"Specialty" of Nghe An land

People in each rural area of Vietnam have their own unique language, but in rare places like Nghe - Tinh, the language in daily communication becomes a "specialty" that creates a unique cultural identity and people to identify and connect the social community.

Vi Giam festivals are a way to preserve and spread the art language in life. Photo: Performance by Nguyen Cong Tru Vi Giam Folk Song Club (Nghi Xuan) at the 2023 Nghe An - Ha Tinh Interprovincial Vi Giam Festival.

"The sound of Nghe An returns"

Located in the middle of the map of Vietnam, Nghe An (including Nghe An and Ha Tinh) is considered an ancient land. According to archaeological documents, people have lived in this land for over 5,000 years. Associated with the symbol of Hong Mountain - Lam River, Nghe has many unique and characteristic tangible and intangible cultural heritages. In particular, along with the process of formation and development, the local Nghe language (including vocal range, vocabulary, semantics) of the people of Nghe - Tinh is a distinct identity in communication and daily life. Nghe language also enters poetry, folk and contemporary art forms such as Nghe Tinh folk songs, Giam - a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Nghe dialect is heavy like the land of hardship and hardship for generations. In terms of phonetics (range), as commented by many linguists, the tone system of Nghe - Tinh dialect is not as complete as that of the national language; the falling tone is pronounced as the heavy tone. There are some dialects in Nghi Loc, Nghi Xuan, the tone system has only 4 tones, even some pronunciation areas have only 3 tones. In terms of perception, listeners receive a "lo lo" language in which the distinctive value of those few tones is no longer clear.

One of the research projects on Nghe language is taught in the related language departments of Vinh University (Nghe An).

In a recent study, Associate Professor Dr. Hoang Trong Canh (Vinh University) commented: “The phonetic correspondence between Nghe - Tinh local words and national words is rich, but also very complicated. That phonetic correspondence occurs in initial consonants, rhymes and tones, but not in an even ratio between those sound parts as well as within each part. However, in general, the phonetic correspondence is regular. Most initial consonants of Nghe - Tinh local words correspond to many initial consonants in national Vietnamese. That also proves that the phonetic change of the initial consonant system of Nghe - Tinh is very little and slow. Regarding rhymes, the correspondence is more complicated, especially for the correspondence of different types of rhymes. Regarding tones, that correspondence occurs mainly in the heavy and flat tones of Nghe Tinh with some other tones of national words”.

In terms of meaning, the Nghe - Tinh local vocabulary system is more complicated than phonetics. The system of nouns, personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, adjectives, verbs... is extremely rich and also very different. Therefore, when communicating with many localities in the country, experienced Nghe people often have to "translate" for listeners. As an ancient land, the ancient noun system for naming places, objects, things, and events is also very ancient. Over time, this vocabulary system is gradually disappearing, becoming "ancient capital" in idioms, proverbs, folk songs, and is a topic for cultural researchers. For example, the local vocabulary system in the poem "Thunder God falls" by author Le Thanh Binh. For example, "tro" is a local variation of "trouble": Tro mua - tro nam cao; mot tro - tro gio. Especially the system of personal pronouns: Tau, mi, hung, a, eng... Demonstrative pronouns: ni, no, te... Question words: rua, he, mo (mo ru mo river mo no cho/mo forest mo sea cho mo mo mo?).

Video: Folk song "Thunder God falls". Source: HTTV

In modern society, cultural exchange is increasingly widespread, but Nghe dialect is still preserved and kept in life, as a characteristic reflecting the personality and culture of the people of the homeland of Hong Mountain - Lam River. Using Nghe dialect not only creates humor and irony in communication, but also creates closeness and intimacy, a mark so that Nghe people when going far away do not get mixed up with other faces.

Although she has been away from her homeland for 40 years, every time she meets People's Artist Hong Oanh, people can still feel the soul and character of a Ha Tinh person in her, through her words and songs from her homeland. "For thousands of Nghe Tinh people currently living and working in the South, the Nghe accent is the "sacred soul" of the mountains and rivers of their homeland, the love of their roots that those who are far from home always preserve as a treasure. Being able to speak their homeland's language in meetings and gatherings with fellow countrymen is very sacred and touching. Therefore, when hearing lullabies and folk songs from a foreign land, everyone is moved with longing for their roots. Only when they are far away do they realize that the homeland's language is the place to return to" - People's Artist Hong Oanh shared.

People's Artist Nguyen Hong Oanh is a person who devotes much effort to preserving and promoting the Art Language through Vi Giam melodies - lullabies in the Southern provinces.

In the flow of national culture, there have been many poems and songs using the tones and words of Nghe An, creating their own mark, spreading widely in life and being loved by people all over the country, such as the song: "Nguoi con gai song La" (poem by Nguyen Phuong Thuy, music by Doan Nho), "A song of the heart of a Ha Tinh person" (musician Nguyen Van Ty), the poem "Tieng Nghe" by poet Nguyen Bui Voi or recent songs such as: "Giong Nghe tim ve" by musician Le Xuan Hoa, set to poetry by Luong Khac Thanh...

With a diverse vocabulary, rich in expressing nuances, levels of emotions, feelings, describing, narrating events, scenes, people, and typical dialects... Artistic language contributes to enriching and beautifying the Vietnamese language in modern social life, and is an inseparable part to bring the Nghe Tinh community closer together. As the writer I-li-a E.Ren-bua (Russia) once said: "Love for home, love for the village, love for the countryside has become love for the Fatherland". From loving the language of their ancestors, Nghe people have increased their love for their homeland, joining hands to build and develop the country.

To keep familiar sounds from becoming strange...

Nghe is a dialect system in Vietnamese, but with its preservation and increasingly widespread dissemination, it has become a "brand" identifying the culture and people of Nghe in the context of integration. Although rich in expressiveness, in mass communication, Nghe language still has limitations, requiring Nghe people to flexibly use their mother tongue, dialect, and local language in work and study to achieve effectiveness.

Vi Giam folk song clubs from southern provinces perform at a cultural event in Ho Chi Minh City in 2022. Photo: Provided by NNND Hong Oanh.

Mr. Duong Van The (from Loc Ha, currently working in Lao Cai) expressed: "Nghe An language has a variety of expressive words from pronouns to adjectives, verbs... but if used in the wrong context, it will be very rude, sometimes vulgar, making the person opposite, even a Nghe An native, feel uncomfortable. Especially adjectives expressing rudeness, brusqueness... Therefore, it is necessary to eliminate and limit". It is known that because of his love for his hometown language, Mr. The previously joined an Nghe Ngu group on social networks with the purpose of communicating in his hometown language to satisfy his longing. However, some members of the group abused vulgar words to post and comment, making him uncomfortable and leaving the group.

One of the limitations of Nghe language in communicating with all regions is the heavy accent, which makes words with the tilde (~) and question mark (?) often pronounced as the heavy accent (.), and in some regions, the heavy accent (.) turns into the grave accent (`), and the grave accent (`) becomes the acute accent (')... That causes misunderstanding or difficulty in understanding for people from other regions. On the other hand, the heavy accent of Nghe people is also a barrier when learning a foreign language. At the 2023 Thanh Hoa - Nghe An - Ha Tinh Inter-Provincial Reception Competition recently held in Vinh City, this was clearly demonstrated. That is, some contestants from Nghe An and Ha Tinh when explaining in English had a strong regional accent, making the judges and some audiences feel confused.

Homeland of Lam River and Hong Mountain. Photo: Dinh Nhat.

According to some writers and researchers, in order for Nghe language to maintain its identity while still integrating into modern life, the first thing is to have policies and strategies for its preservation. In particular, schools need to have systematic lessons on the good, the beauty as well as the limitations of Nghe language; strengthen the preservation of cultural heritage such as Nghe Tinh lullabies, folk songs Vi, Giam, Ca Tru..., thereby reviving the words of our ancestors that carry the consciousness and soul of Nghe people. Artists and artisans need to be aware of their responsibility by incorporating the words of our ancestors from folk songs, proverbs, idioms, and ways of speaking... of Nghe people into their works. From there, spread the beauty of Nghe language in modern life.

Each individual in the Nghe community needs to pay attention to pronunciation and use words flexibly in each context, paying attention to the whole population so that listeners can easily receive the content, avoid misunderstandings, and cause obstacles in work and life.

Thien Vy - Hanh Nhan

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