Tạp chí của Viện Ngôn ngữ học
Interrogative Adverbs, Interrogative Pronouns and Interrogative Modal Particles in Vietnamese
Among the various linguistic devices used to construct interrogative sentences in Vietnamese, question words play a particularly crucial role. These words are not uniform in terms of word class and communicative function. Specifically, three categories-pronouns, particles, and adverbs are frequently employed to form interrogativity. To date, however, there has been no comprehensive comparative analysis of these categories. Drawing on the framework of Functional Grammar, the article examines the grammatical, semantic, and pragmatic properties of interrogative adverbs, interrogative pronouns, and interrogative modal particles. The findings highlight both convergences and divergences across the three categories.
List of Articles Published by Ngon Ngu Journal in 2025
Students’ Perceptions of Using Ted Talks to Promote Their Oral Presentation Skills in Efl Flipped Speaking Classrooms
The paper examines how students perceive the use of TED Talks to enhance oral presentation skills (OPS) in EFL flipped speaking classrooms through the theoretical lens of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by Davis (1989). A questionnaire of 15 items, adapted from Ajayi et al. (2017) and Lewis (2019), examined three dimensions related to the Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), and Task-Technology Fit (TTF) of TED Talks in EFL speaking classes. Thirty-two EFL tertiary students from the University of Economics – Technology responded to the questionnaire. The results demonstrate that perceptions on all dimensions are positive, with the highest overall measurement being the TTF dimension, followed by PU and PEOU. The presence of these features in TED Talks, in line with OPS development needs, ease of use, and the ability to improve the quality of presentations, preparation efficiency, and delivery effectiveness, was also highly appreciated by students. The findings suggest that TED Talks can offer promising educational materials for use in a flipped classroom, promoting the active application of theoretical knowledge to everyday practical assignment. Additionally, they can serve as effective sources of relevant knowledge to support the development of OPS in the EFL tertiary context.
The Distribution of Lexical Variants Denoting “Mother” in Northern Vietnamese Dialects
This article investigates the lexical variants denoting “mother” in the Northern Vietnamese dialect area, drawing on survey data collected across multiple provinces and employing ArcGIS to visualize the spatial distribution of each variant. The results indicate a high level of lexical variation, comprising widely used forms such as mẹ, u, and bu, as well as historically and socially marked variants including bầm/ầm, đẻ, and mợ. Each variant exhibits a distinct geographical distribution: mẹ is prevalent throughout the entire region; u is concentrated in coastal lowland areas; bu is commonly found in Hải Phòng; bầm is characteristic of midland and mountainous zones; whereas đẻ and mợ appear sporadically in specific localities. The application of ArcGIS enables clearer delineation of the boundaries and transitional zones among these variants, thereby contributing to a more precise understanding of the internal structure of the Northern dialect and offering implications for the development of a modern linguistic atlas of Vietnamese dialects.
Some Basic Issues of Discourse Analysis Supported by Data
This paper explores discourse analysis from an interdisciplinary perspective, focusing on the intersection between discourse analysis and corpus linguistics. It seeks to clarify the respective roles of corpus linguistics and discourse analysis in interdisciplinary linguistic research. The integration of computational tools and techniques into linguistic studies represents a significant advancement yielding promising results; however, such approaches cannot replace the necessity of qualitative, critical, and context-sensitive analyses. Research on language in use must be grounded in the theoretical foundations of linguistics and discourse analysis. This paper offers an introductory overview of the topic rather than an in-depth analysis and aims to lay the groundwork for further, more comprehensive investigations.
Word Formation in the Hani Language in Lai Chau Province
According to genealogical classification, Hani belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family, Tibeto-Karen branch, Tibeto-Burman sub-branch, and Burmese-Loloish group. Hani is an isolating languguage. Word formation in Hani mainly occurs through compounding and reduplication, exhibiting diverse and unique patterns. The paper describes the characteristics of word formation in the Hani language spoken in Lai Chau province of Vietnam.
Research Trends on “Metadiscourse” Worldwide: A Review of Book Publications
This study aims to provide an overview of the global research landscape pertaining to the field of metadiscourse. The theory proposed by Hyland (2005) offers a critical analytical framework for understanding the interactions between writers/speakers and their readers/audiences, as well as elucidating the relationship between authors/speakers and their texts. To achieve the research objectives, a synthesis method combined with statistical tools was employed to analyze 20 relevant publications retrieved from the Scopus database. The study presents key aspects such as prominent authors, outstanding publications, annual book publication trends, and the fundamental contents of the published works. The findings not only furnish a comprehensive perspective on the current state of metadiscourse research worldwide but also facilitate Vietnamese scholars in accessing and applying this theoretical framework to analyze various text genres. This exploration opens new avenues for research and enhances the quality of scholarship on metadiscourse in Vietnam.
Integrating Contextualized Pronunciation Instruction with Listening Comprehension Development in Vietnamese Language Teaching (A Case Study at Columbia University)
Listening comprehension remains a core challenge in learning Vietnamese, a tonal language with complex vowel clusters. Drawing on over 20 years of teaching experience, the author develops pronunciation-focused listening materials for elementary learners, addressing gaps that classroom time alone cannot fill. Based on a four-year pilot in the First-Year Vietnamese Course at Columbia University, the study tracks students’ pronunciation and listening gains into the second year. Findings highlight the value of integrating pronunciation training with listening instruction to enhance proficiency and support self-directed learning, offering a holistic model for modern Vietnamese language education.
Pragmatic Effects of Non-Conventional Interpretations of Utterances
This study aims to examine the pragmatic effects arising from the discrepancy between the intended meaning of utterances and their interpretation in Gilles Paris's novel Autobiographie d'une courgette, based on Relevance Theory (Sperber & Wilson, 1986). Through a qualitative analysis of representative dialogues and narrative passages, the study reveals that the gap between children's interpretations and the meanings adults intend to convey generates distinctive pragmatic effects such as dramatic irony, humorous situations, and sympathetic emotions. These effects simultaneously reflect the children's characteristic ways of perceiving the world. Consequently, the study proposes a literal or semantic translation strategy to maintain these pragmatic effects with brief explanatory notes when necessary, in order to enable target readers to access the layers of meaning and emotions equivalent to those in the original text.
Conceptual Metaphor Research in Literature
This article represents an effort to address significant research gaps in conceptual metaphor research in the Vietnamese literary context. It argues that the study of conceptual metaphors in literature remains underdefined, with its aims, research tasks, and methodological approaches either undefined or inappropriately defined. The key point is that conceptual metaphors in literature should not be studied in the same manner as those in everyday language, that is, by treating literary data as mere ordinary linguistic data to locate and analyze mappings between metaphorical source and target domains. Instead, research on literary conceptual metaphors must demonstrate how, grounded in ordinary conceptual metaphors, writers/poets engage in deliberate artistry and creativity through processes of extension, elaboration, questioning, and composing/combining.
Interpretation of Elements Preceding Vietnamese Nouns: A Cognitive Grammar Perspective
Although limited in number, the elements that precede nouns in Vietnamese have been subjected to very different interpretations regarding their semantics and word class among Vietnamese linguists. In this article, we point out the shortcomings in the existing analyses and from the perspective of cognitive grammar, propose a more consistent interpretation. We classify these pre-nominal elements into two types: quantifiers and articles. Quantifiers include absolute quantifiers (i.e., numerals) and relative quantifiers. Relative quantifiers include proportional quantifiers and symbolic quantifiers. Measure words and articles are analyzed as nominal grounding elements. Grounding is defined as the process of locating an entity relative to the ground. Grounding allows the participants of a speech act to establish a mental connection with the designated entity. Grounding elements are elements that specifically serve this grounding function.
Vocabulary in Vietnamese of Preschool-Age Hearing Impaired Children with Cochlear Implants at Sunny AVT Center
This paper investigated the current status of Vietnamese vocabulary among preschool-aged hearing-impaired children, from which to find ways to help them develop richer vocabulary. The survey did show that, overall, the vocabulary leverls of the surveyed children are not high. One of the reasons for this situation was that most children receive their cochlear implants quite late. Across all three groups of children, nouns account for the largest proportion of their vocabulary, followed by verbs and adjectives, while other word classes account for the smallest proportion. There are many factors that affect the Vietnamese vocabulary development of the surveyed hearing impaired children. Among these, cochlear implants and audio-speech therapy are the factors that have the most impact. In addition, other factors (child’s own abilities, cooperation, health condition, and the level of family support) - also have a great influence on the child's vocabulary acquisition
Semantic Features of Southern Vietnamese Dialectal Words in the National Vocabulary
In the process of socio-cultural interaction—particularly under the influence of mass media and social networks—a considerable number of Southern Vietnamese dialectal words have penetrated the speech and writing of Northern speakers. This paper examines this phenomenon from a semantic perspective, focusing on describing the semantic features of Southern Vietnamese words as they are integrated into Northern usage. The findings reveal three prominent tendencies: (1) words retaining their original meanings, (2) words undergoing semantic or connotative expansion, and (3) words experiencing semantic or connotative narrowing. The study thereby contributes to clarifying the role of the Southern dialect in enriching the vocabulary and expressive nuances of the national Vietnamese language.
The contemporary nomenclature of coffee drinks in Hanoi is a special linguistic subsystem charactersized by three simultaneous processes: borrowing, Vietnamization, and language creation. This system reflects the expansion of the culinary vocabulary, the trend of multilingualism and cultural exchange, as well as the impact of commercial language and visual communication. This study, based on the analysis of the linguistic features of 112 names for coffee drinks, aims to contribute to the identification of a form of “living language” in urban Vietnam, where the Vietnamese language is constantly adapting, assimilating and regenerating to reflect modern life.
Linguistic and Cultural Characteristics of Words Referring to Characters in Vietnamese Fairy Tales
In fairy tales, the main character is the center, the soul of the narrative as all the events and details in the story revolve around this figure. Characters in fairy tales are diverse, and each is identified by different names associated with different fates, qualities, appearances, psychological traits, personalities, actions and behaviors. Studying the words referring to characters in fairy tales from a linguistic - cultural perspective therefore not only shows the diversity in naming characters but also helps to better understand some cultural and national characteristics expressed through the meanings of some character names.
Some Ceharacteristics of Noun Types in Kho Mu in Vietnam
This article studies the characteristics of noun types in the Kho Mu language in Vietnam. The study provides an overall picture of the properties of the Kho Mu nouns, including their general meanings, combinability, and functions in larger syntactic structures. In addition, the article also classifies nouns in Khmer into subgroups based on their meanings, functions and combinability.
Online Language of University Students: A Relevance Theory Perspective
This study analyzes the use of minimalist and non-standard linguistic forms in the online communication of university students in Ho Chi Minh City, using Relevance Theory as its framework. By surveying students from three different universities, the research reveals that these linguistic behaviors are not mere "errors" but rather a deliberate strategy to achieve optimal relevance. Students favor forms like abbreviations and omissions to minimize the processing effort required for typing and producing language. At the same time, these forms ensure messages are understood quickly and accurately within a shared communication code. The study also found that students possess a high degree of pragmatic sensitivity. They are well aware that in formal contexts, such as academic or professional settings, or when communicating with elders, using standard language is crucial to ensure clarity, accuracy, and professionalism. This flexibility in code-switching between different language styles is a clear testament to their adaptability.
Language Strategy for Scale Application in Vietnamese Tourism Advertising Discussion on the Website of the Vietnam National Tourism Office
This article applies the Appraisal framework developed by J.R. Martin and P.R.R. White [17] to discover the Graduation strategies, including Focus and Force, utilized in the Vietnamese tourism discourse on the official website of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (https://vietnamtourism.gov.vn/). Twenty promotional articles published on the website in the period 2024-2025 were examined using linguistic description methods together with statistical methods to reveal the characteristics of this kind of discourse. The findings suggest that Vietnamese tourism discourse employs various Graduation strategies to persuade potential customers with significant reliance on Force, especially expressions to intensify tourists’ travel experience. In addition, the article offers recommendations to enhance interactivity and persuasiveness on the investigated website.
Linguistic Features of Orchards Naming in Vietnamese
The article survey of 1218 orchard names in Vietnamese and establishing 14 representative naming models based on the characteristics such as geographical location, color, shape, size, taste, ethnic origin, folk legends, and others. The results show that the Vietnamese modes of identiftcation are closely tied to sensory perception, agricultural experience, and local culture. The naming models reflect the richness and flexibility in the word structure and the ways in which Vietnamese people linguistically represent the plant world. The study contributes to clarifying the mechanisms of language perception, while also providing useful materials for lexicography, education, and the preservation of folk knowledge.
Acoustic Parameters of Vietnamese Word-Initial Consonants: An Analysis of Duration, Intensity, and Fundamental Frequency
This study investigates three basic acoustic parameters of 22 initial consonants in Vietnamese, including duration, intensity, and fundamental frequency (F₀). The results show that each consonant group (stops, fricatives, nasals, and laterals) exhibits distinct acoustic properties, with significant differences observed between male and female speakers. These findings help clarify the relationship between acoustic features and articulatory mechanisms in Vietnamese and provide valuable reference data for research in speech processing, speaker recognition, and the development of speech audiometry word lists.
A Proposal for a New Macrostructural Model for a Vietnamese Administrative Terminology Dictionary
This paper focuses on analyzing the macrostructure of administrative terminology dictionaries, emphasizing its crucial role in ensuring systematization, accessibility, and user-friendliness. Drawing on modern lexicographic theories, it proposes a new macrostructural model for a Vietnamese administrative terminology dictionary, consisting of two parts: (i) a hierarchical system of administrative terminology organized into System >> Subsystem >> Group >> Subgroup >> Microgroup; and (ii) an alphabetical list of terms with locating codes. The findings highlight that macrostructure is not a matter of layout alone but reflects the compiler’s scientific reasoning and methodological approach. The study underscores its significance in enhancing both the practical utility and scholarly value of administrative terminology dictionaries and points to future directions for specialized dictionary compilation in alignment with international standards.
The Status and Role of the Phu La Language in Contemporary Life
Phul La language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family, the Tibeto-Karen branch, the Tibeto-Burmese sub-branch, the Burmese-Lolo group. Currently, Phu La language is classified as critically endangered. Research shows that in present-day family communication, Phu La speakers use three languages: Phu La, Quan Hoa, and Vietnamese, with . Quan Hoa being used at the highest rate. Vietnamese tends to be increasingly learnt and used by preschool- and primary- school- aged children. The role and function of Phu La are becoming increasingly restricted; it is now used very little and is only kept by the elderly. The majority of Phu La informants (93%) believe that Phu La people shoudl know their language and express a desire for it to be taught in schools, because they wish to preserve the language and maintain their ethnic culture.
Phonetic Systems of Kri Phoong Language in Vietnam
The Kri Phoọng language of Vietnam belongs to the Viet (Vietic) subgroup of the Mon-Khmer branch within the Austroasiatic language family. Its phonological template may be represented as C1vC2C3VC4+T. The tonal system of Kri Phoọng comprises five tones:in sonorant-final syllables: [44], [25ʔ], [52ʔ]; and in non-sonorant-final syllables: [13], [35]. With respect to onset and rhyme structure, the language exhibits the following initial consonants: /p; t; ʈ; c; k; ʔ; pʰ; tʰ; kʰ; ɓ; ɗ; s; ʂ; h; v; z; ʑ; m; n; ɲ; ŋ; l; r/. Consonant clusters in the onset include a second element drawn from /l/, /w/, or /r/. In the main syllable,the nuclear vowel inventory comprises the monophthongs /i, iː; ɯ, ɯː; u, uː; e, eː; ɤ, ɤː; o, oː; ɛ, ɛː; a, aː; ɔ, ɔː/ and the three diphthongs /iɤ, ɯɤ, uɤ/. The coda inventory includes /p; t; c; k; m; n; ɲ; ŋ; w; l; j; h; r/, with a single complex coda /jh/ attested in the language. Within the broader typological evolution observed among Southeast Asian languages and the Vietic subgroup in particular, Kri Phoọng preserves a relatively archaic phonological profile, exhibiting characteristics intermediate between “old” and “middle” typological stages of isolating languages, the coexistence of sesquisyllabicity and tonal distinctions. The findings in this study are intended to contribute to the preservation of this language.
Characteristics of Vietnamese Tonal Pronunciation in Children Aged 5-6 (A Case Study in Hanoi)
This study investigates the characteristics of Vietnamese tonal pronunciation in children aged 5-6 in Hanoi, aiming to clarify the role of tone in the development of language and communication skills during early childhood. Addressing a gap in previous research - which has paid less attention to tone compared to other syllabic components - the paper focuses on analyzing the acoustic features and tonal articulation of children speaking Northern Vietnamese dialects. The results reveal significant differences in F0 values across tones, reflecting distinct pitch ranges and degrees of tonal variation. Gender and age also influence vocal pitch, with girls and 6-year-olds generally exhibiting higher F0 values. Common pronunciation errors, such as substituting the creaky rising tone (ngã) with the high rising tone (sắc), or the falling-rising tone (hỏi) with the low falling tone (nặng), suggest that children still struggle with controlling pitch and glottal interruptions. These findings provide a crucial foundation for designing effective pronunciation correction strategies, supporting more accurate and holistic language development in early childhood education.
Some Pragmatic Functions of Repair in Vietnamese Convers
Repairs constitute one of the most common phenomena in conversational interaction and have recently attracted increasing scholarly attention in Vietnam. Their primary function is to explain, adjust, or clarify in order to resolve problems that arise during interaction, thereby ensuring the coherence and continuity of conversation. Beyond this core function, repairs also serve a range of other pragmatic purposes. This paper examines several of these pragmatic functions in the context of Vietnamese conversational discourse.
The Representation of Degree Expressions in Old to Middle Vietnamese
This article examines degree-expressing words in Vietnamese from the Old to the Middle periods, based on sixteen representative texts. The results show that several elements occur with high and stable frequency, serving as central components within the system. Some elements that were once highly productive during the medieval stage gradually declined and lost their grammatical functions. The results also show a clear predominance of high-degree adverbs, whereas low- and mid-degree markers (such as hơi and khá) appeared relatively late. The evolution of these degree words reflects a grammaticalization tendency that compensates for earlier gaps and contributes to the gradual completion of the degree continuum in Vietnamese discourse across historical periods.
The role of “Focus” in Appraisal Language Regarding Appearance in Vietnamese
Appraisal language, which conveys a speakrer’s or writer’s attitudes, personal emotions and judgments, plays an important role in evaluating a recipient’s activities, phenomena and attributes.This study investigates appraisal language related to appearance in Vietnamese from the perspective of Appraisal Theory within Systemic-Functional Linguistics. Specifically, it studies the subsystem of “Focus”, an important component in the Graduation sub-system of Appraisal framework (Martin and White, 2005), as it applies to appearance-related appraisal in Vietnamese.
Tong is the only language belonging to Kam-Sui sub-branch, within the Kam-Tai branch of the Tai-Kadai language family. Wiht a small number of speakers, it is reported to be highly endangered. To date, the structure of Tong in Vietnam still has not been researched. This paper describes tonal system of Tong from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives. The synchronic descriptions are based on auditory impressions of tones and analyses by Praat as well. The diachronic approach employs the comparative method to trace innovation of the tonal system from Proto Kam – Sui to modern Tong.
Common Phonological Disorders in Vietnamese - Speaking Children Aged 5-6: A Case Study in Hanoi
Articulation is a foundational skill in the development of children's language and cognitive abilities. At the age of 5-6, children begin to consolidate the phonemic system of their native language, Vietnamese; however, certain difficulties in accurate pronunciation persist, particularly with nuclear vowels, final consonants, and tonal patterns. A survey conducted in Hanoi—representative of the Northern dialectal region—revealed a decreasing trend in pronunciation errors with age, and no significant differences between male and female children. This study classifies common types of phonemic articulation disorders in Vietnamese among children aged 5-6, and proposes intervention strategies such as adjusting articulatory positions and manners, and training tonal features and pitch contours. These approaches aim to support effective language development prior to formal schooling.
Factors Influencing Politeness Strategies in the Speech Act of Complaining
Complaining is a popular speech act that we often encounter in social life, however, this complain speech acts is quite threatening to the face of the participants in the communication. Therefore, politeness is also considered a necessary strategy to establish or maintain a harmonious relationship in communication between the speaker and the listener. This article research and analysis three important factors that have a great influence on the selection and use of politeness strategies in the speech act of complaining. These are: relative power, social distance and imposition rank.