Study On The Kenel Words In Oracle Bone Inscriptions

The dissertation studied the basic vocabulary in oracle bone inscriptions of Shang(商) Dynasty,which was based on the research of oracle bone inscriptions,and Hundred Words List by W.Swadesh The material mainly included Oracle Bone Inscriptions Gather(甲骨文合集),and Yinxu Jiagu Keci Leizuan(殷墟甲骨刻辭類纂).The dissertation first analyzed the relation between character and word,and described the general situation of vocabulary in oracle bone inscriptions.Based on the 100 kenel words of Hundred Words List,the vocabulary were divided into 6 chapters:the noun(58), the verb(20),the adjective(11),the numeral(2),the adverb(2),and the pronoun(7).Each kenel word corresponds to a semantic field consisting of sub-semantic fields which contained a number of synonymous words.These words were studied from the perspectives of the semantic,grammar,and phonetic.The research focused on the semantic,analyzing the syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations based on bronze inscriptions,Xianqin(先秦) literatures,and national language.The noun and the verb were the focuses.The noun included 8 kinds(humanity,animal,plant,body,celestial phenomenon,geography,burning medium,color) and emphasized the semantic research, inspected their original meaning and extensional meaning;for example "people" was compared with the bronze inscriptions and Xianqin(先秦);"come來/ wheat麥was studied in 5 periods of Keci(刻辭).The method of "using bronze inscriptions to prove oracle bone inscriptions" and "using the former to deduce the latter" solved some vacant words and meaning,meanwhile brought forward my own opinions about oracle bone inscriptions and Keci(刻辭),for example(?).The verb included 5 kinds(mouth,eye,ear, body,four limbs) emphasizing sememe analysis and extensional meaning;words' combining capacity was inspected and compared with similar words' usage.The semantic field of "say","kill","walk","give" and so on had many systematic words.Some words were high-frequency words.The majority of words were still being used and their original meanings have not changed,but some words withdrew from the basic vocabulary or even vanished in the aftertime.The adjective included 2 kinds(measure,character) emphasizing description and inspection of the semantic and the words' combining capacity,some words were not in oracle bone inscriptions.The numeral included 2 kinds (odd number,plural number),namely "one" and "two";their combining capacity was studied.Both were the high-frequency words but "ten" and "three" were higher than "one". The adverb included 2 kinds(denial,scope).The pronoun included 3 kinds(person, instruction,and question).These two chapters addressed the semantic,grammar and phonetic,which regarded "Mei妹","Mie蔑" being used as denial,"Zhen朕" being used as objective and attributive in Shang(商) Dynasty,and "Wo我" being used as singular. The research indicated plural "Wo我" corresponds to "Er爾",but it is different from what Laurent Sagart have said.The dissertation formed a solid base for the future study of Chinese kenel words and basic vocabulary,which has bridged the research gap of the kenel words in oracle bone inscriptions,and it also helps Chinese Tibetan comparison and other correlation research.