·Special Topic Forum·
This article proposes opening a new research field in sport culture studies by applying sport aesthetics and sport anthropology theories and methods. The authors focus on Dongba script, the pictographic writing system of the Naxi ethnic group and the only hieroglyphic script still in use today, which represents a primitive, well-preserved cultural form. Although extensive research exists on Dongba script, no prior studies have examined its formation from the perspective of body motion. As a preliminary attempt, the authors classify verbs related to body movement within Dongba script. Drawing on human motion development theory from sport science, they interpret how physical body movements influenced the formation of written characters. This approach helps clarify several disputed but important academic hypotheses concerning the origins of writing and culture, while also laying groundwork and preparation for future empirical fieldwork investigations in this emerging interdisciplinary area combining sport science and cultural/linguistic anthropology.
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