writing systems

writing systems
Chinese characters (sinographs, logographs), have a known history of approximately 3,200 years, with the earliest forms visible on the so-called oracle bones used by Shang diviners to query the future. At origin somewhat pictographic, this aspect of the script is only vestigial. As they now exist, characters typically have both a phonetic component and a signific component, together giving clues to pronunciation and category of meaning. Though over 100,000 characters have been used at some time in China’s long literary past, for most purposes only 6,000 to 8,000 characters are used in high-level contemporary writing (such as newspapers and novels), and a vocabulary of approximately 4,000 characters is considered adequate for basic literacy. The lengthy process required to learn characters has been blamed for China’s historically low literacy rates, leading to writing reform movements. These have largely been discarded and the writing system remains a beloved symbol of civilization, education and Chineseness.
One of the most admired aspects of some ethnic minorities is the existence of an indigenous writing system. Those most widely known for such systems are the Uighurs, Manchus, Naxi, Yi and Tai. Roman scripts also have been designed for ethnic minorities without their own script. Scripts designed by missionaries have been replaced by more ‘scientific’ Roman scripts. In cases where an indigenous script, such as Old Thai, has been replaced by a new Roman script, resistance has often forced the restoration of the old one.
DeFrancis, John (1984). The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press.
——(1989). Visible Speech: The Diverse Oneness of Writing Systems. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press.
SUSAN D.BLUM

Encyclopedia of contemporary Chinese culture. . 2011.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Writing systems of Africa — The Writing Systems of Africa refer to the current and historical practice of written language on the African continent. The importance of oral culture and tradition in Africa and the recent dominance of European languages through colonialism,… …   Wikipedia

  • Ojibwe writing systems — A sign in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, with Ojibwe syllabics. The unpointed syllabics text says ᑳᐃᔑᐊᓉᐱᓈᓂᐗᐣᐠ (Gaa izhi anwebinaaniwang the place where people repose )…but with the last ᐧ / w missing from the sign. Ojibwe is an Native American language… …   Wikipedia

  • List of writing systems — This is a list of writing systems (or scripts), classified according to some common distinguishing features.The usual name of the script is given first (and bolded); the name of the language(s) in which the script is written follows (in brackets) …   Wikipedia

  • Mesoamerican writing systems — Mesoamerica, like India, Mesopotamia, China, and Egypt, is one of the few places in the world where writing has developed independently. Mesoamerican scripts deciphered to date are logosyllabic, combining the use of logograms with a syllabary,… …   Wikipedia

  • Undeciphered writing systems — Many undeciphered writing systems date from several thousand years BC, though some more modern examples do exist. The difficulty in deciphering these systems can arise from a lack of known language descendants or from the languages being entirely …   Wikipedia

  • Indic writing systems — Set of several dozen scripts used now or in the past to write many South and Southeast Asian languages. Aside from the Kharoshthi (Kharosthi) script, used с 4th century BC–3rd century AD, all extant writing of the region descends from the Brahmi… …   Universalium

  • Mongolian writing systems — Many Mongolian writing systems have been devised over the centuries. The number of scripts dedicated to the Mongolian language is matched by few other tongues.The oldest has also been the most successful one, and still in active use today. Others …   Wikipedia

  • The World's Writing Systems — is a reference book about the world s writing systems. The book is edited by Peter T. Daniels and William Bright and was first published by Oxford University Press in 1996. The World s Writing Systems systematically explores most of the world s… …   Wikipedia

  • Dhivehi writing systems — Thaana alphabet The Dhivehi or Divehi writing systems are the different scripts used by Maldivians during their history. The early Maldivian scripts fell into the abugida category, while the more recent Taana has characteristics of both an… …   Wikipedia

  • List of inventors of writing systems — This is a chronological list of any individuals, legendary or real, who are purported by traditions to have invented alphabets or other writing systems, whether this is proven or not.* Enos Biblical patriarch, ascribed introduction of consonantal …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”