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red dotA Conference on Nôm Studies, April 11-12, 2008 at the Center.
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Submitted abstracts
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Tentative program
Global Issues in Vietnamese Nôm Preservation, Vietnamese Philosophy, Culture & Society, Panel 4, Global Temple Conference, November 13, 2007


* Nôm ideograms:

Trẻ con làm rồng rắn
Children play Dragon and Snake game.

VOCABULARY
OF THE
COCHINCHINESE LANGUAGE,
WITH MARGINAL NOTES
SHOWING ITS RELATION TO THE CHINESE
___________________________

from A Dissertation on the Nature and Character of the Chinese System of Writing, by Peter Stephen Du Ponceau, in a letter to John Vaughan, Esq., American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, 1838. Pp. 139-184 & 5 plates of Cochinchinese ideogram illustration.

Reformatted by Ngô Thanh Nhàn (US), Mai Bá Triều (Belgium) & Lương Thị Hạnh (Nôm Na Group, Việt Nam): (a) the second column Chars. is inserted to reflect the corresponding ideograms in the plates, and (b) the fourth line in column Cochinchinese in square brackets to reflect the current spelling with accents for the entry heading on line 1.


III.—Of The World, &c.

53.

世 間

The gian.
Le monde.
The world.
[thế gian]

Chi kian, the world.
[A. She, the world of human beings, the present state of existence. M. 475. 2.
B. Wan, to ask, to inquire, to investigate.  M. 11613.
Chi kien or she keae, is the Chinese pronunciation (as it is called) for the world.  See M. verbo world, p. 475, 2.

54.

Dat.
La terre.
The earth.
[đất]

Tan, flat, even, [ample, spacious.]  G. 1578.

55.

񠟚 𡶀

Non nui.
Une montagne.
A mountain.
[non núi]

A. The group is pronounced nun.
B.* The group is pronounced nouy.  Klaproth, mi.

56.

Rong.
La campagne.
The country (rus.)
[rồng]

* I consider this group as an abbreviation of the 212th radical, loung, [a dragon.]

57.

񪀇 圓

Vuon.
Le jardin.
The garden.
[? vườn]

A.*
B. Youen, round.  G. 1542Youen, a garden, G. 1541, has a different character.
Klaproth, Uoeu.

58.

Cay.
Les arbres et les bois.
The trees and the woods.
[cây]

He, the stone or seed of a fruit.  G. 4214. [M. 242, verbo, kernel.]

59.

𣑶

Re.
Une racine—radix.
A root.
[rễ]

 

60.

Goe.
Le tronc.
The trunk (of a tree.)
[gốc 㭲]

Ouo or wo, a house; [to dwell.]  G. 2246.
O or uh, a wooden screen.  M. 2. 258.

61.

񪀈  

Nhanh.
Les branches.
The branches.
[nhánh 𦭒]

Seems to be a variation of the Chinese ting, which has the same meaning.  G. 4258.

62.

𦲿

La.
Le feuilles.
The leaves.
[lá]

 

63.

Hoa.
Les fleurs.
Flowers.
[hoa]

HouaG. 8844.

64.

紇 種

Hot going.
La semence.
The seed.
[hột giống]

A. He, a thick silk thread.  G. 7755.
B. Tchong, a seed.  G. 7206.

65.

Da.
Une Pierre.
A stone.
[đá 𥒥]

*

66.

Dang.
Chemin, rue.
A way, a street.
[đàng]

Tang, the name of the imperial dynasty from the year 618 to 907 of the vulgar era; [also, the aisles or walks in ancient temples, (viæ in avorum templis.)  G. 1276.]

67.

Rung.
Forêt—silva.
A forest.
[rừng]

Ling, an angle; a square piece of wood.  G. 4320.

68.

圓 枚

Vuon nho.
Jardin de vignes.
A vineyard.
[vườn nho/mai]

A. Youen.  See No. 57 B.
B. Mei, the trunk of a tree.  G. 4138.
C.* Probably a variation of B.

69.

䤑 坆

Buong nho.
Raisin.
Grapes.
[buồng nho]

A. Wang, a name of wine.  M. 3. 549.
In the MS. The two dots below the group are wanting.
B.* Same as No. 57 B. and 68 A.

70.

Chuoi.
Figues.
Figs.
[Chuối]

Tchy, shackles (compedes.) G. 4232.

71.

𣷮

Suoi.
Une fontaine.
A fountain.
[suối]

*

72.

Giang.
Puits—puteus.
A well.
[giếng]

KingM. 2. 458.  But the group without the radical is pronounced tsing, and signifies a well.  G. 70.

73.

Song.
Rivière.
A river.
[sông]

* Might be Shing, the name of a river.  M. 9303.  See No. 56.
[The two characters are the same, one to signify the country, the other a river.]

74.

坡 滝

Bo song.
Les bordes d’une rivière.
The banks of a river.
[bờ sông]

Po, a hillock, a mound of earth for a sepulcher.  G. 1574.

75.

𣷷

Bien.
La mer.
The sea.
[biển]

* See No. 82.

76.

Song.
Les vagues.
The waves.
[song]

*

77.

񣖔

Bai.
La rade.
The road.
[bãi]

*

78.

風 񪀉

Phong ba.
Le tempête.
The storm.
[phong ba 波]

A. is the 182d radical [foung, wind.]
B.*

79.

䑾 艚

Chiec tau.
Le vaisseau.
The ship.
[chiếc tàu]

* The group is pronounced tchi.  [It has on the left the 137th radical, tcheou, ship.]

80.

񠮇  

Ghe.
Un petit bateau.
A small boat.
[ghe 𦪵]

*

81.

𣖞 橑

Cheo.
Les rames.
The oars.
[chèo]

*

82.

񪀊 渡

Cua bien.
Le port.
The port.
[cửa 񣉼 biển]

A.* the 169th radical [men, door] never has a group to the right.
B. See No. 75.

83.

埧 劳

Cu lao.
Une ile.
An island.
[cù lao]

A. Kiu, a bank to confine water.  M. 6084.
B. ????

84.

Nuoc.
Une royaume.
A kingdom.
[nước]

Hwuls, the sound or noise of water.  M. 2. 483.

85.

Xa.
Une province.
A province.
[xã]

This character has some resemblance to tchu, to dwell, to tarry; also, a place, a region.  G. 9361.

86.

Thanh.
Une ville.
A town.
[thành]

Tching, walls.  G. 1613.

87.

Lang.
Un village.
A village.
[làng]

Hiang, Pagus, territorium.  G. 11251.

88.

Que.
La patrie.
The fatherland (patria.)
[quê]

Kwei, a kind of scepter.  M. 1. 481. 2.

89.

边 北

Ben bai.
La partie du nord.
The north.
[bên bắc]

A.*
B. Pe, the north.  G. 953.

90.

边 東

Ben dong.
La partie de l’est.
The east.
[bên đông]

A.*
B. Tong, the east.  G. 4108.

91.

边 南

Ben nam.
La partie du sud.
The south.
[bên nam]

A.*
B. Nan, the south.  G. 1010.

92.

边 西

Ben tang.
The partied du l’ouest.
The west.
[bên tây]

Si, the west.  G. 9852.

Preliminary Observations by M. de la Palun
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