The Writing System of Scribe Zhou: Evidence from Late Pre-imperial Chinese Manuscripts and Inscriptions (5th-3rd Centuries BCE) (Studies in Manuscript Cultures Book 4)

This book investigates the nature of regional variation in the early Chinese writing system through bamboo manuscripts and inscriptions dating from the late pre-imperial China (5th-3rd centuries BCE). Diachronic and synchronic comparisons of graphic details show that none of the well-recognized regional varieties developed independently from one another. Furthermore, differences in graphic components can be accounted for as alternations of graphs that are compatible in their semantic or phonetic values. The phonological systems underlying various regional orthographies unanimously point to a single coherent sound system with some mixture of dialect pronunciations. This strongly suggests that all the late pre-imperial regional scripts derived from a kind of orthographic meta-system based on one spoken standard language. This orthography and its phonological systems should reasonably be dated to ca. 9th century BCE, just about the time when the earliest known Chinese lexicography "Book of Scribe Zhou" (ca. 830 BCE) was written. The conclusions of this book have further implications on reading and understanding manuscript texts in general as well as on using them as data for linguistic studies. Contents 9 1. Introduction 15 1.1 Goal of the study 15 1.2 Subject materials 17 The Shanghai Museum “Zhouyi 周易” manuscript 21 1.4 The Shuowen jiezi in the light of the Warring States manuscripts 29 1.4.1 Three archaic scripts, xiaozhuan, guwen and Zhouwen 29 1.4.2 The xiaozhuan ‘Small Seal script’ as a regional variety of the Warring States script 31 1.4.3 The identity of the Zhouwen ‘Script of Scribe Zhou’ and guwen ‘Old script’ 36 2. The Old Chinese phonology 45 2.1 Manuscripts as new sources of data for Old Chinese 45 2.2 A reconstruction system of Old Chinese phonology 48 2.2.1 Overview 50 2.2.1.1 The third vs. non-third division syllables and the second division medial *-r- 51 2.2.1.2 The initial *r- 52 2.2.1.3 The initials *l- and *[g]- 52 2.2.1.4 The initials *z-, *s-g- and *s-d- 54 2.2.1.5 Uvular initials 55 2.2.1.6 The diphthongs -wa- and -w?- 55 2.2.1.7 Nasal initials, *N- prefix, *s- prefix 56 2.2.1.8 Sources of MC sy- 60 2.2.1.9 Palatalization of velar and uvular initials 60 2.2.1.10 The coda *-r 63 2.2.1.11 The post-codas *-? and *-s, and *-s as a suffix 65 2.2.1.12 Inventories of simple initials and rhymes 69 2.2.2 Two notes 71 2.2.2.1 The uvulars 71 2.2.2.2 A reconsideration of the ‘Rounded vowel hypothesis’ 80 3. The Shanghai “Zhouyi” and the Warring States script 87 3.1 Elaborate and casual styles 87 3.2 Decorative strokes 97 3.3 Simplification and development of the Warring States script 101 3.3.1 Stroke simplification 102 3.3.2 Simplification of graphic components 105 3.3.2.1 Deletion and interruption of components 105 3.3.2.2 Replacement by simpler forms 107 3.3.2.3 Compression and merger of components 108 3.3.3 Simplification and residue of iconicity 112 3.3.3.1 Diminishment of heavy dots, thick lines, and fillings 112 3.3.3.2 Neutralization of iconicity 115 3.3.3.3 Transition to the Warring States script 116 3.4 Structural variability in the early Chinese writing system 120 3.4.1 Graphic components and functional values 121 3.4.2 The tendency towards Signific-Phonophoric compound structure| 123 3.4.2.1 Increase of compound characters in the Warring States script 125 3.4.2.2 Consequences for textual variation 129 3.4.2.3 The case of Shanghai “Zhouyi” and the received version 131 3.4.3 The case of the fu 簠 vessel 137 4. The Chu Script 153 4.1 The Five-region script system 153 4.2 The Common Warring States character forms 156 4.3 Chu regional character forms 157 4.3.1 Regional variation in componential structure 158 4.3.2 Regional variation in use of decorative strokes 167 4.3.3 Regional variation in simplified forms 169 4.3.4 Regional character shapes 176 4.4 The nature of regionalism in the Warring States script 180 4.5 Some ‘true’ Chu characters for a diagnosis of the Chu script 183 5. The Shanghai “Zhouyi” and the Early Chinese Orthography 185 5.1 Synonymous Significs 185 5.2 Equivalent phonophorics 210 5.2.1 Phonophorics in the early Chinese orthography 213 5.2.2 Western Zhou and Chu phonophorics 222 5.2.3 Negative particles 229 5.2.4 Sound symbolism and Phonograms 234 5.2.5 Old Chinese dialect words 236 5.2.6 Etymological relations 241 5.2.7 Phonologically motivated lexical variation 253 6. Conclusions 255 6.1 The last phase of the early Chinese writing system 255 6.2 Regionalism in a single script system 256 6.3 The Old Chinese phonology and the early Chinese orthography 257 6.4 Further implications 258 Appendix I: A Lexicon of the Shanghai “Zhouyi” 261 Appendix II: Index of Synonymous Significs and Equivalent Phonophorics 325 Index of Equivalent Phonophorics 331 References 337