This article will attempt to look at some issues in using third person singular pronouns He/She in English and Vietnamese through some certain situations so as to help learners and translators understand and use them correctly. | VNU Journal of Science, Foreign Languages 27 (2011) 30-36 Some issues in using third person singular pronouns He/She in English and Vietnamese languages Le Thi Hong Duyen* Department of Foreign Languages, Haiphong Medical University, Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Ngo Quyen District, Haiphong, Vietnam Received 28 February 2010 Abstract. Personal pronouns play an important role in any act of communication. Each language possesses a system of personal pronouns with its own rules and cultural aspects, which sometimes causes difficulties for learners of different cultures. This article will attempt to look at some issues in using third person singular pronouns He/She in English and Vietnamese through some certain situations so as to help learners and translators understand and use them correctly. 1. Introduction* 2. Third person personal pronouns in English and its usage problems From the very first lessons of any language, learners are taught how to use personal pronouns. It is simply because in any act of communication, addressing is unavoidable. However, that kind of pronoun is not always clear for learners of English and Vietnamese to use and understand properly. In fact, personal pronouns can be a lot more confusing than they seem. For example, in English, it is sometimes difficult for learners to identify what noun the pronoun refers to. In Vietnamese, different personal pronouns can be used to denote the same person in different contexts. Such problems are not unique and anyone of us may sometimes encounter. Previously, time has seen so many ideas and researches about personal pronouns and their usage problems that were carried out by many linguists. This article with the analysis at some usual situations in which third person personal pronouns “He/She” are used will reveal some problems faced by learners of both cultures. We use third person personal pronouns to substitute people or things being spoken about. In English, it can be characterized by .
