Directory_and_Chronicle_1842 — Page 469

1842.

Remarks on the Cochinchinese Language.

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used and understood alike in different portions of the empire, still a familiar composition written by any individual might contain some peculiar forms of expression which would be regarded as excellencies by those speaking the same dialect, while they would be looked upon as blemishes by those of another province.

Men of different dialects may not only use entirely different sounds in expressing the same idea, but they may and often do use different characters which may be synonymous in signification, but one o- which when pronounced may better harmonize with a particular diaf lect than another, and for that reason may be chosen. And if the Co- chinchinese should occasionally use a character out of its ordinary signification, giving it a local sense, it would be no more than is done in some of the provinces in China, and especially in some of the co. lonies out of the empire, where the people would be unwilling to acknowledge that their language was not Chinese.

If in Cochinchinese, as is stated, the same character is used in various senses, with a distinct sound for each; this instead of being a peculiarity proves its identity with Chinese, in which the same thing

occurs.

Thus in the dialect of Fukien, is read siel›, a proper name; kiet,, sorrowful; and ki, to unite. In Tiéchü (Cháuchau fú),

is read kiá1, to walk, heng actions, and húng, valient. In the court dialect, is read hán, completely; kien, to diminish; and ying, according, but it does not necessarily follow from this that there are three distinct languages so far as these characters are concerned. Nei- ther would any one dialect by giving to a few characters a local sig- nification, differing from the one in general use, thereby become entitled to the appellation of a new language. So it is believed that the colloquial mediuin of the Cochinchinese is but one of the dialects of Chinese, while the written language is essentially the same in both.

The article above alluded to, which asserts that the Cochinchi- nese written as well as spoken language is distinct from the Chinese, leaves also on the mind of the reader an impression that the Cochin- chinese is nearly allied if not identified with the languages of Cam. boja, Laos, and Siam. This latter impression we think to be equally incorrect with the former. The colloquial spoken by the Cochinchi- nese is far from resembling that spoken in the other countries named, while these have a written language with an alphabet widely differing from the Chinese character. The Siamese, Laos, and Cambojan languages are analogous to each other, and there are individuals from Cochinchina in these several countries speaking their own language, but they seldom teach it to those with whom they reside whereas