Indigenous Knowledge System and Linguistic Code with Reference to Ngu Loc Community of Vietnam: A Socio-linguistic Appraisal
Hemanga Dutta and Pham Thi Ha Xuyen
Publication: Volume 1 Issue 2
Abstract
This study analyzes the use of indigenous knowledge and linguistic code used in the Ngu Loc community settled in Hau Loc district, Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam which has a rich tradition of eight hundred years. This paper contributes to the understanding of the formation and development of an indigenous knowledge system of this coastal village in Vietnam. It evaluates the intrinsic relationship between existing natural environmental habitat and coastal resident communities specifically in order to express the value of experience involved in fishing activity as reflected in traditional folk practices, ritual, and proverbs. This study considers the relationship between language and culture too on an explicit canvas which further talks about the difficulties a translator encounters while transmitting the knowledge system embedded in a typical community’s language into another language. To what extent a translator can contribute in bridging the gap caused by culture and geography is a question of major concern in this research work.
Keywords: linguistic code, indigenous knowledge, folk traditional practices, Eco- criticism.
Hemanga Dutta (hemangadutta1@gmail.com) is Assistant Professor at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. He completed his Ph.D. in Linguistics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and his Post Doctorate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) under the auspices of Nehru Fulbright Fellowship. He has extensively published on Phonology and Sociolinguistics. He has received the UGC Raman Fellowship, Utrecht University Fellowship, SM Katre Award, and Venus International Faculty Award to mention a few.
Pham Thi Ha Xuyen is a Research Scholar at Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Hanoi. Her research interests include Anthropology, Culture Studies, and Field methods. She earned her Masters in Ethnography from Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences. She has co-authored two books on Ethnic identity and Ethnic groups which have been published by Vietnam Social Science Publication.