:( how the European's ruined the Vietnamese written language.

[DVK916]

I was reading up on Vietnamese writing systems of the past, and it saddens me how we have regressed. We use to write just like Chinese, but the stupid Europeans came and ruined it, forcing a new written language on us.

This is poem written in old Vietnamese writing:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fe/Kim_van_kieu_chu_nom.JPG

This it written in new vietnamese writing:
Tram nam trong cõi ngu?i ta,
Ch? tài ch? m?nh khéo là ghét nhau.
Tr?i qua m?t cu?c b? dâu,
Nh?ng di?u trông th?y mà dau d?n lòng.
L? gì b? s?c tu phong,
Tr?i xanh quen thói má h?ng dánh ghen.

This is the English translation:
A hundred years ? in this life span on earth
talent and destiny are apt to feud.
Go through an event in which the sea becomes mulberry fields
and watch such things as make you sick at heart.
Is it strange that one who is rich in this is poor in that?
Blue Heaven?s wont to strike rosy cheeks from spite


Don't the old written language seem much nicer and cleaner. Than that romanized ******. if the Europeans hadn't ruin our writing, we would be so much better off.

 

[thehstrybean]

Yeah...sure thing chief...

 

[herkulease]

how would we be better off, if the writing system was didn't change?

 

[JulesMaximus]

I gotta be honest with you. The old language looks like: askdfkoanvf lakdsjf weoljfa hvlkanf alkdsfjlehrgte. to me.

BTW-Just reading the English version, that looks like a pretty poor translation (to English that is).

 

[DVK916]

Their is no way you can say the new writing system is better. The old style is far more elegant, and allows for easier learning of Chinese.

 

[sygyzy]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
I gotta be honest with you. The old language looks like: askdfkoanvf lakdsjf weoljfa hvlkanf alkdsfjlehrgte. to me.

Do you feel the same way about all languages that don't use Latin characters?

 

[halik]

how the European's ruined the Vietnamese written language.

Well it's not that bad - apparently we haven't forced the proper use of possessives on you yet...

 

[thehstrybean]

Originally posted by: halik
Well it's not that bad - apparently we haven't forced the proper use of possessives on you yet...

lololololololololol

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: DVK916
Their is no way you can say the new writing system is better. The old style is far more elegant, and allows for easier learning of Chinese.

Strictly logically speaking, it makes more sense to have characters represent sounds rather than things. It makes a language much more versatile.

ZV

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: DVK916
I was reading up on Vietnamese writing systems of the past, and it saddens me how we have regressed. We use to write just like Chinese, but the stupid Europeans came and ruined it, forcing a new written language on us.

This is poem written in old Vietnamese writing:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fe/Kim_van_kieu_chu_nom.JPG

This it written in new vietnamese writing:
Tram nam trong cõi ngu?i ta,
Ch? tài ch? m?nh khéo là ghét nhau.
Tr?i qua m?t cu?c b? dâu,
Nh?ng di?u trông th?y mà dau d?n lòng.
L? gì b? s?c tu phong,
Tr?i xanh quen thói má h?ng dánh ghen.

This is the English translation:
A hundred years ? in this life span on earth
talent and destiny are apt to feud.
Go through an event in which the sea becomes mulberry fields
and watch such things as make you sick at heart.
Is it strange that one who is rich in this is poor in that?
Blue Heaven?s wont to strike rosy cheeks from spite


Don't the old written language seem much nicer and cleaner. Than that romanized ******. if the Europeans hadn't ruin our writing, we would be so much better off.

How come it's acceptable to call Europeans "stupid", but if someone calls Asians stupid, they become the Prime Racist?

If the Europeans were that stupid, they wouldn't have been able to force that new written language on you.

 

[Pepsei]

i heard korean used to be the same as well... except they invented their own writing style with... as my white wife would say, sticks, boxes and balls....

 

[shuttleboi]

I think I learned in college that 16th century Portuguese missionaries introduced the roman alphabet in Vietnam. Is that correct?

 

[DaWhim]

L? gì b? s?c tu phong,
Tr?i xanh quen thói má h?ng dánh ghen.

it sound like chinese too. so vet gets points for copying?

 

[DVK916]

Originally posted by: DaWhim

L? gì b? s?c tu phong,
Tr?i xanh quen thói má h?ng dánh ghen.

it sound like chinese too. so vet gets points for copying?

Well a lot of vietnamese words are borrowed from Chinese.

 

[chcarnage]

Well sorry for your feelings, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. For Turkey the latin alphabeth was a good thing. Be glad you don't have a mess of like four different writing systems like the Japanese

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: DVK916
Their is no way you can say the new writing system is better. The old style is far more elegant, and allows for easier learning of Chinese.

I don't see why elegance and the ability to learn Chinese easier should be any consideration for keeping a language. A good language easily facilitates communication, and this is where characters that represent things fails miserably and characters that represent sounds succeeds marvelously.

Having learned Chinese for years, I cannot fathom why anyone would ever design a language in which each thing in the world would have its own unique character. Absolutely mind-bogglingly stupid from an efficiency and easy-learning point of view. The only reason I can think of is to make the language act as a barrier between the "elite" and the "uneducated." Hey wait, that's what it was used for...

 

[SSSnail]

LOL @ the translation. I think the translation is what's screwing up the language.

 

[Meatyone]

Originally posted by: shuttleboi
I think I learned in college that 16th century Portuguese missionaries introduced the roman alphabet in Vietnam. Is that correct?

Yes along with a French Jesuit who later formalized their phonetic transcriptions of the language.

What OP fails to mention is that thanks to the modern Vietnamese alphabet almost all Vietnamese today are literate. Before the introduction of the latin alphabet reading and writing was the province of only the wealthy and powerful.

 

[Svnla]

LOL @ the OP's translation. You must be a young buck.

I disagree with the OP's fondness of Chinese. No one will say Chinese language is easy to learn.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: sygyzy

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
I gotta be honest with you. The old language looks like: askdfkoanvf lakdsjf weoljfa hvlkanf alkdsfjlehrgte. to me.

Do you feel the same way about all languages that don't use Latin characters?

Just the ones I can't understand.

 

[mobiblu]

I'm Viet, but I'm not bother by this subject. You my friend have issues.

 

[DieselUV]

i can't read it, only menus

 

[Meatyone]

DVK916
herkulease
DaWhim
mobiblu
DieselUV

I hope I don't get flamed for this, but man you guys look all the same...

 

[eleison]

The white man always ruin everything... first they take all the asian women (some of whom are not very attractive.. but still).. now they take over the vietnamese written language... Down with the white man!!! j/k

 

[Meatyone]

Originally posted by: eleison
The white man always ruin everything... first they take all the asian women (some of whom are not very attractive.. but still).. now they take over the vietnamese written language... Down with the white man!!! j/k

Whitey is the devil.