From: Jungshik Shin (jshin@mailaps.org)
Date: Sun Dec 07 2003 - 22:18:59 EST
On Sun, 7 Dec 2003 jcowan@reutershealth.com wrote:
> Jungshik Shin scripsit:
>
> > Absolutely. The multi-level representability of Korean script
> > demonstrates its 'advanced' status as a script (invented only 5.5
> > centuries ago, it must have been able to build upon more than 2,000
> > year's history of writing system), but at the same time, has been a
> OT question: is Korean script to some degree the product of stimulus
> diffusion from Indic script of any sort? By "stimulus diffusion" I
> mean the reinvention of a cultural concept (in this case, alphabetic
> writing) as a result of hearing that some other culture has the concept,
> but without any details.
It's certain that to inventors of the Korean script (King
Sejong and scholars in his court), Indic scripts and Phagspa script were
well known (Mongolian was one of languages taught at the nat'l foreign
language school at the time and King Sejong was interested in translating
Buddhist books in Sanskrit). There are several theories about the
'origin' of the Korean scripts (what script was meant by '古篆'
mentioned as the basis of the Korean script in the book explaning
the principles of the script). Some believe that it's a completely
independent invention. Others think it's influenced by other scripts
known at the time(Indic and Phagspa among others have been frequently
mentioned since the late 15th century). Still others think that it's
based on a yet-unknown ancient script. Tibetan script and even Syriac
script and Hebrew script have also come up. BTW, King Sejong and his
scholars were also familiar with the long tradition of Chinese phonetics
and published books on Korean and Chinese phonetics
Jungshik
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