Visible Speech: The Diverse Oneness of Writing Systems

John DeFrancis

Published by University of Hawaii Press 1989

Visible Speech

The Diverse Oneness of Writing Systems

John DeFrancis

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824841621

Overview
Contents

About this book

Visible Speech is an attempt to set the record straight about the nature of writing. John DeFrancis, a noted specialist in the Chinese language, shows that writing can be based only upon a sound system and not upon any other linguistic level. He corrects the erroneous views of Chinese writing as pictographic, ideographic, logographic, or morphemic, and defends his conclusion that because of these misrepresentations, the nature of all writing continues to be misunderstood.

Using the writing systems of Sumerian, Egyptian, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Greek, Mayan, and English, among others, to illustrate his points, Dr. DeFrancis stresses their basic identity as representatives of visible speech, while noting their secondary differences as manifested in their diverse script forms. He proposes a new classification of writing systems based on this theme of diversity and oneness, and makes an impassioned case for the essential phonetic component of all writing.

This book reflects the author's sound scholarship and novel insights, which place it in the forefront with such classics on writing as those by Gelb, Diringer, Cohen, Février, and Jensen. The readable style aims at a general audience interested in understanding the nature of the symbols that first strike the eye, while the academic research involved makes it an indispensable work for scholars in the many fields related to language and linguistics.

Author / Editor information

DeFrancis John :

John DeFrancis (1911- 2009) John DeFrancis (1911–2009), Emeritus Professor of Chinese at the University of Hawai'i, graduated from Yale in 1933 and immediately departed for China to pursue his interests. In three years of study and travel, he covered over 4,000 miles in Northwest China and Mongolia, across the Gobi Desert, and down the Yellow River, immersing himself in grassroots contact with the language and people. Upon his return to the United States, DeFrancis earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University. He taught at several institutions nationwide. Dr. DeFrancis is the author of dozens of articles and books on spoken and written Chinese, among them a widely used 12-volume set of educational materials and Visible Speech: The Diverse Oneness of Writing Systems (UH Press, 1989).John DeFrancis (1911- 2009) John DeFrancis (1911–2009), Emeritus Professor of Chinese at the University of Hawai'i, graduated from Yale in 1933 and immediately departed for China to pursue his interests. In three years of study and travel, he covered over 4,000 miles in Northwest China and Mongolia, across the Gobi Desert, and down the Yellow River, immersing himself in grassroots contact with the language and people. Upon his return to the United States, DeFrancis earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University. He taught at several institutions nationwide. Dr. DeFrancis is the author of dozens of articles and books on spoken and written Chinese, among them a widely used 12-volume set of educational materials and Visible Speech: The Diverse Oneness of Writing Systems (UH Press, 1989).

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
FIGURES Publicly Available Download PDF	IX
PREFACE Publicly Available Download PDF	XI
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	XIII
I WRITING IN COMMUNICATIVE CONTEXT
1. Kinds of Communication Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. What Is Writing? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	20
II FULL WRITING SYSTEMS
3. Syllabic Systems Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	65
4. Consonantal Systems Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	150
5. Alphabetic Systems Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	174
III WRITING IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
6. A Critique of Writing about Writing Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	209
7. The Essential Oneness of Full Writing Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	248
NOTES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	271
GLOSSARY Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	277
REFERENCES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	283
INDEX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	299

Language: English
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 336

eBook

Published: May 23, 2022
ISBN: 9780824841621