A Contrastive analysis of the meanings expressed via the modal verbs can, may, must in English and the equivalent expressions in Vietnamese

2.2. A Contrastive analysis of the meanings expressed via the modal verbs can, may, must in English and the equivalent expressions in Vietnamese

2.2.1. Can, may, must and their equivalents in Vietnamese

- The modal meanings expressed by can is realized by many Vietnamese equivalents.

a) The first, in expressing ability, can is seen as equivalent to Vietnamese modal auxiliaries “biÕt” or “cã thÓ”.

(41) C¸c c« Rit ch¼ng ®¸nh ®µn hay ®­îc nh­ c«. T«i vÉn th­êng b¶o vÖ sù häc th× c« sÏ v­ît hä mµ, thÕ c« cã biÕt vÏ kh«ng? (1:182)

("The Miss Reeds could not play as well!" said she exultingly. "I always said you would surpass them in learning: and can you draw?" (3: Chapter X))

(42) C« ®· häc tiÕng Ph¸p ch­a?

- Cã, chÞ Betxi ¹, t«i cã thÓ ®äc vµ nãi ®­îc.

- ThÕ c« cã kh©u ®­îc lo¹i lôa t¬ v¶i bè kh«ng?

- §­îc, chÞ ¹. (1: 182)

(“… and have you learnt French?"

b) In expressing possibility, can is mostly realized by the auxiliary “cã thÓ” in Vietnamese.

(43) - V©ng, ®i Air¬lan. T«i ®· nãi ra nh÷ng ®iÒu t«i nghÜ vµ b©y giê t«i cã thÓ ®i bÊt cø n¬i nµo.(2: 68)

"Yes -- to Ireland. I have spoken my mind, and can go anywhere now." (3: Chapter XXIII)

c) In expressing permission, can is also realized by the auxiliary “cã thÓ” in Vietnamese; and there are cases when no auxiliary is needed since the sense of permission is clearly shown through the position or the role of the speaker in comparison with that of the hearer.

(44) chÞ xuèng ®i (1: 54)

you can go down ( a visitor talks to a servant) (3: Chapter III)

- In denoting negation: Cannot in English is realized by such Vietnamese equivalent as kh«ng biÕt, kh«ng thÓ, kh«ng (thÓ)…. ®­îc, kh«ng sao… ®­îc, kh«ng thÓ nµo.

(45) Chóng ta cµng nãi chuyÖn l¹i cµng cã lîi; bëi v× nÕu t«i kh«ng thÓ lµm cho c« bÞ sÇu n·o th× tr¸i l¹i c« cã thÓ gét röa ®­îc cho t«i trong s¹ch. (1: 282)

(“… The more you and I converse, the better; for while I cannot blight you, you may refresh me."(3: Chapter XV))

(46) M×nh ph¶i nhí r»ng «ng kh«ng thÓ nµo ®o¸i hoµi tíi m×nh. (1: 338)

(I must remember that he cannot care much for me. (3: Chapter XVII))

(47) T«i kh«ng sao nãi râ ®­îc t×nh c¶m v­¬ng vÊn ë c¸i nghÜa trang ©m thÇm hiu qu¹nh… (1: 28)

(I cannot tell what sentiment haunted the quite solitary churchyard,… (3: Chapter I))

(48) … Ng­êi ta kh«ng thÓ th­¬ng ®­îc mét con cãc nh­ thÕ. (1: 60)

(“… but one really cannot care for such a little toad as that." (3: Chapter IV))

(49)… vµ c¶ ®Õn lêi c« khen, dï t«i rÊt coi träng, còng kh«ng khÝch lÖ ®­îc t«i ®Ó cã ®­îc tÝnh cÈn thËn vµ biÕt lo xa. (1: 114)

(“…and even her praise, though I value it most highly, cannot stimulate me to continued care and foresight." (3: Chapter VI))

2.2.1.2. Vietnamese expressions equivalent to the modal meanings expressed by may

In expressing possibility and permission, may is mainly realized by the Vietnamese modal auxiliary “cã thÓ” or colloquially by “cø…” and its negation is realized by such equivalents as “kh«ng thÓ”, “®õng”.

(50) ChÞ cø ®äc kh¾c biÕt, c« b¹n tr¶ lêi vµ ®­a cuèn s¸ch cho t«i. (1: 102)

("You may look at it," replied the girl, offering me the book. (3: Chapter V))

(51) … nh­ng nÕu ®ªm cÇn g× c« cø gäi t«i. (1: 48)

(“… but you may call me if you want anything in the night." (3: Chapter III))

(52) Tèt l¾m, th­a «ng, vËy t«i cã thÓ coi nh­ con bÐ nµy ®­îc nhËn vµo tr­êng nh­ mét häc sinh ë L«ut vµ ë ®Êy nã sÏ ®­îc gi¸o dôc thÝch hîp víi hoµn c¶nh vµ h­íng sau nµy cña nã chø? (1: 75)

("Quite right, sir. I may then depend upon this child being received as a pupil at Lowood, and there being trained in conformity to her position and prospects?" (3: Chapter IV))

(53) Tao nãi ra nh÷ng ®iÒu nµy tr­íc mÆt mµy, Jªn ¹, ®Ó mµy ®õng cã hßng mµ lõa dèi «ng Br«k¬n-h¬c. (1: 73)

(“… I mention this in your hearing, Jane, that you may not attempt to impose on Mr. Brocklehurst." (3: Chapter IV))

- The modal meanings expressed by must is realized by many Vietnamese equivalents.

a) The first, in expressing modal certainty, must is seen as equivalent to Vietnamese modal auxiliaries ph¶i, tÊt ph¶i.

(54) T«i nghÜ r»ng chÞ Betxi Li ph¶i lµ mét n÷ cã kh¶ n¨ng thiªn bÈm, chÞ lµm viÖc g× còng khÐo lÐo, chÞ cã tµi kÓ chuyÖn rÊt hÊp dÉn; (1: 65)

(Bessie Lee must, I think, have been a girl of good natural capacity, for she was smart in all she did, and had a remarkable knack of narrative; (3: Chapter IV))

(55) ¤ng Êy tÊt ph¶i yªu mét thiÕu n÷ kiÒu diÔm, quý ph¸i, th«ng minh, hoµn toµn nh­ c« ta. (1: 383)

(He must love such a handsome, noble, witty, accomplished lady; (3: Chapter XIX))

However, the verb form “ph¶i” is rarely used but a great deal of non-verb forms are found, for instance: h¼n lµ… (cÇn) ph¶i, h¼n lµ ph¶i, h¼n ph¶i lµ, ch¾c, h¼n, h¼n lµ, nhÊt ®Þnh ph¶i…

(56) H¼n lµ chÞ ph¶i thÝch rêi xa L«ut chø? (1: 112)

("You must wish to leave Lowood?" (3: Chapter VI))

(57) H¼n lµ c« cÇn ph¶i uèng trµ. (1: 307)

("You must want your tea," (3: Chapter XVI))

(58) … c« ®i suèt ngµy, h¼n lµ ph¶i mÖt (1: 193)

(… and you have been travelling all day: you must feel tired. (3: Chapter XI))

(59) … sau cïng em cho r»ng ®ã h¼n ph¶i lµ mét con chã nµo sña ë ®»ng xa. (2: 122)

(… at last I made out it must be some dog howling at a distance. (3:Chapter XXV))

(60) … ch¾c c« bÞ l¹nh, vµo ®©y ngåi s­ëi ®i. (1: 190)

(… you must be cold, come to the fire. (3: Chapter XI))

(61) §«i m¾t trong bøc “Ng«i sao h«m” h¼n c« ®· nh×n thÊy trong mét giÊc m¬. (1: 249)

(These eyes in the Evening Star you must have seen in a dream. (3: Chapter XIII))

(62) §èi víi c¸c bµ h¼n lµ «ng ®· ®ãng trß giái. (1: 387)

("With the ladies you must have managed well." (3: Chapter XIX))

(63) NhÊt ®Þnh ph¶i lµ mét ng­êi trong bän hä ®Êy th«i - «ng chñ t«i ng¾t lêi. (2: 125)

b) In expressing obligation, must can be realized by mostly verb form in Vietnamese. The verb form must has some Vietnamese equivalents such as ®µnh, ph¶i, buéc ph¶i, cÇn, cÇn ph¶i among which ph¶i is commonly found in both spoken and written discourse.

(64) C« ®Þnh cho mçi em mét phÇn b¸nh ®em vÒ nh­ng v× kh«ng cã nhiÒu nªn ®µnh ¨n ngay ë ®©y vËy. (1: 144)

("I meant to give each of you some of this to take with you," said she, "but as there is so little toast, you must have it now," (3: Chapter VIII))

(65) T«i ®µnh thøc, t©m hån r¹o rùc dËy, trong khi sù thay ®æi tù hoµn thµnh. (1: 178)

(I must watch feverishly while the change was being accomplished. (3: Chapter X))

(66) T«i nghÜ t«i ph¶i ®ãn r­íc mét vÞ kh¸ch quý nh­ vËy khi vÞ ®ã muèn x©m nhËp vµo tr¸i tim t«i. (1: 268)

(“… I think I must admit so fair a guest when it asks entrance to my heart." (3: Chapter XIV))

(67) T«i buéc ph¶i vµo. (1: 69)

(I MUST enter. (3: Chapter IV))

(68) … v× em cÇn trang ®iÓm vµ ¨n ®iÓm t©m xong tr­íc t¸m giê. (2: 130)

(… for you must be dressed and have finished breakfast before eight. (3: Chapter XXV))

(69) T«i thÊy cÇn ph¶i nãi cho minh b¹ch. (2: 161)

("I see I must come to an explanation…” (3: Chapter XXVII))

c) In denoting negation, must not in English is realized by such Vietnamese equivalents as chí nªn, kh«ng ®­îc (phÐp), ®õng, kh«ng thÓ

(70) TÊt c¶ nh÷ng ¶o ¶nh ªm ®Òm cña ta ®Òu rÊt ®Ñp, nh­ng ta chí nªn quªn r»ng ®ã chØ lµ toµn lµ nh÷ng ­íc m¬ h·o huyÒn. (2: 182)

('My fine visions are all very well, but I must not forget they are absolutely unreal…” (3:Chapter XXVII))

(71) T«i uèng Ýt n­íc vµ lÊy Ýt b¸nh, v× cã thÓ t«i ph¶i ®i bé xa, vµ tuy thÓ lùc cña t«i bÞ nh÷ng viÖc míi ®©y lay chuyÓn, t«i kh«ng ®­îc phÐp ng· quþ. (2: 195)

(I got some water, I got some bread: for perhaps I should have to walk far; and my strength, sorely shaken of late, must not break down. (3: Chapter XXVII))

(72) Kh«ng, kh«ng, Jªn ¹, em kh«ng ®­îc ®i ®©u c¶. (2: 413)

("No -- no -- Jane; you must not go…” (3: Chapter XXXVII))

(73) Song t«i l¹i lµ mét con ng­êi, vµ nh÷ng nhu cÇu cña con ng­êi, t«i kh«ng thÓ lÇn n÷a m·i ë mét n¬i kh«ng cã g× ®Ó cung cÊp cho con ng­êi. (2: 204)

(But I was a human being, and had a human being's wants: I must not linger where there was nothing to supply them. (3: Chapter XXVIII))

2.2.2. A contrastive analysis of the modal meanings expressed via can, may, must in English and the equivalent expressions in Vietnamese

(74) 'I can live alone, if self-respect, and circumstances require me so to do..’. (3: Chapter XIX)

(Ta cã thÓ sèng c« ®¬n, nÕu lßng tù träng vµ hoµn c¶nh ®ßi hái nh­ vËy. (1: 385)

(75) I have an inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous delights should be withheld,… (3: Chapter XIX)

(Trong ng­êi ta cã c¶ mét kho tµng, bÈm sinh cïng víi ta; nã cã thÓ gi÷ cho ta sèng trªn ®êi nÕu tÊt c¶ mäi l¹c thó ngo¹i lai ®Òu kh­íc tõ ta… (1: 385)

(76) "Well, you know Missis always said they were poor and quite despicable: and they may be poor;… (3: Chapter X)

(Nµy, ch¾c c« còng biÕt bµ Rit th­êng b¶o hä hµng c« ®Òu lµ nh÷ng ng­êi r¸ch r­íi ®¸ng khing bØ chø; cã thÓ lµ hä nghÌo… (1: 183)

(77) you may be no better than the rest; you may have intolerable defects to counterbalance your few good points." (3: Chapter XIV)

(… rÊt cã thÓ c« còng ch¼ng h¬n g× tr¨m ngµn ng­êi kh¸c. C« rÊt cã thÓ cã nh÷ng lçi lÇm kh«ng dung thø ®­îc bªn c¹nh mét vµi ®øc tÝnh. (1: 264)

Obviously, the possibility expressed by can in (74) and (75) is quite different from that expressed by may in (76) and (77). In (74) and (75), can implies general possibility, which can mean “it is possible”, i.e. circumstances permit. And unlike can, may expresses the chances that something will actually happen or is actually true at this moment. (76) could be then paraphrased as “Perhaps they are/ will be poor;…” and (77) as “Perhaps you are no better than the rest; you have intolerable defects…”

Compared with Vietnamese, we can see can and may in the examples above are interpreted as modal verb “cã thÓ” in Vietnamese. That is to say, Vietnamese language has no concept of what type of possibility it is. “Cã thÓ” itself can express either theoretial possibility or factual possibility. That’s why the meaning of the modal verb “cã thÓ” in Vietnamese seems a bit ambiguous and this leads to the confusion made by Vietnamese learners of English when acquiring the modal verbs can and may.

Moreover, can and may are used to express the notion of permission although the frequency is different. Can and may differ from each other in the degree of formality. Using may is a polite and fairly formal way of asking for, giving or refusing permission. It is often used in writing and children often use may when speaking to adults. Can can be used as an informal alternative to may and it is often used in colloquial speech. To make it clearer, it is better to consider the following examples.

(78) “… and you may come and sit in my parlour when you want company of an evening." (3: Chapter XXXVII)

(… vµ buæi tèi, khi cÇn cã ng­êi trß chuyÖn, «ng cã thÓ sang ngåi ch¬i ë phßng kh¸ch cña em (2: 412))

(79) As he was returning the box to his waistcoat pocket, a loud bell rang for the servants' dinner; he knew what it was. "That's for you, nurse," said he; "you can go down; I'll give Miss Jane a lecture till you come back." (3: Chapter III)

(Lóc «ng bá hép thuèc l¸ vµo tói th× võa lóc tiÕng chu«ng b¸o giê ¨n cña c¸c gia nh©n rÐo vang, «ng còng biÕt hiÖu chu«ng nµy.

- Chu«ng gäi chÞ ®Êy, chÞ b¶o mÉu ¹, chÞ xuèng ®i. Trong lóc kh«ng cã chÞ ë ®©y, t«i sÏ gi¶ng gi¶i cho c« Jªn nghe. (1: 54))

The sense of permission in (78) can be understood as “I (but not other person) give you permission to come and sit…” and it is used in a formal situation between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. And can in (79) also expresses the idea of having permission. However, with second person, it can mean “I allow you to go down” or “Someone else allows you to…” or “You have a right to go down” or “It is the proper thing for you to go down”. Also, (79) is what a visitor (Mr. Lloyd, an apothecary) talks to a servant, so can is correctly used here. (Supposing a servant talks to a visitor coming to the house, may is preferred)

Compared with Vietnamese, in formal situations like (78), the notion of permission is conveyed by “cã thÓ” in Vietnamese whereas in informal cases like (79), it is implied through the position or the role of the speaker compared to that of the hearer although on the surface it looks like a simple statement (“chÞ xuèng ®i”).