Top 6 Best Lesson Plans on "Borrowed Words" for 6th Grade

I. Native Vietnamese Words and Borrowed Words

Answer Example 1:

Trượng: a unit of measurement equal to 10 Chinese feet (approximately 3.33 meters)
Tráng sĩ: a strong, courageous person, often involved in great deeds.
=> The words “trượng” and “tráng sĩ” originated from China and are borrowed from Chinese.

Example 2: In the following words, which are borrowed from Chinese, and which come from other languages?

Sứ giả, television, soap, sail, rally, radio, liver, electricity, train station, pump, Soviet, homeland, internet.

What do you observe about the way these borrowed words are written?

Answer:

Chinese: sứ giả, giang sơn, gan
Other languages: television, soap, rally, train station, pump, radio, internet.
Writing style:
Some words, like television, soap, rally, and train station, originated from Indian and European languages but have been fully adapted to Vietnamese writing conventions.
Words like radio and internet have not been fully adapted, and are written with hyphens between syllables.

II. Principles of Borrowed Words

Example: How do you understand this statement by President Ho Chi Minh? "As society develops and evolves, there are words that we do not have and cannot translate accurately, so we need to borrow foreign words. For example: 'independence', 'freedom', 'class', 'communism'. But if we already have the word, why borrow from foreign languages?"

Answer:

I understand Uncle Ho's words as follows:

As society progresses, some concepts require borrowing words from other languages because we lack proper terms for them.
However, borrowing should not be done recklessly, as borrowed words can have both positive and negative impacts:
Positive: Enriching the language
Negative: Diluting the language if used indiscriminately.

Practice Exercises

Question 1: Identify the borrowed words in the following sentences and indicate the languages they come from.

Answer:

a. Surprised, infinitely, naturally, wedding gift => Borrowed from Sino-Vietnamese

b. Household staff => Borrowed from Sino-Vietnamese

c. Mai – Jackson, Internet => Borrowed from English.

Question 2: Define the meanings of the individual characters in the Sino-Vietnamese words below:

Answer:

a. The words khán giả, thính giả, and độc giả share the character 'giả', which means 'person'. The remaining characters can be defined as:

Khán: to watch or observe.
Thính: to listen.
Độc: to read.
b. The words in the sentence share the character 'yếu', meaning 'important'. The remaining characters can be defined as:

Điểm: a spot or mark.
Lược: to summarize.
Nhân: a person.

Question 3: List some borrowed words:

Answer:

a. Names of measurement units: meter, liter, kilogram, kilometer, etc.

b. Parts of a bicycle: handlebar, pedal, gear, brake, etc.

c. Names of objects: organ, nylon, accordion, guitar, radio, etc.

Question 4: Which words in the following pairs are borrowed? In what contexts and with which audiences can they be used?

Answer:

The borrowed words in these sentences are:

a. Phone
b. Fan
c. Knockout
=> These words are usually used in casual conversations among friends and family and should not be used in formal or ceremonial settings.

A. KEY CONCEPTS

I. Native Vietnamese Words and Borrowed Words

Native Vietnamese words are those created by our people.
Borrowed words: we borrow many foreign words to describe things, phenomena, or concepts for which Vietnamese does not yet have suitable terms.
The most important source of borrowed words in Vietnamese comes from Chinese (both pure Chinese and Sino-Vietnamese words).
In addition to Chinese, Vietnamese also borrows from other languages such as French, English, and Russian.
Example: Some words with Indo-European roots have been deeply adapted into Vietnamese, written in the Vietnamese script: television, soap, rally, station, pump...
Words borrowed from Chinese: sứ giả, giang sơn, gan, điện.

Borrowed words that have been fully adapted into Vietnamese are written like native Vietnamese words. Words that have not yet been fully adapted, especially multi-syllabic ones, should be hyphenated when written. For example: kilogram, internet...

II. Principles of Borrowing Words

Borrowing words is a way to enrich the Vietnamese language. However, to preserve the purity of our national language, we should not borrow foreign words carelessly.

B. EXERCISES AND SOLUTIONS

Exercise 1 (Page 26 – Textbook) List the borrowed words from the following sentences. Identify the languages these words come from:

a. On the appointed day, the mother was greatly surprised by the wedding gifts in her house. (Sọ Dừa)

b. On the wedding day, Sọ Dừa's house had a grand feast, and the household staff were running around busily. (Sọ Dừa)

c. The pop music king, Mai-Cơn Giắc-xơn, decided to venture into the world of the internet by launching his own website.

Solutions:
The borrowed words in the sentences are:
a. On the appointed day, the mother was greatly surprised by how many wedding gifts there were in her house. (Sọ Dừa)
b. On the wedding day, Sọ Dừa's house had a grand feast, and the household staff were running around busily. (Sọ Dừa)
c. The pop music king, Mai-Cơn Giắc-xơn, decided to enter the internet world by launching his own website.
These words come from the following languages:
a. Sino-Vietnamese: vô cùng, ngạc nhiên, tự nhiên, sính lễ.
b. Sino-Vietnamese: gia nhân.
c. English: pop, Mai-Cơn Giắc-xơn, internet.

Exercise 2 (Page 26 – Textbook) Define the meanings of the individual characters in the Sino-Vietnamese words below:

Solutions:
a. The words khán giả, thính giả, and độc giả share the character 'giả', meaning 'person'. The remaining characters can be defined as:
Khán: to observe.
Thính: to listen.
Độc: to read.
b. The words in the sentence share the character 'yếu', meaning 'important'. The remaining characters can be defined as:
Điểm: a point or dot.
Lược: to summarize.
Nhân: a person.

Exercise 3 (Page 26 – Textbook) List some borrowed words:

Solutions:
a. Units of measurement: meter, liter, kilometer, kilogram, etc.
b. Parts of a bicycle: handlebar, pedal, gear, brake, etc.
c. Objects: radio, nylon, accordion, guitar, etc.

Exercise 4 (Page 26 – Textbook) Which words in the following pairs are borrowed? In what contexts and with which audiences can they be used?

Solutions:
The borrowed words in these sentences are: phone, fan, knockout.
These words are generally used in informal communication with friends or family in everyday conversation. They can be used in media for brevity. However, they should not be used in formal or ceremonial contexts.

1. Native Vietnamese Words and Borrowed Words:

Question 1, Page 24, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 1

1. Based on the notes in the story 'Tháng Gióng', explain the meanings of the words 'trượng' and 'tráng sĩ':

Trượng: a unit of measurement, equivalent to ten Chinese feet (about 3.33 meters), often understood to mean something very tall.
Tráng sĩ: a person with great strength and a strong will, often engaged in grand endeavors.

2. The words explained above are derived from: the Chinese language.

3. Classification

Words borrowed from Chinese: sứ giả, giang sơn, gan, điện.
Words borrowed from other languages: radio, internet, television, soap, rally, station, pump, soviet...

4. Observations about the writing of these borrowed words: words borrowed from other languages are written with hyphens between syllables and have been highly adapted into Vietnamese.

2. Principles of Borrowing Words

Question on Page 25, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 1

The idea of President Ho Chi Minh is that we borrow words from foreign languages to express concepts or things that Vietnamese has no suitable word for. However, when there are words in Vietnamese to express something, we should use them, because the Vietnamese language is a valuable cultural asset that must be preserved, respected, and protected.

II. Practice on Borrowed Words

Question 1, Page 26, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 1

List the borrowed words:

a) Sính lễ, vô cùng, ngạc nhiên, tự nhiên: borrowed from Chinese.

b) Gia nhân: borrowed from Chinese.

c) Internet, pop: borrowed from other languages; quyết định: borrowed from Chinese.

Question 2, Page 26, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 1

Define the meanings of each character in these Sino-Vietnamese words:

a)

Khán: to watch; giả: person
Thính: to listen; giả: person
Độc: to read; giả: person

b)

Yếu: important; điểm: point
Yếu: important; lược: to summarize
Yếu: important; nhân: person

Question 3, Page 26, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 1

Names of measurement units: meter, kilometer, liter, kilogram,...
Parts of a bicycle: handlebar, pedal, gear,...
Names of objects: radio, cassette, piano,... Handlebar of a bicycle, Pedal of a bicycle, Gear of a bicycle.

Question 4, Page 26, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 1

The borrowed words in these sentences are: phone, fan, knockout...
These words are often used in informal communication with friends or family. They can be used in the media for brevity. However, they should not be used in formal or ceremonial contexts.

Question 5, Page 26, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 1

Dictation: Listen and write a passage from 'Thánh Gióng'.

I. Native Vietnamese Words and Borrowed Words

Question 1 (Page 24, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 1)

- Trượng: a unit of measurement equal to 10 Chinese feet

- Tráng sĩ: a person with great strength, a strong will, and capable of great feats.

Question 2 (Page 24, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 1)

The words explained above come from Chinese.

Question 3 (Page 24, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 1)

- Borrowed words from Chinese: Sứ giả, buồm, giang sơn, gan

- Borrowed words from Indo-European roots: soap, rally, radio, soviet, television, internet

II. Principles of Borrowing Words

Ho Chi Minh's Thoughts:

- As society develops and changes, we need to borrow foreign words when our language cannot express certain concepts.

- However, borrowing should not be done carelessly. One must understand the context and avoid misusing borrowed words or making them seem out of place.

⇒ This is the principle of borrowing words with respect.

III. Practice

Exercise 1 (Page 26, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 1)

a) Borrowed words from Chinese: Sính lễ, ngạc nhiên, vô cùng

b) Borrowed words from Chinese: gia nhân

c) Borrowed words from Indo-European roots: pop, internet

Borrowed words from Chinese: quyết định

Exercise 2 (Page 26, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 1)

a) Define the meanings of words:

- Khán: to watch

- Thính: to listen

- Độc: to read

- Giả: person

b) Define the meanings of words:

- Yếu: important, significant

- Điểm: point

- Lược: to summarize

Exercise 3 (Page 26, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 1)

- Words for units of measurement: meter, kilometer, hectare, kilogram...

- Words for bicycle parts: pedal, handlebar, gear...

- Names of objects: radio, cassette, binder, screwdriver...

Exercise 4 (Page 26, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 1)

- Borrowed words: phone, fan, knockout

- These borrowed words are used in casual conversations with friends or family. They can also be used in the media. However, they should not be used in formal or ceremonial settings.

I. PURE VIETNAMESE WORDS AND BORROWED WORDS

Questions 1 and 2

Answer for question 1 (Page 24, Grade 6 Literature Textbook):

Based on the glossary in the story 'The Legend of Saint Giong', explain the meanings of the words 'trượng' and 'tráng sĩ' in the following sentence:

The boy stood up, stretched, and suddenly turned into a mighty warrior, his height exceeding one trượng [...].

Answer:

- Trượng: A unit of length equal to 10 Chinese feet (approximately 3.33 meters), here understood as very tall.

- Tráng sĩ: A person with great physical strength, strong will, and a heroic character, typically involved in significant deeds (Tráng: strong, robust, heroic; sĩ: a learned person in ancient times, or someone of high respect).

Answer for question 2 (Page 24, Grade 6 Literature Textbook):

Where do the glossary terms come from?

Answer:

The terms in the glossary are borrowed from Chinese (Mandarin).

Questions 3 and 4

Answer for question 3 (Page 24, Grade 6 Literature Textbook):

Which words in the following list are borrowed from Chinese? Which ones are borrowed from other languages?

Sứ giả, television, soap, sail, demonstration, radio, liver, electricity, station, pump, Soviet, country.

Answer:

- Words borrowed from Chinese: sứ giả, giang sơn, gan, buồm, điện.

- Words borrowed from other languages: television, soap, demonstration, radio, station, pump, Soviet, internet.

Answer for question 4 (Page 24, Grade 6 Literature Textbook):

What are your thoughts on how the borrowed words above are written?

Answer:

- Highly Vietnameseized borrowed words are written as if they were native Vietnamese. Examples: demonstration, Soviet, soap.

- Not yet fully Vietnameseized borrowed words: they should be written with hyphens between syllables. Examples: internet, radio.

II. PRINCIPLES OF BORROWING WORDS

How do you understand the following statement by President Ho Chi Minh?

As society advances, some words that we don’t have or cannot translate properly must be borrowed from foreign languages. For example, “independence”, “freedom”, “class”, “communist”, etc. However, if we already have the words in our language, why borrow foreign words? For instance:

Don’t call a train “hỏa xa”, call it a “railway”; don’t call an airplane “phi cơ” […]

Language is an invaluable treasure of our nation. We must preserve it, cherish it, and make it widespread. If we have our own words and don’t use them but borrow from abroad, isn’t that a sign of intellectual dependency?

(Ho Chi Minh Collected Works)

Answer:

Uncle Ho’s message reflects both the positive and negative aspects of borrowing words.

- Positive side: Borrowing words is a way to enrich our national language.

- Negative side: Overuse of borrowed words may dilute and corrupt the purity of our language.

III. EXERCISES

Answer for question 1 (Page 26, Grade 6 Literature Textbook):

Identify the borrowed words in the following sentences and specify which language they come from.

a) On the appointed day, the mother was greatly surprised to find so many ritual gifts in the house.

(The Coconut Shell)

b) On the wedding day, there was a grand banquet at the Coconut Shell’s house, with servants running in and out.

(The Coconut Shell)

c) The pop music king Michael Jackson decided to jump into the internet domain by launching his own website.

Detailed solution:

The borrowed words in the sentences are:

a) Borrowed from Chinese: vô cùng, ngạc nhiên, tự nhiên, sính lễ

b) Borrowed from Chinese: gia nhân

c) Borrowed from English: pop, internet

Answer for question 2 (Page 26, Grade 6 Literature Textbook):

Identify the meanings of the individual characters in the following Sino-Vietnamese words:

a) khán giả: viewer; thính giả: listener; độc giả: reader.

b) yếu điểm: important point; yếu lược: summary; yếu nhân: important person.

Detailed solution:

khán giả: khán: watch; giả: person

thính giả: thính: listen; giả: person

độc giả: độc: read; giả: person

yếu điểm: yếu: important; điểm: point

yếu lược: yếu: important; lược: summary

yếu nhân: yếu: important; nhân: person

Answer for question 3 (Page 26, Grade 6 Literature Textbook):

List some borrowed words

a) The names of units of measurement.

b) The names of parts of a bicycle.

c) The names of some objects.

Detailed solution:

Some borrowed words include:

a) Units of measurement: meter, liter, kilometer, kilogram

b) Parts of a bicycle: handlebars, pedals, mudguard...

c) Names of some objects: radio, violin, saucepan, chain...

Answer for question 4 (Page 26, Grade 6 Literature Textbook):

Which words from the following pairs are borrowed words? In which contexts and with which audiences can they be used?

a) Friends are calling (phôn) / calling (gọi điện) home.

b) Ngọc Linh is a fan / a passionate football fan.

c) He knocked out the local boxer (nốc ao) with a single punch.

Detailed solution:

* Borrowed words in the sentences are: phôn, fan, nốc ao.

* These words can be used in informal settings, among friends and family. They can also appear in news articles. The advantage of these words is their conciseness, but the disadvantage is that they are not suitable for formal or official communication.

I. Native and Borrowed Words

Question 1 - Page 24 of the Textbook

Referring to the note in the story of Saint Giong, explain the terms 'trượng' and 'tráng sĩ' in the following sentence: 'The little boy suddenly sprang up, stretching his body and instantly turned into a warrior taller than a trượng' (Saint Giong).

Answer

Explanation of 'Tráng sĩ' and 'Trượng':

- Trượng: a unit of measurement equal to 10 Chinese feet.

- Tráng sĩ: a person with strong, powerful abilities, great ambitions, capable of accomplishing large feats.

Comment:

- These two terms are used to describe certain objects, phenomena, or characteristics.

- They were not created by our ancestors but borrowed from foreign languages.

- Words that are not borrowed are understood immediately upon hearing them, without the need for further explanation.

Question 2 - Page 24 of the Textbook

Where do the words mentioned above originate from?

Answer

- These words originate from ancient China and are pronounced according to Vietnamese conventions, hence they are called Sino-Vietnamese words.

Question 3 - Page 24 of the Textbook

Given the following words: sứ giả, ti vi, xà phòng, buồm, mít tinh, ra-đi-ô, gan, điện, ga, bơm, xô viết, giang sơn, in-tơ-nét. Please identify which words are borrowed from Chinese and which are borrowed from other languages.

Answer

- Based on their written form, we can identify words of Indo-European origin: ra-đi-ô, in-tơ-nét.

- Words of Indo-European origin that have been fully Vietnameseized and are written in the Vietnamese script: ti vi, xà phòng, mít tinh, ga, bơm, xô viết,…

- Words borrowed from Chinese: sứ giả, giang sơn, gan, điện.

Question 4 - Page 24 of the Textbook

Based on the differentiation of words of different origins above, compare and draw conclusions about the writing of borrowed words.

Answer

- Borrowed words have two main origins: Chinese and Indo-European.

- Borrowed words of Indo-European origin are written in two different styles.

Fully Vietnameseized words are written just like native Vietnamese words.
Words that have not been fully Vietnameseized should be written with hyphens between syllables.

II. Principles of Borrowing Words

Exercise on Page 25 of the Textbook

What do you understand from President Ho Chi Minh's perspective?

As society develops and changes, there are certain words we don't have in our language and are difficult to translate precisely, so we must borrow words from other languages. For example: 'independence', 'freedom', 'class', 'communism', etc. But why borrow foreign words when we already have our own? For instance:

We don't call a train 'xe lửa', but rather 'hỏa xa'; airplanes are called 'phi cơ' [...]

Language is an invaluable, ancient treasure of our nation. We must preserve it, cherish it, and make it more widespread. If we have our own words but don't use them, instead borrowing from others, doesn't that show a reliance on foreign ideas?

(Ho Chi Minh Complete Works)

Answer

- As society progresses, we often need to borrow words from foreign languages to express new concepts that our own language lacks.

- Borrowing words, when necessary and carefully selected, can enrich our national language.

- However, excessive borrowing can harm the language, making it impure and diluted. This is the principle of borrowing words that all nations must take seriously.

Practice Exercises

Question 1 - Page 26 of the Textbook

In the sentences below, identify the borrowed words and their origins. Use these words in sentences.

Answer

a. On the scheduled day, the mother was greatly surprised by the sudden appearance of many gifts.

- The borrowed words are: vô cùng, ngạc nhiên, tự nhiên, sính lễ. These are Sino-Vietnamese words.

- Example sentence: Seeing me, she was extremely surprised.

b. On the wedding day, the house of Sọ Dừa had a large banquet, and the servants rushed about in a busy manner.

- The borrowed word is: gia nhân (household servant). This is a Sino-Vietnamese word.

- Example sentence: At the sound of the command, all the servants in the mansion bowed their heads in fear.

c. The pop music king, Michael Jackson, has decided to enter the world of the internet by launching his own website.

- Borrowed words: pốp, in-tơ-nét (from English); quyết định (from Sino-Vietnamese).

- Example sentence: Pop music is a genre that young people love today.

Question 2 - Page 26 of the Textbook

The following words are formed by combining syllables. Please define each syllable in these words.

Answer

a. The words 'khán giả', 'thính giả', and 'độc giả' share the word 'giả', which means 'person'. Therefore, the remaining syllables are defined as:

Khán: to watch or observe.
Thính: to listen.
Độc: to read.

b. The words in the sentence all share the word 'yếu', meaning 'important' or 'necessary'. The other syllables are defined as:

Điểm: a point or mark.
Lược: to summarize the key points.
Nhân: a person.

Question 3 - Page 26 of the Textbook

List some borrowed words:

- As names of units of measurement, e.g. meter

- As names of bicycle parts, e.g. handlebar

- As names of objects, e.g. radio

Answer

- Names of measurement units: kilometer, liter, kilogram, ...

- Names of bicycle parts: pedal, gearshift, ...

- Names of objects: cassette player, piano, ...

Question 4 - Page 26 of the Textbook

In the following word pairs, which words are borrowed? In which contexts and with which audiences can these words be used?

Answer

- The borrowed words in these sentences are: 'phôn', 'fan', 'nốc ao'

- These words are generally used in casual communication with friends or close family members. They can also be used in news articles.

- Advantages: They are short and concise. However, they should not be used in formal or ceremonial contexts.

- Disadvantages:

They are not suitable for formal situations, and they may be seen as inappropriate in official communication.

Question 5 - Page 26 of the Textbook

Listen to and write down the story of Saint Giong (from 'The warrior in armor...' to '...building a temple in his hometown').

Answer

Note: Pay attention to distinguishing between:

- l/n: “lúc”, “lên”, “lớp”, “lửa”, “lại”, “lập” / “núi”, “nơi”, “này”

- Words with the 's' sound: “sứ giả”, “tráng sĩ”, “sắt”, “Sóc Sơn”.