quốc âm
Definition
- Noun:
- National language; national speech: The spoken language or the system of sounds specific to a nation. This term historically refers to the Vietnamese language, especially in its spoken form or in its distinct phonetic character.
- National script (historical): A term historically used to refer to the Vietnamese writing system based on Chinese characters (Chữ Nôm), which was adapted to record the sounds and words of the Vietnamese language.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Chữ Nôm là hệ thống chữ viết ghi lại quốc âm của người Việt. (Chữ Nôm was a writing system used to record the national speech of the Vietnamese people.)
- Giữ gìn quốc âm là bảo vệ bản sắc dân tộc. (Preserving the national language is protecting the national identity.)
Advanced Usage
- This term is primarily used in historical, linguistic, or literary contexts to discuss the development and identity of the Vietnamese language, particularly before the widespread adoption of the modern Latin-based script (Quốc Ngữ).
Variants and Related Words
Quốc ngữ (n): The modern Vietnamese writing system using a Latin-based alphabet.
- Học sinh Việt Nam học đọc và viết bằng chữ quốc ngữ. (Vietnamese students learn to read and write using the national language script.)
Tiếng Việt (n): The Vietnamese language.
- Tiếng Việt là ngôn ngữ chính thức. (Vietnamese is the official language.)
Synonyms
- National language: The official or principal language of a nation.
- Vernacular: The language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people of a country or region.
Related Concepts
- Chữ Nôm: The historical logographic writing system for Vietnamese, often described as a script for "quốc âm."
- Quốc Ngữ: The contemporary national script for Vietnamese, developed by Catholic missionaries in the 17th century.