Contrastive Analysis of the Characteristics of Vietnamese Words with Hmong Language ones and Reasons for Making Mistakes in Using Vietnamese words of Hmong Primary School Pupils

Dr. Phung Thi Thanh

Tan Trao University.

ABSTRACT: Vietnamese and Hmong languages are both isolated, syllabic, and tonal languages. However, Vietnamese words and Hmong language words have similar and different characteristics. Therefore, we have analyzed and contrasted the characteristics of Vietnamese words with Hmong language ones, analyzing language interferences that are the causes of errors in using Vietnamese words of Hmong primary school pupils. This research aims to contribute to improving the quality of Vietnamese language teaching for Hmong primary school pupils in primary schools in Vietnam ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

KEYWORDS: Contrastive analysis, Vietnamese words, Hmong language words, word errors, primary school pupils, the Hmong ethnic group.

INTRODUCTION

Currently, improving the quality of teaching Vietnamese for Hmong primary school pupils in primary schools in ethnic minority and mountainous areas of Vietnam is a matter of great concern and research. Because Vietnamese words and Hmong language words have similar and different characteristics, 61% of Hmong primary school pupils (within the scope of our survey data) still make mistakes in using Vietnamese words.

Therefore, it is very urgent to analyze and contrast the characteristics of Vietnamese words with Hmong language ones, pointing out the reasons why Hmong primary school pupils make mistakes in using Vietnamese words to find remedial measures. Stemming from this fact, we have analyzed and contrasted the characteristics of Vietnamese words with Hmong language ones, analyzing language interferences that are the cause of errors in using Vietnamese words of Hmong primary school pupils. The results of this study help us have a scientific basis to propose measures to overcome errors in using Vietnamese words for Hmong primary school pupils. Since then, contributed to improving the quality of teaching Vietnamese to Hmong primary school pupils in primary schools in ethnic minority and mountainous areas of Vietnam.

CONTENTS

In the world in recent years, contrastive analysis has been developed, studied, and applied to language teaching and learning. In Vietnam, linguistic contrastive analysis has also been interesting to researchers soon. Author Thiem (2004) introduced aspects of contrastive Linguistics such as The process of formation and development; Theoretical premises (objects, tasks, research scope, the relationship between contrastive linguistics with other subjects…); Methods and tactics of language comparison; Methods of comparing languages ​​on different aspects: phonetics – phonology,…

Next, author Chien (1992) also raised the general theoretical issues of contrastive linguistics. “In addition to stating the theory, the author also presents the principles of contrasting the personal pronoun system between two languages ​​of the same and different types. At the same time, the author has applied it to test the unit, quantity, structure, meaning, and operation of the personal pronoun system between Vietnamese and Khmer, and Lao languages.

Also in the above research direction, the author Thanh (2005a) has carried out the empirical analysis, and description and has shown that: The Hmong Lenh tone system in Sa Pa – Lao Cai province consists of 8 tones with distinct phonetics and phonology characteristics.

In 2005, the author Thanh (2005b) reported the results of a contrastive analysis, showing the similarities and differences between the two Vietnamese and Hmong tonal systems in terms of pitch (line, pitch) and voice quality.

Then, the author Thanh (2006) continued to report the results of contrastive analysis of Vietnamese syllables with Hmong and concluded: Unlike Vietnamese, there is no closed syllable in Hmong.

To correct  Vietnamese language pronunciation mistakes made by Hmong ethnic students, we have shown that it is necessary to rely on Vietnamese phonetic characteristics to guide, and correct pronunciation mistakes in Vietnamese rhymes for Hmong ethnic students (Thanh, 2013). Next, we have also shown that it is necessary to rely on the characteristics of Hmong initial sound consonants to guide, and correct pronunciation mistakes in Hmong rhymes for Vietnamese students (Thanh, 2014).

Regarding the development of the Hmong language, we clearly stated: In the process of development, the Hmong language has limited simplification of the initial sound consonants (Thanh, 2016a).

In the monograph presenting the results of a Contrastive analysis of the Vietnamese – Mong phonetics – phonemics system to propose solutions to correct Vietnamese pronunciation errors for the Mong ethnic minorities students, the Author Thanh (2016b) expressed the view that: Therefore, this monograph of ours can be considered an experimental step to meet the urgent requirements of both theory and practice of researching and teaching Vietnamese to the Mong people as well as teaching Vietnamese. Hmong language for Vietnamese people in Vietnam today.

Continuing the research direction of contrastive analysis, we have published the results of the Contrastive analysis between Vietnamese half–open rhymes with Lao half–open ones. The results of this study not only contribute to clarifying some theoretical issues with Eastern languages but also has practical implications in language education, a compilation of bilingual Vietnamese–Lao or Lao–Vietnamese textbooks to help Lao people learn Vietnamese well and vice versa (Thanh, 2020).

About using the Interpreting method-Mother tongue use method to teach specialized Vietnamese to Lao students, the following should be noted: All words and sentences are related and compared with the mother tongue. All readings and language documents are also translated into the learners’ mother tongue. The new grammatical phenomena are compared with equivalent grammatical phenomena in the mother tongue to show the similarities and differences between them. Vietnamese language teachers need to prevent mistakes that learners may make due to their habit of using their mother tongue (Thanh, 2021).

Reviewing the research history, it can be seen that the contrastive analysis of the characteristics of Vietnamese words with Hmong language ones and the proposal of some measures to overcome errors in using Vietnamese words for Hmong primary school pupils is a very necessary study.

To carry out the purpose of contrasting the characteristics of Vietnamese words with Hmong language ones, we use statistical methods, systematic methods, descriptive analysis methods, contrastive analysis methods, and method of interference analysis.

Below, we will present the research results: A contrastive analysis of the characteristics of Vietnamese words with Hmong language ones and the causes of errors in using Vietnamese words by Hmong primary school pupils.

1. Contrastive analysis of the characteristics of Vietnamese words with those of the Hmong language ones.

1.1. Features of Vietnamese words

The authors of Vietnamese Textbook 2 have suggested that: The phonetic form of Vietnamese words are fixed and invariant in all positions, relationships, and functions in sentences (A (Editor). et al, 2011).  Thus, Vietnamese words have an unchanged phonetic form in all positions, relationships, and different grammatical functions in sentences.

For example, The word “hat” when used alone or when used in the sentence “I bought this hat.” phonetic form remains unchanged.

Therefore, if we only rely on the phonetic form of the word, we cannot see all the grammatical values of Vietnamese words. Only when considered through relationships with other words before or after, Vietnamese words clearly show their grammatical value.

Vietnamese is an isolated language – syllabic. Due to being dominated by typological characteristics (language type), the grammatical features of Vietnamese words are mainly expressed in two aspects: first, in the ability to combine and second, in the ability to assume grammatical positions in sentences, the ability to dominate auxiliary elements in the word-group… (A (Editor). et al, 2011).  Thus, the grammatical features of Vietnamese words are not expressed within the word, but mainly outside the word, expressed through its correlation with other words in the sentence.

For example, Vietnamese words such as: “nhà” (home), “vườn” (garden), “sách” (book), and “bút” (pen),… can be combined indirectly with quantity words in the position in front of them and can take care of them. The grammatical function is to act as the subject in Vietnamese sentences.

Words such as: “may” (sew), “trồng” (planting), and “tưới” (watering),… can be combined with complements which are the nouns “quần áo” (clothes), “cây” (tree), and “rau” (vegetable) indicating the object directly affected by the activities. The action is indicated by the verbs mentioned above (for example: “may quần áo” (sewing clothes), “trồng cây” (planting trees), “tưới rau” (watering vegetables),…

1.2. Features of the Hmong language words

Hmong language words in all positions, relationships, and different grammatical functions in sentences have unchanged phonetic forms. When in a system or when standing alone or used in a sentence, the phonetic form of the word remains unchanged.

For example, when standing alone in the system, the phonetic form of the Hmong language word “tsêr” (house) compared to the phonetic form of the Hmong language word “tsêr” is used in the sentence “Cur nhaoz tsêr.” (I’m at home.) are the same.

Therefore, if we only rely on the phonetic form of the Hmong language words, we cannot determine the grammatical value of the word. It must be based on the relationship with other words before or after to determine the grammatical value of a particular word in Hmong.

Because the Hmong language is isolated–syllabic, the grammatical features of Hmong language words are mainly expressed in two aspects:

The first aspect: Grammatical features of Hmong language words are expressed in the ability to combine.

The second aspect: Grammatical characteristics of Hmong language words are expressed in the ability to take on grammatical positions in sentences, and the ability to dominate the auxiliary elements in the word group.

Grammatical features of Hmong language words are not expressed in the word, but outside the word, with other words in the sentence.

For example, Hmong language words like: “lax” (field), “maor” (rice), “jâuz” (vegetable), etc. can be combined with quantitative words in their front position and can perform the grammatical function of being the subject in Hmong language sentences.

Hmong language words like: “đaoz” (uproot), “đê” (picking), and “chaos” (plant),… can be combined with complements that are nouns: “zuz” (rice seedlings), “jâuz” (vegetable), and “ntông” (tree), etc. refers to the object directly affected by the activities indicated by the verbs mentioned above (for example: “đaoz zuz” (uproot rice seedlings), “đê jâuz” (picking vegetables), “chaos ntông” (plant a tree), etc.

2. Contrastive analysis of the characteristics of Vietnamese words with the characteristics of Hmong language ones

2.1. The similarity of the characteristics of Vietnamese words with the characteristics of Hmong language ones

The results of the contrastive analysis show that Vietnamese words have similarities in characteristics with Hmong language ones as follows:

Vietnamese words and Hmong language words have the same phonetic form in all positions, relationships, and different grammatical functions in sentences. When the word is in the system, when the word stands alone, or when the word is in a sentence, the phonetic form of the word remains unchanged. Therefore, we cannot fully see the grammatical value of Vietnamese and Hmong words if we only rely on the phonetic form of the word. Both Vietnamese words and the Hmong language words show grammatical value through their relationships with other words that come before or after them.

Vietnamese and Hmong languages are both isolated languages​​-syllables, so the grammatical features of words in these two languages ​​are mainly expressed in two aspects:

The first aspect: Grammatical characteristics of Vietnamese words and Hmong language words are expressed in the ability to combine.

The second aspect: The grammatical characteristics of Vietnamese words and Hmong language words are also expressed in the ability to assume grammatical positions in sentences, and the ability to dominate auxiliary elements in the word group.

Grammatical features of Vietnamese words and Hmong language words are not expressed in the word itself but outside the word, that is, in the relationship of those words with other words in the sentence.

2.2. The difference in characteristics of Vietnamese words with characteristics of Hmong language ones

The results of the contrastive analysis show that Vietnamese words have differences in characteristics from Hmong language ones as follows:

Although the same phonetic form does not change in all different grammatical positions, the syllables that make up Hmong words have different characteristics from Vietnamese such as Hmong words are not composed of closed syllables. (end with consonants recorded with the letters: p, t, c, ch); half–closed syllables (ending with consonants recorded with the letters: m, n) and syllables with a falling sound, etc., like Vietnamese words.

Vietnamese words are not made up of syllables with affricate initial consonants; syllables with initial consonants with the nose element antecedent; syllables whose main sound is diphthongs are recorded with the letters: “ơư”, “ei”; syllables bearing tones such as the “lul tone” (l), the “sơưs tone” (s), the “kuok tone” (k), etc. like the Hmong language words.

Vietnamese and Hmong languages belong to the same type of isolated language – syllabic. However, the grammatical features of Hmong language words are not only expressed in the ability to combine and assume grammatical positions in sentences, etc. but also differ from Vietnamese in the associative order in the word group.

For example:

Vietnamese: “Nhà của mẹ tôi” (My mother’s house).

Hmong language: “Cur nav li tsêr” (Tôi mẹ của nhà = Nhà của mẹ tôi (My mother’s house)).

The second aspect is: Grammatical features of Hmong language words are different from Vietnamese ones in their ability to dominate the elements in the Hmong language subordinated compound words.

For example:

Vietnamese: “gà trống” (cock).

Hmong language: “lâur keiz” (trống gà = gà trống (cock))

Vietnamese: “Bố mẹ tôi đang ăn cơm.” (My parents are eating rice.”.

Hmong language: “Cur nav txir tsênhv naox maor.”

(Tôi mẹ bố đang ăn cơm.” = “Bố mẹ tôi đang ăn cơm.” (My parents are eating rice.))

3. Causes of making mistakes in using Vietnamese words of the Hmong primary school pupils

Contrasting the characteristics of Vietnamese words with those of the Hmong language ones, we found that the cause of mistakes in using Vietnamese words by Hmong primary school pupils is due to language interferences as follows:

Language interference is the reason why Hmong primary school pupils make mistakes between Vietnamese words that are not distinguished in the Hmong language.

Language interference is the reason why Hmong primary school pupils make the mistake of using some characteristics of Hmong language words to express the characteristics of Vietnamese words.

Language interference is the reason why Hmong primary school pupils make the mistake of distinguishing some Vietnamese words according to specific criteria for Hmong language words.

Language interference is the reason why Hmong primary school pupils make the mistake of using some types of word structures found in both Vietnamese and Hmong languages but the semantic standards are not the same.

CONCLUSION

Improving the quality of Vietnamese language teaching for Hmong primary school pupils in mountainous primary schools in our country is a matter of great concern and research. Because Vietnamese words and the Hmong language words have similar and different characteristics, most Hmong primary school pupils (within the scope of our survey data) still make mistakes in using Vietnamese words. Therefore, we have analyzed and contrasted the characteristics of Vietnamese words with Hmong language ones; analysis of language interference is the cause of errors in the use of Vietnamese words by Hmong primary school pupils. The results of this study will be used as a basis to propose measures to correct errors in using Vietnamese words for Hmong primary school pupils. Since then, we hope to contribute to gradually improving the quality of teaching Vietnamese for Hmong primary school pupils in primary schools in ethnic minority and mountainous areas of Vietnam.

FUNDING: This research is funded by Tan Trao University in Tuyen Quang, Viet Nam

REFERENCES

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