Compare the construction methods of reduplicative words in Vietnamese and Chinese, examine the frequency of occurrence and the usage value of various reduplicative words in the HSK 5 curriculum

Abstract

This study aims to compare and contrast the word formation of reduplicative words in Vietnamese and Chinese to help students majoring in Chinese Linguistics recognize the similarities and differences of reduplicative words in these two languages. The study is based on the theoretical foundation of the formation of reduplicative words in Chinese by Lü Shuxiang (1990) and the usage value of reduplicative words in language by Hoàng Văn Hành (2008). Additionally, it analyzes data from the HSK 5 textbook, published by Beijing Language and Culture University. The comparative study focuses on 4 types of reduplicative words: AA, ABB, AABB, ABAB and has found that most of the reduplicative words appearing in the "Standard HSK 5 Textbook" are of the AA structure, followed by AABB, ABB, and ABAB, respectively. Furthermore, the study discovers that the usage value of reduplicative words primarily focuses on the descriptive value for the AA word structure and the expressive value for the AABB structure. This study opens new research directions on reduplicative words in different languages and suggests improvements for the evaluation theoretical framework