Khitan small script

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Khitan small script
Khitan mirror from Korea.jpg
Bronze mirror with a poetic inscription
Script type with syllabary and possibly some phonograms
Time period
10th century — 12th century
DirectionTop-to-bottom and right-to-left
Languages Khitan language
Related scripts
Parent systems
Sister systems
Simplified Chinese, Kanji, Hanja, Tangut script, Chữ Hán, Zhuyin
ISO 15924
ISO 15924 Kits(288),Khitan small script
Unicode
Unicode alias
Khitan Small Script

The Khitan small script (Chinese :契丹小字; pinyin :qìdān xiǎozì) was one of two writing systems used for the now-extinct Khitan language. It was used during the 10th–12th century by the Khitan people, who had created the Liao Empire in present-day northeastern China. In addition to the small script, the Khitans simultaneously also used a functionally independent writing system known as the Khitan large script. Both Khitan scripts continued to be in use to some extent by the Jurchens for several decades after the fall of the Liao dynasty, until the Jurchens fully switched to a script of their own. Examples of the scripts appeared most often on epitaphs and monuments, although other fragments sometimes surface.

Contents

History

The Khitan small script was invented in about 924 or 925 CE by a scholar named Yelü Diela. He drew his inspiration from "the Uyghur language and script", [1] which he was shown by a visiting Uyghur ambassador at the Khitan court. For this reason, Khitan small script was originally thought to be a daughter script of the Old Uyghur alphabet. [2]

Description

Inscription on the Da Jin huangdi dutong jinglue langjun xingji (Da Jin Huang Di Du Tong Jing Lue Lang Jun Xing Ji 
) stele, in both Khitan and Chinese. Da Jin huang di dutong jinglue langjun xingji Da Jin Huang Di Du Tong Jing Lue Lang Jun Xing Ji .jpg
Inscription on the Dà Jīn huángdì dūtǒng jīnglüè lángjūn xíngjì (大金皇弟都統經略郎君行記) stele, in both Khitan and Chinese.

Using a smaller number of symbols than large script, small script was less complex, yet still "able to record any word." [3] While small-script inscriptions employed some logograms as well, most words in small script were made using a blocked system reminiscent of the later Hangul writing of Korea, meaning that a word is represented by one group (square block) composed of several glyphs with individual phonetic meanings (somewhat similar to the jamo units of Hangul). Unlike Hangul's jamo, a Khitan phonetic symbol could represent not just a single vowel or consonant, but a consonant-vowel or vowel-consonant pair as well. [4] Each block could incorporate two to seven such "phonetic element" characters, written in pairs within the block, with the first half of the pair on the left. If there were an odd number of characters in a block, the unpaired character would be centered below the preceding pair.

Although there is some speculation, it appears there are no characters that both the small and large scripts share. Periodically, epitaphs written using small script will be written using the large script method of linearity. [5] Although small script had some similarities to Chinese, Khitan characters were often used to record Chinese words. The appearance of a likeness between a small script and a Chinese character does not help in the reading of Khitan. For example, the Chinese character for 'mountain' () is the same as the Khitan small script logogram for 'gold' (𘮝‎), and, thus, the name of the Jin dynasty. [1] [6]

Of the 378 known small script characters, 125 are semantic, 115 are phonetic, and the remainder have not been deciphered. [3] (Usually, it was possible to guess the phonetic value of an element if it has been used to transcribe a Chinese loanword in a Khitan inscription; otherwise, such phonetic values are hard to determine, as very little of the Khitan language is known. [7] ) Small script uses a mixture of logograms, syllabograms, and, as some as sources claim, a few single sound phonograms. Sometimes suffixes were written with syllabograms, just as single syllables sometimes were written with three syllabograms (with one each for the initial, medial, and final sounds of the syllable). Sometimes the initial consonants of syllables are indicated to be dental, labial, guttural, or nasal etc., based on the syllabograms involved. Additionally, vowels are sometimes indicated to be labial or non-labial, or pronounced in the front or back of the mouth.

Much of this information came from the "Khitan Script Research Group", led by the Mongolian scholar named Chinggeltei, who used monuments, calendar, and similar Chinese texts to decipher sections of small script. [note 1] A particularly valuable object of their study was the inscription on the Dà Jīn huángdì dūtǒng jīnglüè lángjūn xíngjì ( zh:大金皇弟都统经略郎君行记 ) stele, which is the only known bilingual Chinese-Khitan inscription. Produced during the Jurchen Jin dynasty it, ironically, was originally (before the discovery of other Khitan inscriptions in 1922) thought to be in Jurchen. [8]

Corpus

Bronze 'fish tally' with small Khitan inscription owned by Stephen Wootton Bushell Small Khitan Fish Tally.jpg
Bronze 'fish tally' with small Khitan inscription owned by Stephen Wootton Bushell

There are no surviving examples of printed texts in the Khitan language, and aside from five example Khitan large characters with Chinese glosses in a book on calligraphy written by Tao Zongyi (陶宗儀) during the mid 14th century, there are no Chinese glossaries or dictionaries of Khitan.[ citation needed ]

The main source of Khitan texts are monumental inscriptions, mostly comprising memorial tablets buried in the tombs of Khitan nobility. [9] There are about 33 known monuments with inscriptions in the Khitan small script, ranging in date from 1053 to 1171.

Encoding

The Khitan small script was added to Unicode version 13.0 in March 2020. 471 graphic characters are located in the Khitan Small Script block, while a single invisible filler character (U+16FE4: KHITAN SMALL SCRIPT FILLER) is located in the Ideographic Symbols and Punctuation block. The filler is inserted following the first character of a cluster, and denotes a character cluster laid out with one character on the first line, as opposed to the usual two. [10]

Khitan Small Script [1] [2]
Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF)
 0123456789ABCDEF
U+18B0x𘬀𘬁𘬂𘬃𘬄𘬅𘬆𘬇𘬈𘬉𘬊𘬋𘬌𘬍𘬎𘬏
U+18B1x𘬐𘬑𘬒𘬓𘬔𘬕𘬖𘬗𘬘𘬙𘬚𘬛𘬜𘬝𘬞𘬟
U+18B2x𘬠𘬡𘬢𘬣𘬤𘬥𘬦𘬧𘬨𘬩𘬪𘬫𘬬𘬭𘬮𘬯
U+18B3x𘬰𘬱𘬲𘬳𘬴𘬵𘬶𘬷𘬸𘬹𘬺𘬻𘬼𘬽𘬾𘬿
U+18B4x𘭀𘭁𘭂𘭃𘭄𘭅𘭆𘭇𘭈𘭉𘭊𘭋𘭌𘭍𘭎𘭏
U+18B5x𘭐𘭑𘭒𘭓𘭔𘭕𘭖𘭗𘭘𘭙𘭚𘭛𘭜𘭝𘭞𘭟
U+18B6x𘭠𘭡𘭢𘭣𘭤𘭥𘭦𘭧𘭨𘭩𘭪𘭫𘭬𘭭𘭮𘭯
U+18B7x𘭰𘭱𘭲𘭳𘭴𘭵𘭶𘭷𘭸𘭹𘭺𘭻𘭼𘭽𘭾𘭿
U+18B8x𘮀𘮁𘮂𘮃𘮄𘮅𘮆𘮇𘮈𘮉𘮊𘮋𘮌𘮍𘮎𘮏
U+18B9x𘮐𘮑𘮒𘮓𘮔𘮕𘮖𘮗𘮘𘮙𘮚𘮛𘮜𘮝𘮞𘮟
U+18BAx𘮠𘮡𘮢𘮣𘮤𘮥𘮦𘮧𘮨𘮩𘮪𘮫𘮬𘮭𘮮𘮯
U+18BBx𘮰𘮱𘮲𘮳𘮴𘮵𘮶𘮷𘮸𘮹𘮺𘮻𘮼𘮽𘮾𘮿
U+18BCx𘯀𘯁𘯂𘯃𘯄𘯅𘯆𘯇𘯈𘯉𘯊𘯋𘯌𘯍𘯎𘯏
U+18BDx𘯐𘯑𘯒𘯓𘯔𘯕𘯖𘯗𘯘𘯙𘯚𘯛𘯜𘯝𘯞𘯟
U+18BEx𘯠𘯡𘯢𘯣𘯤𘯥𘯦𘯧𘯨𘯩𘯪𘯫𘯬𘯭𘯮𘯯
U+18BFx𘯰𘯱𘯲𘯳𘯴𘯵𘯶𘯷𘯸𘯹𘯺𘯻𘯼𘯽𘯾𘯿
U+18C0x𘰀𘰁𘰂𘰃𘰄𘰅𘰆𘰇𘰈𘰉𘰊𘰋𘰌𘰍𘰎𘰏
U+18C1x𘰐𘰑𘰒𘰓𘰔𘰕𘰖𘰗𘰘𘰙𘰚𘰛𘰜𘰝𘰞𘰟
U+18C2x𘰠𘰡𘰢𘰣𘰤𘰥𘰦𘰧𘰨𘰩𘰪𘰫𘰬𘰭𘰮𘰯
U+18C3x𘰰𘰱𘰲𘰳𘰴𘰵𘰶𘰷𘰸𘰹𘰺𘰻𘰼𘰽𘰾𘰿
U+18C4x𘱀𘱁𘱂𘱃𘱄𘱅𘱆𘱇𘱈𘱉𘱊𘱋𘱌𘱍𘱎𘱏
U+18C5x𘱐𘱑𘱒𘱓𘱔𘱕𘱖𘱗𘱘𘱙𘱚𘱛𘱜𘱝𘱞𘱟
U+18C6x𘱠𘱡𘱢𘱣𘱤𘱥𘱦𘱧𘱨𘱩𘱪𘱫𘱬𘱭𘱮𘱯
U+18C7x𘱰𘱱𘱲𘱳𘱴𘱵𘱶𘱷𘱸𘱹𘱺𘱻𘱼𘱽𘱾𘱿
U+18C8x𘲀𘲁𘲂𘲃𘲄𘲅𘲆𘲇𘲈𘲉𘲊𘲋𘲌𘲍𘲎𘲏
U+18C9x𘲐𘲑𘲒𘲓𘲔𘲕𘲖𘲗𘲘𘲙𘲚𘲛𘲜𘲝𘲞𘲟
U+18CAx𘲠𘲡𘲢𘲣𘲤𘲥𘲦𘲧𘲨𘲩𘲪𘲫𘲬𘲭𘲮𘲯
U+18CBx𘲰𘲱𘲲𘲳𘲴𘲵𘲶𘲷𘲸𘲹𘲺𘲻𘲼𘲽𘲾𘲿
U+18CCx𘳀𘳁𘳂𘳃𘳄𘳅𘳆𘳇𘳈𘳉𘳊𘳋𘳌𘳍𘳎𘳏
U+18CDx𘳐𘳑𘳒𘳓𘳔𘳕
U+18CEx
U+18CFx𘳿
Notes
1. ^ As of Unicode version 16.0
2. ^ Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points

Notes

  1. According to Kane (1989) (p. 13), the most complete publication on the Khitan small script as of that time was the book by Chinggeltei et al. (1985). It contained the complete corpus of inscriptions in that script known to date, summary of research done on the subject in China and elsewhere, and a complete bibliography.

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References

  1. 1 2 Daniels, Peter T.; Bright, William (1996), The World's Writing Systems, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 230–234
  2. Gernet (1996), p.  354, "based on uighur script.".
  3. 1 2 Kara (1986), pp. 19–23.
  4. Kane (1989), p. 15.
  5. Kara (1986), pp. 19–24.
  6. Kane (1989), p. 17.
  7. Kane (1989), p. 16.
  8. Kane (1989), pp. 4–5, 13–20.
  9. Kane (2009), p. 4.
  10. "18.12: Khitan Small Script". The Unicode Standard: Core Specification (PDF). Version 13.0. Unicode Consortium. 2020. p. 760-761.

Bibliography

Further reading