Texts in the Social Life of Ethnic Groups in Vietnam: A Summary
Tạ Quang Tùng and Tạ Văn Thông
Abstract
More than half of the ethnic groups in Vietnam have their own scripts, and as such, methods of representation of their languages. These text systems are fairly diverse in terms of form, origin, innovation, and social function. In Vietnam, wit the exception of the Quốc ngữ text, text systems do not largely exhibit positive social functions or have significant roles in the social processes of the communities. Language education and language interactions in the ethnic minorities do not generally address the sustaining of these texts. Hee, many ethnic minority groups are at risk of losing their languages and their traditional cultures maintained and developed through their mother tongues. Yet, these texts will assist to revitalize these languages.
Keywords: Text, ethnic minority, language extinction, language education, Vietnam, linguistic anthropology