Comparision of the letters of the alphabet and its usage in some of Vietnamese’s 1659 handwriting with those in the present time

Abstract

The paper focuses on the letters of the alphabet, its usage, marks for tones as well as other marks in the 1659 manuscripts by Igesico Văn Tín and Bento Thiện. The manuscripts are: (1) The 1659 letter by Igesico Văn Tín sent to catholic priest F.G. Marini; (2) The 1659 letter by Bento Thiện sent to catholic priest F.G. Marini; and (3) The text “The history of Annam” by Bento Thiện. There are differences between the letter system of the alphabet, its usage, marks for tones and other marks in the 1659 manuscripts with the present-day manuscripts. The cause resulting in these differences lies in the system of phonemes in the past; the choosing of the alphabet letters and marks is also different.