Tranter, Nicolas (2002) The 'ideal square' of logographic scripts and the structural similarities of Khitan script and han'gul. In: Lee, Sang-Oak and Iverson, Gregory K., (eds.) Pathways into Korean Language and Culture: Essays in Honor of Young-Key Kim-Renaud. Pagijong Press , Seoul, Republic of Korea , pp. 503-522. ISBN 89-7878-609-X
Abstract
A comparison of the Khitan Small Script and Korean han'gŭl shows a striking structural similarity of two essentially phonetic scripts that combine 'letters' into large blocks. These blocks in han'gŭl correspond to the syllable, whereas in Khitan they correspond to the word-level. I shall compare these two systems structurally with both the linear alphasyllabic principle of Brahmi-derived scripts and the principle of an 'ideal square' (or 'ideal oblong') that characterizes Chinese, Egyptian or Mayan logographic scripts in order to establish why the Khitan and Korean scripts share a rare structural principle.
Metadata
Item Type: | Book Section |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Editors: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This is an author produced version of a chapter subsequently published in 'Pathways into Korean Language and Culture: Essays in Honor of Young-Key Kim-Renaud' |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > School of East Asian Studies (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Nicolas Tranter |
Date Deposited: | 23 Apr 2007 |
Last Modified: | 08 Feb 2013 16:53 |
Published Version: | http://pjbook.com |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Pagijong Press |
Refereed: | No |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:2365 |