On The Evolution Of Corresponding Relationship Between The Writing Units And Linguistic Units Of Dongba Script System

Naxi Dongba script is a writing symbol system that is used by religious Naxi folk for writing religious ritual. So far now, Dongba script keeps rather rich early stage writing phenomena, which is still an active script in use nowadays. The development of Dongba script is naturally free without any man-made interference, and it can more clearly and objectively embody the slow development of recording language, which is of great value to study the early writing’s formation and development.Based on the previous research, this dissertation makes a full use of first-hand literature materials and explores the developing traces and evolving rules from the perspective of the corresponding relationship between writing units and linguistic units.This dissertation is consisted of eight chapters. Chapter One is an introduction. Chapter Two and Three are the theoretic foundation for this study. The focal part is from Chapter Four to Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight is a conclusion.Chapter One is an introduction. Firstly, it presents the causes of topic selection, research purpose and significance. Secondly, comprehensive literature review on the relevant studies is given. Thirdly, it introduces this study’s methods and steps. Finally, it gives an explanation of the relevant materials and quotation’s formats.Chapter Two studies the writing units of Dongba script and its evolving sequence. Firstly, it sorts out the writing units of Dongba script and comments on the previous research. While it analyzes some shortcomings of the previous research, and then presents this study’s tentative plan. Secondly, it explores the methods of evolving sequence of Dongba characters with the basis of previous tentative research on literature dating. Thirdly, based on the examining methods of the sequence of the characters’development, makes a proper selection of materials and then sorts out the basic information of the main literature’s materials.Chapter Three gives a general overview of the relationship between the writing units and its corresponding linguistic units of Dongba script. Then, it elaborates the single character, quasi-compound graph, and compound graph respectively, and its corresponding linguistic units, which lay a basis for the evolution of the corresponding relationship between the writing units and its linguistic units.Chapter Four mainly discusses the development of included writing units from the corresponding segments to words. Firstly, it elaborates that when using the mode of ideograph, the logographic sign in the writing units of Dongba script needs to integrate for auto regulation during the corresponding segments to words. Secondly, it tries to explore the essence of the contextual variant graphs, and then concludes that the contextual variant graphs is production of some Dongba script’s development from the corresponding segments to corresponding words and is the outcome of the incomplete evolution of segments’signs. Thirdly, it fully elaborates the important functions of phonetic borrowing in the process of Dongba writing units evolution from the corresponding segments to the corresponding words.Chapter Five mainly discusses the formation of compound graphs of Dongba script and its developing trend, with the deeper and fuller understanding for its formation causes.Chapter Six gives an analysis of finalizing single characters of the corresponding words in Dongba script. If single characters expressing words in Dongba script need to finalize, it requires both definite quantity and fixed shapes. The development of single characters’finalization is mainly reflected from the following five aspects:the first is generalization of single characters; the second is the mixed use of these characters whose forms are very close; the third is generation of homographs; the fourth is finalization of phonetic-loan characters; the fifth is exteriorization marks of single characters’finalization.Chapter Seven discusses systematically the developing trend of phonemization of Dongba script. Dongba script not only expresses the words but also pursues the accuracy of the pronunciation recording.Chapter Eight draws the conclusion of this study. Firstly, it gathers and explains the writing terms used in this dissertation, and more importantly, it summarizes and explains the differences and connections between writing units and writing signs, quasi-compound graph and semasiography, semantic-phonetic compounds and picto-phonetic character. Finally, it concludes the main viewpoints in this dissertation.Appendix:A Table of Areal Sorting of Dongba Script’s Examples.In short, the innovation of the dissertation lies in the following:1. This research almost employs the first-hand materials in a large number to study Dongba script, which can avoid the inconvenience of using the second-hand materials, like dictionaries.2. It breaks through the tradition of studying the Dongba script from the structure and takes the perspective of the changing corresponding relationship between the writing units and linguistic units to give a diachronic study of Dongba script’s evolution.3. It summarizes the judging methods of the evolution on sequence of Dongba Character comprehensively and systematically from the perspective of absolute time order and relative time order of the documents.4. It re-analyzes several groups of philology terms and distinguishes writing units and writing signs, quasi-compound graph and semasiography, picto-phonetic character and semantic-phonetic compounds. And it proposes new judging criterion of compound graph of Dongba script.5. It deeply analyzes the theories of the writing phenomena in the development process of Dongba script, such as the contextual variant graphs, double-phonetic signs, phonetic complement signs, the mixing of similar Dongba characters, homographs and so on.6. It systematically demonstrates the relation of the writing units. For example, the included writing units (including the included single character and quasi-compound graph) in the corresponding segments, developed into the single characters by integration. quasi-compound graphs developed into compound graphs, and compound graphs developed into single characters.7. It is the first time to systematically study the development trend of Dongba script phonemization. As for the general use of phonetic complement and complete phonetic-loan sign, the double-phonetic sign which is the manifestation of the over-recording the phonetic, and Fanqie which is created by the flexible use of the way of recording the phone, all of them embodies the increasing tendency of phonemization of Dongba script.