VNU Journal of Foreign Studies

VNU Journal of Foreign Studies https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs <div class="description-journal"> <div class="description-journal"> The Journal of Science was established in 1985 for the publication of national and international research papers in all fields of natural sciences and technology, social sciences and humanities. Since then, the journal has grown in quality, size and scope and now comprises a dozen of serials spanning academic research. With the rapid expansion of the field of Economics, the VNU Journal of Science is delighted to announce the launch of the VNU Journal of Science: Foreign Studies (JS: FS) since 2002. This serial publication provides researchers with the opportunity to publish research covering aspects in these areas in the popular VNU Journal of Science series. As a fully open access publication, the journal will provide maximum exposure for published articles, making the research available to all to read and share. The journal will be published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October and December. Scope JS: FS is an open access journal publishing double-blinded peer-reviewed research papers, discussions and reviews dealing with Linguistics, Foreign language education, International studies, Related social sciences and humanities. Peer Review Process Any manuscript followed the journal’s scope and author guideline will be assigned to the managing editors. All manuscripts have undergone editorial screening and anonymous double-blind peer-review by the at least one independent expert in the field. The managing editor makes an editorial decision, which is subject to endorsement by the Editor – in Chief. Abstracting and Indexing </div> </div> en-US tapchincnn@vnu.edu.vn (Tạp chí Nghiên cứu nước ngoài) tapchincnn@vnu.edu.vn (VNU Journal of Foreign Studies) Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 OJS 3.2.1.1 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 THE REBELLIOUS IMAGE OF SUN WUKONG IN “HAVOC IN HEAVEN” OF “JOURNEY TO THE WEST” https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5274 Wu Cheng'en's “Journey to the West” is one of the four great novels of ancient China, which has a great influence in East Asian countries including Vietnam. In its first part, it tells the story of a Monkey King, Sun Wukong, who engages in “Havoc in Heaven” and portrays a rebellious image in it. This article elaborates on the formation and significance of this image through analysis and synthesis, providing a useful reference for Vietnamese teachers and students to teach and study ancient Chinese literature. Yi Zhang Copyright (c) 2024 VNU Journal of Foreign Studies https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5274 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 TRANSITIVITY AND MOOD RESOURCES REALISING EXPERIENTIAL AND INTERPERSONAL MEANINGS IN “A TALE OF TWO CITIES”: A SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL LINGUISTICS ANALYSIS https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5323 This paper examines in depth how transitivity and mood resources are employed to construct experiential and interpersonal meanings in a literary text – a topic that has received limited attention in English literature teaching, learning and research, particularly at tertiary EFL (English as a Foreign Language) departments or faculties. The data for analysis is “Chapter 1 – “The Period” of “Book the First” of the three-book novel “A Tale of Two Cities” by the eminent British novelist Charles Dickens. The theoretical framework adopted for analysis is SFL (Systemic Functional Linguistics). The units of analysis are major clause simplexes. Findings of the study exhibit a number of noticeable transitivity and mood features employed in the text. In terms of transitivity resources, the writer represents experiential meanings in “The Period” by employing a very high frequency of material and relational processes, no behavioural process, all represented participants, a relatively small number of Circumstances, and a very high proportion of the past simple tense. As regards mood resources, the writer constructs interpersonal meanings in “The Period” by employing one hundred per cent of declarative mood, a predominant proportion of explicit Subjects, all non-interactive Subjects, and a predominant proportion of first participant Subjects. The study ends with a summary of the salient findings found in the text, a recommendation affirming the relevance of SFL as a theoretical framework for analysing and interpreting experiential and interpersonal meanings of texts in general and literary texts in particular for literature teaching, learning and research, and some suggestions for further study. Van Van Hoang Copyright (c) 2024 VNU Journal of Foreign Studies https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5323 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 UNVEILING TABOO TRANSLATIONS INTO VIETNAMESE: SUBTITLING STRATEGIES IN “THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION” https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5227 This study explores subtitling strategies employed in translating taboo words within the film The Shawshank Redemption into Vietnamese. Employing a mixed-methods approach involving both quantitative and qualitative analyses, the research systematically collects and categorizes taboo words in the film and evaluates the corresponding translation strategies employed in Vietnamese subtitles. Six strategies, including Taboo for Taboo, Omission, Euphemism, Direct translation, Substitution, and Translation by more general words, are identified. The predominant use of the Taboo for Taboo strategy is highlighted, allowing the translator to preserve the original expressive impact while ensuring comprehension in the target language. Despite its efficacy, the Taboo for Taboo strategy encounters cultural constraints. The research advocates prioritizing this approach to maintain fidelity, acknowledging challenges related to censorship and adherence to target language norms. The study underscores the sophisticated nature of translating taboo expressions, considering contextual factors, translation purpose, and intended message. Emphasizing the underexplored nature of offensive language in Audiovisual Translation, particularly in subtitling, the study underscores the pivotal role of taboo words in character portrayal and emotional expression. The call for further research in Vietnamese subtitled translations aims to provide valuable insights for navigating the challenges posed by low register expressions. The study concludes by advocating for a well-adjusted approach that upholds fidelity while addressing the intricacies of language and cultural sensitivity in subtitling, contributing to a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in translating taboo words in audiovisual content. Viet Khoa Nguyen Copyright (c) 2024 VNU Journal of Foreign Studies https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5227 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 A CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS OF MODALITY IN THE VIETNAMESE LAW ON ENTERPRISES AND THE SINGAPORE COMPANIES ACT FROM SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL PERSPECTIVE https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5237 This paper conducts a contrastive analysis of Modality in the Vietnamese Law on Enterprises and the Singapore Companies Act from Systemic Functional Grammar. Specifically, the article analyses Modalization and Modulation in terms of Probability, Usuality, Obligation and Inclination. The study showed that both Modalization and Modulation have been employed in order to realize Modality system in two surveyed legal texts. Additionally, both legal texts employed the large number of Finite modal operators to realize Obligation in Modulation. However, the Singapore Companies Act tends to employ more Finite modal operators when expressing Modality. Besides, the Vietnamese Law on Enterprises employed more high modal operators in expression of Obligation than the Singapore Companies Act. Thi Nhat Linh Nguyen, Van Chinh Nguyen Copyright (c) 2024 VNU Journal of Foreign Studies https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5237 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 METHODS FOR AMASSING DATA IN CROSS-CULTURAL PRAGMATICS RESEARCH https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5235 This article discusses prevalent and up-to-date data-amassing techniques for cross-cultural pragmatics studies. Based on the distinctive features of data types, the commonly used methods are outlined with their pluses and minuses, along with the author’s remarks and recommendations on how to employ them for fulfilling research purposes. Additionally, the paper suggests that an integration of the data-gathering methods proves to be of great value for pragmatics studies in general and cross-cultural pragmatics studies in particular, contributing to ensuring the validity and reliability of these kinds of research. Huu Loc Le Copyright (c) 2024 VNU Journal of Foreign Studies https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5235 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 AN INVESTIGATION ON TEACHER-RELATED DEMOTIVATING FACTORS TO STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION IN SPEAKING ACTIVITIES IN THE SECOND-DEGREE PROGRAM AT A UNIVERSITY https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5288 This article presents the findings of a study that investigates teacher-related factors demotivating students of the second-degree program at a university from participating in speaking activities. The research examines the perception of 100 students from three classes of the second-degree program towards teacher-related demotivating factors in comparison with that of 15 teachers of the same program. In order to obtain the most accurate results, a combination of both qualitative and quantitative research approaches with two primary instruments namely questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews were employed. The study's findings reveal key demotivating factors as perceived by students including: the inauthenticity of speaking tasks; the lack of model speaking; the absence of pronunciation error correction; teachers’ unequal attention; and insensitive manner of giving feedback. Besides, there existed a remarkable disparity between teachers’ and students’ perception of demotivating factors. The results from the interviews suggest ways to assist students in overcoming demotivation in speaking lessons in correlation with the key demotives detected. Thi Ly Bo Copyright (c) 2024 VNU Journal of Foreign Studies https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5288 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 IMPACT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE READING ANXIETY FACTORS ON READING PERFORMANCE https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5328 The impact of reading anxiety on reading performance and the mediating role of reading strategies in the anxiety-performance relationship has not been extensively evaluated, particularly in Vietnamese contexts. This paucity has called for the current quantitative research. A questionnaire survey, including three main scales (reading anxiety, reading strategies, and reading performance), was conducted by 387 English as a foreign language (EFL) students in Information Technology. A Partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) method was applied to data analysis. Results showed that anxiety about linguistic text issues (LTI) impacted both support reading strategies (SUP) and reading performance, while reading topic anxiety affected only reading performance but not SUP. Further, linguistic text issues impacted reading performance through SUP, while SUP did not mediate the relationship between reading topic anxiety and reading performance. Implications and suggestions for future research were also discussed. Thuy Nga Nguyen, Thi Thanh Van Dang Copyright (c) 2024 VNU Journal of Foreign Studies https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5328 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 EXAMINING VIETNAMESE EFL LECTURERS’ PREFERENCE FOR INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES USED IN ONLINE AND FACE-TO-FACE RECEPTIVE SKILLS LECTURES https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5296 This study investigated the instructional strategies preferred by Vietnamese English as a foreign language (EFL) lecturers in both online and face-to-face teaching environments, focusing on teaching receptive skills. Drawing from Walker's (2008) framework for effective lecturing, which emphasized the creative use of instructional strategies and technology, this research surveyed thirty-eight lecturers regarding their preferences. The survey revealed some strategies that had the same extent of preference and some being disliked in both settings. Additionally, some instructional strategies were preferred in online teaching over face-to-face teaching and vice versa. The interviews also identified some primary reasons for lecturers’ preference for instructional strategies and their recommendation of choosing appropriate strategies for teaching receptive skills. These findings underscored the nuanced preferences of EFL lecturers in selecting instructional strategies for different teaching contexts, offering insights into the evolution of English Language Teaching in Vietnam. Anh Phuong Dang, Duy Khang Nguyen Copyright (c) 2024 VNU Journal of Foreign Studies https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5296 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 THE IMPACTS OF POSITIVE EMOTIONS ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AT THANH DONG UNIVERSITY https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5241 This action research, grounded in Fredrickson and Cohn's (2008) Broaden-and-Build Theory of positive emotions (PE), investigates the impacts of PE on English Language Learning (ELL) in a language learning context, particularly the relationship between PE, foreign language enjoyment (FLE), and language proficiency. It employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating interventions involving mindfulness practices, collaborative learning strategies, and the integration of gamified elements. The study utilizes various data sources, including a Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) questionnaire adapted from Dewaele and MacIntyre (2014), reflective emotion journals, and language proficiency tests. Findings reveal that fostering PE, such as creativity, social interaction, and supportive teaching, contributes significantly to foreign language enjoyment. Moreover, the correlation between FLE and language proficiency underscores the potential benefits of interventions aimed at cultivating PE. This research advocates for pedagogical approaches that prioritize the promotion of PE within the language learning context, ultimately enhancing both enjoyment and proficiency. Van Thang Nguyen, Thi Thu Hoai Tran Copyright (c) 2024 VNU Journal of Foreign Studies https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5241 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 TASK-BASED LANGUAGE LEARNING IN VIETNAMESE EFL HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOMS: TEACHERS’ ROLES IN THE DURING-TASK PHASE AND THEIR BELIEFS https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5271 This article explored the roles the Vietnamese English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers performed during students’ task work. Data were collected over the course of 10 weeks in a Vietnamese high school where nine Vietnamese EFL teachers and their nine respective classes were observed and audio and video recorded. The teachers were also interviewed after the observed lessons. For the present paper, the teacher’s talks during student-student task execution in normal classroom schedules were audio recorded and analysed by microgenesis method. The results demonstrated a wide array of emerging fluid pedagogical roles the teachers played in response to the unfolding task work at hand. The different roles the teachers adopted were underpinned by their beliefs, awareness and thoughts. The study offers practical implications for how teachers could mediate task-based learning in EFL classroom contexts and perhaps in similar settings. Thi Bao Trang Nguyen Copyright (c) 2024 VNU Journal of Foreign Studies https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5271 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY NON-MAJOR ENGLISH STUDENTS’ WRITING PROBLEMS IN TERMS OF THE FACTORS RELATING TO THEIR META-KNOWLEDGE OF ENGLISH INFORMATION STRUCTURE https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5268 This paper reports the results of a study which investigates the problems Vietnamese university non-major English students of two levels of English proficiency encountered in their English writing in terms of the factors relating to their meta-knowledge of English information structure and the extent to which a cognitive meta-linguistic approach to teaching second language (L2) writing can help the learners overcome their writing problems and develop their written communicative ability by first enhancing their meta-knowledge of English information structure. Their problems are conceptualized as being associated with their employing or not employing some writing strategies that can either support or hinder their writing skills development. The analyses of the problems were based on the learners’ responses to the questionnaire and interviews, their writing in the writing tasks and classroom-based worksheets and answer sheets. The findings suggested that the learners in the study encountered the writing problems anticipated before, during and after the intervention. The percentages of the learners encountering the problems decreased over time and the extent to which each problem was solved towards the end of the post-teaching phase varied according to each specific problem. Transfer of first language (L1) strategies was reported in all of the writing problems. The influence of L1 transfer was variable with extremely low evidence of topic-prominent structure. In general, there were no big differences between the two groups in their encountering and overcoming the problems investigated. Anh Tuan Huynh Copyright (c) 2024 VNU Journal of Foreign Studies https://jfs.ulis.vnu.edu.vn/index.php/fs/article/view/5268 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000