Analyses of Script: Properties of Characters and Writing Systems

183 Pages·2008·2.3 MB·English

by  Gabriel Altmann

Analyses of Script
≥
Quantitative Linguistics 63
Editors
Reinhard Köhler
Gabriel Altmann
Peter Grzybek
Mouton de Gruyter
Berlin · New York
Analyses of Script
Properties of Characters and Writing Systems
Edited by
Gabriel Altmann
Fan Fengxiang
Mouton de Gruyter
Berlin · New York
MoutondeGruyter(formerlyMouton,TheHague)
isaDivisionofWalterdeGruyterGmbH&Co.KG,Berlin.
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Analysesofscript:propertiesofcharactersandwritingsystems/edi-
tedbyGabrielAltmannandFanFengxiang.
p.cm.(cid:2)(Quantitativelinguistics;63)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-3-11-019641-2(hardcover:alk.paper)
1.Writing(cid:2)Mathematicalmodels. I.Altmann,Gabriel. II.Feng-
xiang,Fan,1950(cid:2)
P211.A555 2008
411(cid:2)dc22
2008008072
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Preface
For a linguist, script is something that does not belong to language, it is
somethingsecondary,lefttoculturescientistsandhistorians.Butforteachers
ofnativelanguages,orthographers,cryptographers,paleographers,grapholo-
gistsandespeciallypupilsinelementaryandgrammarschools,itisanobject
ofprimaryimportance.Forallthesegroups,scriptissomethingtobesolved,
to be used in making inferences about epochs, persons or contents, or to get
goodgradesfor.Forcomputerlinguists,itisapracticalproblemofmechani-
calconversionfromwrittentospokenlanguageorviceversa.Everybodyuses
scriptbutnobodycaresforitsinnerlifeinwhichperhapsthereissomekind
ofself-regulationorcontrol.
Agroupofresearchers,notbelievinginsomeolderunsuccessfulendeav-
ours to find some essential properties in script, but leaning against the way
ofthinkinginquantitativeandsynergeticlinguistics,startedanexperimentin
conjecturing,quantifyingandmeasuringthepropertiesofscriptandseeking
models of their behavior. This volume presents the results of their research.
Theresultsaresurprising.Lettersorothersymbolshavecomplexity,distinc-
tivity,representativity,utility,graphemesize,phonemicload,ornamentality,
uncertainty,dimensionandperhapsaseriesofotherpropertieswhichwaitto
beestablished.Someofthepropertiesareassociatedwithoneanother,some
of them compete and there probably is a control cycle which may become
basisofafuturetheoryofscript.
The researchers considered only four script types, namely Latin, Oriya,
Japanese and Old Egyptian, which is, of course, not enough to draw gen-
eralconclusions,butatleastastarthasbeenmade.Somecommonproblems
have been analysed using English, Italian, Swedish, Slovak, Slovenian and
German. For Oriya a new weighted distributional calculus has been drafted
usingletterformandpositioning;forthefirsttimethestrangeandunexpected
wayofsimplificationofhieroglyphshasbeenexpressedquantitatively,leav-
ingopenthequestionofmeasurementofchangefromiconismtosymbolism;
forJapanesethedependenceoffrequencyonpolytextualityofkanjihasbeen
modelled, and a look has been cast at the capacity dimension of signs. And
lastbutnotleast,afirstdraftofafuturetheoryofscripthasbeenventured.
vi
For quantitative linguists, a theory is a set of interrelated hypotheses, of
whichatleastoneisalaw.Thoughinthepresentvolumelawshavenotbeen
established – it is a very long way before a statement can be considered a
law–anetworkofhypotheseshasbeensetupandinstructionsforcontinuing
this work have been offered in the last contribution. Needless to say, further
development can fundamentally change the direction of research and the re-
sults presented here may become only peripheral consequences of a deeper
theory–ausualeventintheevolutionofscience.
There are, of course, also practical aspects of this investigation. The rep-
resentationofphonemes,someloadandutilityproblemsetc.canshowquan-
titativelywhetheranorthographicreformisnecessaryorwhetheritistoolate
toperformone.Theresultingnumbersmustsimplybeadequatelyinterpreted.
Thenumbersareobjectiveandhavenothingtodowiththespeakers’/writers’
intuitionornationalfeeling.
Theresultscanbeconsideredasquantitativedescriptionsofsomewriting
problemsofindividuallanguagesbutfortheinvolvedanalystsitisanattempt
atlayingthefoundationsofadisciplinenotexistinguptonow,openingnew
vistasandembeddingthisobjectinthescopeofsynergeticlinguistics.
Finally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Peter Grzybek
andReinhardKöhlerastheeditorsoftheseriesQuantitativeLinguistics,who
have enthusiastically accompanied the whole process of this book coming
into existence, from the first ideas to the preparation of the layout. In this
respect, our thank also goes to Veronika Koch for her competent technical
help.
GabrielAltmann(Lüdenscheid,Germany)
FanFengxiang(Dalian,China)
Contents
Preface
GabrielAltmannandFanFengxiang v
I. Introduction
Quantitativeanalysisofwritingsystems:anintroduction 3
ReinhardKöhler
II. The phoneme-grapheme relation
Thephoneme-graphemerelationshipinItalian 13
GeraldBernhardandGabrielAltmann
GraphemicrepresentationofEnglishphonemes 25
FanFengxiangandGabrielAltmann
Thephoneme-graphemerelationshipinSlovene 61
EmmerichKelih
Onthedistributionofgraphemicrepresentations 75
JánMacˇutek
Thephoneme-graphemerelationinSlovak 79
EmíliaNemcováandGabrielAltmann
III. Special problems
Scriptornamentality 91
Karl-HeinzBestandGabrielAltmann
Onthedecreaseofcomplexityfromhieroglyphstohieraticsymbols 105
InaHegenbarth-ReichardtandGabrielAltmann
Thefractaldimensionofscript:anexperiment 115
ReinhardKöhler
OngraphemicrepresentationoftheOriyaphonemes 121
PanchananMohantyandGabrielAltmann
viii Contents
OntherelationbetweentypesandtokensofJapanesemorae 141
KatsuoTamaoka
IV. Towards a theory
Towardsatheoryofscript 149
GabrielAltmann
Authors’Addresses 165
AuthorIndex 167
SubjectIndex 169