French Loanwords
The Adaptation of French Loanwords in Vietnamese. As a result of French colonial rule in Vietnam, many French words were incorporated into the Vietnamese language, reflecting the lasting influence of colonialism on language and culture.
Timeline of Colonization + War: from 1887 to 1954, Vietnam was part of French Indochina, a colonial federation under French rule. The Vietnam War, involving North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and the United States, spanned the years 1961 to 1975.
My parents were born in Cần Thơ, Vietnam, in 1950. They spent their first four years under French colonial rule and lived through the Vietnam War from the ages of 11 to 25. At 29, they fled Vietnam with their three-year-old daughter, leaving behind their homeland and beginning a new chapter of their lives.
The French Foreign Legion, established in 1831, is a branch of the French Army open to foreign recruits.
Phonological Adaptation of French Loanword Legion in Vietnamese, French, and English:
LÊ-DƯƠNG, LÉGION, FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION
During the First Indochina War (1946–1954), the Legion suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ against the Việt Minh, a movement fighting for Vietnamese independence from French colonial rule.
The French defeat at Điện Biên Phủ led to the 1954 Geneva Accords, ending French colonial rule in Indochina and temporarily dividing Vietnam at the 17th parallel into a communist-led North and an anti-communist South.
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Thích Quảng Đức (1897–1963) was a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk who self-immolated at a busy Saigon intersection on June 11, 1963, in protest against the persecution of Buddhists by South Vietnam’s Catholic-led government. Photographer Malcolm Browne documented the event, capturing Quảng Đức seated in the traditional lotus position as gasoline was poured over him.
Rebellion. My practice is to sit with each collage, seeking to understand and resonate with the histories it holds.
“No news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as that one.” — John F. Kennedy
Loanwords, “ÉT-XĂNG, ESSENCE, GASOLINE”. Gasoline in Vietnamese, French, and English.
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From 1887 to 1954, Vietnam was part of French Indochina under French colonial rule. The Vietnam War lasted from 1961 to 1975. My parents were born in Cần Thơ, Vietnam, in 1950. They spent their first four years under French rule and lived through the war from ages 11 to 25. At 29, they fled Vietnam with their three-year-old daughter.
The Adaptation of French Loanwords in Vietnamese. French colonial rule left a lasting imprint on the Vietnamese language, with many French words adapted into Vietnamese, reflecting the enduring influence of colonialism on language and culture.
“BOM, BOMBE, BOMB”, in Vietnamese, French, English.
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On May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire on demonstrators at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others. The crowd was protesting the Vietnam War and the U.S. expansion of the conflict into Cambodia.
Baton (also known as a truncheon or nightstick) - A baton is a cylindrical club made of wood, rubber, plastic, or metal, used by law enforcement, correctional staff, security guards, and military personnel as a defensive weapon and compliance tool.
During the Victorian era, London police carried short truncheons known as billy clubs. The term was first recorded in 1848 as slang for a burglar’s crowbar, and by 1856 it referred to a police officer’s club. Longer versions, known as riot batons, are used for crowd and riot control.
Foreground image: Tactical squad marching through the Park Blocks during the 1970 student strike.
The Adaptation of French Loanwords in Vietnamese, “BA-TOONG, BÂTON , BATON” in Vietnamese, French, and English.