Two Rhyming Mongolic Words in Kitan Assembled Script

2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 673-684
Keyword(s):  
Writing Systems ◽  
Bird Of Prey ◽  
History Of ◽  
Liao Empire

This note discusses the reading, the meaning and the history of two Mongolic words, šawa ‘bird of prey’ and čala ‘stone’ of the Kitan language written in the second of the two writing systems of the Kitan Liao Empire, the assembled, or composite, or as commonly called, ‘small’ script.

scholarly journals Palaeohispanic Languages and Epigraphies

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Cultural History ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Fifth Century ◽  
First Century ◽  
Writing Systems ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mediterranean World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Multidisciplinary Perspective ◽  
Do So

At least four writing systems—in addition to the Phoenician, Greek, and Latin ones—were used between the fifth century BCE and the first century CE to write the indigenous languages of the Iberian peninsula (the so-called Palaeohispanic languages): Tartessian, Iberian, Celtiberian, and Lusitanian. In total over three thousand inscriptions are preserved in what is certainly the largest corpus of epigraphic expression in the western Mediterranean world with the exception of the Italian peninsula. The aim of this book is to present a state of the question that includes the latest cutting-edge scholarship on these epigraphies and the languages that they transmit. To do so, the editors have put together a volume that from a multidisciplinary perspective brings together linguistic, philological, epigraphic, numismatic, historical, and archaeological aspects of the surviving inscriptions. The study of these languages is essential to achieve a better understanding of the social, economic, and cultural history of Hispania and the ancient western Mediterranean. They are also the key to our understanding of colonial Phoenician and Greek literacy, which lies at the root of the spread of these languages and also of the diffusion of Roman literacy, which played an important role in the final expansion of the so-called Palaeohispanic languages.

Cherokee and West Africa: Examining the Origins of the Vai Script

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 427-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konrad Tuchscherer ◽  
P.E.H. Hair†
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Previous History ◽  
Intellectual Ability ◽  
External Influence ◽  
Scholarly Work ◽  
Writing Systems ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
History Of ◽  
Western Intellectual ◽  
Written Word

A cornerstone of the Western intellectual heritage is the fervent belief in the power of the written word to transform man and society. In this tradition, the existence of writing serves as a hallmark for civilization and a marker to separate history from prehistory. While a great deal of scholarly work has dispelled many myths about literacy, thus bridging “the great divide” between the written and the oral, our intellectual and emotional attachment to writing persists. This appears to be especially the case in reference to the origins of writing systems, many of the latter being claimed and reputed to have been “independently invented.” For those peoples most involved historically in such developments, the invention and use of original scripts are points of pride, and hence claims for the “authenticity” of the scripts, that is, for their invention and coming into use having been an entirely indigenous undertaking, are passionately guarded.Historians of writing, however, are cautious of claims for independent invention. From ancient to modern times, the history of the development of writing has been characterized by a balance between “independent invention” and “stimulus diffusion.” While epigraphers and paleographers attempt to unravel the inevitably obscure origins of certain ancient scripts possibly devised in environments free from external influence, no script devised in the last two thousand years is likely to have emerged totally independent of the stimulus of some diffused knowledge of the previous history of scripts—at the very least, the mere idea of writing. Nonetheless, for many modern observers, any suggestion of an outside stimulus on the development of such scripts is considered virtual heresy, tantamount to an attack on the intellectual ability of the peoples who claim to have single-handedly devised the scripts.

IZAPAN WRITING: CLASSIFICATION AND PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
David F. Mora-Marín
Keyword(s):  
Historical Linguistic ◽  
Sufficient Data ◽  
Linguistic Context ◽  
Writing Systems ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
History Of Research ◽  
History Of ◽  
Diagnostic Traits

AbstractThis paper reviews the limited evidence for the classification of the script attested at the site of Izapa. Sufficient data for assessing the nature of key formal traits exists, thanks to the more recent documentation of the sculptural corpus (Clark and Moreno 2007). After a review of the archaeological and historical linguistic context, the paper examines the history of research on the classification of the writing systems of Mesoamerica (Justeson 1986; Justeson and Mathews 1990; Justeson et al. 1985; Prem 1973), focusing on the Southeastern Tradition. Three diagnostic traits allow for a narrow assignation of Izapa's script, perhaps unsurprisingly, to the Greater Izapan or Maya-Izapa sub-tradition (Justeson and Mathews 1990; Justeson et al. 1985) of the Southeastern Tradition: the superfixed placement of the bar-and-dot numeral with respect to the day sign cartouche, positional notation for counting, and the use of day sign pedestals. Other traits include the conflation and embedding of signs. The paper concludes that the evidence is, at present, insufficient to distinguish between the two likely options, Mixe-Zoquean and Mayan. Finally, a preliminary signary is provided in the Appendix.

The Font that Never Was: Linotype and the “Phonetic Chinese Alphabet” of 1921

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 550-566
Author(s):  
Thomas S. Mullaney
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Design Process ◽  
The United States ◽  
Chinese Script ◽  
Writing Systems ◽  
Hot Metal ◽  
Chinese Market ◽  
Metal Printing ◽  
History Of ◽  
Linguistic Challenges

Abstract Since the invention and globalization of hot metal printing in the United States and Europe, engineers and entrepreneurs dreamt of a day when linotype and monotype technologies would absorb Chinese script into its growing repertoire of non-Latin writing systems, just as they had Arabic, Armenian, Burmese, Devanagari, Hebrew, Korean, and over one hundred other scripts. In the early 1920s, the much-celebrated release of a new font—the “Chinese Phonetic Alphabet” by Mergenthaler Linotype, and later by the Monotype corporation—led many to believe that the day had finally come. This article charts out the quixotic history of Linotype and Monotype’s efforts to enter the Chinese market, examining the linguistic challenges that had long prevented China’s absorption into a Western-dominated “hot metal empire,” the design process by which artists in Brooklyn and London crafted these new fonts, and ultimately the cultural misunderstandings that doomed the projects to failure.

Spelling Shinzwani

2001 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet Joseph Ottenheimer
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Special Reference ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Writing Systems ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Literacy Identity

This paper surveys the history of dictionary construction and orthographic choice in the Comoros — a former French colony in the Indian Ocean — with special reference to issues of literacy, identity, and politics. Evidence ranging from 16th century wordlists to contemporary bilingual/bidirectional dictionaries, as well as colonial, missionary, and scholarly approaches to lexicography and orthography in the Comoros, are examined and compared. While Arabic-influenced writing systems have a long history in the Comoros, the experiences of colonialism and independence in the 20th century introduced French- and phonemically-influenced systems. As the Comoros move into the 21st century, linguists and ethnographers are attempting to assist with questions of standardization, literacy, and dictionary construction. The situation remains fluid, with considerations of tradition, modernity, nationalism, and representation to be taken into account. This paper seeks to address the complex interrelationships between orthographic choice and ethnic identity in the Comoros, with special reference to the development of the first bilingual/bidirectional Shinzwani-English dictionary.

THE CHINESE ‘IDEOGRAPHIC’ SCRIPT: EVOLUTION OF PERCEPTIONS (BASED ON THE 19TH CENTURY AUTHORS)

2020 ◽  
pp. 210-218
Author(s):  
Ksenia A. Kozha ◽  
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Chinese Script ◽  
Writing Systems ◽  
History Of Research ◽  
Hieroglyphic Writing ◽  
History Of ◽  
Chinese Writing System ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
Chinese Writing

The article explores briefly the history of research in one of the most arguable topics in Sinological linguistics — the definition of an ideographic script, i. e. the Chinese writing system perceptions in the Russian and Western sinology of the 19th century. J.-F. Champolion’s and T. Young’s discoveries of the nature of hieroglyphic script, its function and evolution, as well as their decipherment of the ancient Egyptians texts, naturally influenced the broad field of oriental linguistics, having stimulated researches of other hieroglyphic writing systems. The present article touches briefly upon works of the American scholars P. DuPanceau and S. Andrews, the British naturalist G. T. Lay, the French diplomat J.-M. Callery and the well-renowned Russian sinologists I. Bičurin and V. P. Vasilyev. Basing on the selection of works, relevant to the article’s subject matter, the author aims to illustrate the evolution of Sinological knowledge in one of its most arguable topics — the nature hieroglyphic script, its structure and modification over time. Selected passages from the above mentioned authors, their exchange of opinions and comments to each other’s works tend to demonstrate the development of the research methodology itself — the gradual shift from labelling the Chinese script with ideographic stamp to the recognition of its phono-semantic dimensions and its transformation towards a phonetic system of writing.

The Research of Aesthetics of Type as Image in Motion-Targeting Video Poetics at Type Motion: Type as Image in Motion Exhibition in Taiwan

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 190-207
Author(s):  
Chih Ho Chen ◽  
Sheng-Min Hsieh
Keyword(s):  
Fine Arts ◽  
Chinese Characters ◽  
Writing Systems ◽  
Human Communication ◽  
Concrete Poetry ◽  
Sound Poetry ◽  
Motion Type ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Aesthetic

Characters are signs and symbols that record our thoughts and feelings and allow the documentation of events and history. Later, the appearance of motion images marked a new milestone in the use and application of characters. Not only were the original function of characters improved and enhanced, text that integrate sound and images are also able to communicate much more diverse and abundant information. This technique is commonly found in cinema, television, advertisement, and animation. Thanks to technological advances, the combination of characters, texts, or types and images once again changed how we read. It has also created new meaning for our time. Today, type image seems to have achieved an aesthetic autonomy of their own. This has a profound impact on image and art creation and human communication. The emergence of cinema art in the late 19th century brought motion into written media and greatly expanded the possibilities of art. In today’s world of instant communication media, text and images face unprecedented changes. Chinese characters are one of the most ancient writing systems in human history. Unlike western alphabet, each Chinese character has its own form, sound, and meaning. Chinese characters are a highly figurative cultural element. This essay takes Chinese characters and the works featured in the concrete poetry/sound poetry and fragment poetry categories in the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts “Type Motion: Type as Image in Motion” exhibition as the subject of study to examine the history of text and media and changes in the way we deliver information and communicate. This essay also provides an analysis of the relationship between text and motion image and the interdependency between culture and technology and media. The connections and differences between Chinese characters in different time and space is also investigated to highlight the uniqueness of the characters as a medium, its application in motion writing techniques and aesthetic forms. This essay focuses on the following four topics: Artistic expression and styles related to the development of type as image in motion. Video poetics: the association between poetics and video images, poetic framework, and analysis of film poetry. Structure, format, characteristics, and presentation of meaning in concrete poetry/sound poetry, and fragment poetry. how Chinese characters are used in Taiwan and the aesthetic features of type through the exhibited works.

Comparative graphematics

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rüdiger Weingarten
Keyword(s):  
Language Change ◽  
Writing System ◽  
Writing Systems ◽  
General Outline ◽  
Comparative Linguistics ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
History Of ◽  
Linguistic Approach

This paper seeks to outline comparative graphematics as a linguistic approach within writing systems research and typology. In addition to providing a general outline of the approach and its benefits, it is exemplified through a discussion of the relation between the gemination of consonant letters and the graphemic representation of long consonants. Two different approaches within comparative graphematics are applied, one that asks about the meaning or function of the units of writing systems and one that starts with linguistic (e.g. phonological or morphological) units or structures and looks at whether they are represented (and, if so, how) in various writing systems. Consequently, two different typological matrices are presented. Moreover, through a combination of historical and comparative perspectives, the paper investigates the diachronic transitions in the functions of a graphemic construction, as observed within the history of a single writing system or in its adoption within several systems. It is shown that an inherited construction, such as the germination of consonant letters, can be reanalysed; if it loses its former representational function during the course of language change, it may subsequently be utilized for different purposes. A construction may also remain as an ‘evolutionary vestige’ within a writing system, at least for some time. Similar forms of reanalysis can be found if a construction is applied to a new language. Keywords: graphematics; orthography; writing system; script; comparative linguistics; cross-linguistic studies; typology; germination

Premodern Letters and Textual Consciousness

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-319
Author(s):  
Mark E. Amsler
Keyword(s):  
Written Language ◽  
Writing Systems ◽  
Early Medieval ◽  
Manuscript Culture ◽  
History Of ◽  
Roman Alphabet ◽  
And Linguistics ◽  
Alphabetic Writing ◽  
Visual Sign ◽  
Material Substances

Summary Modern linguistics textbooks devote little, if any, space to writing systems. Shifting our attention from naming precursors or proto-theories to reading earlier language study and linguistics as theorizing and description, the present paper explores ancient and early medieval concepts of the letter in terms of the semiotics of written language and the emergence of textual consciousness in manuscript culture. Early concepts and uses of the letter in alphabetic writing were ambiguous, multilayered, and occasionally contested, but they were not confused. Ancient and early medieval concepts of the letter were based on a semiotics of language and writing which connected spoken and visual signs as multimodal textual activity. Theories of the letter included: (a) the written character (gramma, littera) is a visual sign signifying a particular sound or group of sounds; (b) letters can function as arbitrary second-order signifying systems, such as numbers or diacritics; (c) different alphabets are rooted in the history of peoples although the Roman alphabet is a plastic medium for inscribing the emerging European vernaculars; (d) letters are material substances; (e) the written character is a mute sign; (f) the written character is imperfect or incomplete when detached from sound and the practice of reading aloud.

scholarly journals Leibniz’s Last Letter on Linguistic Matters

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Gensini
Keyword(s):  
Writing Systems ◽  
Theoretical Context ◽  
History Of Writing ◽  
History Of ◽  
Main Ideas

We reproduce in what follows the last writing published in life by G.W. Leibniz (1646-1716) on linguistic topics. Together with other works by scholars of the time, Leibniz’s essay served as an introduction to an important collection of versions of the Pater noster in many different languages (Chamberlayne ed. 1715). In his critical remarks, the philosopher not only summarises his main ideas about the importance and method of linguistic comparison, but also integrates them with interpretative insights from neighbouring fields, such as numismatics, archaeology, and the history of writing systems. The editor’s commentary gives information on the historical and theoretical context in which Leibniz writes and on the numerous authors and works mentioned in the text.

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