vietnamese

reading booklet

PIMSLEURSIMON & SCHUSTERS

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and Recorded Program 2004 Simon & Schuster, Inc. Reading Booklet 2004 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Pimsleur is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Mfg. in USA.

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iii

VietnameseVoices

English-Speaking Instructor. . . . . . . . . Ray BrownVietnamese-Speaking Instructor . . . . . Khuong VuFemale Vietnamese Speaker. . . . . . . . . . . . Lien LeMale Vietnamese Speaker . . . . Dr. Binh Nhu Ngo

course WritersDr. Binh Nhu Ngo Christopher J. Gainty

editorsElizabeth Horber Dr. Ulrike S. Rettig

Beverly D. Heinle

executiVe ProducerBeverly D. Heinle

Producer & directorSarah H. McInnis

recording engineersPeter S. Turpin Kelly Saux

Simon & Schuster Studios, Concord, MA

acknowledgments

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

iv

Reading lessons

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1The Vietnamese Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Words for You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4The Vietnamese Writing System . . . . . . . . . . . . 5The Vietnamese Alphabet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Tones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Lesson One. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Lesson Two. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Lesson Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Lesson Four . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Lesson Five. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Lesson Six . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Lesson Seven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Lesson Eight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Lesson Nine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Lesson Ten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Lesson Eleven. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Lesson Twelve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Lesson Thirteen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Lesson Fourteen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Lesson Fifteen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Lesson Sixteen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Lesson Seventeen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Lesson Eighteen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Lesson Nineteen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Lesson Twenty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

table of contents

Vietnamese

introduction

Reading has been defined as the decoding of graphic material which represents the phonemic patterns of the spoken lanaguage, or to put it another way, reading consists of coming back to speech through the graphic symbols. In short, meaning is contained in the sounds of the spoken language. As the written form of any language does no more than represent these sounds visually, speaking a language is the necessary first step to reading and understanding anything written in the language.

The Vietnamese alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet, and many letters seem to be exactly the same as their English counterparts. However, the Vietnamese alphabet represents sounds unique to Vietnamese, and the sound of each letter may differ significantly from what appears to be the same letter in English. Vietnamese letters have symbols attached to them which display a wide range of information, from the correct pitch and tonal motion to the length and quality of the vowels.

There are twenty Vietnamese reading lessons. They can all be found at the end of the program. You may choose to do the readings along with the lesson units, after every other unit or so, or you may want to wait

2Vietnamese

2

and do them all together, after completing the rest of the course. Feel free to repeat the reading lessons as often as needed for practice with the Vietnamese alphabet and its sounds.

introduction (continued)

Vietnamese

3Vietnamese

Vietnamese is spoken by some 80 million people in Vietnam and approximately two million Vietnamese overseas. Vietnam is also home to 60 or so smaller ethnic groups who speak indigenous languages. Some Vietnamese speak Russian and / or English, and some older Vietnamese speak French. However, the majority of social, political, and cultural communication in Vietnam is conducted in Vietnamese.

The Vietnamese language has three main dialects: northern, central, and southern. The differences between the dialects lie in both the vocabulary and the phonetic system. However, Vietnamese everywhere understand each other despite these differences.

This Vietnamese course introduces the contem-porary Hanoi (northern) dialect, the widely-accepted standard Vietnamese. The Hanoi dialect is the one most often used in news broadcasts on national Vietnamese radio and television and in Vietnamese books, newspapers, and magazines.

the Vietnamese language

4Vietnamese

4

Vietnamese

The Vietnamese language uses several words for you, depending on the gender and age of the person being addressed. In this course, we learn four different words:

anh - refers to a man younger than 50,b - refers to a woman over 50,ch - refers to a woman younger than 50,ng - refers to a man over 50.

Other words exist to refer to the very young or very old, but these four will enable you to interact with others effectively in most situations.

words for You

5Vietnamese

The writing system currently in use in Vietnam is based on the Latin alphabet. The Vietnamese alphabet began as a Romanization of Vietnamese by 17th-century missionaries, but since some Vietnamese sounds have no equivalent in the Latin alphabet, additional letters were created by adding diacritical marks, usually to the vowels, to indicate the differences.

Before the present writing system, there were two previous Vietnamese writing systems, both of which used ideograms based on Chinese characters. Neither of these is used in contemporary Vietnam. The French governor general issued a decree to use the Romanized alphabet exclusively in 1910. When Vietnam became independent in 1945, Ho Chi Minhs government continued the policy of using the Romanized alphabet exclusively.

You will find the Vietnamese alphabet starting on page 7, along with a guide to the sounds represented by each letter. Note that some Vietnamese letters have more than one sound, depending on their position in the word or combination with other letters. Whenever possible, English equivalents are given. However, keep in mind that these equivalents

the Vietnamese writing system

6Vietnamese

6

Vietnamese

are just approximations. You should use this list for reference only, as all the information you need to complete the readings is contained at the end of the program. Please refer to the audio of the Readings to hear the authentic sounds.

the Vietnamese writing system (continued)

7Vietnamese

letter sounda the a in father

the u in hut

like , except that the sound is longer

b (as in English)c somewhere between a k and a hard g

d the z in zebra

{ a cross between an English t and d

e like the eah in yeah

the in resum, or ay in play

gwhen followed by i sounds like z; otherwise rolling r or rh

h (as in English)i the i in singk like the Vietnamese cl (as in English)m (as in English)n (as in English)o like the word awe

the Vietnamese alphabet

8Vietnamese

8

Vietnamese

letter sound the o in go

the English schwa sound, like the a in alone

p (as in English)q (as in English)r like the English z

s (as in English)t like the t in tin

u the oo in boot

like the "i" in "live" and "pin"

v (as in English)x the ss in address

y ee when at the beginning of the word

combinationsao the ow sound in the word gownau like the Vietnamese ao

u like ohay like eye

ch like ch as in chair when at the beginning of a word; like k when at the end of the word

kh like the h in hum, but more guttural

the Vietnamese alphabet (continued)

9Vietnamese

combinations (continued)ng like the ng in sing

ngh like the Vietnamese ng (the h is silent in this combination)

nhlike the Vietnamese ng when at the end of a word; like the ni in onion when at the beginning of a word

oa like the wa in wateroai like "why"ph as in the English word phone

qu somewhere between the qu in quack and the gu in Guatemalath like the English t tr like the ch in chair

uai like "why"uay like way

tonesVietnamese is a tonal language, where changes in

the pitch level of a word signal a change in meaning. Vietnamese has six different tones, all of which, except for the mid-level tone, are denoted by diacritic marks. These are shown in the chart on the next page, shown with the letter a.

the Vietnamese alphabet (continued)

10

Vietnamese

10

Vietnamese

english name mark (shown with a)

High-rising Starts slightly higher than mid-level and rises sharply

low-falling Starts slightly lower than mid-level, and trails downward toward the bottom of the vocal range

mid-level a Starts at the mid-point of the speakers vocal range, and remains stable and constant during the pronunciation of the syllable

low-falling-rising Starts slightly lower than mid-level, drops abruptly, and is then followed by a sweeping rise at the end of the syllable

High-rising broken Starts as high as the High-rising tone, breaks, then rises and stops abruptly

low-falling broken Starts as low as the Low-falling tone and then drops off very sharply

tones (continued)

11

Vietnamese

tones (continued)

When a letter includes both an accent and a tonal marker, the tonal marker appears above the accent mark, except for the Low-falling broken tone which appears as a dot below the letter. To illustrate, the six tones are shown below with the letter .

12

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

12

Vietnamese

bab l to c ti cn Cn b? ng ng b anh anh l khng n vng {i cho Cho b. ba bia Cho b, ti {i.

lesson one

13

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

con Cn ng? c c / cn kh lm kh lm cm n Cm n anh. thnh ph thi gian ting ting Anh ti niti ni ting Anh. mun ung Ti khng mun ung. vi b bngtingAnh

lesson two

14

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

14

Vietnamese

ti canh c nhiu Bao nhiu? Anh c bao nhiu?phi hiu

Tihiu.

Bkhnghiu.

BkhnghiutingAnh.

ng chiukhng?Khng.Tikhnghiu.

kh lm Tihiukhngkhlm.

kho ng c kho khng? Ti kho lm. Ti kho lm, cm n ng. Khng kho lm. ngkhnghiu.

lesson three

15

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

ting bngtingAnh

nga ngi

by byngi

M

ngiM

TilngiM.

b khng phi l BkhngphilngiM.

{y {y {`y ngha tin Trng Tin ph Trng TinPh Trng Tin khng phi {y.Nghalg?

lesson four

16

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

16

Vietnamese

hi cho anh cho hi anh c phi l Anh cphilngiMkhng? {u lu Bao lu? t

mt Vit ngiVit

TihiutingVit.

ChlngiVit.TikhngphilngiVit.

mtt

TihiumtttingVit.

ngh bn NgibnM.

lesson five

17

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

sao xa xa lm li xin Xin li ch. bit Ti bit ting Vit. Ti nimtt.[o Hng

Trn phTrnHng[o

PhTrnHng[o{u?

boM

bo Vit m ca ca hng Cc ca hng c m ca khng? Ti khng bit.

lesson six

18

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

18

Vietnamese

hay hai hay / hai hai hay ba? mi

t

haimit

hayhaimimt?

Ti cmtt.sau {sumimt

sumichn

misu

misu/sumi

ngy ngy mai nghn

hiun

Hiun{u?

Tikhnghiu.

lesson seven

19

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

mai ti mai ti nay Ti mun li. Ti mun li {`y.m`y ngyhai ngy Ti sao? ci g

cig{ ti mun mua Timun{imuacig{. Anhmun{imuag?

gi Bao gi? m`y Vo lc m`y gi? bngihaynmgi

Byginmgi.

lesson eight

20

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

20

Vietnamese

{ngkia

Ai{ngkia?

Vti{ngkia.

chng ch sng hm qua ng `y ng `y {i Si Gn. bngmybay

Chmun{imuag?mun mun hn ch mun / mun hn mun qu ri By gi m`y gi ri? By gi by gi. tna

cha

Tichamunmuag.

Tnatimunung.

lesson nine

21

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

Vo lc m`y gi? Vo lc bn gi. Ch{cm`ychu?Chngticha{cchuno.ru

ruvang

cc haiccruvang

th thch

Ch cthchruvangkhng?Ti cng th. H Ni Minh HChMinh

Hi Yn hiunHiYn

{ Anh ch{{icha?Tichamuag.

lesson ten

22

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

22

Vietnamese

ch ch ti ch cho hi misu

sumi

Ti {y m`y ngy ri. khch sn Hon Kim Ti khch sn Hon Kim. HoBnh

Ti phi {i.Tiphi{i{nkhchsnHoBnh.

{ngno?

Tiphi{i{ngno?

Anhphi{i{ngkia.

Vo lc m`y gi? Vo lcmimtgi.Gi bao nhiu? [iHNibngmybay---

m`t bao lu?

lesson eleven

23

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

Vit Nam{ngtin {ng Ch c tin {ng Vit Nam khng? {-laM

nhiu tin mtttin

Ti cmtttin.cho ticho ti / ch ti Ti cthchoch --- batrmnghn{ng.

C{ckhng?tr Ti phi tr bao nhiu? ngn hng {i Ch cn {i bao nhiu? nhiu / nhiu Khng nhiu lm.

lesson twelve

24

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

24

Vietnamese

ng{ncha?

By gi mun ri. chamun

sm cn sm chuyn Ti mun ni chuyn. Ti mun ni chuyn vi ch. ch `y Ch `y cng Vit Nam. {nh By gi ch `y {nhnsng.ntra

Tichan.

ntra/chan

nh hng Nh hng Hi Yn {u?Khng xa. gn lm Ch nig?

lesson thirteen

25

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

thm

Ti {nh{ithm---ngibn.

Ti {nh{ithmngibn.Ngy mai ti {nh {i. bo ting Vit Nhn Dn {c bo H Ni Mi bo hm nay Ti cth{cbotingVit.mua bo Bo hm nay mua {u? quy quy bo Quy bo gn lm. m`y t bo M`y t bo ny gi bao nhiu? r Bo ting Vit r lm.

lesson fourteen

26

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

26

Vietnamese

r`t {p Tri hm nay r`t {p.r`t ngon Mn ny r`t ngon. r`t cay ph ph ph b ph g nm

Nam nm/nam

{csn

Cnhhng{csn---no gn {y khng? Nhhng{csn---

ngay gn {y. Hm qua ti mua --- ruvangPhp.

Nh hng cruvangPhp.

lesson fifteen

27

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

tr Cho ch. Mi ch ung tr. Xin mi vo. r`t vui lm quen R`tvui{clmquenving.

Anh{cm`ychu?

Chngti{chaichu.chng ti chng ti chng / chng chu gi chu trai Cc chu ln ri. lm vic CcchulmvicM.

Chngtithm---m`yngibn---

Vit Nam.

lesson sixteen

28

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

28

Vietnamese

bn gi By gi bn gi ri. Gia{nhchng ti ---cbnngi.By gi m`y gi ri? my baym`y / myChng ti {i H Ni. bngmybay.

M`t hai ting. sn bay qucquc t Ni Bi Tn Sn Nh`t v my bay Sn bay c xa khng? sn / xa ra sn bay T khch sn ra sn bay {i th no? [ibngtc-xi.

lesson seventeen

29

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

du lch {i du lch vnh H Long {i tham quan vnh H Long dch v du lch sng Hng {i tu trn sng Hng {ng

Tiphi{i{ngno?

{ithng

r phi r tri xe t but

xebut

xe my xe m xe {p xch-l

Ti phi tr bao nhiu tin?

lesson eighteen

30

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

30

Vietnamese

{in thoi gi {in thoi cu c`p cu gi {in cho c`p cu bnh vin bc s m Ti b m. {i khm bnh {au bng cm cm lnh ung thuc nh v sinh Nh v sinh {u? gn {y. r`t xalm n gi Anh lm n gi tc-xi cho ti.

lesson nineteen

31

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.

Vietnamese

ca hng m ca{ng ca Ca hng {ng ca.Ti sao? siu th Ch mun {i ch hay {i siu th? Ti mun {i mua {.hoa qu Chng ti {i vi nhau. Ti {nh{ilmvicmtmnh.Ti bn qu! li {y m`y tun {i du lch nhiu ni Chngti{ithmVnMiu.c l tun sau Chng ti {i Hu v Nha Trang. Chngticnmun{i[Ltna.[`tncVitNam{plm.

Chngtir`tthchVitNam.

lesson twenty

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