River and Water Animals in Southern Vietnamese Folk Verses: A Cultural Categories Perspective for Language and Cultural Education

Background/purpose. This study explores how animals associated with rivers and water are represented in Southern Vietnamese folk verses. It addresses the broader question of how language encodes cultural and ecological knowledge, focusing on cultural categorization as conceptualized in Cultural Linguistics. The research aims to uncover how the classification of river and water animals reflects the cognitive and cultural worldview of the Southern Vietnamese people, thereby contributing insights relevant to language and cultural education. Materials/methods. The study employs qualitative content analysis of selected Southern Vietnamese folk verses, identifying and categorizing vocabulary related to river and water animals. These lexical items are then interpreted through the lens of cultural categories to reveal embedded cultural and ecological knowledge. Results. The findings show that references to river and water animals go beyond mere denotation of species; they also encode cultural meanings, values, and knowledge systems. The depth and nuance in the classification of these animals reflect a long-standing familiarity with the riverine environment and a rich reservoir of folk knowledge developed since the early periods of Southern Vietnamese settlement. Conclusion. River and water animal vocabulary in Southern Vietnamese folk verses serves as a linguistic medium for transmitting cultural knowledge and ecological awareness. These findings highlight the potential of folk literature as a valuable resource in language and cultural education, especially for teaching cultural categories and local worldviews.