The Chinese Typewriter

The Chinese Typewriter PDF Author: Thomas S. Mullaney
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262536102
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 501

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Book Description
How Chinese characters triumphed over the QWERTY keyboard and laid the foundation for China's information technology successes today. Chinese writing is character based, the one major world script that is neither alphabetic nor syllabic. Through the years, the Chinese written language encountered presumed alphabetic universalism in the form of Morse Code, Braille, stenography, Linotype, punch cards, word processing, and other systems developed with the Latin alphabet in mind. This book is about those encounters—in particular thousands of Chinese characters versus the typewriter and its QWERTY keyboard. Thomas Mullaney describes a fascinating series of experiments, prototypes, failures, and successes in the century-long quest for a workable Chinese typewriter. The earliest Chinese typewriters, Mullaney tells us, were figments of popular imagination, sensational accounts of twelve-foot keyboards with 5,000 keys. One of the first Chinese typewriters actually constructed was invented by a Christian missionary, who organized characters by common usage (but promoted the less-common characters for “Jesus" to the common usage level). Later came typewriters manufactured for use in Chinese offices, and typewriting schools that turned out trained “typewriter girls” and “typewriter boys.” Still later was the “Double Pigeon” typewriter produced by the Shanghai Calculator and Typewriter Factory, the typewriter of choice under Mao. Clerks and secretaries in this era experimented with alternative ways of organizing characters on their tray beds, inventing an input method that was the first instance of “predictive text.” Today, after more than a century of resistance against the alphabetic, not only have Chinese characters prevailed, they form the linguistic substrate of the vibrant world of Chinese information technology. The Chinese Typewriter, not just an “object history” but grappling with broad questions of technological change and global communication, shows how this happened. A Study of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute Columbia University

The Chinese Typewriter

The Chinese Typewriter PDF Author: Thomas S. Mullaney
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262536102
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 501

Get Book Here

Book Description
How Chinese characters triumphed over the QWERTY keyboard and laid the foundation for China's information technology successes today. Chinese writing is character based, the one major world script that is neither alphabetic nor syllabic. Through the years, the Chinese written language encountered presumed alphabetic universalism in the form of Morse Code, Braille, stenography, Linotype, punch cards, word processing, and other systems developed with the Latin alphabet in mind. This book is about those encounters—in particular thousands of Chinese characters versus the typewriter and its QWERTY keyboard. Thomas Mullaney describes a fascinating series of experiments, prototypes, failures, and successes in the century-long quest for a workable Chinese typewriter. The earliest Chinese typewriters, Mullaney tells us, were figments of popular imagination, sensational accounts of twelve-foot keyboards with 5,000 keys. One of the first Chinese typewriters actually constructed was invented by a Christian missionary, who organized characters by common usage (but promoted the less-common characters for “Jesus" to the common usage level). Later came typewriters manufactured for use in Chinese offices, and typewriting schools that turned out trained “typewriter girls” and “typewriter boys.” Still later was the “Double Pigeon” typewriter produced by the Shanghai Calculator and Typewriter Factory, the typewriter of choice under Mao. Clerks and secretaries in this era experimented with alternative ways of organizing characters on their tray beds, inventing an input method that was the first instance of “predictive text.” Today, after more than a century of resistance against the alphabetic, not only have Chinese characters prevailed, they form the linguistic substrate of the vibrant world of Chinese information technology. The Chinese Typewriter, not just an “object history” but grappling with broad questions of technological change and global communication, shows how this happened. A Study of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute Columbia University

The Sino-Alphabet

The Sino-Alphabet PDF Author: Mark Hansell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Alphabet
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description


ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese

ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese PDF Author: Axel Schuessler
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824829751
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 680

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Book Description
This is the first genuine etymological dictionary of Old Chinese written in any language. As such, it constitutes a milestone in research on the evolution of the Sinitic language group. Whereas previous studies have emphasized the structure of the Chinese characters, this pathbreaking dictionary places primary emphasis on the sounds and meanings of Sinitic roots. Based on more than three decades of intensive investigation in primary and secondary sources, this completely new dictionary places Old Chinese squarely within the Sino-Tibetan language family (including close consideration of numerous Tiberto-Burman languages), while paying due regard to other language families such as Austroasiatic, Miao-Yao (Hmong-Mien), and Kam-Tai. Designed for use by nonspecialists and specialists alike, the dictionary is highly accessible, being arranged in alphabetical order and possessed of numerous innovative lexicographical features. Each entry offers one or more possible etymologies as well as reconstructed pronunciations and other relevant data. Words that are morphologically related are grouped together into "word families" that attempt to make explicit the derivational or other etymological processes that relate them. The dictionary is preceded by a substantive and significant introduction that outlines the author’s views on the linguistic position of Chinese within Asia and details the phonological and morphological properties, to the degree they are known, of the earliest stages of the Chinese language and its ancestor. This introduction, because it both summarizes and synthesizes earlier work and makes several original contributions, functions as a useful reference work all on its own.

The Chinese Language

The Chinese Language PDF Author: John DeFrancis
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 9780824810689
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
"DeFrancis's book is first rate. It entertains. It teaches. It demystifies. It counteracts popular ignorance as well as sophisticated (cocktail party) ignorance. Who could ask for anything more? There is no other book like it. ... It is one of a kind, a first, and I would not only buy it but I would recommend it to friends and colleagues, many of whom are visiting China now and are adding 'two-week-expert' ignorance to the two kinds that existed before. This is a book for everyone." --Joshua A. Fishman, research professor of social sciences, Yeshiva University, New York "Professor De Francis has produced a work of great effectiveness that should appeal to a wide-ranging audience. It is at once instructive and entertaining. While being delighted by the flair of his novel approach, the reader will also be led to ponder on some of the most fundamental problems concerning the relations between written languages and spoken languages. Specifically, he will be served a variety of information on the languages of East Asia, not as dry pedantic facts, but as appealing tidbits that whet the intellectual appetite. The expert will find much to reflect on in this book, for Professor DeFrancis takes nothing for granted." --William S.Y. Wang, professor of linguistics, University of California at Berkeley

The Korean Alphabet

The Korean Alphabet PDF Author: Young-Key Kim-Renaud
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824845277
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 333

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Book Description
The Korean alphabet, commonly known as han'gul, has been called one of the greatest intellectual achievements of humankind. Experts agree that few writing systems can match its simplicity and efficiency, its elegance and intelligence. The only alphabet completely native to East Asia, han'gul distinguishes itself among writing systems of the world with its scientific qualities and unusual linguistic fit to the Korean language. Most strikingly, the theoretical underpinnings of the language, as well as the time and circumstances of its creation, are clearly known and recorded. Han'gul was invented in 1443 and promulgated in 1446 by King Sejong (1418-1450), sage ruler of the Yi dynasty (1392-1910). This volume, the first book-length work on han'gul in English by Korean-language specialists, is comprised of ten essays by the most active scholars of the Korean writing system. An instructive commentary by eminent linguist Samuel Martin follows, offering perceptive comments on the essays as well as a discussion on Martin's own research findings on the script.

All 28 Chinese strokes

All 28 Chinese strokes PDF Author: Yue Wang
Publisher: letslearnchinese
ISBN: 9083158101
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 38

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Book Description
This 38-page e-workbook contains the building blocks of the Chinese writing system. You'll learn all 28 strokes and lots of other interesting Chinese character-related facts. This e-workbook includes fun exercises and handy tips for mastering Chinese characters quickly.

Writing and Literacy in Chinese, Korean and Japanese

Writing and Literacy in Chinese, Korean and Japanese PDF Author: Insup Taylor
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISBN: 9027269440
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 509

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Book Description
The book describes how the three East Asian writing systems-Chinese, Korean, and Japanese- originated, developed, and are used today. Uniquely, this book: (1) examines the three East Asian scripts (and English) together in relation to each other, and (2) discusses how these scripts are, and historically have been, used in literacy and how they are learned, written, read, and processed by the eyes, the brain, and the mind. In this second edition, the authors have included recent research findings on the uses of the scripts, added several new sections, and rewritten several other sections. They have also added a new Part IV to deal with issues that similarly involve all the four languages/scripts of their interest. The book is intended both for the general public and for interested scholars. Technical terms (listed in a glossary) are used only when absolutely necessary.

Tuttle Learning Chinese Characters

Tuttle Learning Chinese Characters PDF Author: Alison Matthews
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 146290128X
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 388

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Book Description
This user-friendly book is aimed at helping students of Mandarin Chinese learn and remember Chinese characters. At last--there is a truly effective and enjoyable way to learn Chinese characters! This book helps students to learn and remember both the meanings and the pronunciations of over 800 characters. This otherwise daunting task is made easier by the use of techniques based on the psychology of learning and memory. key principles include the use of visual imagery, the visualization of short "stories," and the systematic building up of more complicated characters from basic building blocks. Although Learning Chinese Characters is primarily a book for serious learners of Mandarin Chinese, it can be used by anyone with interest in Chinese characters, without any prior knowledge of Chinese. It can be used alongside (or after, or even before) a course in the Chinese language. All characters are simplified (as in mainland China), but traditional characters are also given, when available. Key features: Specially designed pictures and stories are used in a structured way to make the learning process more enjoyable and effective, reducing the need for rote learning to the absolute minimum. The emphasis throughout is on learning and remembering the meanings and pronunciations of the characters. Tips are also included on learning techniques and how to avoid common problems. Characters are introduced in a logical sequence, which also gives priority to learning the most common characters first. Modern, simplified characters are used, with pronunciations given in pinyin. Key information is given for each character, including radical, stroke-count, traditional form, compounds, and guidance on writing the character. This is a practical guide with a clear, concise and appealing layout, and it is well-indexed with easy lookup methods. The 800 Chinese characters and 1,033 compounds specified for the original HSK Level A proficiency test are covered.

My First Chinese Alphabet Book and Audio CD (Features Translations in English, Traditional Chinese, and Pinyin & Zhuyin Phonetics

My First Chinese Alphabet Book and Audio CD (Features Translations in English, Traditional Chinese, and Pinyin & Zhuyin Phonetics PDF Author: Go Boo Boo Xue Zhong Wen
Publisher: Go Boo Boo Xue Zhong Wen/ Tsai Fong Books
ISBN: 9781939208057
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : zh-CN
Pages : 38

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Book Description
My First Chinese AlphabetTM Book is a must have book for children who are starting to learn Mandarin Chinese and a great resource for parents! This book introduces each of the 37 characters ("letters") of the Chinese Alphabet (also known as Zhuyin Phonetics) along with beautifully illustrated animals as examples for each letter. The English and Pinyin spelling of the letter's sounds are also included so parents with no background in Chinese can conveniently follow along! In addition, an audio CD of My First Chinese AlphabetTM Song is included so you never have to worry about whether your pronunciation is correct! Your child will have fun building the necessary foundation to learn Mandarin Chinese with this fun book!

The Korean Alphabet

The Korean Alphabet PDF Author: Young-Key Kim-Renaud
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN:
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
A collection of ten essays which cover topics such as: arguments for King Sejong's personal creation of the script; the Asian and domestic linguistic and socio-cultural background to its creation; the principles under which each symbol was created; and the structure of phonological units.