Portuguese Pioneers of Vietnamese Linguistics

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2002. The development and eventual official adoption of a Romanized script ('Quoc Ngu' or 'national language') to represent the spoken language of Vietnam has had enormous impact on that country's cultural and intellectual development. Replacing an older script based on Chinese style ideograms, the inherent efficiency of Quoc Ngu has been a major contributor to Vietnam's comparatively high literacy rate, and thus to the country's modernization. In linguistic circles, the development of Quoc Ngu has long been attributed primarily to the efforts of a 17th century French missionary to Vietnam, Alexandre de Rhodes. The present study, however, demonstrates that de Rhodes' accomplishment was made possible by his building upon a foundation of the work of the Portuguese missionaries and linguists who preceded him. Drawing on previously unpublished 17th century works in Latin and contemporary correspondence in Portuguese, the author demonstrates the pivotal role played by Portuguese clerics in the development of the script. In doing so, he also explains the many fascinating synergies between Quoc Ngu and written Portuguese. An original and important new work on Vietnamese linguistics, this book is of interest not only to scholars of Asian languages, but also to all with interest, either professional or lay, in the history of medieval Vietnam and its development into the modern state. Bilingual English / French edition, 408 pp., bibliography.. First Edition. Soft Cover. New. 24.5 x 17.5 cm.