Khitan scripts

Abstract: The authors review the past century of Khitan studies in Hungary and introduce the latest achievements in this field in China, the country that has become the centre of academic scrutiny for the decipherment of Khitan script in recent decades. Arranged in a chronologic order for the first time, an exhaustive list of the main known Khitan Small Script monuments is also included, followed by a selected bibliography of essential pieces on Khitan studies.

Abstract: In the second part of this series of papers the author investigates the way how the Khitan Small Script rendered the vowels of the Khitan language. The graphic system was tailored to the contemporary Chinese language, nevertheless, it is possible to make conclusions concerning the system of vowels. Three illabial vowels /a/, /e/ and /i/ can be identified, the back vocalic /i/ can only be supposed. The vowel /o/ is dominant, for traces of /o/ no sure data can be given. The phoneme /u/ can be clearly detected, the phoneme /u/ can be supposed. The former opinion that the Khitan had a front:back vowel harmony can be confirmed. The paper presents a few newly deciphered Khitan words. The system of the Khitan word formation is emerging and a few earlier readings have been corrected.

Abstract: While the Thai script is generally used in Thailand today, it was only after the beginning of the last century that the use of this script spread throughout the country. It can easily be supposed that at the time of nation―state building, the modern educational system expanded and led to the penetration of the Thai script as it is observed today. This supposition, however, is inadequate to provide information on the use of scripts in actual village life. Long before the nineteenth century, the local villages in Thailand were already using some traditional scripts that differed from the Thai script. Hence, we cannot say that the penetration of the Thai script changed the status of the Thai people from “illiterate” to “literate” because, in a sense, they were “literate” long before the modern era. These traditional scripts were not to be discarded; they continued to create new meanings and expand the Thai people’s raison d’etre. Therefore, there is a need to analyze the modern meanings and uses of traditional scripts in the context of village life. Similar to other material cultures, scripts are one tool invented by human beings. They are used to represent the oral language and their representation requires certain materials. The study of scripts provides a suitable opportunity to consider the issues of materialization and knowledge. This article aims to analyze from an anthropological perspective the manner in which traditional scripts and knowledge of them are employed in the villages of Northeastern Thailand. 2. The History of Traditional Scripts in Northeastern Thailand Traditional Scripts in Northeastern Thailand In the Isan region of Northeastern Thailand, the spoken language is called Lao or Isan, a local Thai dialect. Similar to other Thai languages, Isan is a monosyllabic language with 5 or 6 tones. Today, the Thai script is generally used as the written language; however, other scripts, called akson boran (ancient scripts), still exist in Isan. There are three traditional scripts in this region: Tham, Thainoi, and Khom. The Khom script was derived from the ancient Khmer script and was used in stone inscriptions and Buddhist texts. In the villages that I researched, however, the use of this script is not as common as that of the other two scripts.

Abstract: The present paper deals with identification of the Khitan words preserved in Late Middle Chinese transcription in mixed language verses from the QIDAN GUO ZHI. I argue that the only cogent way for identifying these Khitan words correctly is using the up-to-date version of Middle Chinese reconstruction, and not viewing them through the anachronistic prism of Modern and/or Early Mandarin readings of Chinese characters. On this basis I provide critical assessment of certain identifications proposed by my predecessors as well as several new identifications.