Rice Terms and the Worldview of Rice in Vietnamese

Abstract

The 'rice' terms in Vietnamese can be divided,
according to semantic relation, into two groups: generic
and specific 'rice' terms. Five generic 'rice' terms are
found: (lúa) denoting the plant, (cơm) denoting food,
(gạo) denoting neither the plant nor food, (cháo)
denoting boiled rice, and (xôi) denoting steamed
glutinous rice. A componential analysis of the rice
terms in Vietnamese shows that the terms are
distinguished by two significant dimensions of contrast:
being plant and being food, reflecting the worldview of
Vietnamese conceptualize 'rice' of different forms as
different entities, as represented by numerous generic
'rice' terms. This is different from Thai that conceptualize
'rice' of different forms as same entities, as represented
by only one generic 'rice' terms found in Thai. The 'rice'
terms in Vietnamese can be subcategorized into various
terms. Variety of 'rice' terms is a common feature of the
languages in the Southeast Asian region.