Vietnam began using the Latin alphabet, known as quốc ngữ, in the 17th century when Christian missionaries introduced it to aid in spreading their religion. However, it wasn’t until the 20th century, specifically in the early 20th century, that the Latin alphabet became more widely adopted and used for everyday purposes in Vietnam.
Vietnam started using the Latin alphabet, known as quốc ngữ, in the 17th century when Christian missionaries introduced it to aid in spreading their religion. However, it wasn’t until the 20th century, specifically in the early 20th century, that the Latin alphabet became more widely adopted and used for everyday purposes in Vietnam.
One interesting fact about the introduction of the Latin alphabet in Vietnam is that it faced resistance due to the long-standing use of Chinese characters in the country. The use of Chinese characters had been the dominant writing system in Vietnam for more than a millennium. Despite the initial resistance, the Latin alphabet gradually gained popularity and became the official script of Vietnam.
A prominent figure associated with the introduction and popularization of quốc ngữ in Vietnam is Alexandre de Rhodes, a French Jesuit missionary. De Rhodes was instrumental in developing a system to romanize the Vietnamese language and created a dictionary and grammar for it. His works laid the foundation for the future adoption of the Latin alphabet in Vietnam.
To highlight the impact of quốc ngữ, Nguyễn Phan Long, a Vietnamese poet, once remarked, “The Latin alphabet has opened up a new world of literature for Vietnam.” This quote emphasizes the significant role played by the Latin alphabet in broadening access to knowledge and literature in Vietnam.
Here is an example table showcasing some common Vietnamese words and their pronunciation in quốc ngữ:
| Vietnamese Word | Quốc Ngữ Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| Xin chào | sin chow |
| Cám ơn | cam urn |
| Đường | duh-ong |
| Trường | truh-ong |
| Mẹ | may |
In conclusion, while the Latin alphabet was introduced to Vietnam in the 17th century, it was only in the early 20th century that it gained widespread usage. The adoption of quốc ngữ brought about significant changes in Vietnamese literature, communication, and the ease of learning the language.
Video answer to your question
The use of the Latin alphabet in Vietnam is unique compared to other Asian countries, and in this video, the speaker explains why. The adoption of the Latin script started in the 16th century with Portuguese and Italian missionaries who used it to transcribe Vietnamese. The work of Francisco de Pinna and Alessandro de Rhodes further developed the Vietnamese alphabet, standardizing the writing system and creating the first Vietnamese Portuguese and Latin dictionary. However, it was the French colonization in the 20th century that enforced and taught the Latin-based writing system, known as Lu, to the general population, significantly increasing literacy rates in Vietnam. The speaker expresses gratitude for the Latin alphabet, as it has made reading and writing easier for both native speakers and Vietnamese language learners.
Other methods of responding to your inquiry
17th centuryVietnamese in Latin script, called Chữ Quốc ngữ, is the currently-used script. It was first developed by Portuguese missionaries in the 17th century, based on the pronunciation of Portuguese language and alphabet.
Vietnamese was once written with variants of Chinese characters, but Catholic missionaries first started using the Roman alphabet to write the language in the 16th century. The Vietnamese alphabet is a modern Latin writing script developed by Jesuit priests in the 17th Century for the written Vietnamese language. Officer Marie Gustave Hector Ohier signed a decree to replace chữ Nho by chữ Quốc Ngữ in official documents in 1869, and in 1879, it became required to use chữ Quốc Ngữ in school, starting from South Vietnam. The Vietnamese alphabet uses a Latin script credited to being developed by the Portuguese Jesuit priest Francisco de Pina.
Vietnamese was once written with variants of Chinese characters, but Catholic missionaries first started using the Roman alphabet to write the language in the 16th century, and it gradually caught on after that.
The Vietnamese alphabet is a modern Latin writing script developed by Jesuit priests in the 17th Century for the written Vietnamese language. The Vietnamese alphabet uses a Latin script credited to being developed by the Portuguese Jesuit priest Francisco de Pina.
When did Vietnam adopt Roman alphabet? Officer Marie Gustave Hector Ohier signed a decree to replace chữ Nho by chữ Quốc Ngữ in official documents in 1869. Later, in 1879, it’s required to use chữ Quốc Ngữ in school, started from South Vietnam.
I am confident you will be intrigued
Why did Vietnam adopt the Latin alphabet?
Response will be: Vietnam was once a French colony. The French forced the Vietnamese to use their alphabet instead of the writing system that was traditionally used to write their language. This made colonial administration easier. French, like English, uses the Latin alphabet.
Does Vietnamese use the Latin alphabet?
As an answer to this: The Latin alphabet entered Vietnam at the time European missionaries travelled to Asia to spread the gospel. Portuguese missionaries found that it took too long for a native person to be literate because of the complicated Chinese characters that Vietnam used before which slowed down their evangelisation effort.
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When did Vietnam stop using Chinese characters?
The response is: In 1910, the colonial school system adopted a "Franco-Vietnamese curriculum", which emphasized French and alphabetic Vietnamese. The teaching of Chinese characters was discontinued in 1917.
When did Vietnamese language change?
Old Vietnamese/Ancient Vietnamese was a Vietic language which was separated from Viet–Muong around 9th century, and evolved to Middle Vietnamese by 16th century.
What is the Vietnamese alphabet?
Answer to this: The Vietnamese alphabet ( Vietnamese: chữ Quốc ngữ, lit. ‘script of the National language’) is the modern Latin writing script or writing system for Vietnamese. It uses the Latin script based on Romance languages originally developed by Portuguese missionary Francisco de Pina (1585 – 1625).
Is Vietnamese a Romanised or transliterated language?
Answer: Modern Vietnamese can be thought of as aromanised or transliteration rendering of common Hán-Nôm words, that has since been used as the main medium of language in Vietnam. Portuguese Alphabet (the Vietnamese alphabet was largely based on the conventions of the Romance languages) ^ Nguyễn, Tri Tài (2002). Giáo trình tiếng Hán. Tập I: Cơ sở.
Is Vietnamese a Chinese word?
Spoken and written Vietnamese today uses the Latin script-based Vietnamese alphabet to representVietnamese words which are of Chinese origin ( Hán-Việt, or Sino-Vietnamese), native Vietnamese words ( thuần Việt ), and other foreign loanwords.
When was Vietnamese literature written?
Answer: From111 BC up to the 20th century, Vietnamese literature was written in Văn ngôn ( Classical Chinese) using chữ Hán ( Chinese characters ), and then also Nôm (Chinese and original Vietnamese characters adapted for vernacular Vietnamese) from the 13th century to 20th century.