A Brief Discussion of Corruption (E-bian) Phenomena in Naxi Dongba Script
This article examines "corruption" (e-bian) phenomena—unmotivated graphic changes—in the evolution of Naxi Dongba script. As an early, non-standardized writing system that never underwent unification ("same script") reform, Dongba characters frequently drifted from their original iconic or semantic motivation, producing numerous variant forms and characters of obscure etymology. The author argues that pursuit of aesthetic appeal, writing convenience, and scribal individuality are the main causes of such corruption, which the paper characterizes as complex and regionally variable in nature. Drawing on concrete examples—such as loss of a headdress marker distinguishing gender, added strokes obscuring an "egg hatching" image, and phonetic-component drift in the character for "river"—the paper classifies corruption into types caused by simplification and by complication (embellishment). It concludes that such corruption impedes accurate decipherment and transmission of Dongba script, underscoring the need for systematic study of its patterns and underlying causes.
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