The person who brought Thai font to computers in Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn)- Mr. Sam Van Binh - an "Excellent Artisan" who was honored at the end of 2015 for his research and teaching of Thai script in Yen Luom village, Chau Quang commune is one of the typical examples of studying and following Uncle Ho in Quy Hop district.
Graduated from the Maritime University in 1987, he returned to his hometown to live in the village and came into contact with many ancient Thai texts but could not read or write, while he was fluent in English and knew a little German. He always thought about why he could not read or write his own ethnic language and writing, and that the current situation of Thai writing was almost forgotten and no one paid attention. Those things urged him to collect and learn about the customs and practices of his ethnic group.
After 10 years of hard work collecting and researching, Mr. Binh was able to read and write the basic Thai script of Lai Tay. In 2006, in the mountainous commune of Chau Cuong, the Thai script club was spontaneously established. Mr. Sam Van Binh was invited to join and became the "soul" of this club.
Activities at the club helped him to almost complete the book series "Guide to learning Thai language of Lai Tay", including 2 volumes during the period from 2006 - April 2010.
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| Mr. Sam Van Binh (far left) discusses ways of teaching Thai language with local people. |
Volume 1 is 108 pages thick, with 21 lessons that are systematically arranged from simple to complex. Volume 2 has 20 advanced lessons, ensuring that students can not only read and write fluently, but also remember them for a long time, and can teach them to others. In parallel with and following these two books considered as textbooks, Mr. Sam Van Binh also completed 5 other books, with many suggestions and rich original materials for Thai language researchers in the region and in the whole country such as: "Lai script - Muong Ham"; "Lai script - Thanh Hoa"; "Lai script - Muong Mun"; "Lai script - Muong Muoi"; "Lai Pao script"; "History of formation and development of Muong Ham".
In particular, he has successfully researched 5 Thai fonts to install on computers that have been widely used in Thai groups in Nghe An and the "Preserving ancient capital" column of Nghe An Weekend newspaper for many years. Up to now, Mr. Sam Van Binh has opened more than 10 classes in the district with more than 400 participants and more than 200 people can read and write fluently and can teach Thai to others.
From 2011 to present, Mr. Binh has successfully defended his provincial-level scientific research topic entitled "Research, compile documents and organize teaching and learning of Lai Tay Thai script in Nghe An area".
Currently, Mr. Sam Van Binh not only teaches Thai in Quy Hop district, but is also invited to teach Thai classes in Quy Chau, Que Phong, Con Cuong districts... In addition, he is also invited by associations to participate in seminars on Thai and Thai culture in many places in and outside the country such as: Hanoi, Dien Bien, Son La, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Laos and Thailand...
Mr. Sam Van Binh received many Certificates of Merit from the Central and the province such as: Promoting the role of a prestigious person among ethnic minorities; 15 years of implementing Resolution 5 of the Central Committee (VIII term) on building and developing an advanced Vietnamese culture with strong national identity; Certificate of Honor from the Vietnamese Thai Studies Program in March 2015; And especially, being honored as an Excellent Artisan by the President on November 13, 2015. These are worthy rewards for a Thai ethnic person who always researches and preserves ancient traditions. |
Thu Huong
Kwai Hop Station
.jpg "Chữ Thái ở Nghệ An, lễ đón tiếng sấm của người Ơ Đu và nghệ thuật trống tế Yên Thành được công nhận di sản văn hóa phi vật thể quốc gia")
