Mother of Writing: The Origin and Development of a Hmong Messianic Script by William A. Smalley, Chia Koua Vang, Gnia Yee Yang - 1990-06-15

University of Chicago Press, 1990. Paperback. Very Good. Binding firm, cover shiny, interior clean and unmarked. The story of Shong Lue Yang and the development of the Hmong alphabet. *** 221pp. *** Index, biblio.

University of Chicago Press, June 1990. Trade Paperback . Good.

University of Chicago Press, 1990 Book. Very Good. Soft cover. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. A little reading wear. Otherwise a square, tight, unmarked book. Index. xii, 221 pp..

The University of Chicago Press, 1990 . pbk 221pp ISBN: 0226762874 excellent as new

Paperback / softback. New. In February of 1971, in the Laotian village of Nam Chia, a forty-one year old farmer named Shong Lue Yang was assassinated by government soldiers. Shong Lue claimed to have been descended of God and given the mission of delivering the first true Hmong alphabet. Many believed him to be the Hmong people's long-awaited messiah, and his thousands of followers knew him as "Mother (Source) of Writing." An anthropological linguist who has worked among the Hmong, William A. Smalley joins Shong Lue's chief disciple, Chia Koua Vang, and one of his associates, to tell the fascinating story of how the previously unschooled farmer developed his remarkable writing system through four stages of increasing sophistication. The uniqueness of Shong Lue's achievement is highlighted by a comparison of Shong Lue's writing system to other known Hmong systems and to the history of writing as a whole. In addition to a nontechnical linguistic analysis of the… Read More

Univ of Chicago Pr, 1990. Paperback. New. 1st edition. 229 pages. 9.00x6.00x0.50 inches.

Paperback / softback. New.

paperback. Good. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.

Univ of Chicago Pr, 1990. Paperback. New. 1st edition. 229 pages. 9.00x6.00x0.50 inches.

Chicago : White Lotus Press, 1990. Paperback. Good. 1.00. Smalley, William A., Chia Koua Vang & Gnia Yee Yang. In February of 1971, in the Laotian village of Nam Chia, a forty-one year old farmer named Shong Lue Yang was assassinated by government soldiers. Shong Lue claimed to have been descended of God and given the mission of delivering the first true Hmong alphabet. Many believed him to be the Hmong people’s long-awaited messiah, and his thousands of followers knew him as “Mother (Source) of Writing”. This work provides a nontechnical linguistic analysis of the script and a survey of its current use. In addition, it gives an intriguing cultural account of Shong Lue’s life. The book traces the twenty-year-long struggle to disseminate the script after Shong Lue’s death, first by handwriting, then by primitive movable type, an abortive attempt to design a wooden typewriter, and finally by modern word processing. In a moving concluding chapter, Smalley discusses his own complex feelings about his… Read More