Vietnamese alphabet

Handwritten Vietnamese alphabet

A page from Alexandre de Rhodes' 1651 dictionary

Different ways in which tone marks can be presented on letters that already have diacritic, e.g. (`) on letter ê when computerising Vietnamese

Vietnamese alphabet refers to the modern writing system used in Vietnam. It is an adaptation of the Latin alphabet but includes additional diacritics for tones and certain letters. The alphabet is known as chữ Quốc ngữ in Vietnamese, which translates to "national language script."

History

The Vietnamese alphabet was developed in the 17th century by Portuguese missionary Alexandre de Rhodes, who based it on the work of earlier missionaries. Its creation was part of an effort to facilitate the spread of Catholicism by making the Vietnamese language more accessible to Europeans. Before the adoption of the Latin script, Vietnamese was primarily written in chữ Nôm, a script that borrowed heavily from Chinese characters. The transition to the Latin alphabet helped to increase literacy rates in Vietnam, as it was easier to learn than the traditional characters.

Characteristics

The Vietnamese alphabet consists of 29 letters: 12 vowels and 17 consonants. Unlike the English alphabet, it includes the letters Đ/đ (representing the /d/ sound) and omits F, J, W, and Z. The alphabet also makes extensive use of diacritical marks to indicate tones and vowel distinctions. There are six tones in Vietnamese, each of which can significantly alter the meaning of a word. These tones are marked by diacritics placed above or below the vowels.

Vowels

The Vietnamese alphabet includes the following vowels: A, Ă, Â, E, Ê, I, O, Ô, Ơ, U, Ư, and Y. The use of diacritics creates additional vowel sounds, making the pronunciation of Vietnamese quite complex for learners.

Consonants

The consonants in the Vietnamese alphabet are B, C, D, Đ, G, H, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, and X. The pronunciation of these consonants can vary depending on their position in a word and the regional dialect.

Tones

Vietnamese is a tonal language, and the meaning of a word can change based on the tone used. The six tones are:

• Level (ngang): no mark
• High rising (sắc): acute accent (´)
• Low falling (huyền): grave accent (`)
• High rising glottalized (hỏi): hook above (̉)
• Low falling glottalized (ngã): tilde (˜)
• Heavy (nặng): dot below (̣)

Usage

Today, the Vietnamese alphabet is used for all official documents, education, and media in Vietnam. It has facilitated the preservation of Vietnamese language and culture while also making it more accessible to non-Vietnamese speakers.

Challenges

Despite its advantages, the Vietnamese alphabet poses challenges for digital communication. The use of diacritical marks can lead to encoding issues on computers and the internet, where support for these characters is not always consistent.

Conclusion

The Vietnamese alphabet is a crucial aspect of the country's linguistic identity. It represents a successful adaptation of the Latin script to meet the unique phonetic and tonal requirements of the Vietnamese language. Its development and adoption have had a profound impact on literacy and education in Vietnam, making it a subject of interest in the study of linguistics and cultural history.

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