Vietnamese writing systems
Group 8
1. NguyễnThịQuếHương
2. PhạmThịMỹ Loan
3. TrầnThịNhưThơ
4. NguyễnThịNgọcHuyền
5. TrầnThùyTiên
6. PhạmThịThanhTrang

Instructor: MrLê Minh Hà
Vietnamese writing system: where from and how
I. Where did Vietnamese writing systems come from?
1. Switching the national writng system from Chinese characters (Hương)
2. Inventions about alphabet’s system of Jesuit missionaries (Loan)
II. How was Vietnamese writing system developed?
1. Chu Viet Co (Thơ)
2. Chu Han (Thơ)
3. Chu Nom (Huyền)
4. Chu QuocNgu (Trang)
III. Summary (Tiên)

I. Where did Vietnamese writing system come from?
-Vietnamese writing system, which was developed, based on:
• Chinese characters ( HánNho)
• The invention of alphabetic system of Jesuit missionaries
Chinese characters
- Vietnam was colonized around 200 B.C – about 12 centuries
- Chinese characterwas used in writing while Vietnamese unwritten
- Chinese character had a massive influence on Vietnamese language and literature
- A huge proportion of the modern vocabulary has its origins in Chinese
Ex: Bìnhngôđạicáo( chữhán:平吳大誥)
- 1788-1802: The Tay Son Dynasty, under Nguyen Hue, QuangTrung
- They had switched the national writing system from Han Nho( Chinese character) to the more Vietnamese writing system of Nom (Vietnamese character)Nom character
Inventions about alphabet system of Jesuit missionaries
- At the beginning of the seventeen century, Jesuit missionaries devised an alphabet system for Vietnamese.
- Alaxan de Rhoses (born at Avignon in 1591, died at ispahan,Persia, in 1660) who spent six years in Vietnam(1624-1630) for his catholic missions, had done to introduce a system of Roman writing into Vietnamese language.
Continuing the efforts of Portuguese Jesuit missionaries like Francisco de Pina, Gaspar d’Amaral, Antonio Barbosa,etc.
Alaxan de Rhoses published the first Vietnamese catechist and the first Vietnamese-latin-Portuguese dictionary (Rome, 1651). This writing is called “quốcngữ”(national language)
- Jesuit missionaries used signs of Greece to present rhythm and “quốcngữ” was affected by Portuguese writing: consonant sound (gi, ch, x, nh);vowel sound(â, ê, ô)
- Vietnamese gradually adopted, partly under pressure from the French colonial government.
- Today, the system devised by Jesuit is only one in use for Vietnamese.
How was Vietnamese writing system developed ?
1. Chu Viet Co (chuKhoaDau, chuVuaHùng)
According to Ha Van Tan, Le TrongKhanh, BuuCam,andĐoQuangVinh professor confimed: under Hung King, writing system is the same as tadpole shape
In january 2013, Do van Xuyen researcher pulished a book that the title is “ cuộchànhtrìnhđitìmchữViệtcổ”
That is a result after many years he tried to find.
Although noone hasn’t agreed, this is a good sign in a dream that finding out ancient writing.
For example: HichKhoiNghia was translated by him.
However, Chu viet co was lost after Hai Ba Trung’s uprising was failed.
2. Chu Han
For much of Vietnam`s history the official written language was Classical Chinese, using, of course, Chinese characters.
For example:
Since 1st AD: Chu Han was used in record and communication with China
From 7th to 11th century: Chu Han was used more widely in Viet Nam (communication, trade, and economic exchanges with China)
After 10th century: Viet Nam was independence. Chu Han was still used.( examination, literature...)
Nguyen Tieu and Hichtuongsi was written by Chu Han. Chieudoi do and Dai Viet Su luoc was also written by chu Han
Even now, Vietnamese still borrows many words which belonged to Chinese writing system.
Examples:
The word sơn meaning `mountain` was written 山 (modern Chinese shān).
The word hỏa meaning `fire` was written 火 (modern Chinese huǒ).
The word vị meaning `flavour` was written 味 (modern Chinese wèi).
NOTES:
The King, mandarins, intellectuals,…used Chu Han in communication, literature,…

Vietnamese people used vietnamese language to communicate together.(mon-kmer, mường…)
Nom character
Definition :Nôm character is the ancient ideographic vernacular script of the Vietnamese language.
The ideographic is a form of writing in which a written symbol represents an object rather than a word or speech sound.
Vernacular is the same meaning witheither native or indigenous.
There are some features of nom character:
Nom character was the system developed to write Vietnamese.
The actual date is not agreed but nom character was already in existence by the mid-13th century.
Nom character had used the mixture of standard Chinese characters and new character invented specifically for Vietnamese pronunciation.
Nom character was not the completely new system of writing.
It is more complex and unwieldy than its origin.
Nom character contained two elements: one