Using Traditional Formulas to Understand the Question Pattern

Although Song 1 has the formula " Wish" , it does not belong to the "Wish to transform" theme because it does not have the formulas expressing transformation like in the second song (" transform into flowers", " transform into blankets") .

There are many different models of nostalgia but they all have the same formula " afternoon" - the time when people who are far away from each other, far from home, feel a deep longing. That is the model of the daughter 's nostalgia for her mother : " Afternoon, standing at the back alley / Looking towards my mother's hometown, my heart aches all afternoon", " Afternoon, carrying a basket to pick vegetables / Looking up at my mother's grave, my heart aches like it's being crushed"; Sample theme of lovers ' nostalgia : " Every afternoon, I miss the afternoon / I miss the gentleman with the red scarf on his shoulder", " Every afternoon, I carry a basket to pick strawberries / Picking strawberries but not picking words of love ", " Every afternoon, I stand by the pond / The water is not thirsty, I long for your love", " Every afternoon, I stand by the sea / Spiders spin webs, feeling sorry for you", " Every afternoon, I visit the peach garden / Ask who the jasmine flowers fell into?", " Every afternoon, ducks wade in the lotus pond / Let me go up and down to get to know you for a few days", " Every afternoon, I stand at the village gate / Hearing the drums on the beach, you run to welcome me", " Every afternoon, ducks wade across the river / The sky roars and rocks crack, I will not leave you" .

Second characteristic: A folk song usually has one theme, but there are also folk songs with two, three, or four themes.

Many folk songs have only one theme, for example, folk songs with the theme "Ten loves" (or "Ten loves") or "Ten hates". In this case, the formulas of the folk song are the form of expressing the lovely details of the beauty of form and quality, creating the beauty and charm of people, usually of girls. There are also many folk songs with two or more

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sample or more. In this case, there will be a main sample and a sub-sample. The sub-sample is combined to highlight the main sample.

It should also be added that in not all cases, it is easy to distinguish between the main and secondary topics, because the topics are intertwined in a very complex and subtle way. For example, in the folk song “Dong Dang has Ky Lua street”, we can see some topics that are combined smoothly with each other. First is the topic about the homeland landscape with formulas such as: place name - landscape, invitation formula (“Who comes up”), and landscape evaluation formula (“Worth the effort...”). Next are other topics, expressing reproach and regret through the last lines of this folk song.

The relationship between the patterns is very flexible - can be easily combined or separated - not fixed, rigid even though the connection between the patterns is arranged in a predetermined order. Studying the linked patterns will help to learn about the poetics of folk songs , clarifying the nature of the genre. In addition, such research will help to understand more about the psychological and emotional life of the working people.

2.4. How to find and identify the theme in folk songs

To determine the theme of folk songs, we group together familiar folk songs with similar content, themes and many similar traditional formulas into a group and consider it a theme. In theory, it is like that, but in practice, the problem is not simple.

According to Nguyen Hang Phuong, in “Main inspiration in Vietnamese folk songs”, “surveying 300 traditional folk songs on the subject of love printed in the Treasury of Vietnamese folk songs (volume 1), we counted 8 topics: passionate love despite all difficulties and obstacles: 45 songs (accounting for 15%); Love broken due to objective and subjective reasons: 27 songs (accounting for 9%);

True, simple but extremely beautiful and poetic love: 103 words (34.33%); Longing and throbbing in love: 108 words (36%); Anger and reproach in love: 16 words (5.33%); Don't miss the chance to love: 5 words (1.66%); Ideal beauty of lover and love: 2 words (0.66%)" (Source: "Folk Songs-Proverbs Forum").

The division of 300 folk songs into 8 topics as above in Nguyen Hang Phuong 's survey is meaningful for studying the main inspiration in Vietnamese folk songs as the name and also the research purpose of the article, but it is not meaningful for studying the topics and traditional formulas that create the structure of those topics of folk songs. To study the topics and their traditional formulas, a deeper, more specific analysis and a different approach are needed.

Our approach is to group, into small systems, folk songs that are not only similar in subject matter and theme but also in form of expression through traditional formulas. After gathering such songs into a theme, we name that theme.

How to name the topic template as follows :

+ First way: You can use the general meaning of the group of lyrics to name the topic.

Folk songs originally had no names. Later generations sometimes used the general meaning to name the lyrics of the folk songs. The same goes for the theme, the theme can be named based on the general meaning of the group of songs. For example: the theme " Wish - Transformation", "Aspirations of a man", "Oath", "Ten loves" (or "Ten loves", "Ten worries") , the theme "speaking backwards",...

+ Second way: Take pairs of opposite words that also show the main, basic contrasts in the content of the song.

For example, the following pairs of opposite words can be used to name the topics: “Still fate - Out of fate”, “Still money - Out of money”, “Not married - Married”, “No

- Hunger", "Day of departure - Day of return",...

Example: Sample question "A lot of money - No money":

-A lot of money, many sisters, many brothers. When there is no money, who knows what status is?

-A lot of money, a lot of father

Out of money, poor and no one will look at you

-If you have a lot of money, your clothes will be patched three or four times.

Sample question "Still fate - No fate":

-If we are destined, I will marry three pigs.

When fate runs out, he marries a tailless cat.

-If we are destined to be together, I will marry three pigs. If we are not destined to be together, I will beat three pigs and chase them away.

If there is fate, one will pick you up and one will take you away. If there is no fate, you can leave early and return late as you please.

Still charming, the red bodice is still beautiful, but the charming breasts are gone, the fence maker hits the fence and anvils.

-If you are destined to sell roses, sell jackfruit for your husband to pick the fibers.

-While you are still lucky, you will be picky. When you are no longer lucky, even the male crab will take you.

-If there is fate, there will be hoeing, there will be longing. If there is no fate, there will be a stick to go in and out of the warehouse gate. If there is fate, there will be laughter before talking.

When fate calls, nine or ten times you don't answer.

Still have fate to wear sandals and shoes

No more luck wearing clogs with rope straps

-If you are destined to be married, close the shop and choose a husband. If you are not destined to be a woman, sell stalls and sit watching pedestrians.

-If you are destined to be, close the door to choose a husband. If you are not destined to be, open the door to call the beggar.

-If you are destined to be married, close the door and choose a husband. If you are not destined to be married, sit under a rose tree and pick flowers.

There is fate, one person welcomes and one person sees off

Not as deserted as Ba Danh Pagoda, but still has to be picky

When fate is over, even the scum of the earth will chew on pickled onions.

-While you are still lucky, you will be picky. When you are not lucky, even the taro and onion will be gone.

Still have fate to choose young men

The old man also married her when the fate ended.

+ Third way: Take the first line of poetry that has a general meaning for the whole poem to name the topic.

For example: Sample question "When will March come" (or "When will October come"), sample question "Thirty-six kinds of birds in the forest",...

+ Fourth way: Take the first group of letters of the song and combine it with the general and specific meaning of the songs in the group (with the same form and content) to name the topic.

For example: The sample topic "We are a couple as planned", the sample topic "We are not satisfied" that we have mentioned above.

It should be added that in the rich treasure of Vietnamese folk songs, the collection of songs with the same form and content expressed in a sample subject has been

difficult, naming each sample is even more difficult. Our analysis above is only a suggestion for further research.

2.5. Applying traditional formulas to study sample questions

Folk songs are diverse in content and form. Therefore, to determine the traditional formula , we must rely on many factors. Usually , to identify the traditional formula, people rely on:

+ Language repetition

Based on similar (nearly similar) words and groups of words repeated in the lines of different folk songs such as : " Who goes...", " Who comes back ...", "Who comes back to message...", "Who is unlucky...", "Betel leaf", "Afternoon afternoon...",... to identify traditional formulas.

For example: “Whoever comes back to pound rice / Let me carry Cao Bang water to soak”, “Whoever comes back to Giong Dua through the fields / The wind twists the cotton fibers, leaving behind sadness for you”, “Whoever comes back to Ha Tinh, come back / Wear silk from Ha market, drink Huong Son tea” / Whoever comes back to Ha Thuy in Duong land / Let me send you a source of poetic charm”, “Whoever comes back to Hau Loc Phu Dien / Remember here, Lady Trieu, the volunteer in the front line”.

And: “Whoever comes back to tell Hi Hoa / Why is the year of the leap not a leap and the drum is empty”, “Whoever comes back to tell Miss Ba / Is this year eighteen or twenty?”, “Whoever comes back to tell the border guest / “Is the boiled stone soft yet?”, “Whoever comes back to tell me if I know / If I love you, wait until the third winter is full”, “Whoever comes back to tell the lord of the house / Do you remember the farmer or have you forgotten?”, “Whoever comes back to tell my parents / If I buy a pig, I will return it, my three children’s school is ruined”, “Whoever comes back to tell the fisherman / If you eat fish, pull it out and let it sit for a long time, the bait will be gone”, “Whoever comes back to tell the monk / Don’t burn incense anymore or you will ruin your life”, “Whoever comes back to tell the foreman / Pound the rice until it’s white, when the mulberry tree comes back”, “Whoever comes back to tell your friend from the source / Send young jackfruit down and flying fish up”, “Whoever comes back to tell the fisherman / If you eat fish, pull it out and let it sit for a long time, the bait will be gone”, “Whoever comes back to tell the De official / Binh Tay

"If it doesn't work, just bring troops back to harm the people", "Whoever goes back, tell the Shang official / To pacify the West and kill the left to clear the way for the king to leave",...

Or: “Who instigated who made me cruel / Today I meet a friend who loves me more than my own wife”, “Who instigated who made my heart / Quick-footed and quick-witted, my mouth full of hardships”, “Who instigated you to marry me / So that I can cultivate the field of love to be green / Who instigated me to marry you / It is worth the effort of my parents to give birth to you”, “Who instigated the low earth and high sky / So that I could stand and scream until I was out of breath”, “Who instigated you to have rosy cheeks / So that a gentleman would crave you without even looking at you”, “Who instigated you to marry a student / Seeing ink and ink, I was worried and lost weight”, “Who instigated your rosy cheeks / So that I would notice and fall in love”, “Who instigated me to come to this place / Planting flowers, the flowers wither, planting trees, the trees wither”,...).

-“Who cut the betel leaf, who folded it / Who split the areca nut so soft”, “I folded the betel leaf in a hurry / I split the areca nut just enough for a couple”, “I eat one piece of betel leaf and pay ten / How can I eat it for someone like you”, “The betel leaf is heavy as lead / If you eat it, it will be gone, what can I use to repay you”, “The betel leaf is heavy as lead / If you eat it, what can I use to repay you?”, “The betel leaf is heavy as lead / If you eat it, it will be like that, what can I use to repay you”, “The betel leaf is sweet as sugar / If you eat something, you must love the person”, “The betel leaf is worth nothing / If you don’t eat it, you will be satisfied”, “The betel leaf is as light as cotton / Please take it to put your heart at ease”, “The betel leaf is placed on the plate / There is areca root, lime inside”, “I used jasmine as a cushion / The areca leaf I split has twelve charms”, “The betel leaf I cut, I folded / It is round like pupae, yet soft as melon”, “The betel leaf I wrapped and put on a dragon plate / First to invite my parents, then we will eat together”, “The betel leaf is a spicy betel leaf / Making the sea sometimes full, sometimes empty”, “The betel leaf is a green betel leaf / There are a couple of puppets running around the betel leaf”, “The betel leaf spits out the residue and throws it away / I still regret it forever, let alone her”, “The betel leaf is not worth much / Eat it and spit out the residue, a lifelong reputation”, “The betel leaf is truly wrapped by my own hands /

Betel is rich, betel is precious, betel makes husband and wife", "Who cuts the betel leaf, who wraps it / Who splits the areca nut, that makes husband and wife",...

+ Repetition of similar (nearly similar) lines of poetry

-Repeat the line "Who is calling.... by the river"

(“Who is calling who is howling by the river / I am cooking for my husband”, “Who is calling who is howling by the river? / I am preparing for my husband to go down to the boat”, “Who is calling who is whining by the river / I am mending my husband's clothes”,...) .

-Repeat the line "Whoever comes back, I (I) send..."

( “Whoever comes back, I send a letter / Asking an old friend, where are they now”, “Whoever comes back, I send a letter / Miss Tam stays, Miss Tu gets married”, “Whoever comes back, I send a painting / There is a starling perched on an orchid branch”, “Whoever comes back, I send a bunch of areca nuts / The front room is for mother, the back room is for teacher”, “Whoever comes back, I send a pair of shoes / In case of rain or wind, for teacher and mother to wear”,…)

- Repeat the line “Climb the ladder and ask him…”

(“Climb the ladder and ask the God / Can I get back what you gave me?”, “Climb the ladder and ask the Moon / How do I talk about what you gave me?”, “Climb the ladder and ask the God / Can I get back the money I gave to girls”,…).

- Repeat the line "Long absent desire"

(“So long absent, longing / Now seeing your face, I want to scratch it”, “So long absent, longing / Now seeing your face, I want to give you a tael of gold”, “So long absent, longing / Now seeing your face, what will you do, my love”, “So long absent, longing / Now seeing your face, how happy, oh happy”,…).

- Repeat the line "Every afternoon I stand on the shore..."

(“Every afternoon I stand by the pond / The water is not thirsty, I long for your love”, “Every afternoon I stand by the pond / One hand holds a cinnamon branch, the other hands me a bar of gold”, “Every afternoon I stand by the sea / The spider spins its web, I feel sorry for you”,

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