writing systems 1. types of writing systems –logographic (morphographic) –syllabic –alphabetic...
Post on 21-Dec-2015
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Writing Systems
• 1. Types of Writing Systems– Logographic (Morphographic)– Syllabic– Alphabetic
• 2. Origin of Writing
• 3. Development
• 4. Spread
1. Types of Writing System
• Logographic• 1 symbol = 1 word or morpheme
• Mandarin Chinese• 我們 喜歡 學 語言學• Wo.men xihuan xue yuyanxue.• I.Pl enjoy study linguistics• “We enjoy studying linguistics.”
• Syllabic• 1 symbol = 1 syllable
• Japanese• べ た べ た (hiragana)• be ta be ta ‘sticky’
• ア メ リ カ (katakana)• a me ri ka ‘America/US’
• Alphabetic• 1 symbol = 1 phoneme
• Korean• ㅎ ㅏ ㄴ ㄱ ㅡ ㄹ• h a n k ɯ l
• 한 글• han kɯl• ‘Korean’ ‘writing’
2. Origin of Writing
• pictorial sign (picture of plow)
• object (plow)
• pictorial sign
• object name of object
• ‘plow’, ‘to plow’, ‘plowman’
• pictorial sign
• name of object
• apin ‘plow’
Origin of Sumerian Cuneiform
Early Chinese Characters
3. Development: Rebus Principle
Rebus Principle and Chinese Characters
• 勿 wu ‘animal’
• 勿 wu Negative imperative
• 非 禮 勿 視• Fei li wu shi.
• be.not Li do.not look
• ‘If it does not adhere to Li do not look at it!’
• Graphic ambiguity:
• 勿 wu ‘animal’
• 勿 wu Negative imperative
• => Create new character
• 牛 ‘ ox’ > Semantic classifier
• 牛 + 勿 > 物 wu ‘animal’
• 牛 + 岡 > 犅 gang ‘cow’
• 牛 + 生 > 牲 sheng ‘domestic animal’
• 牛 + 羲 > 犧 xi ‘sacrificial animal’
4. Spread of Writing
Cuneiform Borrowed as Syllabary: Old Persian
Japanese Syllabaries from Chinese Characters
• Chinese Hiragana• 安 あ a• 加 か ka• 世 せ se• 天 て te• 乃 の no• 不 ふ fu• 呂 ろ ro
Manyoshu: Chinese characters used for sound and meaning value • 世間乎 何物爾• Yononaka=wo nani=ni
• world=Acc what=Dat
• 将譬• tatohe-mu?
• compare-should
• “To what should I compare this world?”
• Content words used for meaning value:• 世間 ‘ world’ > yononaka• 何物 ‘ what’ > nani• 将譬 ‘ should compare’ > tatohemu
• Function words used for sound value:• 乎 > Accusative case wo• 爾 > Dative case ni
Logograms to Alphabet: Phoenician
Phoenician to Greek:Vowels Added