Demotic Language and Script

‘Demotic’ means ‘of the common people’, ‘popular’, or ‘vulgar’. In Vietnam, when a thousand of years of Chinese domination ended, the only form of written language was ‘wenyan’ classic Chinese script. Although the Vietnamese had a spoken demotic language, there was no written form. Few of the Vietnamese peasantry spoke Chinese, and only mandarins, intellectuals, and some monks could write or read Chinese script.

In the 13th century, a ‘Vietnamisation’ of Chinese script began, modifying existing characters and adding new ones. Known as ‘chu nom’, it remained the property of the educated elite, but became the medium for vernacular literature.

Nevertheless, chu nom was always regarded as an inferior form, and faded away after roman script took the place of characters during the nineteenth century.

The process was similar to that of medieval Europe where Latin was the dominant language, and the Catholic Church the supreme power. The gradual decline of the Church’s authority allowed each country’s demotic language eventually to become its official language and script leaving Latin as a dead language.