A Comparative Study On Potential Category Between Chinese And Vietnamese

There obviously exists the "potential" conceptual category inside human cognition. This category utilizes certain structures to project itself onto the language and results in the potential category in language. This semantic-syntactic category usually possesses certain syntactic structures, and the syntactic structures that express the potential category can be called "potential structures". Common language survey shows that most languages in the world ordinarily use modal auxiliary verb to express the potential category, Chinese and Vietnamese included. In addition to this kind of structure, Chinese also externalizes the potential category with what is called the potential-verb complement "V de/bu C ". Vietnamese has its specific structure, using adverb as the marker of the possible modality (in this dissertation, we denoted it as M); the marker is put behind the major verb, resulting in the "V+M" structures.This dissertation focuses on the analysis of and comparison between Chinese and Vietnamese potential structures, whereby we can reveal the differences and similarities of the potential categories in the two languages. We also strive for explaining those factors that cause the similarities and uniqueness of potential structures in each language. Eventually, based on the comparison, we make suggestions for teaching Chinese and Vietnamese as a second language as far as the potential structure is concerned. This dissertation consists of the introduction part, five main chapters, and the conclusion.The introduction includes the research background and significance, limits the objectives of the study, the status quo of the research, as well as the research methodology, the bottleneck we encountered when conducting the research, our new findings and the data sources.Chapter One mainly explains some of the important patterns related to the potential category. The first section is about the Category Theory and the dipartition of the potential category, including its syntactic forms; the second section analyses the implication and the attributions of this category, so that the organic and close relationship between the potential category and the potential structures are accountable; the third and the fourth section introduces the potential category in Chinese and Vietnamese and its respective syntactic structures; the fifth section made a preliminary classification of the differences and similarities of the Chinese and Vietnamese potential structures, which serves as the framework for the comparison in the second and the third chapters.Chapter Two analyses the common demonstration modes for potential category in Chinese and Vietnamese:"modal auxiliary verb+verb" phrases. Firstly, we compare the common structure's affirmative and negative forms as well as its polar question and rhetorical form. Based on the comparison, we can explain the different syntactic functions of the same common structure in the two languages, and list the semantic sub-class that each modal verb can express.Chapter Three analyses the unique Chinese "V de/bu C" structure and Vietnamese "V+M" structure, specifically the structure "(khong) V (+C)+duoca" in Vietnamese. The syntax and semantics of these two structures serve as basis for the construction of their corresponding relation. Subsequently, this chapter account for the common characteristic of the two structures "V de/bu C" and "V+M" with the priority of negative form, by contending that they are semantically identical while syntactically different.Chapter Four examines the languages universals and the product of languages contact from the perspective of potential structures similarities and differences in Chinese and Vietnamese potential category. The two languages also use the modal auxiliary verb to construct potential structures. It shows that the two peoples have the same way to perceive the potential conceptual category of the outside world; they also use the iconicity to copy this reality into their language and then construct the potential structures.Chapter Five includes two sections. Section one suggests for potential structure teaching in teaching Chinese as second language for Vietnamese students; section two mainly suggests the teaching methods for potential structure in teaching Vietnamese as second language for Chinese students.In the conclusion part, the main viewpoints are summarized, and the research deficiency and prospects are examined and predicted.