An Analysis of the Causes of the "Words without Corresponding Characters" Type of Character-Word Relationship in Ruka Dongba Script
Zhong Yaoping and He Shukun investigate why Ruka Dongba script (a Naxi sub-branch script) so often lacks a one-to-one correspondence between written characters and spoken words. Drawing on interviews with Ruka Dongba priests, they identify a historical split between two named scripts -- one used exclusively, and incompletely, for scripture, and one used fully for everyday secular purposes -- and argue that the incomplete recording found in scripture is further reinforced by the cyclical, repetitive rhythm of chanted scripture (which allows repeated lines to be omitted), the conservatism of priestly transmission (including deliberate obscurity to protect a family lineage's standing in ritual competitions of skill), the high cost of handmade Dongba paper, the practical demands of using scripture during live ritual, and biased sampling in published catalogues of Dongba scripture.
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