AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE SEMANTIC, SYNTACTIC, AND PRAGMATIC FEATURES OF FOCUS PARTICLES IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE

Abstract

This study investigates in the semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic features of focus particles in English and in Vietnamese. The data are taken from stories and novels by famous writers and their Vietnamese versions of Vietnamese translators. The results obtained show that focus particles are not only used in their normal, positive sense but to reinforce or attenuate the force of what the speaker is saying. They also have flexible positions and different scope of meaning in clauses and that may affect the meaning of those clauses. The contribution of these particles reveals different uses and different speech acts, too.