Author’s name:
Nguyen Thanh Son – Linguistics University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Abstract:
This paper investigates direct speech acts of gratitude in the Vietnamese language in comparison with Russian. The aim of the study is to analyze the linguistic forms used to express direct speech acts of gratitude in Vietnamese and to identify similarities and differences in their structural organization as compared to Russian. The research identifies the main types of constructions employed in Vietnamese to express direct gratitude and compares them with analogous constructions in Russian. The results demonstrate that, while Vietnamese and Russian share certain common features in the expression of direct speech acts of gratitude, they also exhibit significant differences. In both languages, the core element of the construction is the performative verb meaning “to thank.” Other components — such as the subject, the object of gratitude, the reason for gratitude, and elements intensifying or modifying the degree of gratitude — are optional. This variability of components contributes to the flexibility and structural complexity of gratitude expressions. The structural formula of a direct speech act of gratitude in Vietnamese may be represented as follows: direct speech act of gratitude = subject + cảm ơn + object + reason + additional components expressing the degree of gratitude or emotional attitude. Comparable structural patterns are also observed in Russian. However, Russian differs in the ways the degree of gratitude is expressed, for instance through lexical means that convey varying levels of intensity and emotional emphasis. These differences reflect the influence of cultural factors on lexical choice and syntactic organization in speech acts of gratitude, underscoring the national and cultural specificity of gratitude expression in different linguistic communities. The study is relevant to linguists, educators, and scholars of intercultural communication, and it contributes to a more nuanced understanding of gratitude as a socially and culturally conditioned communicative phenomenon.
| Section | LANGUAGE AND CULTURE |
| DOI: | 10.47388/2072-3490/lunn2025-72-4-45-58 |
| Downloads | 270 |
| Key words | Vietnamese language; Russian language; direct speech acts; gratitude; performative |