Hello!

Group 8
Trần Nguyễn Đức Huy
Phan Lê Trung Hiếu

1
FULL INVERSION IN ENGLISH
DECLARATIVES AND THEIR
EQUIVALENTS IN VIETNAMESE
 content
Part I: Introduction
Part II: CASES OF FULL INVERSION IN THE
ENGLISH DECLARATIVES
Part III: CASES OF VIETNAMESE
EQUIVALENTS OF FULL INVERSION IN THE
ENGLISH DECLARATIVES
Part IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Part V: CONCLUSION

3
1.
INTRODUCTIO
N
Inversion “cấu trúc đảo” 1 is an observable phenomenon in
the English declaratives ‘câu trần thuật’ — sentences that are
neither interrogatives nor imperatives. The paper only
considers one of the two main types of inversion: subject-
verb inversion or full inversion ‘đảo toàn phần’, “where the
subject is preceded by the entire verb phrase.” Excluding
from this paper is subject-operator inversion or partial
inversion ‘đảo bán phần’, “
2. CASES OF FULL INVERSION IN
THE ENGLISH DECLARATIVES

5
 2.1. The first type of English full inverted
sentences and their translated versions

Frame 1: The circumstance + VERB of movement + an

NP encoding the Actor ‘

Khung 1: Chu cảnh + VỊ TỪ chuyển động + danh ngữ mã

hóa Hành thể

6
(1)b. Round the corner IS now WALKING a large policeman.
Vòng theo góc phố đang ĐI một viên cảnh sát to cao vạm vỡ.’

(1)c. Towards the bar STROLLED a snowy-haired old man

‘Hướng về phía cái quán rượu THẢ BỘ một ông lão râu tóc bạc phơ.’

(1)d. Out to the open sea SWAM the fully recovered whale.
‘*Ra ngoài biển khơi BƠI con cá voi đã hoàn toàn bình phục.
2.2. The second type of English full inverted
sentences and their translated versions

Frame 2: The attribute + copula BE + a NP encoding the Carrier

‘Khung 2: Thuộc tính + hệ từ ‘LÀ’ + danh ngữ mã hóa Đương

thể’

8
2.2.1. With a [+definite] NP encoding the Carrier
(2)a. A five-minute walk from the beach IS the hotel.
‘ĐI BỘ năm phút từ bãi biển LÀ tới khách sạn.’

(2)b. A short motorboat trip from the harbor of Gaios IS AntiPaxo

‘ĐI XUỒNG MÁY một đoạn ngắn từ cảng Gaios LÀ đến
AntiPaxo.’

(2)c. Unlike any other pupil in my class IS Johnson.

‘Không GIỐNG bất kỳ học sinh nào trong lớp của tôi LÀ em
Johnson.’ 9
2.2.2. With a [definite] NP encoding the Carrier

(6)a. STUFFED under the desk IS a woven wastepaper basket.’

‘Bị NHÉT dưới gầm bàn LÀ một cái giỏ rác đan bằng mây tre.’

(6)b. HANGING from the rafters WERE strings of onions.’

‘TREO LỦNG LIỂNG từ các thanh rui dưới mái nhà LÀ những dây
hành.’

10
2.3. The third type of English full inverted sentences
and their translated versions

Frame 3a: There + VERB of existence/ happening + a NP

encoding the Existent (+ the circumstance)

‘Khung 3a: Chủ ngữ giả there +VI TỪ tồn tại/ xuất hiện +
danh ngữ mã hóa Hữu thể (+ chu cảnh)’

11
(7)a. There IS snow on high ground every winter
‘CÓ tuyết trên vùng cao mỗi mùa đông.’

(7)b. There WAS nobody home.

‘Lúc ấy không CÓ ai ở nhà.’

(7)c. There WILL BE plenty of room for everyone.

‘Sẽ CÓ nhiều chỗ cho mọi người.’

(7)f. There REMAINS nothing more to be done.

‘Không CÒN cái gì để làm (nữa).’
12
2.4. The fourth type of English full inverted sentences
and their translated versions
Frame 4: The Verbiage + VERB of saying + a NP encoding the
Sayer

‘Khung 4: Ngôn thể + VI TỪ phát ngôn + danh ngữ mã hóa Phát

ngôn thể’

13
‘I’ve lost my daddy,’ SAID/ CRIED/ SOBBED/ WEPT/ WAILED the
little boy, shivering in the dark.
‘Cháu mới mất cha,’ chú bé NÓI/ TỨC TƯỞI/ THỔN THỨC/ KHÓC
LÓC/ RÊN RỈ, run lẩy lẩy trong bóng tối.’

(18)b. ‘Bill wants to go alone,’ SAID Ann, ‘but I’d rather he went with
a group.’
‘‘Bill muốn đi một mình,’ Ann NÓI, ‘nhưng tôi muốn nó đi với một
đoàn tham quan hơn.’’

(18)c. ‘Who’s paying?’ SHOUTED the fat man in the corner.

‘‘Ai sẽ trả tiền?’ gã đàn ông béo tròn ở góc phòng HÉT LÊN.’ 14
3. CASES OF VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS
OF FULL INVERSION IN THE ENGLISH
DECLARATIVES

15
Considered as equivalents of the above-
mentioned full inversion in the English
declaratives are the following “pure”
Vietnamese expressions.

16
3.1. Vietnamese expressions in Frame 1

Frame 1: the circumstance + VERB of movement + an

NP encoding the Actor

‘Khung 1: chu cảnh + VI TỪ chuyển động + danh ngữ

mã hóa Hành thể’

17
(21)a. Từ xa ĐI LẠI mấy cô thiếu nữ.
‘From far away CAME a number of young girls’

(22)a. Trên thinh không BAY NGANG QUA từng bầy chim lớn.
‘In the sky FLEW THROUGH each flock of big birds’

(23)a. Từ biển THỔI VỀ một làn gió ướt lạnh của buổi ban mai.
‘Unexpectedly BLOWS BACK a cold wet breeze of the morning’

18
3.2. Vietnamese expressions in Frame 2

Frame 2: The attribute + copula BE + a NP encoding the

Carrier

‘Khung 2: Thuộc tính + hệ từ ‘LÀ’ + danh ngữ mã hóa

Đương thể’

19
(6)a’. Bị NHÉT dưới gầm bàn LÀ một cái giỏ rác đan bằng
mây tre.
‘STUFFED under the desk IS a woven wastepaper basket.’

(6)b’. TREO LỦNG LIỂNG từ các thanh rui dưới mái nhà LÀ
những dây hành
‘HANGING from the rafters WERE strings of onions.’

(6)c’. Đang ĐỢI bà ấy sau cái ghế của Phát ngôn viên LÀ lãnh
tụ của phe đối lập, người cũng đã bắt tay bà một cách nồng
nhiệt
‘WAITING FOR her behind the Speaker’s chair WAS the 20
3.3. Vietnamese expressions in Frame 3c

Frame 3c: The circumstance + VERB of existence/

happening + a NP encoding the Existent

‘Khung 3c: Chu cảnh + VI TỪ tồn tại/ xuất hiện +

danh ngữ mã hóa Hữu thể’

21
(27) Trên tường CÓ vài bức tranh phong cảnh.
‘There ARE some landscape paintings on the wall.’

(28) Trong phòng thi CÒN khá nhiều thí sinh.

‘There ARE still a lot of candidates in the exam room.’

(29)a. Từ nhà hát VỌNG LẠI những tiếng vỗ tay nồng nhiệt.
‘Warm applause ECHOED from the theater.’

22
23
 Part IV

 FINDINGS AND
DISCUSSION
Frame 4: The Verbiage + VERB of saying + a NP encoding the Sayer

‘Khung 4: Ngôn thể + VI TỪ phát ngôn + danh ngữ mã hóa Phát ngôn thể’

English inverted sentences in Frame 4

and their translated versions in
Vietnamese have almost nothing in
4.1. Concerning Frame 4 — typical common. Of course, there are always
proof for difference appropriate ways to translate English
declaratives in form of full inversion;
however, their Vietnamese translated
versions are not in full inversion at all.
Frame 2: The attribute + copula BE + a NP encoding the Carrier
‘Khung 2: Thuộc tính + hệ từ ‘LÀ’ + danh ngữ mã hóa Đương thể’
 4.2. Concerning Frame 2 — typical proof for similarity
 As for full inversion, English and Vietnamese declaratives are almost alike in of Frame 2,
with an [+countable] and [±definite] NP encoding the Carrier sentence-finally and
respectively the copula ‘be’ in English and its Vietnamese equivalent — hệ từ ‘là’, playing
the role of the main VERB. No other verbs can be found here. Detailed analysis, however,
does indicate some difference, however small it is. Encoding the attribute, the English NP
in (2)a-b and the English PP in (2)c have as their equivalents a Vietnamese
 VP: ĐI BỘ ‘walk’; ĐI XUỒNG MÁY ‘go by motorboat’; (không) GIỐNG ‘(not) be
identical’.
 (2)a. A five-minute walk from the beach IS the hotel.
 ‘ĐI BỘ năm phút từ bãi biển LÀ tới khách sạn.’
 (2)b. A short motorboat trip from the harbor of Gatos IS Paxo.
 ‘ĐI XUỒNG MÁY một đoạn ngắn từ cảng Gatos LÀ đến Paxo.’
 (2)c. Unlike any other pupil in my class IS Johnson.
 ‘Không GIỐNG bất kỳ học sinh nào trong lớp của tôi LÀ em Johnson.’
 Considered as the two other Vietnamese equivalents of (2)a-b are the following (2)a’-b’. Right
at the beginning of two translated versions is still the circumstance, but it is not in form of an NP
but a clause. Specifically, the subject of this clause is covert, and its Range Topic of Space
‘Khung đề không gian’ is a PP: từ bãi biển ‘from the beach’; từ cảng Gatos ‘from the harbor
of Gatos’. This seems to make known Vietnamese as a topic-prominent language, i.e. speakers
have some freedom to choose anything be the initial section — the Topic ‘Đề’, of its Topic-
Comment structure ‘cấu trúc Đề-Thuyết’.
 Such freedom is not allowed in English as a subject-prominent language where there are
strict rules concerning either what can encode the subject or what can be fronted in English
declaratives:
(Sự tự do như vậy không được phép trong tiếng Anh như một ngôn ngữ nổi bật chủ ngữ, nơi
có các quy tắc nghiêm ngặt liên quan đến những gì có thể mã hóa chủ đề hoặc những gì có thể
đứng trước trong các tuyên bố tiếng Anh)
 (2)a’. ‘Từ bãi biển (chỉ) ĐI BỘ năm phút LÀ tới khách sạn.’
 (2)b’. ‘Từ cảng Gatos (chỉ) ĐI XUỒNG MÁY một đoạn ngắn LÀ đến Paxo.
* covert (giấu kín) : not openly acknowledged or displayed.
4.3. Concerning the lexical meaning of the main VERB in inverted
sentences

 Only the copula ‘be’ in English and its Vietnamese equivalent — hệ từ ‘là’, in
Frame 2, together with verbs movement in a specific manner, in Frame 1, and a small
set of verbs of existence or happening, or of time, or of space, in Frame 3a, Frame
3b or Frame 3c, are accepted in full inversion. Generally speaking, the lexical
meaning of the main VERB is of significance in forming full inversion in English
and Vietnamese declaratives. This reflects a certain universal in the way native
speakers of English and Vietnamese perceive the world.
* copula: a type of verb, of which the most common is "be", that joins the subject of the verb with a
complement
Being [+monosyllabic], the Vietnamese verbs in Frame 1, as in (25-26)c and those in Frame 3c, as in (31-
34)c, can hardly be accepted as grammatically correct in full inversion, even with the well-formed initial
circumstance. But this is quite accepted in English, convincingly proved by the syntactically perfect
translated English versions of the following unnatural Vietnamese sentences:
 (25)c. *Trong kẽ đá BƠI dăm ba chú cá bóng to bằng bắp chân.
‘In the crevices of the rock SWIM a few chubs as big as one’s calf.’
 (26)c. *Gần đỉnh núi TRÔI những đám mây trắng như bông.
‘Near the top of the mountain FLOATED some clouds as white as cotton.’
 (31)c. *Bên đường ĐỨNG một cây si già.
‘On the side of the road STANDS an old sycamore tree.’
 (32)c. *Cạnh ông NGỒI hai người đàn bà to béo đẫy đà.
‘Next to him SAT two big fat women.’
 (33)c. *Bên hông chợ NẰM mấy tên ăn mày rách rưới lang thang.
‘On the side of the market LIED a few ragged wandering beggars.’
 (34)c. *Trên ngọn cây ĐU một bọn tiểu quỉ.
‘On top of a tree SWANG a bunch of little devils.’
 That is why an ADVERB of manner, or even more than one, is automatically
added without any fear for the distorted meaning of the Vietnamese sentences in
question. Repeated right here for re-consideration are (12)a-b and their
grammatically correct Vietnamese equivalents:
 (12)a. The room contained a table and four chairs. On the table LAY a
newspaper.
‘Căn phòng có một cái bàn và bốn cái ghế.
*Trên bàn NẰM một tờ báo.’
Trên bàn NẰM CHỎNG CHƠ một tờ báo.’
 (12)b. The palace is heavily guarded because inside its walls SIT the European
leaders.
‘Lâu đài được canh phòng cẩn mật bởi vì bên trong các bức tường của nó
*NGỒI các nhà lãnh đạo Châu Âu.’
NGỒI XÚM XÍT VÒNG TRONG VÒNG NGOÀI các nhà lãnh đạo Châu Âu.’
 Also repeated right here is the English inverted sentence
named (1)b and its two well-formed Vietnamese equivalents in
which another VERB is inserted just behind the main VERB,
to lengthen the verb group:
 (1)b. Round the corner IS now WALKING a large policeman.
‘*Vòng theo góc phố đang ĐI một viên cảnh sát to cao vạm vỡ.’
‘Vòng theo góc phố đang ĐI TUẦN một viên cảnh sát to cao
vạm vỡ.’
‘Vòng theo góc phố đang TUẦN HÀNH một viên cảnh sát to
cao vạm vỡ.’
 The restriction of the above-mentioned [+monosyllabic] verbs does not apply to CÓ —
the Vietnamese equivalent of ‘be’ in (12)c in Frame 3c with the fronted circumstance of
space. In other words, despite the fact that they are [+monosyllabic], CÓ and CÒN —
the two Vietnamese main VERBs of existence/ happening, do not require any adverbial
post-verb modifier, as found in the translated versions of the above mentioned (7)e-f.
Also repeated right here is (12)c for re-consideration:
 (12)c. Alan walked along Elmdate Avenue and found number sixteen without difficulty.
Outside the house WAS a furniture van.
‘Alan đi bộ dọc theo Đại lộ Elmdate và tìm ra căn nhà số 16 không khó khăn gì.
Bên ngoài căn nhà ấy (the circumstance) CÓ một chiếc xe chở hàng nội thất.’
 If ‘be’ in (12)c is considered as the copula, then another translated version emerges.
Again, fronted to link to whatever recently mentioned, the PP encoding the attribute of
(12)c in Frame 2 may have a different equivalent in Vietnamese, which is LÀ:
‘Alan đi bộ dọc theo Đại lộ Elmdate và tìm ra căn nhà số 16 không khó khăn gì.
Bên ngoài căn nhà ấy (the attribute) LÀ một chiếc xe chở hàng nội thất.’
 4.4. Concerning the circumstance or the attribute in inverted sentences

 Full inversion is not marked in Vietnamese — an isolating ‘đơn lập’, non-inflecting ‘không
biến hình’ and topic-prominent ‘thiên chủ đề’ language. The sentence initial position is the
privilege for either the circumstance, as in Frame 3b and 3c, or the attribute, as in Frame 2, of
the above-mentioned Vietnamese equivalents. This is in fact the position of the Range Topic
‘Khung đề’ of time, space, condition or cause in the topic-comment structure of Vietnamese
declaratives. Full inversion is marked in English — an inflecting ‘biến hình’ and subject-
prominent ‘thiên chủ ngữ’ language.
 The sentence initial position is the privilege for the subject, even the dummy subject, in English
declaratives. That is why full inversion in Frame 3a and Frame 3b is very common in this
natural language. On the contrary, there is no dummy subject in Vietnamese, and that is why full
inversion with the Existential only occurs in Frame 3c here. Accordingly, the change from a
Vietnamese source declarative in Frame 3c to its English translated version either in Frame 3a
or in Frame 3b is recommended; highly recommended is in Frame 3a.
 Generally speaking, a [−definite] NP conveys the new information and usually occurs
towards the end of the sentence. With the exception of a [+countable] and [+definite]
NP encoding the Carrier in Frame 2, Vietnamese more strictly obeys the structure of
information: the given first; the new later. In the two natural languages in question, the
[+definite] NP encoding the Carrier in Frame 2 can be in its minimal form of a proper
noun, as in (2)b-c, but not in form of a pronoun ‘đại từ’. In brief, a [−definite] NP is
preferred, and a proper noun as the minimal head of a [+definite] NP is accepted in
limited cases.

 A pronoun does not fit in full inversion, probably because it is too short to avoid
flouting the principle of end-weight, especially when it is hard to obey the structure of
information all the time. In brief, it is highly recommended to do further research on
the interplay between full inversion and the structure of information in English and
Vietnamese declaratives, not to mention the [+-definite] NP in the two observable
phenomena, which points out a research gap for this paper to fill in.
 4.6. Concerning the post-verb ADVERB of manner in Vietnamese

 The Vietnamese main VERB in both Frame 1 and Frame 3c can be omitted without changing the meaning
of the following sentences. In other words, the Vietnamese post-verb ADVERB of manner definitely
replaces the combination of the Vietnamese main VERB and its post-verb ADVERB of manner. This
indicates that the presence of the ADVERB of manner is even more important than that of the main
VERB, as far as full inversion in Vietnamese declaratives in Frame 1 and Frame 3c are concerned. Such a
phenomenon does not happen in the English translated versions of these sentences where (i) the
occurrence of the main VERB is a must, and (ii) the adverbial modifiers can be either post-verb or
pre-verb:
 (25)b. Trong kẽ đá LƯỢN LỜ dăm ba chú cá bóng to bằng bắp chân.
‘In the crevices of the rock SWIM effortlessly a few chubs as big as one’s calf.’
‘In the crevices of the rock effortlessly SWIM a few chubs as big as one’s calf.’
 (26)b. Gần đỉnh núi LÃNG ĐÃNG những đám mây trắng như bông.
‘Near the top of the mountain FLOATED sparsely some clouds as white as cotton.’
‘Near the top of the mountain sparsely FLOATED some clouds as white as cotton.’
 (31)b. Bên đường TRƠ TRỌI một cây si già.
‘On the side of the road STANDS separately an old sycamore tree.’
‘On the side of the road separately STANDS an old sycamore tree.’
 (32)b. Cạnh ông CHỄM CHỆ hai người đàn bà to béo đẫy đà.
‘Next to him SAT imposingly two big fat women.’
‘Next to him imposingly SAT two big fat women.’
 (33)b. Bên hông chợ CÒNG QUEO mấy tên ăn mày rách rưới lang thang.
‘On the side of the market LIED crookedly a few ragged wandering beggars.’
‘On the side of the market crookedly LIED a few ragged wandering beggars.’
 (34)b. Trên ngọn cây VẮT VẺO một bọn tiểu quỉ.
‘On top of a tree PERCHED a bunch of little devils.’
 4.7. Concerning the so-called “optional” pre-verb adverb in Vietnamese declaratives
 Right before the main VERB of (21-24)c and (43-44)b is the so-called “optional” adverb. It is noticed that
the pre-verb adverb may be or may not be [+manner] and/ or [+monosyllabic].
 (21)c. Chậm rãi ĐI LẠI mấy cô thiếu nữ.
‘Slowly CAME a number of young girls’
 (22)c. Đồng thời BAY NGANG QUA từng bầy chim lớn.
‘Simultaneously FLEW THROUGH each flock of big birds’
 (23)c. Đột nhiên THỔI VỀ một làn gió ướt lạnh của buổi ban mai.
‘Unexpectedly BLOWS BACK a cold wet breeze of the morning’
 (24)c. Bỗng BƯỚC RA một người đàn bà trẻ đẹp.
‘Suddenly STEPPED OUT a beautiful young woman’
 (43)b. Đã THƯA THỚT bóng người.
‘WAS nearly DESERTED’
 (44)b. Bỗng RẸT RẸT mấy tiếng súng.
‘Suddenly RATTLED a few gunshots.’
 Interestingly, (21-24)c are Vietnamese well-formed sentences but (21-24)d are not. This
makes us consider with care the fact that the Vietnamese pre-verb adverb may not be
optional at all. Again, not accepted as well-formed sentences in Vietnamese are (21-
24)d while (43-44)c are grammatically correct. Once more, only when the ADVERB of
manner is in fact an onomatopoeia or a phenomime can it occur sentence initially or at
least quite near to the beginning of the sentence; this is proved by both (39-42)b and
(43-44)c:
 (21)d. *ĐI LẠI mấy cô thiếu nữ.
‘CAME a number of young girls’
 (22)d. *BAY NGANG QUA từng bầy chim lớn.
‘FLEW THROUGH each flock of big birds’
 (23)d. *THỔI VỀ một làn gió ướt lạnh của buổi ban mai.
‘BLOWS BACK a cold wet breeze of the morning’
 (24)d. *BƯỚC RA một người đàn bà trẻ đẹp.
‘STEPPED OUT a beautiful young woman’
 (39)b. LÁC ĐÁC vài chậu kiểng.
‘SCATTERED a few potted plants’
 (40)b. NGỘI NGẠT mùi khói và trầm hương.
‘SUFFOCATED the smell of smoke and incense’
 (41)b. THOANG THOẢNG mùi nước hoa và phấn.
‘Faintly SCENTED with the odor of perfume and powder’
 (42)b. ÙNG ỤC một tràng tiểu liên.
‘RUMBLED a series of submachine guns.’
 (43)c. THƯA THỚT bóng người.
‘WAS nearly DESERTED’
 (44)c. RẸT RẸT mấy tiếng súng.
‘RATTLED a few gunshots’
 4.8. Concerning the less flexible positions of Vietnamese adverbials in comparison to their English
equivalents
 It seems that the flexibility of the positions of English adverbs of manner has been confirmed without the
researchers’ intention, as clearly proved by (25-26)a, (31-34)b, and (31-34)c. As a [+monosyllabic] adverb,
bỗng ‘suddenly’, as in (24)d, is not allowed to follow the verb group BƯỚC RA ‘STEPPED OUT’ because
this tends to violate the principle of end-weight. The other post-verb adverbs of manner in (21-23)d are
hardly accepted because, as asserted by Nguyen & Dao (1986, p. 250):
 Native speakers of Vietnamese always consciously consider choosing … a necessary and most suitable
variant for each specific situation in order to ensure the harmony of the tone of speech and thus cannot be
considered as an arbitrary variable at all.
 (21)d. ?Từ xa ĐI LẠI chậm rãi mấy cô thiếu nữ.
‘From far away CAME slowly a number of young girls.’
 (22)d. ?Trên thinh không BAY NGANG QUA đồng thời từng bầy chim lớn.
‘In the sky FLEW THROUGH simultaneously each flock of big birds.’
 (23)d. ?Từ biển THỔI VỀ đột nhiên một làn gió ướt lạnh của buổi ban mai.
‘From the sea BLOWS BACK unexpectedly a cold wet breeze of the morning.’
 (24)d. *Từ trong phòng BƯỚC RA bỗng một người đàn bà trẻ đẹp.
‘From the room STEPPED OUT suddenly a beautiful young woman.’
 4.9. Concerning the English main VERB in full inversion and its Vietnamese equivalents
 Adequate attention should be paid to the combination of a Vietnamese main VERB and its
adverbials, either pre-verb or post-verb, as an appropriate equivalent of the English main VERB
in full inversion. In the repeated 8(b), for example, the equivalent of STANDS ‘ĐỨNG CHƠ
VƠ’ requires the automatic insertion of an ADVERB of manner. In 8(c), the equivalent of
LOOMED ‘lờ mờ HIỆN RA’ consists of another VERB after and simultaneously an adverb of
manner before HIỆN, which is the main VERB in this case. This is because word-formations in
the two natural language are quite different. Thus, translating or interpreting word-by-word
definitely fails, either from or to Vietnamese:
 (8)b. On top of the hill there STANDS an ancient church.
*‘Trên đỉnh đồi ĐỨNG một ngôi nhà thờ cổ.’
‘Trên đỉnh đồi ĐỨNG CHƠ VƠ một ngôi nhà thờ cổ.’

 (8)c. Out of the mist there LOOMED a strange shape.

‘Từ trong làn sương mỏng lờ mờ HIỆN RA một dáng hình kỳ lạ.’
 In the repeated 34(a), the Vietnamese ADVERB of manner VẮT
VẺO is lexically equivalent to PERCHED — one of the two
English main verbs. This raises the question of changing the part of
speech ‘từ loại’ during the process of translating or interpreting.

 (34)a. Trên ngọn cây ĐU VẮT VẺO một bọn tiểu quỉ.
‘On top of a tree PERCHED and SWANG a bunch of little devils.’
 4.10. Concerning the shift from one frame to another during translating or interpreting
 Below are some above-mentioned English inverted sentences their well-formed Vietnamese equivalents of which, either
newly-born or just repeated, all prove frame shifting in common in full inversion translation:
- The source Frame 1 to the target Frame 2:
 (1)a. In the high heavens RODE a veiled moon, magnified by the mist of an early spring day.
‘RONG RUỔI trên trời cao LÀ một chị Hằng có choàng voan trắng,
được phóng đại bởi cái làn sương mờ của một buổi sớm mùa xuân.’
 (1)b. Round the corner IS now WALKING a large policeman.
‘Đang ĐI vòng theo góc phố LÀ một viên cảnh sát to cao vạm vỡ.’
- The source Frame 3a to the target Frame 3c:
 (7)b. There WAS nobody home.
‘Lúc ấy không CÓ ai ở nhà.’
- The source Frame 3a to the target Frame 2:
 (7)g. There FOLLOWED an uncomfortable silence.
‘Kế tiếp/ Tiếp theo LÀ một sự im lặng không mấy dễ chịu.’
 Part V

CONCLUSION
Full inversion is applied more often in English than in Vietnamese, as clarified by the former’s six frames and the
latter’s three frames. English full inversion sentences and their Vietnamese equivalents are more different than
similar. It is still possible to find out the details of the difference even in the same or nearly the same cases:

- The NP encoding the Actor in Frame 1 is [+countable] and [+-

definite] in English but [+countable] and always [−definite] in
Vietnamese;
 - Although they both occurs frequently in Frame 3c, the Vietnamese
post-verb ADVERB of manner and the so-called “optional” pre-
verb adverb are much more complicated than their English
equivalents.
 A number of universals may be identified, as far
as full inversion is concerned:
 - Both English and Vietnamese declaratives have their ways, similar or not, to express the meanings
conveyed by full inversion;

 - The lexical meaning of the main VERB is of significance in forming full inversion in English declaratives
and their Vietnamese equivalents;

 - The relationship between the main VERB and its adverbs, either pre-verb or post-verb, both in English
full inversion sentences and in their Vietnamese equivalents, is really complicated;

 - The two natural languages deal with the [±definite] NP not exactly the same, and this reflects some
difference in the ways their native speakers perceive the world;

 - Vietnamese obeys the principle of end-weight more strictly than English; as for the structure of
information in English and Vietnamese declaratives, further research is highly recommended.
 It is not easy to combine the structural and functional approaches in one
and the same attempt to understand both the internal structure and the
propositional meaning of a sentence verbalized in English or Vietnamese.

 For example, it is not quite clear whether (1)e-f are in Frame 1 or in Frame
3c, or they are right at the border of the two frames. And (1)g-i are not in
Frame 1, with the Actor, but definitely in Frame 3c, with the Existent. This
may sound crazy at the first glance, but at least to the researchers, trying to
avoid separating semantics from syntax in some way while teaching and
learning English is a short cut to accomplish something as quickly as possible in
second language acquisition.