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A cross-cultural study on the way in which speakers of Vietnamese and speakers of English issue, accept and decline spoken invitations

In this field study report, the author investigates behaviour
associated with inviting in order to see if there is any effect on the
language used across cultures due to factors such as status, age,
gender in actual social interactions.
Chapter one gives a brief introduction to the important role of the
English Language in the world in general, and in Vietnam
nowadays in particular, and a review of Teaching Methods which
have been used in Vietnam so far.
Chapter two will deal with the theoretical background, language
competences including linguistic competence, sociolinguistic competence and communicative competence. In addition, speech
act theory , face work, distance, power in relation to status, age
and gender as well as reviews research on the differences between
spoken and written are also discussed.
Chapter three defines the structure of an invite with its social and
cultural characteristics focussing on the natural structure of a
spoken invitation.
Chapter four describes research and data analysis of the issuing,
accepting and declining of spoken invitations used by Vietnamese
speakers of Vietnamese (VSV).
Chapter five contains the data analysis of the issuing, accepting
and declining of spoken invitations used by Australian speakers of
English (ASE).
Chapter six discusses the comparison of Vietnamese and
Australian spoken invitations, the main difference being found in
the use of much more direct forms used in VSV as opposed to more
tentative forms preferred by ASEs. Directness of form, however,
does not reflect a lack of politeness, which is conveyed to a much
larger extent by other prosodic and paralinguistic features.
Chapter seven is a brief cross-cultural investigation of the spoken
invitations of Vietnamese learners speaking English. This shows
up a degree of cross-cultural interference and offers some
implications for the classroom.
Chapter eight contains a summary and conclusion. The results
of the study may suggest that Vietnamese learners of English need
to be taught not only linguistic competence but also communicative
competence with an emphasis on cultural and social factors.
Spoken invitations which really have some function in actual
interactions need to be incorporated in the program for teaching
spoken English.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/219043
Date January 1992
CreatorsHuong, Dang Thi, n/a
PublisherUniversity of Canberra. Education
Source SetsAustraliasian Digital Theses Program
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Rights), Copyright Dang Thi Huong

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