A Contrastive Study of Coordinate Compounds in Japanese and Vietnamese

Abstract

Japanese studies in Vietnam are garnering increasing attention, aiming not only to contribute directly to language teaching and learning but also to deepen the understanding of linguistic typology and cultural characteristics inherent in the Japanese language. With the objective of providing a more profound and comprehensive analysis, both theoretically and practically, as well as identifying similarities and differences between Japanese and Vietnamese, this paper focuses on coordinate compounds as its primary subject of investigation. The study establishes conceptual equivalences of coordinate compounds in Japanese and Vietnamese, serving as a basis for an examining them from both formal and semantic perspectives. Based on this foundation, the paper elucidates the similarities and differences between coordinate compounds in the two languages and explores the underlying causes. The content of this paper comprises the following sections: (1) the formal characteristics of coordinate compounds in Japanese and Vietnamese; (2) the semantic characteristics of coordinate compounds in Japanese and Vietnamese; (3) a contrastive analysis of their similarities and differences; and (4) observations regarding the causes of these similarities and differences, along with pedagogical implications for language instruction.