XIN TANG (New China) - Pinyin.info

15VIETNAMESE WRITING REFORMJOHN DEFRANCISOf the four countries which have possessed writinosystems based on Chinese characters. only Viet Nam hassucceeded in making a complete transition to alphabeticwritino. This transition marks the culmination ·ofsociolinouistic developments that occul1'red over thecourse of the past two millenia. Vietnamese writino reformis best viewed from the dual perspective of thesehistorical and Sinitic contexts.The followino periodization of Vietnamese historyreveals the close relationship between lanouage andsociety in Viet Nam:I. Chinese colonialism (111 8.C.-939 A.OJ. One writingsystem: Classical Chinese. This was the medium of writtencommunication used by the colonial bureaucracy; thesubject people spoke Vietnamese but had no writingsystem of their own.2. Monarchical independence (939-1651). Two writinosystems: Classical Chinese and Nom. The former. generallycalled Sino-Vietnamese. was the chief medium of writtencommunication for the indigenous bureaucracy andeducated elite. Nom. an indigenous character-like systemJohn DeFrancis shi Hawaii (Xiaweiyi) Oaxued yuyanxue rongyujiaoshou.