The Distinction Between Naxi Picture-Writing and Pictographic Script
This article examines the Dongba scriptures of the Naxi people, traditionally regarded as written in a single "pictographic" script (Dongba script), alongside a separate syllabic script (Geba script). Through close analysis, the author argues that what has been called "pictographic writing" actually comprises two distinct types: a genuine "pictorial script," resembling comic-strip-like sequential images, used in the vast majority of Dongba scriptures; and a true "pictographic script," where each character represents a single syllable despite deriving from pictographic/ideographic origins, used only in a small portion of texts. The author supports this distinction by identifying four picture-like features of the pictorial script, notably its lack of fixed, standardized writing order—characters can be arranged left-to-right, right-to-left, top-to-bottom, or repositioned to visually convey meaning (e.g., spatial relationships like descending from a mountain peak), illustrated through examples from the scripture "The White Bat's Search for Scriptures."
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