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Chữ Nôm (𡨸喃, IPA: [t͡ɕɨ˦ˀ˥ nom˧˧]) [5] is a logographic writing system formerly used to write the Vietnamese language.It uses Chinese characters to represent Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary and some native Vietnamese words, with other words represented by new characters created using a variety of methods, including phono-semantic compounds. [6]
Vietnamese uses 22 letters of the ISO basic Latin alphabet.The 4 remaining letters aren't considered part of the Vietnamese alphabet although they are used to write loanwords, languages of other ethnic groups in the country based on Vietnamese phonetics to differentiate the meanings or even Vietnamese dialects, for example: dz or z for southerner pronunciation of v in standard Vietnamese.
French superseded Literary Chinese in administration. Vietnamese written with the alphabet became required for all public documents in 1910 by issue of a decree by the French Résident Supérieur of the protectorate of Tonkin. In turn, Vietnamese reformists and nationalists themselves encouraged and popularized the use of chữ Quốc ngữ.
Current and past writing systems for Vietnamese in the Vietnamese alphabet and in chữ Hán Nôm. Spoken and written Vietnamese today uses the Latin script-based Vietnamese alphabet to represent native Vietnamese words (thuần Việt), Vietnamese words which are of Chinese origin (Hán-Việt, or Sino-Vietnamese), and other foreign loanwords.
Both Literary Chinese and chữ Nôm fell out of use during the French colonial period, and were gradually replaced by the Latin-based Vietnamese alphabet. Following the end of colonial rule in 1954, the Vietnamese alphabet has been sole official writing system in Vietnam, and is used exclusively in Vietnamese-language media. [161]
The French officials favoured Vietnamese being written in the Vietnamese alphabet. Chinese characters were still being taught in classes (in South Vietnam) up to 1975, but failed to be a part of the new elementary curriculum complied by Ministry of Education and Training after the Vietnam War. [8] A Vietnamese edict (1765) written in chữ Hán.
Additionally, some Vietnamese names can only be differentiated via context or with their corresponding chữ Hán, such as 南 ("south") or 男 ("men", "boy"), both are read as Nam. Anyone applying for Vietnamese nationality must also adopt a Vietnamese name. [2] Vietnamese names have corresponding Hán character adopted early on during Chinese ...
Vietnamese often uses instead a register complex (which is a combination of phonation type, pitch, length, vowel quality, etc.). Thus, it may be more accurate to categorize Vietnamese as a register language rather than a "pure" tonal language. [27] In Vietnamese orthography, tone is indicated by diacritics written above or below the vowel.