Vv5 Languages of China and Vietnam

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2019
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Michal Schwarz, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Michal Schwarz, Ph.D.
Department of Mongolian, Korean and Vietnamese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Michal Schwarz, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Mongolian, Korean and Vietnamese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 18:00–19:40 G24
Prerequisites
no requirements
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course goal is to offer an overview and actual data about conditions and development of languages in China and Vietnam. Main explanations compare language families, stratification of their speakers, geographical distribution in both countries and status of Chinese/Vietnamese as major and official languages. Main analogies could be seen in language politics in both countries, main differences are in prestige, number of speakers and language contacts of both major languages. Other explanations are dedicated to common cultural roots of both languages, to historical development of Chinese and Vietnamese languages from the point of view of phonetics as well as in relation to Chinese script and its adaptation for Vietnamese language. Case studies are related to languages of minorities living along both sides of shared border.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this course a student will:
- be able to explain differences between conditions of development of languages in China and Vietnam
- know language families in both countries, stratification and geographical distribution of their speakers
- be able to compare the status of official languages in both countries
- know basic data about language politics in China and Vietnam
- be able to explain shared and different features of development of Chinese and Vietnamese languages
- know specific ways of the use of Chinese script for Chinese and Vietnamese languages
- have an overview about the development of minority languages along both sides of Sino-Vietnamese border
Syllabus
  • China and Vietnam:
  • - comparison of geographic conditions
  • - comparison of historical development
  • - language families
  • - numbers of speakers and their social stratification
  • - official and administrative languages
  • - language politics and ethnic politics
  • Chinese and Vietnamese languages:
  • - official status
  • - shared cultural roots
  • - historical and phonetic development
  • - Chinese script in both languages
  • - adaptation of Chinese script in Vietnamese language
  • - influence of Chinese on Vietnamese
  • Sino-Vietnamese border area:
  • - international politics
  • - migrations of ethnic groups along the border
  • - forced migration across the border
  • - development of minority languages on both sides of border
Literature
  • Ramsey, Robert S. 1989. The Languages of China. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
  • Evans, Grant et al. 2000. Where China Meets Southeast Asia: Social and Cultural Change in the Border Regions. New York: St. Martin's Press + Singapore: ISEAS.
  • Haudricourt, André-Georges. 1949/2010. The origin of the peculiarities of the Vietnamese alphabet. Transl. Alexis Michaud. Mon-Khmer Studies 39, 89-104.
  • Boltz, William G. 2003. The Origin and the development of the Chinese writing system. New Haven: American Oriental Society.
  • Edmondson, Jerold A. & Gregerson, Kenneth J. 2007. The Languages of Vietnam: Mosaics and Expansions. Language and Linguistics Compass 1/6, 727-749.
  • Womack, Brantly. 2006. China and Vietnam. The Politics of Asymmetry. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Lê Ðình Khẩn. 2010. Từ vựng gốc hán trong tiếng Việt. Ðà Nẵng: Nhà xuât bản Ðà Nẵng.
  • Pulleyblank, E. G. 1983. The Chinese and Their Neighbors in Prehistoric and Early Historic Times. In: The Origins of Chinese Civilization. Berkeley: University of California Press, 411-466.
  • Hoàng Văn Ma. 2002. Ngôn ngữ dân tộc thiểu số Việt nam. Một số vấn đề về quan hệ cội nguồn và loại hình học. Hà nội: Nhà xuất bản đại học quốc gia Hà nội.
Teaching methods
lectures
Assessment methods
Written test - at leat 50 % of correct answers is needed to pass the course. Second option: written paper about selected topic.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2019, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2019/Vv5