Khitan small script

The Khitan small script (Chinese: 契丹小字; pinyin: qìdān xiǎozì) was one of two writing systems used for the now-extinct Khitan language (the other was the Khitan large script). It was used during the 10th–12th century by the Khitan people, who had created the Liao Empire in present-day northeastern China. In addition to the small script, the Khitans simultaneously also used a functionally independent writing system known as the Khitan large script. Both Khitan scripts continued to be in use to some extent by the Jurchens for several decades after the fall of the Liao dynasty, until the Jurchens fully switched to a script of their own. Examples of the scripts appeared most often on epitaphs and monuments, although other fragments sometimes surface.

Khitan small script
Bronze mirror with a poetic inscription
Script type with syllabary and possibly some phonograms
DirectionTop-to-bottom and right-to-left
LanguagesKhitan language
Related scripts
Parent systems
Sister systems
Simplified Chinese, Kanji, Hanja, Tangut script, Chữ Hán, Zhuyin
ISO 15924
ISO 15924Kits (288), Khitan small script
Unicode
Unicode alias
Khitan Small Script

History

The Khitan small script was invented in about 924 or 925 CE by a scholar named Yelü Diela. He drew his inspiration from "the Uyghur language and script",[1] which he was shown by a visiting Uyghur ambassador at the Khitan court. For this reason, Khitan small script was originally thought to be a daughter script of the Old Uyghur alphabet.[2]

Description

Inscription on the Da Jin huangdi dutong jinglüe langjun xingji (大金皇弟都統經略郎君行記) stele, in both Khitan and Chinese.

Using a smaller number of symbols than large script, small script was less complex, yet still "able to record any word."[3] While small-script inscriptions employed some logograms as well, most words in small script were made using a blocked system reminiscent of the later Hangul writing of Korea, meaning that a word is represented by one group (square block) composed of several glyphs with individual phonetic meanings (somewhat similar to the jamo units of Hangul). Unlike Hangul's jamo, a Khitan phonetic symbol could represent not just a single vowel or consonant, but a consonant-vowel or vowel-consonant pair as well.[4] Each block could incorporate two to seven such "phonetic element" characters, written in pairs within the block, with the first half of the pair on the left. If there were an odd number of characters in a block, the unpaired character would be centered below the preceding pair.

Although there is some speculation, it appears there are no characters that both the small and large scripts share. Periodically, epitaphs written using small script will be written using the large script method of linearity. Although small script had some similarities to Chinese, Khitan characters were often used to record Chinese words. The appearance of a likeness between a small script and a Chinese character does not help in the reading of Khitan. For example, the Chinese character for 'mountain' () is the same as the Khitan small script logogram for 'gold' (and, thus, the name of the Jin dynasty).[1][5]

Of the 378 known small script characters, 125 are semantic, 115 are phonetic, and the remainder have not been deciphered.[3] (Usually, it was possible to guess the phonetic value of an element if it has been used to transcribe a Chinese loanword in a Khitan inscription; otherwise, such phonetic values are hard to determine, as very little of the Khitan language is known.[6]) Small script uses a mixture of logograms, syllabograms, and, as some as sources claim, a few single sound phonograms. Sometimes suffixes were written with syllabograms, just as single syllables sometimes were written with three syllabograms (with one each for the initial, medial, and final sounds of the syllable). Sometimes the initial consonants of syllables are indicated to be dental, labial, guttural, or nasal etc., based on the syllabograms involved. Additionally, vowels are sometimes indicated to be labial or non-labial, or pronounced in the front or back of the mouth.

Much of this information came from the "Khitan Script Research Group", led by the Mongolian scholar named Činggeltei, who used monuments, calendar, and similar Chinese texts to decipher sections of small script.[7] A particularly valuable object of their study was the inscription on the Da Jin huangdi dtong jinglüe langjun xingji (zh:大金皇弟都统经略郎君行记) stele, which is the only known bilingual Chinese-Khitan inscription. Produced during the Jurchen Jin dynasty it, ironically, was originally (before the discovery of other Khitan inscriptions in 1922) thought to be in Jurchen.[8]

Corpus

Bronze 'fish tally' with small Khitan inscription owned by Stephen Wootton Bushell

There are no surviving examples of printed texts in the Khitan language, and aside from five example Khitan large characters with Chinese glosses in a book on calligraphy written by Tao Zongyi (陶宗儀) during the mid 14th century, there are no Chinese glossaries or dictionaries of Khitan.

The main source of Khitan texts are monumental inscriptions, mostly comprising memorial tablets buried in the tombs of Khitan nobility.[9] There are about 33 known monuments with inscriptions in the Khitan small script, ranging in date from 1053 to 1171.

Encoding

The Khitan small script was added to Unicode version 13.0 in March 2020. 470 graphic characters are located in the Khitan Small Script block, while a single invisible filler character (U+16FE4: KHITAN SMALL SCRIPT FILLER) is located in the Ideographic Symbols and Punctuation block. The filler is inserted following the first character of a cluster, and denotes a character cluster laid out with one character on the first line, as opposed to the usual two.[10]

Khitan Small Script[1][2]
Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF)
 0123456789ABCDEF
U+18B0x 𘬀𘬁𘬂𘬃𘬄𘬅𘬆𘬇 𘬈𘬉𘬊𘬋𘬌𘬍𘬎𘬏
U+18B1x 𘬐𘬑𘬒𘬓𘬔𘬕𘬖𘬗 𘬘𘬙𘬚𘬛𘬜𘬝𘬞𘬟
U+18B2x 𘬠𘬡𘬢𘬣𘬤𘬥𘬦𘬧 𘬨𘬩𘬪𘬫𘬬𘬭𘬮𘬯
U+18B3x 𘬰𘬱𘬲𘬳𘬴𘬵𘬶𘬷 𘬸𘬹𘬺𘬻𘬼𘬽𘬾𘬿
U+18B4x 𘭀𘭁𘭂𘭃𘭄𘭅𘭆𘭇 𘭈𘭉𘭊𘭋𘭌𘭍𘭎𘭏
U+18B5x 𘭐𘭑𘭒𘭓𘭔𘭕𘭖𘭗 𘭘𘭙𘭚𘭛𘭜𘭝𘭞𘭟
U+18B6x 𘭠𘭡𘭢𘭣𘭤𘭥𘭦𘭧 𘭨𘭩𘭪𘭫𘭬𘭭𘭮𘭯
U+18B7x 𘭰𘭱𘭲𘭳𘭴𘭵𘭶𘭷 𘭸𘭹𘭺𘭻𘭼𘭽𘭾𘭿
U+18B8x 𘮀𘮁𘮂𘮃𘮄𘮅𘮆𘮇 𘮈𘮉𘮊𘮋𘮌𘮍𘮎𘮏
U+18B9x 𘮐𘮑𘮒𘮓𘮔𘮕𘮖𘮗 𘮘𘮙𘮚𘮛𘮜𘮝𘮞𘮟
U+18BAx 𘮠𘮡𘮢𘮣𘮤𘮥𘮦𘮧 𘮨𘮩𘮪𘮫𘮬𘮭𘮮𘮯
U+18BBx 𘮰𘮱𘮲𘮳𘮴𘮵𘮶𘮷 𘮸𘮹𘮺𘮻𘮼𘮽𘮾𘮿
U+18BCx 𘯀𘯁𘯂𘯃𘯄𘯅𘯆𘯇 𘯈𘯉𘯊𘯋𘯌𘯍𘯎𘯏
U+18BDx 𘯐𘯑𘯒𘯓𘯔𘯕𘯖𘯗 𘯘𘯙𘯚𘯛𘯜𘯝𘯞𘯟
U+18BEx 𘯠𘯡𘯢𘯣𘯤𘯥𘯦𘯧 𘯨𘯩𘯪𘯫𘯬𘯭𘯮𘯯
U+18BFx 𘯰𘯱𘯲𘯳𘯴𘯵𘯶𘯷 𘯸𘯹𘯺𘯻𘯼𘯽𘯾𘯿
U+18C0x 𘰀𘰁𘰂𘰃𘰄𘰅𘰆𘰇 𘰈𘰉𘰊𘰋𘰌𘰍𘰎𘰏
U+18C1x 𘰐𘰑𘰒𘰓𘰔𘰕𘰖𘰗 𘰘𘰙𘰚𘰛𘰜𘰝𘰞𘰟
U+18C2x 𘰠𘰡𘰢𘰣𘰤𘰥𘰦𘰧 𘰨𘰩𘰪𘰫𘰬𘰭𘰮𘰯
U+18C3x 𘰰𘰱𘰲𘰳𘰴𘰵𘰶𘰷 𘰸𘰹𘰺𘰻𘰼𘰽𘰾𘰿
U+18C4x 𘱀𘱁𘱂𘱃𘱄𘱅𘱆𘱇 𘱈𘱉𘱊𘱋𘱌𘱍𘱎𘱏
U+18C5x 𘱐𘱑𘱒𘱓𘱔𘱕𘱖𘱗 𘱘𘱙𘱚𘱛𘱜𘱝𘱞𘱟
U+18C6x 𘱠𘱡𘱢𘱣𘱤𘱥𘱦𘱧 𘱨𘱩𘱪𘱫𘱬𘱭𘱮𘱯
U+18C7x 𘱰𘱱𘱲𘱳𘱴𘱵𘱶𘱷 𘱸𘱹𘱺𘱻𘱼𘱽𘱾𘱿
U+18C8x 𘲀𘲁𘲂𘲃𘲄𘲅𘲆𘲇 𘲈𘲉𘲊𘲋𘲌𘲍𘲎𘲏
U+18C9x 𘲐𘲑𘲒𘲓𘲔𘲕𘲖𘲗 𘲘𘲙𘲚𘲛𘲜𘲝𘲞𘲟
U+18CAx 𘲠𘲡𘲢𘲣𘲤𘲥𘲦𘲧 𘲨𘲩𘲪𘲫𘲬𘲭𘲮𘲯
U+18CBx 𘲰𘲱𘲲𘲳𘲴𘲵𘲶𘲷 𘲸𘲹𘲺𘲻𘲼𘲽𘲾𘲿
U+18CCx 𘳀𘳁𘳂𘳃𘳄𘳅𘳆𘳇 𘳈𘳉𘳊𘳋𘳌𘳍𘳎𘳏
U+18CDx 𘳐𘳑𘳒𘳓𘳔𘳕
U+18CEx
U+18CFx
Notes
1.^ As of Unicode version 15.1
2.^ Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points

References

  1. Daniels, Peter T.; Bright, William (1996), The World's Writing Systems, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 230–234
  2. Jacques Gernet (1996). A history of Chinese civilization. Cambridge University Press. p. 354. ISBN 0-521-49781-7. Retrieved June 7, 2011. based on uighur script.
  3. Kara, György (1987), "On the Khitan Writing Systems", Mongolian Studies, 10, pp. 19–23
  4. Kane (1989), p. 15.
  5. Kane (1989), p. 17
  6. Kane (1989), p. 16
  7. According to Kane (1989) (p. 13), the most complete publication on the Khitan small script as of that time was the book by Činggeltei et al. (1985). It contained the complete corpus of inscriptions in that script known to date, summary of research done on the subject in China and elsewhere, and a complete bibliography.
  8. Kane (1989), pp. 4–5, 13–20
  9. Kane 2009, p. 4
  10. "18.12: Khitan Small Script". The Unicode Standard: Core Specification (PDF). Version 13.0. Unicode Consortium. 2020. p. 760-761.

Further reading

  • Kane, Daniel (2009), The Kitan Language and Script, Brill, ISBN 978-90-04-16829-9
  • Činggeltei (Chinggeltei, 清格尔泰), Chen Naixiong (陈乃雄), Xing Fuli (邢复礼), Liu Fengzhu (刘凤翥), Yu Baolin (于宝林). Qidan xiao zi yanjiiu (契丹小字研究, 'Research on the Khitan small script'), China Social Science Publishers 中国社会科学出版社), 1985. (in Chinese)
  • Daniel Kane, The Sino-Jurchen Vocabulary of the Bureau of Interpreters. (Uralic and Altaic Series, Vol. 153). Indiana University, Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies. Bloomington, Indiana, 1989. In particular, Chapter 3, "Khitan script" (pp. 11–20).
  • Jacques, Guillaume (2010). "Review of Kane 2009, The Khitan Language and Script". Diachronica. 27 (1): 157–165. doi:10.1075/dia.27.1.05jac.
  • András Róna-Tas: Khitan Studies I. The Graphs Of The Khitan Small Script. 1. general remarks, dotted graphs, numerals. Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae Volume 69 (2) pp. 117-138 (2016)
  • András Róna-Tas: Khitan studies I. The graphs of the Khitan Small Script. 2. The vowels. Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hung. Volume 70. (2) pp. 135–188 (2017)
  • WU Yingzhe and András Róna-Tas: Khitan Studies I. The Glyphs of the Khitan Small Script: 3. The Consonants, 3.1 Labial Stops. Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hung. Volume 72. (1) pp. 47–79 (2019)
  • WU Yingzhe and András Róna-Tas: Khitan Studies I. The Glyphs of the Khitan Small Script: 3. The Consonants, 3.2. Dental Stops. Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hung. Volume 73 (1), pp. 67–83 (2020)
  • Wu Yingzhe and András Róna-Tas: Khitan Studies. • 1.The graphs of the khitan small script 3. The consonants. 3.3 The oral velar and uvular consonants. Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hung. Volume 73 (4) pp. 669–683 (2020)
  • András Róna-Tas: A Birthday Present for the Khitan Empress. In: István Zimonyi (ed.): Ottomans – Crimea – Jochids. Studies in Honour of Mária Ivanics. Szeged, 2020. pp. 281–294.
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