OF THE INDO-CHINESE NATIONS. 263 



' From tlie vicinity of the Chinese to the Anam na- 

 tion, and the intimate connection that hasatdiflferent 

 periods subsisted between their countries, the Chinese 

 character, as well as literature, has been introduced 

 into both Tonkin and Cochin-China. Chinese literature 

 is greatly affected by all who pretend to distinction 

 in learning, in these countries ; and in the lan^guage 

 of Anayn, the Chinese characters are denom mated 

 Chuw. But besides this, another species of character 

 is in general use, and commonly employed in matters 

 of business and private affairs, which is constructed 

 on a principle entirely different; and though its 

 letters are numerous, they bear no proportion to the 

 Chinese signs, and, according to De Rhodes, they 

 are unifitelligible to the Chinese and those who are 

 unacquainted with the Anam language. These cha- 

 racters, in the A?iam language, are termed Norn. 

 What relation they bear to the ^«/i characters I have 

 not been able to determine accurately, though I sus- 

 pect they will be found to be connected with that, 

 or the Thay alphabet. It is perfectly certain, how- 

 ever, that they have no connection with the proper 

 Chinese character. I have been informed, by an 

 intelligent Chinese, who had resided some time in 

 both Siam and Cochin-China, that the proper Anam 

 character greatly resembles that of the Siamese, The 

 missionary Borri says, that the Cochin-Chinese, in 

 harangues, letters, memorials, petitions, "and such 

 things as do not belong to printed books, for these, 

 of necessity, must be in Chinese characters," generally 

 employ about three thousand characters, which they 

 find sufficient to express their meaning. If the 

 compound characters, and contractions of the Siamese, 

 be included in their alphabet, they would nearly 

 amount to this number. 



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