Last but not least, the meanings of idioms vary across cultures so the differences in image of idiomatic comparison in English and Vietnamese are consequences of dissimilarities between two cultures for language items are closely in connection with culture. Sometimes, In Vietnamese culture it is heightened and used to express positive ideas, feelings but in British culture it seems to be disregarded and has negative meanings and vice versa. According to Vietnamese people’s outlooks, dogs are considered as unintelligent, dirty animals, which can be illustrated by such idioms like “ngu như chó” (as stupid as dog), “bẩn như chó” (as dirty as dog). Yet, in some English speaking countries, dogs are beloved and considered as lovely pets. They are well fed and given good sleeping places. In Britain, it is even illegal if people run down a dog and keep on driving. Owing to great affection towards dogs, English idioms using these animal components have positive meaning to express their point of view like “Love me love my dog” whereas in Vietnamese idiom in order to express the love or strong feeling to someone, people will usually say “yêu nhau yêu cả đường đi, ghét nhau ghét cả tông chi họ hàng”. This one is completely differ from English idiom. In English, their love is attached to animal, in this circumstance it is a dog. You love me you have to love not only me but also my dog and others which belong and relate to me. However, Vietnamese idiom indicates that you love me you have to love me and my relative. You have to well behave not only me but other members of my relatives as well. This is a strong discrepancy between English and Vietnamese idioms. So English and Vietnamese culture in general and English and Vietnamese idioms in particular have their own characteristics which may be seen in each other or not. That is decided by special features of language and culture of each language.
TOEFL listening discussions: A conversation between two university instructors