A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY ON WEATHER PROVERBS IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE. Đỗ Thị Minh Ngọc. QHF.1.2006

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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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 .............................................................................................................

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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:

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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).

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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

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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,

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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
Components of Culture
Lifestyle
Plastic arts Lifestyle
photography and photography and
Religions cinema cinema
Habits and customs literature literature
Mass media
Audio arts Mass media
Information & Signals
Festivals Information &
Signals Architecture
Dramma Architecture
Performing arts
Handicrafts Performing arts
Language Language
Handicrafts
Dramma
Festivals
Figure 1. Components of CultureAudio arts
(Adopted from the textbook “Cơ sở văn hóa Habits
Việt Nam”
and customs
by Dr. Tran Quoc Vuong et. all) Religions

Plastic arts

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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).

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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

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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

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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-

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.”

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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…”

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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“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

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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

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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?

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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/

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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required to study the factors that lead to such similarities and differences and
investigate how these factors are influenced by cultural perspectives.

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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

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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)

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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)

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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:

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“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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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:

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“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)

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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:

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(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.

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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

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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

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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 18 th 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,

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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

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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)

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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”

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(“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

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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

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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

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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!”

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(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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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”

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“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.”

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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

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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

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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.

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Graduation Paper
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APPENDIX
COLLECTION OF WEATHER PROVERBS
IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE
I. Weather proverbs that simply anticipate weather changes
Based on the observation of English Vietnamese

1. A year of snow, a year of plenty. 1. Cầu vồng móng cụt, không lụt thì
2. An English Summer, Three Hot mưa
Days and a Thunderstorm 2. Chớp đông nhay nháy, gà gáy thì
3. A summer fog for fair, mưa
A winter fog for rain. 3. Cơn đằng Bắc lắc rắc mưa phùn
A fact most everywhere, 4. Cơn đằng Đông vừa trông vừa
Climatic phenomena
In valley or on plain. chạy
4. A sun shiny shower, won't last Cơn đằng Nam vừa làm vừa chơi
half an hour 5. Cơn đằng Tây vừa cày, vừa ăn
5. Clear moon, frost soon. 6. Đầu năm sương muối, cuối năm
6. Halo around the sun or moon, rain gió nồm
or snow soon. 7. Đêm tháng năm chưa nằm đã
7. If clouds move against the wind, sáng, ngày tháng mười chưa cười đã
rain will follow. tối
8. Rain before seven, fine before 8. Đêm trời tang, trăng sao không
eleven tỏ,
9. Rainbow in the morning gives you Ấy là điềm mưa gió tới nơi.
fair warning. Đêm nào sao sáng xanh trời,
10. Red Sky at night, shepherd's Ấy là nắng ráo yên vui suốt ngày.
delight 9. Gió heo may, chẳng mưa dầm thì
Red sky in the morning, sailor take bão giật.
warning 10. Gió heo may, chuồn chuồn bay
11. Snow like cotton, soon forgotten thì bão
Snow like meal, it'll snow a great 11. Mau sao thì nắng, vắng sao thì
deal mưa
12. The higher the clouds, the better 12. Mây kéo xuống biển thì nắng
the weather. chang chang
13. The north wind brings forth rain. Mưa kéo lên ngàn thì mưa như
14. The West Wind Always Brings trút
Wet Weather 13. Mây xanh thì nắng, mây trắng
The East Wind Wet and Cold thì mưa
Together 14. Mống bên đông, vồng bên tây,
The South Wind Surely Brings Us chẳng mưa rây cũng bão giật
Rain 15. Mống cao gió táp, mống áp mưa
The North Wind Blows It Back rào
Again 16. Mống dài trời lụt, mống cụt trời
15. When halo rings the moon or mưa
sun, rain's approaching on the run 17. Mống vàng thì nắng, mống
16. When smoke descends, good trắng thì mưa
weather ends 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.
1. A cow with its tail to the West 1. Ác (quạ) tắm thí ráo, sáo tắm thì
makes the weather best, mưa
A cow with its tail to the East 2. Chuồn chuồn bay thấp thì mưa
makes the weather least Bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì
2. Cats and dogs eat grass before a râm .
rain. 3. Én (yến) bay thấp, mưa ngập bờ
3. Flies will swarm before a storm ao, én (yên) bay cao, mưa rào lại
4. If cows are standing in a field it tạnh
will be fine, but if they are lying 4. Ếch kêu uôm uôm, ao chuôm đầy
Animals’ behaviors down it is going to rain. nước.
5. If crows fly low, wind‟s going to 5. Gió bấc hiu hiu, sếu kêu thì rét
blow; 6. Kiến cánh vỡ tổ bay ra, bão táp
If crows fly high, wind‟s going to mưa sa gần tới
die 7. Kiến đen tha trứng lên cao,
6. Seagull, seagull sit on the sand Thế nào cũng có mưa rào rất to.
It's never good weather when 8. Tháng bảy heo may, chuồn chuồn
you're on land bay thì bão
7. When ants travel in a straight line, 9. Tháng bảy kiến đàn, đại hàn hồng
expect rain; when they scatter, 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
1. If corn husks are thicker than 1. Mùa hè đang nóng, cỏ gà trắng
usual, a cold winter is ahead. thì mưa
2. Onion skin very thin
Mild winter coming in;
Vegetative reactions
Onion skins thick and tough
Coming winter cold and rough.
3. When leaves show their backs, it
will rain.
II. Weather proverbs that represent weather’s influence on production
English Vietnamese
Producing or 1. Bao giờ đom đóm bay ra, hoa gạo rụng
working time 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 1. Lúa chiêm lấp ló đầu bờ
will be filled with hay and corn. 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 1. Ráng mỡ gà, có nhà thì chống
Rainy weather is at stake 2. Rét tháng ba bà già chết cóng

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VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

ĐỖ THỊ MINH NGỌC

A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY ON WEATHER

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE

Hanoi, May 2010

ĐỖ THỊ MINH NGỌC

A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY ON WEATHER

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE

SUPERVISOR: PHAN THỊ VÂN QUYÊN, MA.

Hanoi, May 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I.2. Research aims and research questions

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

I.3. Scope of the research

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

I. 4. Methods of the research

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

I. 5. Significance of the research

I. 6. Design of the research

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

significance of the study to English language teaching and learning process

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

Lastly, chapter 6 concludes the research plus directions for further

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

Chapter II: LITERATURE REVIEW

II.1.1. Definition of culture

Various definitions of cultures have been given by scholars from

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

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

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

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

II.1.2. Features of culture

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

Culture is not innate; it is learned

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

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

II.1.3. Functions of culture

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

communicative function, and the function of guaranteeing the continuity of

II.1.4. Components of culture

by Dr. Tran Quoc Vuong et. all) Religions

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