A Number of Issues Regarding Writing System for Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam
Keywords:
Writing system, Decision No.153/CP, ethnic minorities, Vietnam.Abstract
In Vietnam, there is diversity in the writing systems of different ethnic groups with various characteristics, with 34/53 ethnic minorities in Vietnam each having their own scripts, some ethnic groups use more than one script. Decision No.153/CP promulgated by the Prime Minister on 20th August, 1969 (amended by the Council of Ministers on 22nd February, 1980) “Refer to construct, improve and apply the ethnic minorities writing systems”, has played a big role in this process. It paved the way for the scripts in the locals and mountainous ethnicity to be reconstructed and improved, which created opportunities to build writing systems, to affirm the role of ethnic minorities scripts in preserving the languages, culture identities of ethnicities. However, today we can see an inconsistent situation of building the scripts, so a competitive situation may affect national unity and we lack an examination about writing systems’ quality, which may pose a risk of wasting natural and material resources, lacking unity in constructing ethnic minorities writing systems. A new decision to build and approve greater plans, and later, law of language, should be promulgated. A subcommittee for minor ethnic languages and scripts should also be established.
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Linguistics
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References
Bh’riu Liec. (2018). P’ra Cơ Tu. Vietnam Writers’ Association Publishing House. Hanoi.
Bh’riu Liec. (15th April 2022). Preserving Cơ Tu writing system: actual status and recommendations. Current situation of using, teaching and learning Cơ