CONTENTS Pages

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................2

MAIN BODY...................................................................................................4

1. Basic concepts.......................................................................................4

1.1. Cultural concept...........................................................................4

1.2. Language behavior.......................................................................4

1.3. Greeting language behavior.........................................................5

2. Greating cultural features in vietnamese and english...........................6

2.1. Cultural characteristics of greetings in Vietnamese.....................6

2.2. Characteristics of greeting culture in English..............................7

3. Characteristics of greeting language in Vietnamese and English.........8

3.1. Features of greeting language in Vietnamese..............................8

3.2. Features of greeting language in English...................................12

CONCLUSION..............................................................................................15

REFERENCES..............................................................................................16
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INTRODUCTION

Language is the most important means of communication in human

life. Language is a sign that distinguishes between humans and animals.
Through language, people can establish relationships, exchange information,
express ideas, thoughts, and feelings, and exchange between cultures…
Conversation is the most common and basic human communication activity.
In two-way communication, the speaker and the listener interact with each
other and perform many different activities using language. However, these
diverse activities are collectively known as linguistic acts, and any linguistic
act is expressed with the speaker's intention in language communication.
Linguistic behavior is an object of study of Pragmatics, considering how
people use language to behave and interact with each other in life.
However, before entering a real conversation, we must first perform
actions to attract the attention of the interlocutor, must establish a way of
addressing that person. It can be affirmed that, wherever and in any situation
of human language communication, the first communication ritual is always
with a greeting statement. Greeting is an early etiquette, valuable for opening
a dialogue. Each ethnic group has its own form of greeting, carrying its own
cultural values. In Vietnam, greetings have a very important position, which
is summarized into valuable lessons in the treasure of proverbs and folk
songs: “Lời chào cao hơn mâm cỗ” (Greetings are higher than the trays of
special food); “Dao năng liếc năng sắc, người năng chào, năng quen” (the
sharpened knife is sharp, a person who greets them, who knows them”.
Greeting - a beauty of a community-oriented lifestyle has become a feature in
Vietnamese culture. It is the standard to judge morality, human personality
and many other issues.
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According to Hoang Thi Hai Yen (2013), greeting has the basic
function of confirming the participation of the dialogue, showing interest, and
at the same time affirming the relationship of the communicator. In different
languages, there are different ways of greeting. Therefore, it is necessary to
study the viewpoints, cultural practices as well as the greeting language of the
languages, thereby drawing similarities and differences, which is essential to
avoid confusion and be culturally appropriate. communication of each
country, especially in today's integration needs as well as foreign language
learning.
The fact that Vietnam is in the process of integration, has many
cooperative relationships and cultural exchanges with other countries requires
the need to be fluent in foreign languages, especially English, in many fields
and in many contexts. different communication.
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MAIN BODY

1. Basic concepts

1.1. Cultural concept

Culture is a concept with broad connotations with many different

interpretations, related to all aspects of human's material and spiritual life.
UNESCO defines culture as “the set of distinctive spiritual, material,
intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, that
encompasses, not only art and literature but lifestyles, ways of living together,
value systems, traditions and beliefs” (UNESCO, 2001). According to Ho Chi
Minh: “For survival as well as the purpose of life, mankind created and
invented language, writing, morality, law, science, religion, literature, and art,
the tools of daily living in terms of clothing, food, accommodation and
methods of use. All those creations and inventions are culture.” In addition,
culture is also considered as a system of material and spiritual values created
by humans and accumulated in practical activities through the process of
human interaction with nature and society. Culture is preserved by people, in
order to serve human life and passed on from generation to generation.

1.2. Language behavior

J. Austin (1978), the first person who initiated and developed the theory
of language acts, mentioned the problem of linguistic behavior theory as
follows: A language act is performed when a person speaks (or write) Sp1
utters a utterance to the listener (or reader) Sp2 in context. He divided
language acts into three partial linguistic acts, including locutionary act,
illocutionary act, and perlocutionary act. George Jule (1996) defines language
acts as “actions expressed through utterances”. In communication, language
acts are not simply giving grammatically correct sentences, but in each
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sentence, there is also a certain type of behavior that is performed and can be
performed simultaneously, such as asking, greeting, start a conversation,
order, refuse, thank, apologize, ... According to John R. Searle (1969),
language acts are “the basic or smallest units of language communication”.

1.3. Greeting language behavior

The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary defines “greeting” as

greeting someone/someone. In order to perform the greeting, the only
condition is that the participants in the communication must meet directly, to
create successful greeting behaviors if the interlocutor captures that type of
greeting for him.

Example: A: Hello.

B: Hello.

When researching on greeting behavior, Schegloff and Sacks (1973)

commented: “Greeting is considered as a speech event that includes two
inseparable aspects such as greeting - greeting, greeting - receiving
information”. Levinson (1983) commented that greeting is present in all
cultures and is considered an important part of all times, because it maintains
and develops social relationships. To initiate and maintain a relationship, one
must choose a greeting that is appropriate to the relationship, status and
communication context (Wei, 2010). According to Jibreen (2010), a greeting
is a greeting that reflects a particular culture because it expresses a specific
cultural value.

Searle (1969), referred to salutation as a category of expressive

linguistic behavior, in which Goffman (1971) considered it a “ritual of
approach”, a “conventional, conventional act that in which an individual
shows respect for his or her fellow communicators. The act of greeting
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language is also referred to by Firth (1973) as a ritual with both verbal and
non-verbal forms. Nonverbal forms include imitation and gestures. Verbal
form occurs through linguistic units including interrogative form, exclamatory
form and affirmative form.

2. Greeting cultural features in Vietnamese and English

2.1. Cultural characteristics of greetings in Vietnamese

Greeting is one of the linguistic acts used in daily communication,

occurring naturally and indispensable in any language. In Vietnam, greetings
are valued more than luxury and wealth. “Greetings are higher than the tray
table” is the saying that our ancestors summed up, showing the importance
and meaning of greetings in Vietnamese culture. Bui Thi Phuong Lan (2020)
believes that greeting is not only cultural, but it also shows the personality of
the greeter and the person being greeted. The greeting style of the Vietnamese
people itself speaks to the position of the greeter, the higher the position, the
older the age, the more people must maintain their personality, behavior and
speech so that everyone can respect them. With the motto of polite and
respectful address to the object of communication, when conducting any
communication, Vietnamese people often have to observe and judge the age,
status and relationship with the object of communication. for the purpose of
addressing appropriately and showing respect. For example: bố (father) – con
(child), mẹ (mother) – con (child), chị (sister) – em (brother/sister), chú (uncle) –
cháu (nephew/ niece), dì/ cô (aunt) - cháu (nephew/ niece), ông (grandpa) –
cháu (grandchild) ...

Normally, Vietnamese people will use the word “hello” because after
the greeting will be accompanied by inquiries about health, work, where are
you going, what are you doing… to show interest in the person being greeted,
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expressing affection and intimacy. Greeting and asking are often used in
informal greetings with acquaintances, family members, relatives, as well as
neighbors who meet each other daily. Example: Cháu chào bác! Dạo này gia
đình mình vẫn khỏe chứ ạ? (Good morning/ afternoon/evening! How is your
family these days?)

2.2. Characteristics of greeting culture in English

According to Bui Thi Phuong Lan (2020), in English, greeting is also

an important aspect of communication, to reflect human style. However, the
British greeting is more social in nature than showing interest in the subject
of communication, due to the British cultural element of respecting the
privacy of others.

Unlike the Vietnamese, there is only a common greeting for all time
frames of the day. For example: Cháu chào bác ạ (can be used for all sessions
of the day), the British say hello according to the time category: good
morning, good afternoon, good evening… The usual greeting with the wish to
have a good weather day.

The British also do not establish a friendly relationship through the way
they address themselves - using personal words in the family, but they express
intimacy or formality through words. For example: Hello, good morning,
good afternoon are greetings that are considered formal. Even more intimate,
people will use words like: Hi, hey, ...
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3. Characteristics of greeting language in Vietnamese and English

3.1. Features of greeting language in Vietnamese

Based on the presence or absence of vi verbs in linguistic acts,

greetings are usually divided into two types: explicit greetings, also known as
direct greetings and implicit greetings or indirect greetings…

3.1.1. Direct greetings

A direct greeting is a greeting containing explicit vi verbs such as

“chào, kính chào, chào mừng ...”(hello, welcome…). Dr. Pham Thi Thanh
(1995) commented that greetings of this type are classified as formal
greetings that are “stereotypical, used to open or close a meeting... to show
politeness, modesty, courtesy of the communicators”. In the direct greeting, in
addition to the verb phrase, there are also direct object complements
indicating accompanying objects. These direct compliments are usually taken
by personal pronouns. Depending on the personal relationship (familial or
hierarchical relationship) between the individuals involved in the
communication, the personal pronouns have clear hierarchical distinctions.
For example: Cháu chào bác! (Good morning!) Xin chào đồng chí! (Good
morning, comrade!) Kính chào quý khách! (Good morning, madam and sir!).

In addition, the honorific particle “ạ” can be placed at the end of a

sentence to express respect towards individuals with higher social status. For
instance: Cháu chào ông ạ! (Good morning) Em chào thầy ạ! (Good morning
teacher!). Along with the words of kinship, the modifiers in the greeting
contribute to the typical culture of the Vietnamese people: “respectful,
respectful, members treat each other as one family”.

Full-form greetings like the examples above are often observed when
individuals with lower social status greet those with higher social status. On
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the other hand, individuals with equal standing and a close relationship can
use abbreviated greetings (abbreviated greetings or omitted respectful
particles). For example: Chào. Xin chào. Chào bạn… this simplified, concise
form of greeting seems to be influenced by Western greetings such as Hello!
Bonjour! Good morning! Good afternoon!

3.1.2. Indirect greetings

Indirect greetings are greetings where the speaker uses various linguistic
behaviors such as questioning, praising, suggesting, commenting, wishing,
announcing, etc., but all are aimed at a general effect: greeting (Lan, 2020).
People who are of equal status, similar age, or older tend to express greetings
indirectly. With this type of greeting, researchers must consider the cultural
context of the speaker's community in order to decode the implicit behaviors of
the speaker. The expressions of indirect greetings in Vietnamese are rich,
diverse, more frequently used, and more distinctly reflect the cultural
characteristics of the ethnic group. Specifically:
a) Greeting with a question
Vietnamese people often have the habit of using questions when
meeting a person who has a familiar relationship with them, in order to show
their interest in others. Depending on the level of intimacy between
individuals, the scope of questions is very specific, meticulous and detailed:
from family situation, work to health... For example: Dạo này bác vẫn khỏe
chứ ạ? (How are you these days?) / Mọi người trong nhà vẫn khỏe cả chứ?
(Is everyone in the house okay?) Dạo này công việc vẫn tốt chứ? (Is the job
still good these days?) Cô đi chợ à? (Are you going to the market?)
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b) Greeting with a calling tone

This type of greeting often expresses the speaker's immediate surprise
and joy when the unexpected object of communication appears. Besides the
call, the spokesperson often adds gestures and gestures such as eye contact,
waving, clapping, etc. to increase communication efficiency. Intonation - an
important means of expressing the speaker's attitude and feelings is
considered a basic feature of this type of utterance. Example: Trời ơi! (Oh my
god!)/ Bác ạ! (Good morning, sir!)/ Cô Ba! (Hey, Ms Ba!) …
c) Greetings with well wishes
This type of greeting usually occurs when the speaker and the
communicator must have a common presumption (the speaker knows that
the communicator has some good news), so that when the speaker says
“congratulations”, then the object of communication will immediately
understand what the speaker is referring to, what event. This is a type of
greeting between acquaintances, often related to each other or at least
indirectly interested in each other's situation. If you don't care about each
other or don't hear from each other for a long time, you can't greet each other
in this way. Example: Congratulations to you and your family! or
Congratulations to you!
The greeting type is also very common in some other languages such as
English, French, etc. However, greetings of the British or French are often
distinguished by time: morning, noon, evening, night... along with from “good”,
“bon”, “bone” to wish good luck. Example: Bonjour! Bonsoir! Good morning!
Good afternoon!
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d) Greeting with invitations

The greeting can also be an invitation. Example: Mời bác vào xơi cơm
với nhà em ạ! (Please come in and have a meal with us, sir). Mời bác vào nhà
chơi! (Please come to our house and visit!). The statements above contain the
verb mời (invite) or or other similar expressions with an inviting message.
The fact that Vietnamese people often greet guests by inviting them to have a
drink or a meal or to play is understood as a beautiful act to express
hospitality, to express a cordial and open attitude. Therefore, the subject and
the object do not intend to perform the action on the invitation. The typical
response to the host's invitation is a polite refusal accompanied by thanks:
“Yes, thank you, sir.”, “Yes, everyone, feel free!” “Yes, thank you, I have
already eaten” ...
e) Greetings with compliments, prise and remarks
Greetings can also be in the form of compliments, praise, or remarks.
Typically, praise is a familiar communicative behavior that exists in every
ethnic community and various cultures. The speaker intends to give
compliments or make remarks to show care, admiration, or perhaps to win
over the other person's affection. For Vietnamese people, the act of praising is
often used to give compliments but can also be used as a form of greeting.
The similarity between these two behaviors is that they both express concern
for the interlocutor. For example: “You two look great together!” “You're
looking sharp these days, sir!” “Who looks so beautiful!” ...
In the above case, we can see that Vietnamese people praise or accept
compliments as a greeting. Therefore, when responding to that “compliment”,
we rarely come across different answers such as: Thank you for the
compliment; how can you be equal to him… which is usually a question with
the purpose of greeting and replying such as: Where are you going? Going to
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work… or nonverbal gestures. Greeting compliments gives the communicator

a feeling of satisfaction, which has a positive effect on maintaining emotional
relationships.

3.2. Features of greeting language in English

There are many forms that can be used to say hello in English.
Goffman (1971) said that “In general, greetings vary from formal to informal
situations”. Greetings in English can be divided into two types: formal
greetings and informal greetings (Dinh Thi Be & Dao Thuy Chi, 2019).

3.2.1. Behavior of formal greetings

The British often use formal greetings in their work, when meeting
partners or meeting completely unknown elders. They often use titles such as
Sir., Madam., Mr., Mrs. before the proper name in greeting acts in formal,
ceremonial cases and often with people of higher age and social status.
Example:
- Good morning, sir/madam.
- Goodbye, Mrs. Hana.
When new participants meet each other for the first time, they often use
formal greetings to introduce and get to know each other, such as: Good
morning/ Good afternoon/ Good evening; It's nice to meet you/ Please to meet
you. For Britons, these are very formal and polite greetings when meeting
someone for the first time. They believe that when using one of the above
phrases, the other person will judge them to be extremely polite and worthy of
respect. However, these greetings are not used for the next meeting, then the
phrase Nice to meet you again can be used.
For formal situations, the communicator can use many different
greetings. In meetings and conferences, the greeting style between the speaker
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and the guest is usually formal and polite, showing the speaker's respect for
the listener. For example:
- Good morning, Sir.
- Good morning, ladies and Gentlemen.
3.2.2. Intimate greeting behavior
In intimate situations, when the participants in communication are
friends or have equal social status, greeting behavior in English typically
consists of a greeting word followed by the person's name, for example:
- Good afternoon, Susan.
- Hello, Alice.
- Goodbye, Stephanie.
In addition, the British also use a lot of the following words and phrases
to greet each other such as asking for health, happy birthday, Merry
Christmas...
Phrases like “Hello”, “Hi”, “How have you been?”, “How's thing?”,
“How's it going” ... are often used when the participants have become intimate,
know each other before and between them there is no social distance, age or
profession.
“Good to see you”, “Nice to see you”, or “Long time no see, it's been
a while” … are phrases used in case the participants are friends, colleagues, or
family members who have not seen each other for a long time. For friends
who have not seen each other for a long time, when greeting each other they
may even shake hands or hug each other, depending on how close they are.
In addition, there are a number of other slang words and phrases used
to greet each other informally in informal situations, especially among
teenagers, when the social distance and age between them significantly.
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For example:
- Yo! Hey!
- Hey, what's up?
- You alright?
- Howdy?
In addition, the British also have many different ways of greeting
depending on different situations and contexts. In business and business
transactions, British people often greet each other by shaking hands, hugging
and kissing. With close friends, the British often greet each other by kissing
hands, kissing cheeks, this greeting is usually between men and women.
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CONCLUSION

Greetings are one of the means to establish and maintain social

relationships, and they are one of the behaviors that reflect the cultural beauty
of a nation. There are various ways of greeting in different cultures.
The differences between cultures can lead to misunderstandings or
failures in communication and greetings. Each culture has its own
characteristics in terms of greetings. Greetings play an important role in
Vietnamese culture, as evidenced by the proverb “Greetings are higher than
the feast.” This is a clear evidence that Vietnamese people tend to value
greetings. Dr. Le Quang Thiem asserts that “Greetings not only reflect
linguistic features but also express culture, customs, and human values.”
Moreover, greetings can sometimes be used to determine a person's behavior
in Vietnam.
Understanding and using the appropriate greeting forms when
communicating in a different language helps us become more confident, and
conversations can flow naturally, avoiding cultural violations towards the
individuals we communicate with. This article provides readers with
additional insights into the linguistic and cultural characteristics of greetings
between Vietnamese and English-speaking people, aiming to reduce
misunderstandings and losses that may occur in the process of communication
between different cultures, especially in the context of Vietnam's deepening
integration into the global community./.
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