Eastern Mennonite University

Level II

Chapter 1
Listening Speaking

English | Vietnamese Section

IC3, IT, TOEFL, Best Answer
English | Vietnamese
Assessment

Who in the world am I?
Tôi là ai trong thế giới này?

English Language Lesson
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One of the first things we do when we meet someone new is to introduce ourselves. In this chapter you will hear several people telling you about themselves. The questions they answer may be some of the following:

  • What is your name?
  • How old are you?
  • Do you have children?
  • Are you married?
  • Where do you live?
  • Are you the oldest in your family?
  • What work do you do?
  • Where are you from?
Vocabulary:
To answer the questions above: 
   marital status
    -single	             -not married		    -I am single. 	
    -married                 -I am married with children    -widowed
    -engaged to be married   -divorced                      -I am not married

   occupation
    -driver	       -doctor		   -teacher          -motorcycle repairman		
    -vendor	       -shop owner	   -miller	     -cashier/clerk 	
    -seamstress	       -tailor		   -dentist	     -pharmacist	
    -police officer    -waiter/waitress	   -fisherman	     -receptionist	
    -businessman       -artisan		   -manager	     -nurse
    -farmer	       -veteran		   -postal worker 
    -government official/civil servant
    
   places
    -Long Xuyen			-Can Tho	       -the North	
    -Ho Chi Minh City		-The Mekong Delta      -the South		
    -Vietnam			-An Giang Province     -the Central region	
    -a village near_______	-the countryside
    -near the Cambodian border		
 	
   family position
    -oldest		           -youngest		-the middle child	
    -the second of six siblings    -next to youngest

   family members
    -mother     -father     -brother     -sister       -grandfather
    -child	-parent	    -sibling	 -aunt	       -grandmother
    -uncle	-cousin	    -son	 -daughter     -grandson
    -niece	-nephew     -ancestor    -grandchild   -granddaughter


Checking Vocabulary: What do you already know?

Divide into four small groups. Each group will be given a scenario which they will plan to mime.

To mime means to act without sound, so each group will prepare to act without talking. After the mime is over, the class will answer questions.

Scenario 1: A Visit to the Seamstress

A customer goes to the seamstress with fabric. This customer selects a pattern and places an order. The seamstress measures, cuts and sews. The customer tries on the garment and pays for it.

Who are the people in this scenario?
Make a list of verbs that describe what the customer does.
Make a list of verbs that describe what the seamstress does.

Scenario 2: A High School Teacher's Class

A teacher stands at the front of the class and talks about a story in a book. She asks her students questions, and they raise their hands and answer. Then the teacher closes her book and gives her students an assignment. The students write it down in their notebooks.

Who are the people in this scenario?
Make a list of verbs that describe what the teacher does.
Make a list of verbs that describe what the students do.

Scenario 3: A Foreign English Teacher's Class

A teacher from another country stands at the front of the class and points to objects in the room and says what they are. The students repeat what he says. Then the teacher points to things and the students raise their hands to tell him what the things are.

Who are the people in this scenario?
Make a list of verbs that describe what the teacher does.
Make a list of verbs that describe what the students do.

Scenario 4: Taking a Ride in a Xyclo

A person walking on the street approaches a xyclo driver and asks how much a ride costs. The driver tells him a price. The customer says that is too expensive and gives him a lower price. The driver points to his tired legs and suggests another price. The customer agrees and gets in the xyclo.

Who are the people in this scenario?
Make a list of verbs that describe what the customer does.
Make a list of verbs that describe what the cyclo driver does.

Study Skill A:

The verb Be: Patterns for Statements in Present Tense
Subject + verb (to be)
I am a farmer.

She is a farmer.
Life (it) is difficult.

You are a farmer.
You are farmers.
We are farmers.
 Use am for the subject I.

Use is for a singular noun and these singular
Pronouns: she, he, it, this and that.


Use are for you and plural nouns and these
Pronouns: we, you, they, these and those.

Contractions
A contraction is the short form used commonly in speech.
I am = I'm
you are = you're
he is = he's
she is = she's
it is = it's
we are = we're
you are = you're
they are = they're
I'm a farmer.
You're a farmer.
He's a farmer.
She's a farmer.
It's a farm.
We're farmers.
You're farmers.
They're farmers.


Lecture/Presentation:

Listen to people talk about themselves. First look at the vocabulary below and discuss the meaning of the words with your teacher and classmates.

Transcript: Ms. Lien

I am a seamstress. I specialize in making ao dai which is a style of dress unique to Vietnam. I learned to sew from my mother and my work is in the family business. We have a shop with our sewing machines. We also sell fabrics. Customers come to the shop to place their orders. We take measurements, cut the patterns, sew and fit our garments in this shop. I live with my parents and my grandmother. We live in rooms above the shop. I am 22 years old. I study English in the evenings at a language center. But when business is good, I don't have much time to study.

	seamstress (n)		order (n)	to specialize (v)	unique (adj)
	style (n)		pattern (n)	to sew (v)		comfortably (adv)
	sewing machine (n)	garment (n) 	to place (v)
	fabrics (n)		customer (n)	to fit (v)
	measurement (n)

Transcript: Mrs. Trang

I am the mother of two children. We live in the city of Long Xuyen near My Long market. Our family owns a motorcycle and on weekends we visit my parents. They live in a village 30 kilometers from here. I am a teacher of Vietnamese Literature in the high school and my husband works for an import-export company. With two incomes, we live a busy life, but we are able to live comfortably in a place not far from our family homes. My work is very difficult. I teach many students during the day and I feel very tired. But I love the literature and I hope that some of my students will be inspired to be teachers or writers.

	motorcycle (n)		weekend (n)	to own (v)	busy (adj)
	literature(n)       	income (n)	to visit (v)	
	kilometer (n)				to inspire (v)
	import-export company (n)

Transcript: Chris
I came to Vietnam because I am curious about how other people live. I studied to be an English teacher because it helps me work in other countries. I am not married, so I am able to move from place to place. I live on the university campus. I like to walk around the city and taste the interesting foods and see what products are for sale. And I like to practice speaking Vietnamese. Sometimes I like to sit at a coffee shop and watch everyone who passes by. And sometimes I'm homesick, especially during the holidays when my family is together. 
	campus (n)		to taste (v)        curious (adj)
	coffee shop (n)		to move (v)         for sale (adj)
	holiday (n)		to pass (v)         homesick (adj)
	product (n)

Transcript: Mr. Minh
I know every street in this city because people ask me to take them to every part of the city. I am a cyclo driver and it is five years since I moved here for work. I am a war veteran and am nearly 50 years old. I lost my chances to get an education. Nowadays, it becomes more difficult to be a cyclo driver. City laws forbid us to ride on certain streets so we can't take direct routes. It becomes more dangerous with more traffic and the number of young, fast motorcycle drivers. We see more and more foreigners in this city. Some are businessmen and some are backpackers. I think they see me as a tourist attraction. They don't understand how to bargain, so it is my good fortune to give a foreigner a ride if he is rich. But backpackers sometimes drive a hard bargain by looking at the advice of a guidebook. This is why I want to learn English. Now I sometimes understand by using maps and words in guidebooks and numbers on a calculator. But how long will my body be able to do this? At night when I return to my home, my back and legs ache. 
	part (n)		education (n)		to forbid (v)          	direct (adj)
	law (n)			route (n)		to ride (v)		dangerous (adj)
	traffic (n)		foreigner (n)		to bargain (v)		young (adj)			
	tourist attraction (n)	body (n)    	        to ache (v)
	good fortune (n)	war veteran (n)         to communicate (v)
	backpackers (n)		calculator (n)		
	guidebook (n)

Exercises and Activities for Listening Skill A:

Listen to the people talk about themselves again. Using the chart below, write down as much information as you can about each person:
NameM/F* OccupationAgeM.S** Family InformationLocation
Ms. Lien
Mrs. Tran
Chris
Mr. Minh

* - male or female           ** - marital status (s=single m=married)


How would you answer these questions?
  • What is your name?
  • How old are you?
  • Where do you live?
  • Where are you from?
  • Are your married?
  • Do you have children?
  • Are you the oldest in your family?

Write a passage introducing yourself. You may use your answers to the questions as information to put in the passage. You may want to change the order of the questions.

For example:
  • What is your name? Vo Thi Trang
  • What work do you do? I am a rice farmer.
  • How old are you? I am 35 years old.
  • Where do you live? I live in the countryside in An Giang Province.
  • Where are you from? My home village is near Dong Thap.
  • Are your married? Yes, we live with the family of my husband.
  • Do you have children? We have two sons.
  • Are you the oldest in your family? No, I am the youngest from a family with seven children.

Combining the answers from the questions above, a reading passage is created that describes a person's life. Read this passage out loud to a classmate or to your class.

My name is Vo Thi Trang. I am a rice farmer. I am 35 years old. I live in the countryside in An Giang Province. My home village is near Dong Thap and I come from a large family. Now I live with the family of my husband. We have two sons.


Study Skill B:

Getting the Main Ideas: A Matter of Stress

Tone and stress are used for different purposes in the English and Vietnamese languages.

In English speech, important words are stressed. The main idea will come from the stressed words.

Tone, or the musical voice of a language-voice inflections--carries meaning in Vietnamese. There are six tones in the Vietnamese language. A word pronounced correctly but with the wrong tone becomes another word or not a word at all.

The Vietnamese language has six tones:

Word; Meaning -- Tone Description

ma -- spirit,-- ghost level

má mommy -- high-rising

mà but -- low

mạ rice seedling -- low-falling

mả tomb -- high-falling-rising

mã code, cipher -- low-falling-rising

You have 7 brothers

The problems Native English speakers have with speaking Vietnamese tones have more to do with the use of intonation. English speakers make use of a falling tone with most statements and with “wh” questions. A rising tone marks yes/no questions. It is difficult for a native speaker of English to not voice these uses of tone when speaking Vietnamese. For example, the use of “khong” at the end of a sentence means “no” or “not” acting as a question word. A direct translation could be “You are a teacher, no?” Many English speakers feel the need to apply a rising tone to “khong” (L1 interference) changing the word’s meaning.

For more information: www.geocites.com/wordcraft_by_hastings/VtTones.html


TRỌNG ÂM

Thanh điệu và trọng âm được dùng cho những mục đích khác nhau trong ngôn ngữ Anh Việt.

Trong văn nói tiếng Anh, từ quan trọng mang trọng âm. Ý tưởng chính nằm trong từ được nhấn mạnh.

Thanh điệu, hay là giai điệu của môt ngôn ngữ - sự phản ánh chất giọng - mang ý nghĩa trong tiếng Việt. Có sáu thanh điệu trong tiếng Việt. Một từ được phát âm đúng, nhưng với thanh điệu không đúng trở thành một từ khác hay không phải là một từ nào cả.

Tiếng Việt có sáu thanh điệu:

Từ; Nghĩa -- Thanh điệu

Ma spirit, ghost -- thanh ngang

Má mommy, mother -- thanh sắc

Mà but -- thanh huyền

mạ rice seedling -- thanh nặng

mả tomb -- thanh hỏi

mã code, cipher -- thanh ngã

CƯỜNG ĐỘ TRONG TIẾNG ANH

Có bốn loại cường độ trong tiếng Anh. Các cường độ nầy gồm:

4 = rất cao

3 = cao

2 = vừa

1 = thấp

Chỉ có cường độ cao, thấp, vừa được dùng trong thường đàm. Sự kết hợp khác nhau của những cường độ nầy dược dùng để diễn đạt nghĩa khác nhau. Đường kẻ được dùng để biểu thị cường độ tạo ra nghĩa trong một câu.

Anh có bảy anh em trai. (câu khẳng định)

Anh có bảy anh em trai? (câu nghi vấn)

Anh có bảy anh em trai! (câu cảm thán)

Vấn đề người Anh thường hay mắc phải khi nói tiếng Việt là phải thay đổi cách dùng ngữ điệu của họ. Người Anh thường xuống giọng với hầu hết câu khẳng định và câu nghi vấn bắt đầu bằng “wh”. Ngữ điệu lên giọng được áp dụng cho câu nghi vấn “có phải không”. Người Anh không thể tránh khỏi dùng những âm điệu nầy khi nói tiếng Việt. Ví dụ như cách dùng “không” ở cuối môt câu có nghĩa là “no” hay là “not” có vai trò như là một từ để hỏi. Cách thông dịch trưc tiếp có thể là “Anh là giáo viên, không phải sao?” Nhiều người Anh cảm thấy cần phải áp dụng cách lên giọng đối với từ “không” làm thay đổi nghĩa của từ.

Để có thêm thông tin, hãy xem trang web www.geocites.com/wordcraft by hastings/VtTones.html

Pronunciation of the “–s” ending.

There are three ways to pronounce the “-s” ending:

  • /s/ thanks, speaks
  • /iz/ teaches, uses
  • /z/ says, brings
_________________________________________________________________________

Exercises and Activities for Listening Study Skill B:

Listen to the following words. Check the sound you hear.

               /s/    /iz/    /z/
  1. thanks                      x
  2. father's
  3. people's
  4. tradations
  5. kids
  6. names
  7. occupations
  8. always
  9. relatives
  10. characteristices
Vietnamese Language Lesson
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TỪ VỰNG (VOCABULARY)

danh từ-noun động từ-verb thán từ-exclamation
tên xin chào/chào Thú vị nhỉ!
người Mỹ là Thế à?
người Đức gọi là
thế hệ giới thiệu
họ hàng sinh sống

Luyện tập 1.1(Exercise):

Nối những từ sau đây với nghĩa của chúng.(Match the following words with their meaning.)

  1. _____ người Mỹ
  2. _____ giới thiệu
  3. _____ họ hàng
  4. _____ sinh sống
  5. _____ thế hệ
  6. _____ tên
  1. clan
  2. name
  3. generation
  4. American
  5. to live
  6. to introduce

Câu hỏi gợi ý:

Làm việc theo nhóm và thảo luận những câu hỏi sau:
1. Bạn sẽ làm ǵ khi gặp một người lạ?
(What do you do when you meet someone new?))
2. Tên của bạn được gọi như thế nào? Nó có ư nghĩa đặc biệt ǵ không?
(How do you say your name? Does it have any special meaning?)

BÀI HỘI THOẠI (DIALOGUE):

Nghe bài hội thoại sau và chọn một từ thích hợp để điền vào mỗi chỗ trống. Chú ư: hai từ sẽ không được dùng đến.

            chào        tên            là           à   
             nhưng      sinh sống      không      gì

Christine:Xin chào

Nam: .......bạn. Tôi là Nguyễn Hoàng Nam........của bạn là ǵ?

Christine:Tên tôi là Christine Chapman.Bạn có thể gọi tôi .... Chris.

Nam:Chris, bạn là người Mỹ ..... ?

Christine:Đúng vậy...... ông bà tôi là người Đức.

Nam:Thế à? Chúng tôi đă ..... ở đây được năm thế hệ rồi.

Christine:Thú vị nhỉ!

Đọc lại bài hội thoại theo từng đôi một. (Practice reading the dialogue in pairs.)

Làm việc theo từng đôi, hỏi và trả lời nhau về tên, tuổi, nghề nghiệp và gia đình. (Work in pairs and ask each other's name, age, job and family.)

Thuật lại cho cả lớp nghe về người bạn đồng tập của ḿnh. (Tell everyone what you've learned about your workmate.)