

consider weather impacts as zero just because they pay a slight attention to

them. In contrast, both English people and Vietnamese people are well

aware of the influence of weather conditions on their working life. However,

the levels at which they evaluates these influences are varied.

To Vietnamese peasants, weather conditions directly affect the failure

or success of the crop. Vietnamese peasants in the past, provided with nearly

no tools to fight against the destruction of the nature, regarded weather

conditions as one of the determinants of the crop results. It was the nature

that defined what and how much they could get in a single crop. They, thus,

well understood the close relation between the nature and their working life.

Through years of experience, they drew out a number of lessons about what

periods of the years and what kinds of weather were appropriate and suitable

for specific kinds of crops, which were afterwards refined in various

proverbs as follows:

“Bao giờ đom đóm bay ra, hoa gạo rụng xuống thì tra hạt vừng”

(When seeing the firefly fly out and “gao” flowers fall down, we

know that it is time to sow sesame seeds)

Graduation Paper


Or:

“Tháng Hai trồng cà, tháng Ba trồng đỗ”

(In February we plant eggplants. In March we plant beans)

And:


(Eastern winds are good for summer rice while northern winds are

good for winter rice)

Due to the close relation between the weather conditions and the crop

results, understanding their decisive impacts, Vietnamese peasants see a

need to observe every climatic change to predict how it is going to be. They

know that an accurate determination on sowing time, stabilization of yields,

full control over water resources for the sake of irrigation and drainage,

preventive measures against storms and floods and the infiltration of salt

water in dry seasons, and so on, are prerequisites for the development of

agriculture. Consequently, they take notice of all climatic elements for the

peace of their mind as in the following folk song:

“Người ta đi cấy lấy công

Tôi nay đi cấy còn trông nhiều bề

Trông trời, trông đất, trông mây

Trông mưa, trông nắng, trông ngày, trông đêm

Trông cho chân cứng, đá mềm

Trời yên biển lặng, mới yên tấm lòng”

Graduation Paper


(“Other people are paid to do planting work whereas I, as the owner

of my own plot, have to worry about a lot of things before each crop. I have

to observe the sky, the land, the cloud, anticipate rain and sunshine, worry

in both day and night, and hope for a good health of myself. Only when the

weather is peaceful can I set my mind at rest” –

literally translated by the researcher)

Vietnamese peasants are under constant worries because they are well

aware of the weather‟s impacts as well as the consequences of the ignorance

of the weather conditions. Just as Vietnamese people do, English people also

fully understand how the weather conditions affect their lives. In the early

stages of its history, England had a primary rural and maritime economy;

therefore, to them, weather was consequently of life and death importance.

As we have known, a rather big proportion of English weather proverbs has

an association with the performance of fishing and sailing activities, such as:

“Red Sky at night, sailor's delight.

Red sky in the morning, sailor takes warning”

An accurate weather forecast in these cases can result in a huge

difference not merely in success or failure of the fishing, but also between

life and death. Fishermen may place their lives at risk if they fail to

anticipate the approaching of a storm, for example. That is why more of the

consequences of the weather conditions on fishing and navigation can be

revealed on English weather proverbs than those on other economic sectors.

For a more explanation of English and Vietnamese points of views

about the impacts of the weather on their working life, let‟s investigate all

proverbs that anticipate the coming of rain in English and Vietnamese

Graduation Paper


proverb stock. The number of proverbs anticipating rainy weather makes up

for over 50% of English proverb stock and nearly 70% of Vietnamese. This

indicates that rain is put on the top of people‟s concern in both country. Yet,

the coming of rain has different meanings between boundaries. In Vietnam,

the coming of a rain usually has two meanings: first, a heavy rain can bring

worries to farmers‟ mind and sadness to their eyes as it can destroy a nearly-

harvested crop; second, in most cases, rain brings forth fertility to the field:

“Lúa chiêm lấp ló đầu bờ

Ì ùng tiếng sấm phất cờ mà lên”

(Summer rice grows well with the appearance of thunderstorms)

Rain supplies dry paddies with all the necessary amount of water

which is the most important and indispensable factor for the growth of wet-

rice trees (“nhất nước, nhì phân, tam cần, tứ giống” – water is the most

important factor, then comes fertilizer, industriousness and breeds).

What about English people‟s opinions towards rainy weather?

Expressed in their weather proverbs, rain normally signifies as a warning for

sailors to postpone their trip:

“When the wind is blowing in the North

No fisherman should set forth”

In conclusion, both English people and Vietnamese people see the

vital role of weather conditions on the performance of their economic

activities. However, if Vietnamese people tend to consider the weather‟s

impact in the light of its determination on the quantity of their produces,

English people focus more on its influences on the safety of their traveling

and fishing at sea. This difference is totally understandable as it is shaped

Graduation Paper


and determined by the main economic courses that are practiced in each

country.

V.1.2. 2. Conception of the human – nature relation

Another cultural aspect that weather proverbs reveal is the conception

of the human – nature relation. Why do Vietnamese people have so many

weather proverbs whereas the number of English proverbs is much fewer?

How is the weather power perceived by the people of these two countries?

The answers lie in the difference in their conception of the relation between

human beings and the nature.

First of all, let‟s start by looking at Vietnamese situation. Living

mainly on land, Vietnamese people are subject to changes in weather

conditions which usually appear to be beyond their control. Even though for

many times, they can make an accurate prediction of weather changes, they

still can do little to protect themselves, their families and their properties

against the destruction of the natural disasters. This gradually forms in their

mind a psychology and a feeling of being inferior to the nature. In the

default of scientific knowledge, they are unable to explain all of the natural

climatic phenomena. In their eyes, they are so mysterious; thus, they form an

assumption that these phenomena must be generated by a supernatural

power which is like the God. Being frequently threatened by the recurring

typhoons and storms, floods and droughts, they always send their wishes to

this God and long for a favorable weather:

“Lay troi mua xuong

Lay nuoc toi uong

Lay ruong toi cay

Graduation Paper


Lay day bat com

Lay khuc ca to…”

(We send our prays to God to grant us with rains so we will have water to

drink and water our fields which bring us bowls full of rice and fish…)

The earnest desire of the Vietnamese people is to live and work in

peace. They pray for the growth of animals and plants and for a “peaceful

life and favorable climate”: “Ơn trời mưa nắng phải thì/ Nơi thì bừa cạn,

nơi thì cày sâu” – it is a common wish of every peasant. Vietnamese people

assume that they owe the nature for what they can get. Their good crops are

also attributed to the kindness of the Nature. As a result, every ethnic

community in Vietnam has its own agricultural festivals; they represent the

interaction of human and the supernatural power and the hope of fertility.

Vietnamese people long for an interaction with the supernatural power

not for the aim of conquering it, but for a wish of the harmony between

human and the natural environment. They just want to find a way to live

peacefully with the nature. In contrast, according to Dr. Tran Ngoc Them, in

the relation with the nature, Englishmen tend to promote an ambition of

conquering it, being the “master” of it rather than being a “slave” under its

control. They want to change the weather instead of letting the weather

changing their lives:

“Whether the weather be hot

Or whether the weather be not,

We’ll weather the weather, whatever weather

Whether we like it or not!”

Graduation Paper


(Trời nóng hay lạnh mặc trời, chính chúng ta sẽ làm thay đổi thời tiết,

bất kể loại thời tiết nào, dẫu ta có muốn hay không)

As having a nomadic origin, they spend most of their lives on

horsebacks, traveling here and there in search of more fertile and potential

land. They seldom stay at any particular place long enough for their lives to

be affected by the regional climate and weather. As a result, weather

conditions are never their greatest concern. Although throughout Britain

today the weather is still a frequent topic of conversation, it does not

signifies that weather is of their interests or concerns. It is just the external

expression of their distinctive understatement in conversation which makes

them seek for such neutral topics to talk about in the small talks.

To sum up, to the Englishmen, environment is a great mystery,

inspiring in them a great thirst of discovery and conquest. They regard the

nature as their “supplier” rather than as the “governor” of their lives. This

conception makes them distinguishable from their Vietnamese counterparts.

Vietnamese people, in contrast, seem afraid of the nature, worship it and feel

grateful to it for everything they can get. Vietnamese also find the nature as

a great mystery, but instead of growing an ambition to discover or conquer it

as English people do, they deify it as a super-powered force. This conceptual

difference leads to a more number of other distinctions in their ways of

thinking and behaving. One typical example can be found in the social

organization. Vietnamese people are afraid of the destruction of natural

calamities. They know that an individual can do nothing to protect himself

against the threat of nature. He needs helps from other people. Vietnamese

people worship the natural power, but they also never let themselves be

Graduation Paper


completely defeated by it. They keep on striving for ways of defending

themselves and defending their crops such as flood control, dike-building,

drought defending, and so forth. Nevertheless, these are such hard work that

requires the cooperation of many people. The requirement of cooperation in

offending the natural annihilation urges them to establish the collective life.

“It is the traditional water rice agricultural economy that associates

individuals with families. The first associated link is a natural one bonded

by consanguinity which was continuously regenerated. Therefore, the family

community came into being at early period and existed on a lasting and

widespread basis in rural and urban areas” (Tran Nham, 1995, p.59).

Meanwhile, as not strongly dependent on the weather condition,

Englishmen‟s lives are not intensively affected by it. To everyone who used

to study English culture, we know that English people develop a strong

sense of individualism. They want to be self-reliant and independent from

other people‟s aids. Unfortunately, their sense of individualism is not

directly expressed in their weather proverbs. However, the researcher finds a

need to cite it out here for a clear comparison between Vietnamese culture

and English culture.

V.1.3. Factors leading to cultural differences

The previous parts have shown that Vietnamese people and English

people have different attitudes towards the nature as well as towards the

weather‟s impact on their life. This difference is said to originate from two

following factors.

The first factor is the climate pattern of each country. As regards

Vietnamese weather, Vietnam is located in both a tropical and a temperate

zone. It is characterized by strong monsoon influences with a considerable

Graduation Paper


amount of sun, a high rate of rainfall, and high humidity. On one hand, the

monsoon tropical climate with long periods of sunshine and rain provides

the favorable conditions for the development of vegetation. On the other

hand, the extremeness and uncertainty of this climate pattern troubles the

farmers very much. In Vietnam, some years, for example, are marked by

heavy rains and big floods, and many others are featured with prolonged

periods of drought. Under the influence of monsoon, and further because of

the complicated topography, the climate in Vietnam always changes

between the years, and even within one year. No one can know for sure how

the weather is getting on. The uncertainty of the weather has been expressed

in many Vietnamese proverbs, as in “Sáng gió may, tối quay gió nồm”. The

weather was so ruthless that it sometimes makes farmers empty-handed even

when they have supposed to be getting a very good crop. A heavy rain

overnight can completely destroy a paddy which is nearly to be harvested.

Additionally, Vietnamese climate is usually under the influence of weather,

such as typhoons, floods and droughts which seriously threaten the peasants‟

lives. These natural disasters are not only terrifying in their destructive

powers but also very unexpected, which make damages even worse.

Therefore, Vietnamese farmers‟ utmost desire is to correctly anticipate the

coming of any calamity for a good precaution.

Meanwhile, England has a totally different climate pattern. Positioned

on the western seaboard of Eurasia, the world‟s largest land mass, English is

featured as having the boundary conditions which allow convergence

between moist maritime air and dry continental air. In this area, “the large

temperature variation creates instability and this is a major that influences

Graduation Paper


the often unsettled weather the country experiences, where many types of

weather can be experienced in a single day”.3

Therefore, English climate is not only famous for its changeability but

also characterized by a lack of extremes. There is even a saying that it “does

not have a climate; it only has weather. It may not rain very much altogether,

but you can never be sure of a dry day” (James O‟Driscoll, 1995). Even

though extreme weather does appear from time to time in England, “it

happens so rarely that it is not worth organizing life to be ready for them”

(James O‟Driscoll, 1995).

The second factor that leads to the difference in attitude towards

weather between English people and Vietnamese people is the nation‟s

prevalent economic activities. As discussed in the previous section,

Vietnamese people in the past lived mainly on land. They held a conception

that “dĩ nông vi bản”, which means as living in an agricultural country,

people had to put agricultural work as their priority. Their primary focus was

on agricultural work, especially planting, which in turns depended to a large

extent on the weather conditions. If the weather was favorable with enough

amount of sunshine and rainfall, a bumper crop might be obtained;

otherwise, the farmers‟ families would have to suffer from a great loss and,

even more serious, might be left at the brink of starvation. On the contrary,

English economy traditionally concentrated on cattle breeding more than

planting. With the nomadic origin, they kept on traveling here and there to

look for good new grasslands to feed their herds of cattle. No matter what

the weather was like, it did not matter to them as they were never confined

3 Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_the_United_Kingdom#England

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_the_United_Kingdom#England

Graduation Paper


to a particular area for quite a long time. Therefore, “their life did not

depend much upon natural weather conditions” (Tran Ngoc Them, 2000).

Overall, due to the difference in the climate pattern and the primary

economic activities, English people and Vietnamese people have developed

different attitude towards the weather in particular and the natural

environment in general. Whereas Vietnamese people pay an enormous

attention to every weather change, how the weather is getting on seems not

to be deeply concerned about by Englishmen. The distinctive attitudes reveal

much of the cultural beliefs and values that each culture embraces.

V.2. Recommendations on the application of weather proverbs into the

teaching of English as a foreign language

After analyzed, it has been proved that weather proverbs carry such a

large number of cultural values and beliefs. Each culture attaches great

values to its proverbs in particular and all kinds of folklore in general. This

point is so important that it has been concluded learning a language without

studying its culture will be a big flaw. As teachers and learners of English,

we necessarily take notice of the teaching and learning of proverbs in the

target language.

V.2.1. The importance of teaching and learning the proverbs of

the target language

Teaching and learning a language is necessarily accompanied with

teaching and learning its culture. As mentioned earlier in this research,

proverb is, in general, among the most effective tools for the exploration into

the “mysterious and uncovered land” of each culture.

Graduation Paper


Viewed from teachers‟ perspective, providing students with only

linguistics items is not enough. It is rooted in the belief that one of the most

sacred roles teachers take on is to help students to get fully prepared for their

entry into the real world. A person that is fully equipped with linguistic

knowledge may still encounter lots of difficulties in coping with everyday

communication. A good knowledge of English grammatical structures and a

rich vocabulary do not guarantee a successful communication with native

speakers. This communicative failure can be a direct result of a lack of

sufficient cultural knowledge that teachers may happen to forget, or fail, to

include in their lessons.

It is said that the English spoken in daily life contexts by its native

speakers is hardly the standard one. It makes a full use of slang, idioms, and

proverbs, which creates such an enormous obstacle to others‟ understanding,

especially to those learning English as a second language. What if we, as a

leaner of English, fail to interpret the meanings of these proverbs and

idioms? The answer is quite apparent. In all likelihood we will suffer from

communication breakdown, or even worse, from embarrassment, for

instance, if failing to realize that we are being criticized through their

exploitation of proverbs. That is why a profound knowledge of English

proverbs is indispensable for any students.

All in all, teaching and learning the proverbs of the target language is

of great importance. Both teachers and learners can benefit much from the

process of teaching and learning them.

To teachers, teaching proverbs brings them a number of advantages.

First, proverbs supply them with a rich source of authentic language which

can be used to exemplify grammatical structures or to further illustrate the

Graduation Paper


meanings of particular words. Second, the use of proverbs can add colors to

their lessons, making them more interesting and attractive to students. Third,

as proverbs are never easy to understand, if a teacher wants to apply some

specific proverbs into his teaching, it will require a process of probing their

meanings and their cultural values. Therefore, to some extent, it helps that

teacher to broaden his cultural knowledge.

Moreover, learners are also benefited when studying proverbs in other

language. First and foremost, the learning of proverbs can be a key element

in the language acquisition process. Second, proverbs can provide a snapshot

of other cultures that allows a more thorough understanding of both

language and culture. “Without grasping the meaning of these types of

sayings [idioms and proverbs…] we are limited to a unilateral

understanding, providing fertile ground toward the development of cultural

and linguistic ethnocentrism” (Sudiran, 2007). Once we have obtained a

profound knowledge of English proverbs, it will help to increase the mutual

understanding in a conversation between us and our friends from English-

speaking countries; thus, misunderstanding and communication breakdown

will be avoided. Last but not least, learning the proverbs of the target

language enables a further examining of authentic texts and helps us really

enjoy our reading. It is really frustrating if we have to constantly stop and

check for the meaning of a proverb that we come across in the process of

reading an English novel which may make use of a full range of idioms and

proverbs. It is obvious that in this case the pre-learning of English proverbs

is extremely beneficial to our achieving the full pleasure and understanding.

To sum up, both teachers and learners can gain a lot of benefits thanks

to the teaching and learning of proverbs. The idea of teaching and learning

Graduation Paper


proverbs in addition to other linguistic features is becoming more and more

appealing to all. However, the matter is how it should be applied into

teaching. The answer to this question can be found in the very next part.

V.2.2. Applying English weather proverbs into the teaching

As a kind of proverbs, weather proverbs hold all of their linguistic and

cultural values. Just as the previous part has shown, the teaching and

learning of these proverbs has significant meanings. However, in order to

achieve the full efficiency, the researcher suggests that English weather

proverbs be applied into teaching as the followings.

V.2.2.1. Applied as an example for other linguistic items

Proverbs in general and weather proverbs in particular usually consist

of good vocabulary that enables students to learn new words effectively.

Gnoinska (1989) remarks that many students consider learning vocabulary

as a tedious job. They try to study list of words and learn by heart all their

aspects, from spelling, pronunciation, meanings, to synonyms, only to

realize a few hours later that their results are hardly satisfactory. They start

blaming their poor memory but not realize that the central problem lies in

their way or habit of learning. Learning new words does not mean memorize

them mechanically. As far as I am concerned, the best way is to figure out

their meanings in contexts. If students can find out the meanings of the

words on their own by analyzing some specific examples and then are able

to make sentence with them, it will enable them to remember the words

more easily and for longer time. For instance, when teaching a unit with the

main theme being weather, the teacher can use some weather proverbs

together with other visual aids to encourage students to guess the meanings

Graduation Paper


of such words as “snow, rain, flood, storm.” Additionally, the teacher can

also use other proverbs containing these words to reinforce the students‟

memory of new words at the end of the lesson.

Besides their use in teaching vocabulary, proverbs can also be applied

to teaching grammar. They can serve as examples for some particular

structures, for instance double comparatives as in: “The higher the clouds,

the better the weather”. The teacher can modify the original sentence a little

bit in order to make it fit the accurate structure. So, the above proverb may

be changed to “The higher the clouds are, the better the weather is”. Instead

of spending much time and effort fabricating some examples, proverbs are

available fixed structures for teachers to employ. Also, they often appear to

be rather impressive thanks to their rhythm, and impression tends to make

the memorizing process proceed faster and last longer.

V.2.2.2. Applied as an illustration of cultural points

As said earlier “the element of language that best encapsulates a

society's values and beliefs is its proverbs”. Therefore, studying the proverbs

is indeed a good way to discover a culture. Proverbs are among the most

apparent evidences to observe, apart from other hints such as festivals or

historical lines.

For example, when teaching about English people‟s attention to the

development of shipping from the very early stage of its history, we can

quote such weather proverbs having an association with the economic sector

of fishing such as:

“Red Sky at night, sailor's delight

Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning”

Graduation Paper


“When the wind is blowing in the North

No fisherman should set forth…”

Analyzing the words and images used in these proverbs, finding out

the reasons for the anticipation of weather, it is easily proven that fishing in

the eye of Englishmen in the past was of great importance.

V.2.2.3. Applied as a further practice in teaching language skills

Proverbs can be employed in the warm-up activity in which a set of

proverbs is given and students are required to put them under the proper

themes or topics. They also can be used as a topic for a writing essay or for

an open discussion in speaking periods.

All in all, the application of proverbs into teaching appears plentiful,

but whether they are used sensibly or not depends to a large extent upon the

competence of teachers. Converse results may arise if teachers fail to make

them conform to normal teaching process and activities. The most important

thing is that teachers while employing proverbs into their lectures need to

make students understand its significance, engage students in the process of

finding out the linguistic and cultural values of proverbs, and appeal for their

real interests. Above all, it must serve as an example of learning method for

students to follow. Finally, I would like to borrow the words of Clay P.

Bedford to make a conclusion to my points: “You can teach a student a

lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he

will continue the learning process as long as he lives.”

Graduation Paper


Chapter VI: CONCLUSION

VI.1. Summary and conclusion

The primary purpose of this research is firstly to probe weather

proverbs in English and Vietnamese to find out the cultural values and

beliefs embodied in them. After that, it aims at making a comparison

between weather proverbs in two languages to discover the cultural

similarities and differences. An attempt is also made in a hope that the

factors leading to such similarities and differences will be covered up.

To fully address the above purposes, the qualitative method has been

applied. This method provided the researcher with a good opportunity to dig

deep into available related materials to form necessary background

knowledge. The qualitative analytic method was also considerably beneficial

to the process of analyzing the data. The quantitative, though only being

applied to take account of the total number of weather proverbs in each

stock, also helped the researcher realize the importance of weather proverbs

to different groups of people.

After the analyzing process, two main results achieved include: first,

the number of weather proverbs in Vietnamese stock is much greater than

that in English. Second, the images that are frequently used in Vietnamese

proverbs are strongly culture-specific. Most of them have an association

with the wet-rice agriculture- the primary economic activity that has been

preserved in Vietnam for centuries. Meanwhile, the images employed in

English weather proverbs are not very culture-specific. If they are, they tend

to be associated with fishing and cattle breeding rather than planting. The

results indicate that the nature of their main economic activities determine

Graduation Paper


the cultural pattern of each country. Through this, it can be realized that

Vietnam is a country with agricultural origin while English has nomadic

origin. It is the different root that results in such great differences in their

attitudes towards nature and in their conception of nature-working life and

nature-human relationships. In case of Vietnamese people, as being strictly

governed by weather conditions which are full of extremes and very

unexpected, has developed an attitude of fear and worship toward the nature.

Human lives, especially the working lives, in their eyes, are strongly

affected and regulated by the law of nature. Man is just inferior beings in

comparison with the nature. In contrast, English people spend time

observing weather with a strong desire to discover it and conquer it. They

are not afraid of natural forces; instead, these forces make emerge in them

the ambition to become master of the whole.

Finding out the cultural values of weather proverbs, the researcher

realized that it would be of great values if these proverbs could be applied

into teaching. From then, some suggestions on the ways of employing

proverbs as a special kind of teaching aids were made, which recommended

that proverbs could not only be used to teach vocabulary or to exemplify

grammatical structures but also be used as the topic for a further practice

when teaching language skills and as authentic illustrations of cultural

values and beliefs in every course of culture and cross-culture.

VI.2. Limitations of the study

Due to limited time, the researcher could only conduct the data

collection process on around 2000 proverbs in each language. This

obviously does not guarantee that a full collection of weather proverbs is

Graduation Paper


achieved. Therefore, the results of the research may not be completely

accurate, even though the researcher has tried hard to avoid any biases which

may result from an insufficient data. Additionally, under the constraint of

ability, the researcher could only compare proverbs under two criteria,

including the quantity, the culture-specific words, and the images, which

may not be totally adequate for a thorough understanding of cross-cultural

similarities and differences.

In brief, there are many things that need considering and investigating

more thoroughly. Therefore, any comments or extra contribution are warmly

welcome for the completion of the research.

VI.3. Suggestions for further study

Discovering cultural values and beliefs through an investigation on

weather proverbs still remains a wide room for study. Further research may

focus on smaller categories of weather proverbs and provide more detailed

analysis. Other researchers can also conduct a study on specific symbols, for

example the symbol of rice trees in weather proverbs to give an account of

cultural values and beliefs. Also, there are many other types of proverbs that

can appeal to researchers for carrying out an in-depth study.

Graduation Paper

REFERENCES

Arthur Yap. (1977). Selected papers from the RELC Seminar on “Language

education in multilingual societies: Its challenges and potentials”,

Singapore, 18-22 April 1977. Singapore: Singapore University Press.

Bloomfield, L. (1914). An Introduction To The Study Of Language. New

York: Henry Holt and Company.

Bogdan R. C. & Biken S. K. (2003). Qualitative research for education: An

introduction to theory and methods. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc.

Brown, H. D. (1986). Learning a second culture in Culture Bound. Joyce

Merrill Valdes (ed.). CUP. USA

Burridge, P. (1981). Testing for a common factor in a spatial autoregression

model. Environment and Planning. London, vol. 13 No. 7: 795-800

Charles W. M. (1946). Signs, Language and Behavior. New York: Prentice-

Hall

D'Andrade, R.G.(1981). The cultural part of cognition. Cognitive Science. Vol.

5:179-195

Dennis, N. (1993). Rising Crimes and the Dismembered families. Institute of

economic affairs, London.

Dennis O‟Neil (2002). Characteristics of culture. Retrieved April 12th

, 2010

from http://anthro.palomar.edu/culture/culture_2.htm

http://anthro.palomar.edu/culture/culture_2.htm

Graduation Paper

Edward T. H. (1959). The silent language. Retrieved on February 15th

, 2010

from http://ww.ishkbooks.com/hall.pdf

Ellis, C. (1983). Culture Shock! Vietnam. America: Times Book

International

Ellis, C. (1996). Culture Schock! Vietnam. Portland: Graphic Arts Center

Publishing Company

Emerald. (1995). Components of language . Retrieved April 26th

, 2010 from

http://sch.ci.lexington.ma.us/~jpetner/Emeralds

Emmitt, M & Pollock, J. (1997). An overview of language and learning. In

Language and learning: An introduction for teaching. (2nd

ed). Oxford

University Press: Melbourne.

English proverbs. Retrieved March 12th, 2010 from


Fielder, E. & Jansen, R. (1989). American in close-up. England: Longman

Finch G. 1998. How to study linguistics. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.

Franz, B. (1935). Kwakiutt culture as reflected in mythology. New York:

The American Folklore Society.

Geddes and Grosset, Webster’s New Century Dictionary, Random House

Value Publishing, Inc., 2001, P. 373.

http://ww.ishkbooks.com/hall.pdf

http://sch.ci.lexington.ma.us/~jpetner/Emeralds


Graduation Paper

Geertz, C. (1973). The Interpretation of Cultures. Basic Books 2000

paperback: ISBN 0-465-09719-7

Gnoinska, A. (1989). Teaching vocabulary in color. In English Teaching

Forum. Vol. 36, No. 3. July September 1989: 12-13

Guralnik D.B. and S. Solomon, S. (eds.), (1980). Webster’s New World

Dictionary, 2nd edition (Cleveland: William Collins Publishers), p. 1144.

Helmy H. Baligh‟s (1944). Management Science. Vol.40, No.1

Hodder, I. (1994) 'The Interpretation of Documents and Material Culture' in

Denzin, N.K. and Lincoln, Y.S. (Eds.) Handbook of Qualitative Research

California, Thousand Oaks.

Hudson, R. A. (1980). Sociolinguistics. Cambridge: CUP

Hunt, P. C. (2002). An introduction to Vietnamese culture for rehabilitation

service providers in the US. Buffalo, NY: Center for International

rehabilitation research information and exchange.

Krech, D. (1962). Individual in society. Retrieved March 10th, 2010 from

http://www1.gdufs.edu.cn/jwc/bestcourse/kecheng/38/whjiaoan/files/intr

o.html

Lê Đức Trọng (1993). Từ điển giải thích thuật ngữ Ngôn ngữ học. HCM:

Nhà xuất bản TP Hồ Chí Minh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0465097197

http://www1.gdufs.edu.cn/jwc/bestcourse/kecheng/38/whjiaoan/files/intro.html

http://www1.gdufs.edu.cn/jwc/bestcourse/kecheng/38/whjiaoan/files/intro.html

Graduation Paper

Marsland, D. (1995). In defence of British values: Freedom, the work ethic

and the family. Political Notes No.111. Libertarian Alliance, ISSN 0267-

7059.

Matsumoto, D. et all (2002). American – Japanese cultural differences in

judgments of emotional expressions of different intensifies. Cognition

and emotion. Volume 16, 721 – 747.

Matthew S.& Kaplan, Ph.D. Using Proverbs to Explore Intergenerational

Relations across Cultures. Retrieved October 28th from the world wide

web www.ed.psu.edu/icik/2004Proceedings/section4-Kaplan.pdf

Mertens, D. M. (2005). Research and Evaluation in Education and

Psychology: Integrating Diversity with Quantitative, Qualitative, and

Mixed method (2nd

edition). London: SAGE Publications.

Native English: A few weather sayings and old folklore. Retrieved March

12th, 2010 from http://nativeenglish.eu/articles/171/1/A-few-weather-

sayings-and-old-folklore/Page1.html

Nguyen Lan. (1997). Từ điển Thành ngữ và tục ngữ Việt Nam. HCM: Nhà

xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội

Nguyen Quang. (1996). Intercultural Communication. Hanoi: Vietnam

National University Press.

Norrick, N. R. (1985). How Proverbs mean: Semantic Studies in English

proverbs. Mouton Amsterdam.

http://www.ed.psu.edu/icik/2004Proceedings/section4-Kaplan.pdf



Graduation Paper

O‟s Driscoll, J. (1989) Britain. England: Oxford University Press.

Papadopoulos, D. (2000). The major components of culture. Pacific

Resources for Education and Learning. Retrieved April 26th

, 2010 from

http://www.prel.org/products/paced

Rand, A. (1994). The fountainhead. London: Harper Collins

Random House Dictionary of the English Language (1966). US: Random

House

Richard, I., Platt, J. & Weber, H. (1990). Longman Dictionary of Applied

Linguistic. Longman

Samovar, L. A. & Porter, R. E. (2007). Communication between cultures.

Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth

Sapir, E. (1921). An introduction to the study of speech. New York:

Harcourt, Brace and company

Shapiro, M. E. (2004). Asian Culture Brief: Vietnam. Culture Brief Series.

Vol. 2, Issue 5. US: University of Hawaii

Shirley, L. A. (1995). Weather Proverbs: Another Look. De Proverbio.

Volume 1, No. 2.

Sudiran, M. H. (2007). The role of English proverbs in the development of

writing skill. Celt, Volume 7, Number 2, December 2007: 129 – 141

http://www.prel.org/products/paced

Graduation Paper

Tabor, C. (2004). The World is Too Much with Us: “Culture” in Modern

Protestant Missions. US: Mercer University Press

Ta Van Thanh. (1986). Khái niệm và quan niệm về văn hóa. Hà Nội: Viện

Văn hóa xuất bản (tr. 124-126)

Taylor, A. (1989). The origins of proverbs. Retrieved March 12th, 2010 from

http://www.deproverbio.com/display.php?a=3&r=27

To M.T., (2000). A cross-cultural study on English and Vietnamese

proverbs. Unpublished BA Thesis. HNU

Tran Nham. (1995). Such is Vietnam. Hanoi: National Political Publishing

House (p.59)

Tran Ngoc Them. (2000). Tìm hiểu về bản sắc văn hóa Việt Nam. Hanoi:

Nhà xuất bản giáo dục.

Tran Quoc Vuong et al. (1998). Cơ sở văn hóa Việt Nam. Hà Nội: Nhà xuất

bản Giáo dục

Tylor, E.B. 1974. Primitive culture: researches into the development of

mythology, philosophy, religion, art, and custom. New York: Gordon

Press.

UNESCO. (2002). Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, issued on

International Mother Language Day, February 21, 2002. Retrieved from

http://www.unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/00127/127160m.pdf

http://www.deproverbio.com/display.php?a=3&r=27

http://www.unesco.org/education/imld_2002/unversal_decla.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mother_Language_Day

http://www.unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/00127/127160m.pdf

Graduation Paper

Vũ Ngọc Pham (1992). Tục ngữ ca dao dân ca Việt Nam. TP Hồ Chí Minh:

Hội nghiên cứu và giảng dạy khoa học

Whorf, B. L. (1940). Science and Linguistics. Technological Review 42.

Cambridge Mass

APPENDIX

COLLECTION OF WEATHER PROVERBS

IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

I. Weather proverbs that simply anticipate weather changes

Based on the observation of English Vietnamese

Climatic phenomena

1. A year of snow, a year of plenty.

2. An English Summer, Three Hot

Days and a Thunderstorm

3. A summer fog for fair,

A winter fog for rain.

A fact most everywhere,

In valley or on plain.

4. A sun shiny shower, won't last

half an hour

5. Clear moon, frost soon.

6. Halo around the sun or moon, rain

or snow soon.

1. Cầu vồng móng cụt, không lụt thì

mưa

2. Chớp đông nhay nháy, gà gáy thì

mưa

3. Cơn đằng Bắc lắc rắc mưa phùn

4. Cơn đằng Đông vừa trông vừa

chạy

Cơn đằng Nam vừa làm vừa chơi

5. Cơn đằng Tây vừa cày, vừa ăn

6. Đầu năm sương muối, cuối năm

gió nồm

7. Đêm tháng năm chưa nằm đã

7. If clouds move against the wind,

rain will follow.

8. Rain before seven, fine before

eleven

9. Rainbow in the morning gives you

fair warning.

10. Red Sky at night, shepherd's

delight

Red sky in the morning, sailor take

warning

11. Snow like cotton, soon forgotten

Snow like meal, it'll snow a great

deal

12. The higher the clouds, the better

the weather.

13. The north wind brings forth rain.

14. The West Wind Always Brings

Wet Weather

The East Wind Wet and Cold

sáng, ngày tháng mười chưa cười đã

tối

8. Đêm trời tang, trăng sao không

tỏ,

Ấy là điềm mưa gió tới nơi.

Đêm nào sao sáng xanh trời,

Ấy là nắng ráo yên vui suốt ngày.

9. Gió heo may, chẳng mưa dầm thì

bão giật.

10. Gió heo may, chuồn chuồn bay

thì bão

11. Mau sao thì nắng, vắng sao thì

mưa

12. Mây kéo xuống biển thì nắng

chang chang

Mưa kéo lên ngàn thì mưa như

trút

13. Mây xanh thì nắng, mây trắng

thì mưa

Together

The South Wind Surely Brings Us

Rain

The North Wind Blows It Back

Again

15. When halo rings the moon or

sun, rain's approaching on the run

16. When smoke descends, good

weather ends

14. Mống bên đông, vồng bên tây,

chẳng mưa rây cũng bão giật

15. Mống cao gió táp, mống áp mưa

rào

16. Mống dài trời lụt, mống cụt trời

mưa

17. Mống vàng thì nắng, mống

trắng thì mưa

18. Mùa nực gió đông thì đồng đầy

nước

19. Mưa không quá ngọ, gió không

quá mùi

20. Rồng đen lấy nước thì nắng,

rồng trắng lấy nước thì mưa (rồng ở

đây là cột mây kéo lên từ phía

Đông. Dân gian cho là rồng lấy

nước)

21. Tháng ba mưa đám, tháng tám

mưa cơn.

22. Sấm động gió tan

23. Tháng giêng rét dài, tháng hai

rét lộc, tháng ba rét Nàng Bân

24. Tháng một, tháng chạp, thời hòa

mới mưa

25. Tháng mười sấm rạp, tháng

chạp sấm động

26. Thâm đông chống bắc, hễ nực

thì mưa

27. Thâm đông, hồng tây, dựng may

Ai ơi đợi đến ba ngày hãy đi.

28. Trăng quầng thì cạn (hạn), trăng

tán thì mưa

29. Vàng mấy thì gió, đỏ mây thì

mưa

30. Vồng rạp mưa rào, vồng cao gió

táp

31. Vồng chiều, mưa sáng, ráng

chiều, mưa hôm.

Animals’ behaviors

1. A cow with its tail to the West

makes the weather best,

A cow with its tail to the East

makes the weather least

2. Cats and dogs eat grass before a

rain.

3. Flies will swarm before a storm

4. If cows are standing in a field it

will be fine, but if they are lying

down it is going to rain.

5. If crows fly low, wind‟s going to

blow;

If crows fly high, wind‟s going to

die

6. Seagull, seagull sit on the sand

It's never good weather when

you're on land

7. When ants travel in a straight line,

expect rain; when they scatter,

1. Ác (quạ) tắm thí ráo, sáo tắm thì

mưa

2. Chuồn chuồn bay thấp thì mưa

Bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì

râm .

3. Én (yến) bay thấp, mưa ngập bờ

ao, én (yên) bay cao, mưa rào lại

tạnh

4. Ếch kêu uôm uôm, ao chuôm đầy

nước.

5. Gió bấc hiu hiu, sếu kêu thì rét

6. Kiến cánh vỡ tổ bay ra, bão táp

mưa sa gần tới

7. Kiến đen tha trứng lên cao,

Thế nào cũng có mưa rào rất to.

8. Tháng bảy heo may, chuồn chuồn

bay thì bão

9. Tháng bảy kiến đàn, đại hàn hồng

thuỷ.

expect fair weather.

8. When bees stay close to the hive,

rain is close by

9. When squirrels lay in a big store

of nuts, look for a hard winter

Vegetative reactions

1. If corn husks are thicker than

usual, a cold winter is ahead.

2. Onion skin very thin

Mild winter coming in;

Onion skins thick and tough

Coming winter cold and rough.

3. When leaves show their backs, it

will rain.

1. Mùa hè đang nóng, cỏ gà trắng

thì mưa

II. Weather proverbs that represent weather’s influence on production

English Vietnamese

Producing or

working time

1. Bao giờ đom đóm bay ra, hoa gạo rụng

xuống thì tra hạt vừng

2. Gió đông là chồng lúa chiêm, gió bấc là

duyên lúa mùa

Production results When March blows its horn, your barn

will be filled with hay and corn.

1. Lúa chiêm lấp ló đầu bờ

Ì ùng tiếng sấm phất cờ mà lên

2. Sao Rua đứng trốc, lúa lốc được ăn

3. Trời nồm tốt mạ, trời giá tốt rau

Production method

1. Trăng mờ tốt lúa nỏ, trăng tỏ tốt lúa sâu

III. Weather proverbs that represent weather’s influence on human life

English Vietnamese

1. When your joints all start to ache

Rainy weather is at stake

1. Ráng mỡ gà, có nhà thì chống

2. Rét tháng ba bà già chết cóng