Superlative Degrees in Vietnamese Perceptions of Humans Through Idioms with Comparisons

Abstract

Idioms are unique linguistic expressions that contain cultural elements of a nation, and a rich worldview of different ethnic groups belonging to different cultures this study aimed to investigate superlative degrees in Vietnamese perceptions of humans through idioms with comparisons. A descriptive research study method with a comparative approach guided this study. The data for this study was restricted to idioms with comparisons by humans taken from Hanh’s (2008) collection of Vietnamese idioms. A random search of idioms from this text helped to identify a corpus of 132 idioms. The data was analyzed in the light of a theoretical foundation of Vietnamese idioms and analysis of the superlative degrees the sampled idioms were divided into five groups superlative degrees of emotions, appearances, states, activities, and personalities. Findings reveal that superlative degrees in Vietnamese perceptions of humans through idioms with comparisons are associated with the Vietnamese customs, culture, tradition, habit, and thinking. The findings also revealed that the Vietnamese perceptions of humans are expressed through idioms with comparisons in terms of emotions, appearances, states, activities, and personalities, in which idioms with comparisons by emotions take up the majority. The study has implications in Vietnamese people's everyday experiences, common knowledge, and cultural reasoning, which shape their distinct perspectives on the world.