Asia's Orthographic Dilemma
'1. It is not, as many argue, that the characters are intrinsically well suited to Chinese, but that they generated this "suitability" themselves by forcing the language into their own characteristic mold.
2. Linguistically speaking, the only good thing that can be said about Chinese characters is that they help solve problems which their own use has created.
3. Reform of character-based writing is basically a zero-sum game, where changes introduced in one area lead to problems in another, until the effort falls apart because of the shortsightedness of reformers who cannot perceive that there is (no solution [italics]) within the context defined.
4. Our position here is not that East Asians lack creativity, but that they achieved their intellectual greatness (in spite of [it.]) the character-based writing system.
5. Under pressure to absorb international vocabulary, encouraged by new technological venues, and facilitated by English language bilingualism, the alphabet is taking its place alongside traditional orthographies in more and more applications.
6. Viewed globally and historically, it is clear that characters are on their last legs.
Not everyone will agree with these conclusions. I too have reservations, particularly as regards the last item. I agree in the case of Korea, but am less sure about Japan and even less sure in the case of China. It seems to me that while China's need to access the global information highway is forcing it to make practical use of pinyin, which reformers are promoting not as a replacement for characters but as a part of diagraphia, that is, a two-script policy of indefinitely long duration, opposition to alphabetic writing is so strong that it will in all likelihood severely retard the advance of pinyin even as a secondary system of writing.'
....
Technology's cutting edge it two-sided. While enhancing our ability to shape nature, technology also highlights defects in mechanisms whose limitations were not universally recognized. Progress is served in both cases.
The present chapter explores the relationship between Chinese characters and computers -- the most recent in a millennia-old series of technical innovations for recording language. I begin by examining how well computers have fulfilled their predicted role of eliminating gaps in the ease with which alphabetic and character texts are generated and processed. The practical consequences of a large character set whose units lack a well-motivated design will be assessed as they apply to computer storage and output, and to various types of character input schemes. The result of this interplay between modern technology and one of history's oldest forms of writing will startle many.'
(Hannas WC, Asia's Orthographic Dilemma, 1997)
'1. It is not, as many argue, that the characters are intrinsically well suited to Chinese, but that they generated this "suitability" themselves by forcing the language into their own characteristic mold.
2. Linguistically speaking, the only good thing that can be said about Chinese characters is that they help solve problems which their own use has created.
3. Reform of character-based writing is basically a zero-sum game, where changes introduced in one area lead to problems in another, until the effort falls apart because of the shortsightedness of reformers who cannot perceive that there is (no solution [italics]) within the context defined.
4. Our position here is not that East Asians lack creativity, but that they achieved their intellectual greatness (in spite of [it.]) the character-based writing system.
5. Under pressure to absorb international vocabulary, encouraged by new technological venues, and facilitated by English language bilingualism, the alphabet is taking its place alongside traditional orthographies in more and more applications.
6. Viewed globally and historically, it is clear that characters are on their last legs.
Not everyone will agree with these conclusions. I too have reservations, particularly as regards the last item. I agree in the case of Korea, but am less sure about Japan and even less sure in the case of China. It seems to me that while China's need to access the global information highway is forcing it to make practical use of pinyin, which reformers are promoting not as a replacement for characters but as a part of diagraphia, that is, a two-script policy of indefinitely long duration, opposition to alphabetic writing is so strong that it will in all likelihood severely retard the advance of pinyin even as a secondary system of writing.'
....
Technology's cutting edge it two-sided. While enhancing our ability to shape nature, technology also highlights defects in mechanisms whose limitations were not universally recognized. Progress is served in both cases.
The present chapter explores the relationship between Chinese characters and computers -- the most recent in a millennia-old series of technical innovations for recording language. I begin by examining how well computers have fulfilled their predicted role of eliminating gaps in the ease with which alphabetic and character texts are generated and processed. The practical consequences of a large character set whose units lack a well-motivated design will be assessed as they apply to computer storage and output, and to various types of character input schemes. The result of this interplay between modern technology and one of history's oldest forms of writing will startle many.'
(Hannas WC, Asia's Orthographic Dilemma, 1997)
