A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF HYPERBOLE IN VIETNAMESE AND ENGLISH FOLKTALES

Abstract

To highlight the nature of mentioned object and to make a strong impression on the reader, or listener, the writers often uses hyperbole. Based on a descriptive method, the semantic force of hyperbole in Vietnamese and English are classified, described and analyzed. With reliable data from famous Vietnamese and English folktales, the present thesis attempts to account for the workings of hyperbole from a semantic-cognitive perspective. By analyzing specific examples in Vietnamese and English folktales, this thesis makes a contrastive study of hyperbole in Vietnamese and English.The thesis presents the general idea that hyperbole as pervasive linguistic phenomena is not simply rhetoric devices as many traditional theorists have claimed. It is so frequently used and easily understood that it may account for part of the figurative mode of thinking in our mind. The similarities and differences of hyperbole in Vietnamese and English may also reveal the impact of cultural background on people’s cognition and the use of language… Moreover, some predicted problems in learning and teaching language and practical implication are given to help not only English learners and teachers but also those who are interested in linguistics. Especially, they will also be useful to foreigners who are interested in Vietnamese