Alexandre de Rhodes and Vietnamese part of speech

Abstract

Annamiticae Linguae seu Tunchinensis Brevis Declaratio (Outline of the language Annam or language Tonkin) in Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum (Dictionary Vietnamese - Portuguese - Latin) by Alexandre de Rhodes is one of the oldest texts which mention Vietnamese grammar issue. In this work, the author has identified two basic expressions reflecting the characteristics of Vietnamese grammar: the ability to combine words and the function words by describing the “word add” and the sub-word (particle/adverb).