Learn Vietnamese

General Information

Modern Vietnamese (the Quôc Ngu), as it is currently being taught in Vietnam and abroad, is based upon the Romanized alphabet writing system invented in the mid-1500’s (1548) by Alexander de Rhodes, a French Jesuit priest.

Vietnamese is a tonal language. It belongs both to the Mon-Khmer and Sino-Tibetan language families. There are three primary dialects of the Vietnamese language; Northern (Hanoian), Central (Huê), and Southern (Saigonese). Today, the convention is to teach Hanoian, as it is the most structured and also the most easily learned of the three dialects.

Research in the area of second language acquisition, suggests that the most effective process for acquiring a language begins with listening, followed by speaking, reading and writing. At WAL we follow this order.

The focus of our program is on conversational, colloquial usage within a grammatical framework. Listening and speaking skills are achieved through pronunciation drills and dialogues practiced in class. There will be an emphasis on learning Vietnamese in a social-cultural context, as it is very beneficial in helping students gain an intuitive edge toward understanding and developing a command of the language. By focusing on practical language skills, students are able to actively participate in situations which they can expect to encounter. Lessons will also gradually incorporate reading and writing.

Textbook: Tuan Duc Vuong and John Moore, Colloquial Vietnamese: A Complete Language Course, London and New York: Routledge, 1994.

Vietnamese I

30 hours of instruction/5 weeks

Students in this course will learn greetings, question forms and personal information regarding nationality, family and occupation. Grammar will include direct address, negative statements, verbs, conjunctions and possessive constructions. After five weeks, students will be able to carry on short conversations in Vietnamese and write simple sentences. There will be some tailoring of the curriculum to accommodate the unique interests and needs of individual students. The goal is to maximize the benefits for each student, in accordance with his/her intentions and motivations for learning Vietnamese, without compromising the quality of instruction for the entire class.

Audio cassette tapes are available to enrolled students for a refundable deposit.