TÌM HIỂU NGUYÊN NHÂN RA ĐỜI CỦA CHỮ QUỐC NGỮ

Abstract

In the history of Vietnamese language development, the use of Roman Alphabet to transcribe phonetically Vietnamese language since the 16th century which has been considered as a phenomenal event in the South-East Asia (ASEAN). Before the appearance of Vietnamese national script (Chu quoc ngu) in Vietnam, Han and Nom scripts existed. The Han script was imported into Vietnam in about the 2nd or 3rd century. The Nom script was created around the 12th or13th century by Vietnamese scholars. Consequently at that time, the appearance of Vietnamese Roman Alphabet had some special reasons. This paper offers a new approach to understand causes of the appearance of Vietnamese national script (Chu quoc ngu). These appearance’s causes of Chu quoc ngu are presented clearly in two main parts of my article (part B and C). The main causes are as follow:Firstly, an inflow of the Christianity (Jesus Christ) came to Vietnam, officially in the 17th century (1615). In order to propagate the Jesus’s faith to Vietnamese inhabitants, missionaries had to learn the local language. By learning local language, the missionaries had two goals: Understanding the culture of local inhabitants and propagation of their faith. In the process, missionaries used the alphabet system of their mother language (Roman Alphabet) to transcribe phonetically Vietnamese. So the missionaries were the first creators in establishing Vietnamese national script. One of them who played an important role in Chu quoc ngu establishing is Alexandre de Rhodes. He is the author of well-known dictionary - “Dictionari w Annamitic w L sitanum et Latinum”, published in Roma in 1651. Secondly, in Vietnam feudal dynasties the Han and the Nom script just served for small group of people, who hold power. The Han writing was become a prerogative tool to defend and preserve their dynasties. The first written literature appeared around the 10th century. It had a leading role and characterized main bore traits of Vietnamese literature. From the 10th to the 15th century, literal works were written in Han (classical Chinese) and Nom scripts. Since the 16th century, Nom literature had become increasingly popular and at the beginning of 18th century it reached the key position. However, in the literature written in Nom only some poems were the cream of Vietnamese literature e.g. Kieu story written by Nguyen Du, Chinh phu ngam by female poet Doan Thi Diem, Nom poems of female poet Ho Xuan Huong, etc. The monopolization of the Han writing was the one of causes that made the Nom literature did not have favourable conditions to develop. Until the end of 19th and beginning of the 20th century, when Chu quoc ngu appeared, Vietnamese literature had developed quickly in terms of quality, quantity and forms. Thirdly, the knowledge monopolization of Vietnamese feudal dynasties was also the one of important causes that made Chu quoc ngu quickly to appear. From the 10th century, Vietnamese feudal dynasties had organized a lot of competitive examinations to select officials to serve them. The Han language was a main, obligation tool used in above competitive examinations. Han and Nom script was not accounted like a communicate language for the mass. In reality, although Han and Nom script existed, most of Vietnamese people did not have their script. The appearance of Chu quoc ngu became an urgent need for Vietnamese people. Finally, the most important cause is that Chu quoc ngu is the most simple script and easily to read and write in comparison with Han and Nom scripts. On the other hand, it is the first time in history, Vietnamese people had their own script, so that they all had unified and supported it.