Word and meaning: Good morning

I am not discussing the content of the programs but only discussing an issue related to language communication. That is the use of the phrase “Good morning” by the TV host.

Early in the morning, at 5:30, turning on the TV, we will see a beautiful young MC standing in the technical room. She smiles and says a few introductory sentences before the program "Please watch right away!" and hurriedly goes into the studio. The screen changes for a moment, then the studio appears. The MC walks to her chair, while walking she says "Good morning everyone", or "Good morning Mr. HH!", or "Good morning Ms. LA!"... The MCs (who were already seated) also smile and greet back "Good morning Ms. QH!", "Good morning Ms. HT!"...

It can be said that Vietnamese people from ancient times until now have not had such greetings.

MC Quynh Hoa presents the weather report of the program "Good Morning". Illustrative photo - Source: VTC

In the workshop “Preserving the purity of Vietnamese language in the mass media” (co-organized by the Vietnam Linguistics Association, Voice of Vietnam Radio , Vietnam Journalists Association, 2016), Dr. Pham Viet Long gave a report titled “Good morning! Hello who?”. According to him: “There is a seemingly small phenomenon, but it is affecting our cultural life every day, which is the title of a very familiar program: “Good morning”… Every time I watch it, I often ask myself: This program says hello, but who are we greeting? Why is it so strange to the way we Vietnamese greet each other?”

We know that greetings are expressed differently in each nation. According to Dr. Pham Viet Long: "When greeting each other, Vietnamese people always address a specific person regardless of the time of the meeting... That greeting shows the relationship between the person greeting and the person being greeted, both showing respect and expressing the closeness between the two people. That greeting is consistent with the specific form of address in the Vietnamese language, and is also very different from the general form of address of Westerners".

For example, the British have 3 different greetings (for 3 different times of the day): 1) Morning is “Good morning”, 2) Afternoon (after 12 noon) is “Good afternoon”, 3) Evening is “Good evening”. The Russians also have 3 similar greetings (Доброе утро, Добрый день, Добрый вечер) for 3 times of the day - according to slightly different time segments. Translated into Vietnamese, they are “Good morning (happy, lucky)”, “Good afternoon”, “Good evening”. But that is the explicit meaning so that we can understand the implication (thoughts, wishes) of that nation when greeting, but in terms of function, it is just a conventional greeting. When meeting anyone (male or female, old or young, leader or employee...) people only use that greeting.

If translated into Vietnamese, the translator must choose an appropriate variation: “Hello teacher!”, “Hello uncle!”, “Hello chief!”, “Hello friend!”... No one says “Good morning (good)”, “Good afternoon (lucky)”, or curtly “Good morning!”, “Good afternoon!”, “Good evening!”… Just like when the British meet each other on New Year’s Eve, they say “Happy New Year” (Happy, lucky)!”, and the Russians say “С Новым годом!” (Together for the New Year!)… then these sentences are equivalent to “Happy New Year” in Vietnamese…

The station can name the program “Good Morning” for something new (and also appropriate). But the MC using the program name to greet needs to be adjusted. The MCs just need to say: “Hello Mr. BA!”, “Hello Mr. QV and Ms. LC!”, “Hello TH!”… And to show their friendliness and make it lively and fun, the MC can add (after the greeting): “Wishing you a nice morning!”.

Each language has its own way of expressing rituals (in greetings, thanks, apologies, compliments and criticisms, etc.). It is good to learn from each other’s good and rich things. But whatever you learn, it must be in accordance with the customs and culture of the nation.

someone's "Good morning!"

"Hello!", that's mine!

According to TT&VH

Source