Character Usage Comparison in Dongba Manuscripts and the Development of Dongba Script: The Cases of Gushiji and Chongbantu
This article compares character usage in two versions of the same Naxi Dongba manuscript—Gushiji (Records of Ancient Events) and Chongbantu—to trace the developmental stages of the Dongba script. Although both texts share essentially the same content and narrative, they differ markedly in how linguistic units are represented in writing. Focusing on the correspondence between graphic symbols and language units, the author systematically compares the two versions' treatment of disyllabic and polysyllabic words, as well as content words such as nouns (especially locative nouns) and verbs. The analysis shows that Chongbantu consistently records syllables and morphemes more completely and systematically than Gushiji, indicating that its script represents a later, more mature developmental stage. These findings not only clarify the relative chronology of the two documents but also offer valuable empirical material for broader research on the evolution of primitive/pictographic writing systems.
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