HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

AND EDUCATION
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE

VIETNAMESE & ENGLISH TIME DEIXIS

(COMPARISON & CONTRAST)

Course: Pragmatics
Lecturer: Le Phuong Anh
Student: Nguyen Thanh Duy
ID: 19131029

Ho Chi Minh City, June 11th, 2023

Table of Contents
I. INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................1
II. LITERATURE REVIEW......................................................................................2
Definition of Deixis.......................................................................................................2
Time deixis....................................................................................................................2
III. METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................3
Research question.........................................................................................................3
Research method...........................................................................................................3
Findings and Discussion...............................................................................................4
Similarities between English and Vietnamese time deixis.........................................4
Differences between Vietnamese and English time deixis..........................................6
IV. CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................10
V. REFERENCE............................................................................................................11
 I. INTRODUCTION

In our life, language plays an important role as a gateway to culture, enabling us to

express ideas, communicate with others, and make sense of the world around us.
Within the intricate fabric of language, several elements contribute to its richness
and effectiveness in communication. One such element is deixis, which refers to the
way language points to specific elements in the context of communication. Huang
(2014) stated that deictic expressions such as "he”, “she”, "that", “this”, "here,"
"there," "now," and "then," are observed to exist in nearly every human language
known worldwide. Among the various types of deixis, temporal deixis plays a
crucial role in anchoring language to our lives’ timeline.

In different languages, especially in Vietnamese and English, time deixis performs

the same function that is to provide us with the interpretation of the relevant
utterance time. However, Vietnamese and English belong to distinct language
families and exhibit distinct linguistic characteristics. Vietnamese, an Austroasiatic
language, is primarily spoken in Vietnam, whereas English, a West Germanic
language, is one of the world's most widely spoken languages. As a result, the two
languages' temporal systems are shaped by their linguistic backgrounds, resulting in
intriguing differences in how time is expressed.

There are many studies about Vietnamese and English systems of temporal deixis in
general; however, there are few studies that compare and contrast temporal systems
in these two languages. As a result, the study is carried out with the goal of
highlighting similarities and differences in Vietnamese and English time deixis in
order to thoroughly understand and effectively use time deixis.

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 II. LITERATURE REVIEW

Definition of Deixis

According to Yule (1996), deixis is defined as one of the most fundamental aspects
we perform with utterances and it is the term (derived from Greek) to signify
'pointing' within a language. Deictic expressions are linguistic forms employed to
perform this 'pointing,' and they are also known as indexicals.

Bushman (1998) provides a definition of deixis that encompasses person, time, and
space. Deixis refers to the inherent quality of language expressions that establish
connections with the personal, spatial, and temporal elements of utterances, which
are dependent on the specific situation in which the utterance occurs.

According to Wati (2014), deixis is stated as a tool utilized to clarify as well as

characterize the reference and its roles of demonstrative, time, pronoun, personal,
lexical characteristics, and additional functions that link to the utterance with the
correlation of time and space.

Time deixis

Cruse (2004) noted that time deixis, alternatively called temporal deixis, pertains to
the indication of specific points or durations along the timeline, utilizing the moment
of speaking as a point of reference

The time axis can be categorized into three significant divisions: (1) "prior to the
moment of speaking," (2) "at the moment of speaking," and (3) "following the
moment of speaking."

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According to Grundy (2008), time deixis encompasses two primary types consisting
of demonstrative “tense markers” and "adverbial expressions”. He also stated that
tense markers are employed to signify specific time points, the reference of which
can solely be established/understood in correlation to the moment of the utterance in
which the tense markers are present. Tense markers are employed to signal time
points that can merely be understood according to the moment of utterance in which
the tense markers are present.

III. METHODOLOGY

Research question

Are there any similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese time
deixis?

What are the similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese time
deixis?

Research method

Material analysis and comparison techniques were employed to gather data.

The material gives researchers a distinct understanding of temporal systems in

Vietnamese and English language. Initially, it is crucial for us to study the usage of
time deixis and the related theories in both languages. As we delve into the subject,
a comprehensive perspective will gradually emerge. When the perplexing aspects
have been clarified through material analysis, it is the time to evaluate and conduct a
comparison between Vietnamese and English time deixis.

About the comparison technique, the researchers point out similarities and
differences between Vietnamese and English time deixis. The sources of material for

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this approach include literary works and valuable documents related to temporal
systems of both languages.

Findings and Discussion

Similarities between English and Vietnamese time deixis

Adverbs are utilized in both Vietnamese to denote particular points of time or time
spans. According to Dao (1965), these adverbials can be categorized into three
groups: present time adverbials, including phrases such as bây giờ ("now"), lúc này
("at the present"), hôm nay ("today"), and tuần này ("this week"); past time
adverbials, such as khi nãy ("a moment ago"), hôm qua ("yesterday"), năm ngoái
("last year"), those days (“những ngày đó”); and future time adverbials, such as lát
nữa ("in a moment"), ngày mai ("tomorrow"), and sang năm ("next year"). For
instance:

Tôi đã từng sống ở Đà Nẵng vào những ngày đó (Period of time/Past)

[I used to lived in Danang those days]

Tôi sẽ có một cuộc hẹn vào ngày mai (Point of time/Future)

[I will have an appointment tomorrow]

Both languages utilize prepositions to establish temporal relationships between

events or actions. English employs prepositions like "before," "after," "during,"
"while," and "since." Vietnamese has similar prepositions such as "trước" (before),
"sau" (after), "trong khi" (during/while), and "kể từ khi" (since).

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Both languages have specific words to denote days of the week and months. English
uses words like "Monday," "Tuesday," "January," "February," etc while Vietnamese
has its own set of terms for days of the week ("thứ hai," "thứ ba," etc.) and months
("tháng một," "tháng hai," etc.). For example:

I have a day off on Saturday

[Tôi có ngày nghỉ vào thứ Bảy]

Both Vietnamese and English have phrases or expressions that indicate time, such as
"at 6 o'clock," "in the morning," "in the evening," and "at night." Vietnamese uses
similar expressions like "lúc 6 giờ," "buổi sáng," "buổi tối," and " ban đêm." For
example:

I always do exercises in the morning

[Tôi thường xuyên tập thể dục vào buổi sáng]

The English and Vietnamese both exhibit a distinction between proximal and distal
elements. In these languages, the present tense is considered proximal, while the
past and future tenses are considered distal. To illustrate this, consider an example.

Today is my birthday (proximal/present)

[Hôm nay là ngày sinh của tôi]

I met you yesterday (distal/past)

[Tôi đã gặp bạn hôm qua]

Next time we will go to the movies together (distal/future)

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[Lần tới chúng ta sẽ đi xem phim với nhau]

Differences between Vietnamese and English time deixis

English has tenses and aspects which are grammatical categories. To denote both
tense and aspect, English verbs undergo morphological inflection. According to
Comrie (1985), tense is a deictic category that establishes a relationship between the
time of a circumstance and another point of time, typically either the period of
speaking or a specific reference point. In contrast, aspect, as noted by Comrie (1976)
and Lyons (1977), is not dependent on the time of speaking and does not have a
relative relationship to it. According to Comrie (1976), it plays a role in revealing
the time-based organization of the circumstance itself, providing information about
whether a circumstance is in progress or has been completed. For instance, when we
analyze the statement "Tony went to school", we can identify two time-related
characteristics of the situation. The first feature is that the occurrence of the situation
took place prior to the time of speaking, resulting in using the past tense in the
statement; b) The second one is that the situation is finished or accomplished,
indicating that the statement possesses a perfective aspect.

According to Alexander (1998), English verb tenses are categorized into various
forms, including the simple present, present progressive, simple past, past
progressive, simple present perfect, present perfect progressive, simple past perfect,
past perfect progressive, simple future, future progressive, future perfect, and other
methods to express the future. English also includes two aspects which are the
perfective and imperfective.

According to Smith (1997), the terms "perfective" and "imperfective" aspects are
alternatively known as "viewpoint aspects," characterized by specific grammatical
markers that create a self-contained system.
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According to Bickel & Nichols (2013), in English, we observe certain synthetic
traits, wherein grammatical categories are conveyed through affixes that are attached
to another word. For instance, we can observe this in the use of suffixes like -s for
indicating 3rd person singular or -ed for indicating past tense on a verb.

Meanwhile, according to Thompson (1965), Vietnamese verbs are timeless because

they lack inherent temporal information and solely indicate the existence of a
specific action, sequence of actions, or state of affairs. He also stated that the
determination of relative time for these verbs relies entirely on the linguistic and
situational context.

In Vietnamese, verbs do not undergo changes to indicate aspect and tense. Instead,
they are utilized in their basic forms within sentences. Essentially, this means that
Vietnamese lacks grammatical tense.

To demonstrate the concept of using a single verb form for the entire temporal
references and emphasize the significance of context in interpreting temporality in
Vietnamese, we are going to examine the following statements

1. Tôi đi bộ đến trường

I walked to school

This statement can vary based on the surrounding context, leading to the following
potential interpretations.

1. a. I am walking to school

b. I walk to school

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 c. I have walked to school

d. I was walking to school

e. I walked to school

f. I will walk to school

g. I will be walking to school

Vietnamese employs time markers, temporal adverbials, and aspectual adverbials as

crucial tools to explicitly and precisely convey temporality when there is a risk of
ambiguity. Look at example (2) following

(2). Trước đây tôi chơi bóng rổ

In the past I play basketball

I played basketball in the past

In the second example, the adverbial "trước đây" indicates that the act of "playing"
occurred in the past and clarifies that the speaker no longer engages in playing
basketball at the current time. With no presence of this adverbial, the statement
would be ambiguous in terms of its temporal reference.

As mentioned before, the present and the past are morphologically marked in
English while Vietnamese depends on time adverbial and functional words to
express tenses

Hlavatá & Slavická (2003) stated that in terms of inflectional morphology and the
expression of tense and aspect, English employs the method of adding suffixes,
specifically -ed or -en, to the verb, or it utilizes the analytical approach of using the
auxiliary verb "have." On the other hand, in Vietnamese, these characteristics are

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marked analytically through the use of "time elements", also known as time
particles. The mentioned time particles are specifically đã, đang, and sẽ.

Apart from time particles, Vietnamese utilizes time adverbials like rồi, vẫn, xong,
vừa, mới, sắp, chưa, and others to convey tense and aspect. These adverbials can be
combined with each other or used alongside a time particle. They serve to express
additional aspects of the verb, such as continuity, duration, repetition, and more. For
emxaple:

Tôi đã dọn dẹp phòng của mình rồi

I have cleaned my room already

This marker “đã” indicates the past tense in Vietnamese. It corresponds to the
English auxiliary verb "have" and suffix -ed that are used to express the past tense.
In this sentence, “đã” shows that the action of cleaning (dọn dẹp) occurs in the past.
Besides, the marker “rồi” denotes the perfective aspect, indicating that the action of
cleaning (dọn dẹp) is completed.

According to Dinh (2012), Vietnamese linguists have long regarded functional

words such as đã, đang, sẽ, từng còn, vừa, mới, and others as signals indicating past,
present, and future tenses. He asserts that the correlation between tense and aspect in
the Vietnamese is established through a relationship between grammar and
state. Words like đã, đang, sẽ serve a dual purpose: they convey the overall state
meaning of the sentence while simultaneously preserving the strong connection
between the aspect and tense meanings of the predicate.

In the provided instances, Dinh (2012) emphasizes that these words signify a
connection rather than a precise indication of tense and aspect. To begin with, the
word “đã” in the following examples of Dinh (2012) does not function as a marker
to express past tense.

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(a) “Đã viết tiểu thuyết lại còn làm thơ.”

“Not only writing novels but also composing poems.”

And “đang" does not serve as an indicator of the present tense in:

(b) “Đang giữa trưa hè, không một ngọn gió.”

“It was in a summer noon, there was not any wind.”

Future tense are not expressed by the word “sẽ” in:

(c) “Cái áo này chắc chắn sẽ không dưới ba trăm ngàn.”

“This shirt is surely not under 300,000 VND.”

Based on the mentioned sections and examples, it is evident that the Vietnamese
language incorporates the equivalence of aspect and tense in English through the
usage of adverbials, aspectual markers, or time particles. However, these choices are
not always entirely satisfactory or accurate.

IV. CONCLUSION

In conclusion, comparing and contrasting Vietnamese and English time deixis

reveals fascinating insights into the different ways these languages express temporal
relations. Vietnamese and English utilize distinct linguistic mechanisms to convey
time references. Vietnamese and English also share certain similarities in the usage
of temporal deixis. Both languages use time adverbials to express particular points
of time or time intervals. To establish temporal relationships between events or
actions, both languages utilize prepositions such before (trước), after (sau),
while/during (trong khi), etc. Moreover, the two languages utilize specific words to
denote days of the week and months including “on Wednesday” (vào thứ tư), “in

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May” (vào tháng năm), etc and phrases or expressions that indicate time, such as "at
6 o'clock" (lúc 6 giờ), "in the morning" (vào buổi sáng), etc to denote time. In terms
to proximal and distal distinction, Vietnamse and English both express this
distinction. Within these languages, the present tense is regarded as proximal,
whereas the past and future tenses are perceived as distal.

In spite of these similarities, there are some differences between Vietnamese and
English time deixis. Tenses and aspects are included in English. To express tenses
and aspects, English verbs are inflected morphologically by adding suffix such as -s
or -ed at the end of the verbs. By contrast, Vietnamese verbs are timeless, so
functional words such as đã, đang, sẽ, từng còn, vừa, mới, are used to express tenses.
However, as mentioned above, in some cases, these words do not function as signals
to express tenses. To sum up, the expression and comprehension of time in
Vietnamese language heavily depend on the context and time adverbials while in
English, the verb's grammatical categories of tense and aspect are generally enough,
and while adverbials can provide further clarification, they are not essential.

V. REFERENCE

Alexander, L. G. (1998). Longman English grammar practice for intermediate

students. New York: Longman.

Bickel, B., & Nichols, J. (2013). Chapter 22: Inflectional synthesis of the verb. The
World Atlas of Language Structures Online, eds M. Dryer and M. Haspelmath
(Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology).

Bushman, H. (1998). Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics. New

York, NY: Routledge.

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Comrie, B. (1976). Aspect: an introduction to the study of verbal aspect and related
problems. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.

Comrie, B. (1985). Tense. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]; New York: Cambridge

University Press.

Cruse, A. D. (2004). Meaning in Language: An Introduction to Semantics and

Pagmatics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Dao, T. H. (1965). Representation of time and time-relationship in English and

Vietnamese. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International.

Dinh, D.V. (2012). Thời và thể trong tiếng Việt: Nhìn từ hai phía ngữ pháp và tình
thái [Tense and aspect in Vietnamese: Under grammar and modality views]. Từ điển
học & Bách khoa thư, (5), 11-19.

Grundy, P. (2008). Doing Pragmatics. London: Hodder Education

Hlavatá, L., & Slavická, N. T. B. (2003). Praktická vietnamština: Tieng Viet thuc
hanh. Fortuna.

Huang, Y. (2014). Pragmatics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.112.10hel

Lyons, J. (1977). Semantics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Smith, C. S. (1997). The parameter of aspect (2nd ed.). Dordrecht; Boston: Kluwer.

Thompson, L. C. (1965). A Vietnamese grammar. Seattle: University of Washington

Press
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Wati, D. R. (2014). A Deixis Analysis of Song Lyric in Taylor Swift’s “RED”
Album. Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta.

Yule, G. (1996). Pragmatics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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