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Summary Linguistics
Summary Linguistics
The origin of the thesis is accessible for the purpose of reference at:
Bald on-
4.3. Politeness Strategies For Maintaining English And
record
Notice/Attend to H
Vietnamese Conversations Under The Influence Of Gender And
Use in-group
Social Status
Identility marker Small talk
Positive
4.3.1. In terms of Overall Maintaining Reponses:
Politeness Syntactic
Seek agreement
Strategies
questions Table 4.7. Overall maintaining responses (as an active
ACTIVE Presuppse/Raise/Ass
Cajolers speaker and listener): Native speakers of English and Native
-ert Common ground
SPEAKING
Assert or Presuppose speakers of Vietnamese
S's knowledge of and
concern for H' wants
NSE NSV
Indicating Politeness Strategies
impingement
Negative Minimize imposition No % No %
Politeness Indicating
Strategies
Apologize
Reluctance * Active speaker
Giving
overhelming A. Bald- on record 47 23.98 42 24.14
reasons
Begging
Off record Give hints forgivenes
B. Positive Politeness Strategies 136 69.39 110 63.22
POLITENESS
STRATEGIES C. Negative Politeness Strategies 13 6.63 22 12.64
D. Off Record 0 0 0 0
Bald on-
record
Subtotal 196 100 174 100
* Active listener
Positive Give sympathy to H A. Bald- on record 45 23.56 52 38.81
Politeness
Strategies Hedging B. Positive Politeness Strategies 31 16.23 9 6.72
Avoid disagreement
opinions
Off record Understate As seen in table 4.7, 695 utterances are obtained from the
two sets of questionnaires, of which 387 utterances are in English and
Figure 4.1. Summary of Politeness Strategies for Maintaining 308 are in Vietnamese. This result shows that there is a significant
English and Vietnamese Conversations
23 24
difference between English and Vietnamese frequency of politeness The Vietnamese exceed the English in the use of both
strategies for maintaining conversations. In general, more English Minimize the Imposition and Apologize strategies, especially
speakers than Vietnamese ones use politeness strategies in between the lower status to the higher status.
maintaining their conversations, except in negative politeness b. Active listening
strategies in active speaking. For the figures advanced above, it can With respect to Give Sympathy strategy, while the
be concluded that English speakers are more polite and tactful in Vietnamese rather stand on ceremony, the English constantly use
conversational maintenance. sympathetic words and remark to share their understandings.
Conversely, Vietnamese speakers take more Avoid Disagreement
4.4. DISCUSSIONS
than English ones.
4.4.1. Similarities
Being Conventionally Indirect and Give Deference are
There is also an incidental identity that both Vietnamese and
used by the English more than the Vietnamese. Besides, English and
English prefer using positive politeness strategies in speaking in
Vietnamese people also differ in the use of Hedge.
which the most preferred strategies are Notice/ Attend to H and
Presuppose/ Raise/ Assert common ground. Besides, they are
Chapter 5
inclined to Hedge strategy in negative politeness when listening to
CONCLUSIONS- IMPLICATIONS- LIMITATIONS-
their counterparts.
SUGGESTIONS
All the politeness strategies for maintaining a conversation
5.1. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS
are largely affected by social facfors such as sexes, status and
available in both English and Vietnamese cultures. The description and analysis of politeness strategies for
Vietnamese and English males are likely to apply more bald moving a conversation in the two languages are carried out mainly in
on- record strategies than females. the view of pragmatics. However, the choice of politeness strategies
4.4.2. Differences is also affected by cultural and social factors. The data illustrate some
a. Active speaking certain similarities and differences in English and Vietnamese. In
The English like to use more in- group identity markers than terms of similarities, in contexts both groups prefer positive
the Vietnamese. politeness strategies in speaking. In terms of differences, English and
Vietnamese women tend to use more negative politeness strategies
25 26
than men in speaking, but men show more sympathy in listening than keep shock, embarrassment, and misunderstanding away from
women. The result reflects the strong influence of the culture and communicating sides.
social factors of each group on the way they employ politeness
5.3. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
strategies.
The quality of politeness strategies found may not be overall
The result is expected to help people in the two languages
and have been thoroughly discussed as it should be because other
avoid embarrassment, misunderstanding and shock in
factors such as phonological features, facial expressions and body
communication. The study is also very useful for language learners
language to hold the conversation are not included.
as they can overcome some problems in maintaining a conversation,
5.4. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
improve their conversational fluency, and raise their pragmatic,
From the defect mentioned above, we find it necessary to
cultural and social awareness in learning a foreign language.
make some suggestions for further researches as follows:
5.2. IMPLICATIONS
- Politeness strategies in conversation closing.
5.2.1. Vietnamese Students Problems in Maintaining a - How positive politeness strategies are used in business
Conversation in English negotiation.
- Politeness strategies in the workplace.
5.2.2. Implications for Teaching and Learning English
Conversations
Four approaches to conversation teaching and learning are: a
systematic conversation programme of micro- skills, politeness
strategies in communication, language input and processes that lead
to fluent conversations, conversation competence emerging from
participating interactive activities such as discussions, role- plays,
information gaps, and problem solving tasks, a combination of
learner- centered learning, language exposure, interactional activities
and teaching conversation as a spoken discourse, knowledge of
cultural similarities and differences between the two languages to