A STUDY ON SYNTACTIC, SEMANTIC AND LEXICAL FEATURES OF SONG TITLES IN ENGLISH AND IN VIETNAMESE

Abstract

This paper is to study syntactic, semantic and lexical features of English and Vietnamese song titles. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis is made use of through 186 song titles in English and 186 song titles in Vietnamese which are collected through the Internet and song lists. The findings show that song titles have remarkable syntactic, semantic and lexical features and there are some similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese. In terms of syntax, both English and Vietnamese song titles are structured in the forms of phrases, dependent clauses and sentences. However, in each structural type, some differences are found. In terms of semantic features, song themes are recognized in the two languages, including “War”, “Family”, “Transport”, “Media”, “Places”, “Music”, “Environment”, “Holidays”, “School”, “Friendship” and “Pair Love”. In the corpus of the study, songs about “Heroes” are listed in Vietnamese, not in English. In terms of lexical features, certain differences can be seen in the patterns of word formation and lexical choice, except for compounding and simple words, which are used in both English and Vietnamese song titles. In addition, the study will suggest some implications for language teaching activities and for learners to master English linguistic features.