Cultural reference of respect and affection of Tay people through vocative words

Abstract

Culture has close relationship with many fields, including Linguistics. Language is a special product of culture, and especially Language of ethnic minorities in Vietnam is among concerns for research. It is a means of communication and a tool for thinking. Language is a means to reflect, maintain and develop culture. Any meaningful sign of a language also contains a cultural element. Vocative words are one of those cases. The article explores the vocative words system in human language Tay in Tuyen Quang Province, Vietnam and concluded that culture is not only a factor that generates language, but also an environment for language to exist and develop. Through the system of vocative words in the Tay language, it shows the cultural characteristics of respect and affection of the Tay people.