The English adverbial of time vs. the Vietnamese range topic of time

Abstract

Abstract. Differences between the function of the adverbial of time and that of the range topic of time may lead language users who are Vietnamese to the risk of mistakenly translating the English clause with the A of Time. A research has been carried on the basis of the theory of Topic-Comment presented by Cao Xuân Hạo (1991) to search for (i) dissimilarity with regard to word order when translating into Vietnamese the English clause with one or more adverbials including the adverbial of time, (ii) possible cases when native speakers apply the fronting of the adverbial of time in the English clause, and (iii) any potential change in the meaning they would like to convey with such fronting.

Key words: word order, fronting (movement), point of time, extent in time, sequence of events, adverbial, range topic, principle of end-weight, perceptions through feeling, Topic, Comment, topic emphasis.