Korean and Vietnamese Culture Comparison in Vocative Usage
Dinh Lan Huong
Department of Korean Studies
Graduate School of International Area Studies
Korean and Vietnamese are both influenced by Chinese culture. Therefore, the two languages ha...
Korean and Vietnamese Culture Comparison in Vocative Usage
Dinh Lan Huong
Department of Korean Studies
Graduate School of International Area Studies
Korean and Vietnamese are both influenced by Chinese culture. Therefore, the two languages have many cultural common points. Vietnam and Korea locate in the same cultural region influenced by Chinese (Hán ngữ) and Confucianism. Both countries use lunar months, celebrate Lunar New Year, Moon Festival; family is the most important foundation. Vietnamese and Korean have complicated systems of vocatives and the names are also organized as Chinese rule. There are other similarities between these two countries such as education focus, patriotism, and ethnic pride. Especially, when Vietnamese or Korean talking at the first time meeting, they usually ask about ages to find out suitable vocatives to use. To foreigners who study Vietnamese and Korean, one of the most difficult points is to find out when and to whom they should use which vocative to say. If they are confused and use an odd vocative, misunderstanding might raise and cause conflicts.
Currently, Vietnamese students in Korea, exported workers, and Vietnamese emigrants in Korea admit that the biggest challenge is adapting to vocatives. They said that when talking to their parents-in-law, managers, or professors, they have to pay great attention on vocatives. In comparison, Koreans in Vietnam say they are astounded by social relationships between people in Vietnam.
This thesis study is on the vocatives of Korean and Vietnamese and the cultures reflected by them.
In simple words, the ideology and the culture of Confucianism have affected Korean and Vietnamese and create the complexity of the vocative systems of both languages. Confucius culture has been dominant to life principal, social systems and languages reflect all those. Due to the influence, politeness, courtesy, and respect expressed in linguistic communication are very important to both countries. After researching many documents, and studies about Vietnamese and Korean vocatives, the author has classified those vocatives into groups. From hence, there are many common types/forms in vocatives of both languages and in general Korean contains more forms than Vietnamese does. In a cultural point of view, both countries have many common points. By analyzing the differences and resembling between the two cultures reflected in languages, we can find out the rules of using vocatives of both peoples.
Geographically, Vietnam and Korea are close to each other, both belong to the eastern culture area which is influenced by the Confucius thoughts. Therefore, the two countries have high valued the courtesy and respect between individuals. In the historical and traditional culture relationship between Vietnam and Korea, there are many common points. These points exist in vocatives of the two languages in both family and society. In the other hand, Korea and Vietnam are two different countries.
Hence, there are social and political differences between the two countries. Especially, in the modern society, Korean culture is affected by the western culture. Due to this affection, more social vocatives are created in Korean in comparison to Vietnamese. Through the comparison between the two cultures and their vocative systems, readers/we can understand the family and social culture as well as the ethnic psychology of both countries. To the Korean, there is a deep distinguish between familial and social vocatives. Familial vocatives are used in family only and social vocatives usually include the positions in a company or school of the mentioned person and a system of honorific words (e.g., 님 /nim/: sir) in them. Hierarchy is the main factor that dominates the vocatives choice in all kinds of relationships. In the contrary, Vietnamese do not have a clear separate between familial and social vocatives. They usually add familial vocatives to the social ones, such as “chú giám đốc”; “chú”=uncle, “giám đốc”=director.
Studying a foreign language without learning about its culture may lead to a culture shock. Therefore, to learn and teach language effectively, we have to learn and teach both the language and the culture along with it. With this thesis, a research on Vietnamese and Korean culture reflected by vocatives, the author hopes it would be a good document for language and culture learners. Also, the author hopes it can support, at least a little in the friendship between Vietnam and Korea.
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