Lexiacl and syntactical stylistic devices in the novel ‘Of mice and men’ by John Steinbeck and its Vietnamese version translated by Hoang Ngoc Khoi

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

QUY NHON UNIVERSITY

HUỲNH TRỌNG KIM

AN INVESTIGATION

INTO LEXICAL STYLISTIC DEVICES USED

IN “OF MICE AND MEN” BY JOHN STEINBECK

AND ITS VIETNAMESE TRANSLATED VERSION

BY HOÀNG NGỌC KHÔI

Field:The English Language

Code: 8 22 02 01

Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Tất Thắng

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO

TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN

HUỲNH TRỌNG KIM

NGHIÊN CỨU BIỆN PHÁP TU TỪ TỪ VỰNG

ĐƢỢC SỬ DỤNG TRONG TÁC PHẨM

“OF MICE AND MEN” CỦA JOHN STEINBECK VÀ

BẢN DỊCH TIẾNG VIỆT CỦA HOÀNG NGỌC KHÔI

Chuyên ngành: Ngôn ngữ Anh

Mã số: 8 22 02 01

Ngƣời hƣớng dẫn: PGS.TS. Nguyễn Tất Thắng

i

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis contains

no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by

which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma.

No other person‘s work has been used without the acknowledgement in the

thesis.

Binh Dinh, 2021

ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The completion of this study is the result of not only my efforts but also

other assistance of individuals to whom I would like to express my special

gratitude.

First and foremost, I am deeply grateful to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof.

Dr. Nguyễn Tất Thắng, who has supported me with his endless patience,

thoughtful guidance and comprehensive advice during the whole period of the

study. Without his instructions, this thesis would have been impossible to be

completed.

Secondly, I am also thankful to all the lecturers of the courses for their

valuable lectures and experiences, which provide essential knowledge for this

thesis.

Thirdly, my gratitude is devoted to my colleagues and close friends for

their kind support and warm encouragement, without which I could not have

overcome all the trouble during the fulfilment of this study.

Last but not least, my special thanks go to my beloved family for

accompanying and giving me the strength to complete this study.

iii

ABSTRACT

This research paper aims at conducting a contrastive analysis of lexical

stylistic devices used in the novel ―Of Mice and Men‖ by John Steinbeck and

its Vietnamese translated version by Hoàng Ngọc Khôi. The data of the study

were taken from this English work and its Vietnamese version. Qualitative,

quantitative approaches were used to describe and analyze lexical SDs used in

the novel in English and its Vietnamese translation. Some noticeable findings

were found in the two languages. First, there are seven lexical stylistic devices

found in the English novel, orderly, metaphor, simile, allusion, hyperbole,

irony, euphemism and metonymy. They all contribute considerably to the

creative worth and success of John Steinbeck‘s novel ―Of Mice and Men‖. In

comparison between the English work and its Vietnamese translation, the

distribution of their sub-types is quite the same in the two versions. This

indicates that the translation is well-translated based on the English version.

The minor differences between the English version and the translation are

also presented in Chapter 4. In Vietnamese, simile comes first, followed by

hyperbole, irony, metaphor, allusion, euphemism, and metonymy. These

dissimilarities do not change the original meaning of the novel in English;

they just make the translation sound natural in Vietnamese and help readers to

understand the novel easily.

By so doing, we hope to give a better understanding and appreciation of

novels‘ artistry as well as contribute to better teaching and learning English as

a foreign language. And due to its limitation in lexical SDs, researchers can

broaden the scope of their research by selecting other types of SDs, such as

phonetic and syntactical SDs, and analyzing them all in one work to make

their analysis more in-depth.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ................................................................... i

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.................................................................................ii

ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................. iv

ABBREVIATION AND CONVENTIONS.................................................... vii

LIST OF TABLES .........................................................................................viii

LIST OF FIGURES.......................................................................................... ix

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 1

1.1. Rationale ................................................................................................. 1

1.2. Aims and Objectives............................................................................... 3

1.2.1. Aims.................................................................................................. 3

1.2.2. Objectives ......................................................................................... 3

1.3. Research Questions................................................................................. 4

1.4. Scope of the Study .................................................................................. 4

1.5. Significance of the Study........................................................................ 4

1.6. Organization of the Study ....................................................................... 5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL

BACKGROUND............................................................................................... 6

2.1. Theoretical Background.......................................................................... 6

2.1.1. General Notes on Stylistics............................................................... 6

2.1.2. Stylistic Devices and Functions of Stylistic Devices ....................... 7

2.1.3. Classification of Stylistic Devices.................................................... 8

2.1.4. Translation ...................................................................................... 23

2.1.5. The Author John Steinbeck and the novel ―Of Mice and Men‖..... 27

2.2. Review of Previous Studies.................................................................. 29

v

2.3. Summary ............................................................................................... 33

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODS ........................................................ 34

3.1. Research Design.................................................................................... 34

3.2. Research Methods................................................................................. 34

3.2. Data Collection ..................................................................................... 35

3.3. Data Analysis........................................................................................ 35

3.4. Research Procedure............................................................................... 35

3.5. Reliability and Validity......................................................................... 36

3.6. Summary ............................................................................................... 36

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ............................................ 37

4.1. Lexical Stylistics Devices in English.................................................... 37

4.1.1. Metaphor......................................................................................... 38

4.1.2. Metonymy....................................................................................... 44

4.1.3. Irony................................................................................................ 46

4.1.4. Simile .............................................................................................. 48

4.1.5. Euphemism ..................................................................................... 56

4.1.6. Hyperbole........................................................................................ 58

4.1.7. Allusion........................................................................................... 64

4.1.8. Summary......................................................................................... 69

4.2. Similarities and Differences of Lexical SDs in the English and the

Vietnamese versions .................................................................................... 69

4.2.1. Similarities and Differences of Metaphor in the English and the

Vietnamese versions................................................................................. 71

4.2.2. Similarities and Differences of Metonymy in the English and

the Vietnamese versions ........................................................................... 73

4.2.3. Similarities and Differences of Irony in the English and the

Vietnamese versions................................................................................. 75

vi

4.2.4. Similarities and Differences of Simile in the English and the

Vietnamese versions................................................................................. 76

4.1.5. Similarities and Differences of Euphemism in the English and

the Vietnamese versions ........................................................................... 78

4.1.6. Similarities and Differences of Hyperbole in the English and the

Vietnamese versions................................................................................. 79

4.2.7. Similarities and Differences of Allusion in the English and the

Vietnamese versions................................................................................. 81

4.2.8. Loss and gain .................................................................................. 82

4.3. Summary ............................................................................................... 88

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS .............................. 89

5.1. Conclusions........................................................................................... 89

5.2. Implications........................................................................................... 91

5.3. Limitations and Suggestions for Further Study .................................... 91

REFERENCES................................................................................................ 93

APPENDIX ....................................................................................................... 1

TOPIC-ASSIGNING CERTIFICATE (Copy)

vii

ABBREVIATION AND CONVENTIONS

a. Abbreviation

 Stylistic device: SD

b. Convention

 (1) – (141): Data numbered from 1 to 141

 [E-1] – [E-118]: Data samples coded from E-1 to E-118

For example:

(2) Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers.[E-5]

 This is the second example extracted from the English data which coded E-5.

 Bold words are used to indicate the markers of lexical SDs.

For example:

(24) His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down and

drank from the surface of the green pool; drank with long gulps, snorting into the

water like a horse. [E-6]

 The word ―like‖ is a marker of simile.

viii

LIST OF TABLES

Table

number

Title

Page

number

4.1

Distribution of Lexical SDs in the novel ―Of Mice and

Men‖ by John Steinbeck

37

ix

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure

number

Title

Page

number

4.1.1

Distribution of Metaphor in the novel ―Of Mice and

Men‖ by John Steinbeck

38

4.1.2

Distribution of Metonymy in the novel ―Of Mice and

Men‖ by John Steinbeck

44

4.1.3

Distribution of Irony in the novel ―Of Mice and Men‖

by John Steinbeck

46

4.1.4

Distribution of Simile in the novel ―Of Mice and

Men‖ by John Steinbeck

49

4.1.5

Distribution of Euphemism in the novel ―Of Mice and

Men‖ by John Steinbeck

56

4.1.6

Distribution of Hyperbole in the novel ―Of Mice and

Men‖ by John Steinbeck

58

4.1.7

Distribution of Allusion in the novel ―Of Mice and

Men‖ by John Steinbeck

64

4.2

Distribution of Lexical SDs in the English and the

Vietnamese versions

70

1

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Rationale

Language is a medium of communication. It is composed of sounds and

graphic symbols. Language studies are essential since it serves a variety of tasks in

society. Writing is the depiction of sounds on paper. Because writing has many

different forms and structures, linguists are increasingly interested in studying

stylistics. The study of stylistics dates back to the classical period. Scholars and

writers have continued to be interested in the relationship between language

patterns in a text and how the text communicates since then.

Literature, one of the most effective forms of language, reflects society. It

enables us to appreciate, observe, and learn the mannerisms and languages of

people from previous periods. Literature is, without a doubt, the expression of life

via language. Because any piece of literature, such as a novel, is first and foremost

a work of language, language is a fundamental material source in literature.

The process of composing literature requires a desire among the readers to be

more understanding of the true spirit and real meanings of that piece of literature

that they read. However, the task is challenging because readers are expected to

understand literary norms and the historical background of any work of literature.

However, they could have a sense of language through the grammatical and

stylistic technicalities involved in its composition. Stylistic devices are used as an

essential means of literature to capture readers‘ attention effectively. The proper

use of those devices enables the author to keep us interested while reading a story.

SDs are also called rhetorical devices or figures of speech. They are specific

expressions, or certain arrangements of those, in order to convey the message to

the listener/reader in a better, more effective way. Stylistic devices are classified

into many types, and each of them has its own characteristics. Literature,