Page 29 - BB_Textbook

Grade 11
“What’s in a Pronoun – Harmony, Hierarchy, Virtue, and Mobility,”
Can you explain why Vietnamese culture and language emphasize pronouns? Do Vietnamese pronouns reflect the five constant virtues? For example, the word for “I” may be tôi, ta, tao, or mình, and a person’s choice of each conveys a particular relationship to another.
And that is just the beginning. There are another forty- some pronouns that express relations by age, gender, status, friendship, marriage, familial proximity, personal familiarity, and even disdain. If conversing with someone who is new to the speaker, how much information is needed before the correct pronouns are selected? And how much culture is needed to get it right?
Is the amount of care given to pronouns in Vietnamese unique to this culture? Is it a way to preserve social harmony? Does it clarify hierarchy? Is there room for social mobility? What are the consequences of using a pronoun in error? Is one considered impolite, arrogant, ignorant, or uncultured?
How does a young person acquire social norms?
Pham Thi Ngoc Truc
Grade 10 exercises considered identity in terms of name, anticipated career, family lineage, and individuality. Here in Grade 11, identity is examined further through relationships, virtue, status, dependence (and independence and interdependence), and place in community.
We begin with pronouns, which matter
a lot in the Vietnamese language. There are more than forty pronouns for use depending on whether people are kin
or unrelated, and if their conversation is formal, informal, polite, neutral, or rude. Using pronouns correctly is just part of full-body communication. A person’s
use of hands, placement of arms, and eye contact matter. When speaking to a small group or larger audience, it matters whom is addressed first. Care is given to seating arrangements.
VOCABULARY
arrogant cleverness consequences conveys decorum disdain emphasis error faithfulness harmony hierarchy ignorant kin mobility proximity talent unique uprightness virtue wisdom
It is not uncommon to find this proverb displayed on a building wall at a Vietnamese school, institute, or university: Tiên ho̦c lê, hâ̦u ho̦c văn. Possible translations are “Respect before knowledge” or “Decorum is better than knowledge.” Youth are to learn virtue before knowledge because someone with knowledge but no virtue can pose huge problems in society.
Is lê (decorum) of equal or greater value among the five constant virtues (ngũ thường), which also include nhân (kindness), nghĩa (uprightness), trí (wisdom), and tín (faithfulness)? And does lễ also connote tài năng thông minh (talent and cleverness), which is distinct from trí?
By contrast, in English, there are just seven pronouns ... and no accompanying five constant virtues. From pronoun usage to body posture, communication in Vietnamese
is arguably more complex than in English. Is English too simplistic?
English pronouns
Singular
I
You He, she, it
Plural
First-person We Second-person You Third-person They
BENDING BAMBOO
IDENTITY | CHAPTER 1 29