About the word “là” in Vietnamese

Abstract

Vietnamese linguists have proposed various arguments to describe “là” as a verb, copula, connective, relational word, particle, and most recently as a syntactic operator specializing in demarcating Theme - Rheme. However, their attempts to describe its meaning have not been sufficiently detailed or convincing. 
In this article, the author demonstrates that “là” actually acts as a predicate/verb while still carrying out the function of a Theme - Rheme demarcator. Additionally, it acts as a preposition in sentences expressing the process of speaking and thinking. In terms of meaning, “là” is a relative predicate. The verb “là” differs from action, state, and existence predicates in that it does not directly describe an entity undergoing transitivity or intransitivity (i.e., it lacks thematic structure). Nor does it directly describe what occurs in the objective world. Instead, it provides information about the class, attributes, quantity, and position of the object in the relationship established by the speaker to aid the listener in identifying the object. Alternatively, it indicates the speaker's interpretations of the state of affairs.