Elegance of Hanoians as shown in their manner of speaking
VGP - Speaking is the first step in social contact, and Hanoians use their speech to convey their elegance to guests. Because Hà Nội has historically been home to many migrants, the city was also home to numerous dialects.
Over time, Hanoians have blended the various dialects to create the most
pleasing dialect possible. This dialect in turn has become the standard
Vietnamese language for the entire country.
Elegance
of Hanoian girls – Illustration photo
Phạm Đình Hổ (1768-1839), the well-known social historian and researcher,
remarked the elegant speech patterns of Hanoians thusly in his Vũ trung tùy bút (Essays Written on Rainy Days) as
follows: “In daily conversations, they express tolerance, simplicity and modesty.”
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605-1689), a world traveler and businessman
from France, was greatly impressed by Hanoians speech in his book The New Traveler’s Notes and Points of Interest
of the Đằng Ngoài (Northern Vietnamese)
Kingdom (published in Vietnamese by Thế Giới Publishers, Hà Nội, 2007). As
he put it, “Their voice sounds naturally smooth and euphonious. The Northerners
have a good memory and florid speech. They regularly use accurate euphemisms in
conversations.”
An old Hà Nội saying goes like this: “Words cost no money, so let’s
choose our words in order to please others.”
In fact, the
charm and elegance of Hanoians speech are particularly reflected by their
accurate and clever word usage. Combined with the politeness and subtlety with
which Hanoians speak, these words form one of the finest customs of the city.
