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Article: Human diversity and the genealogy of languages: Noah as the founding ancestor of the Chinese
Title | Human diversity and the genealogy of languages: Noah as the founding ancestor of the Chinese |
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Authors | |
Keywords | Chinese language Chinese writing system Linguistic affinity Linguistic naturalness Universal history |
Issue Date | 2008 |
Publisher | Pergamon. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/langsci |
Citation | Language Sciences, 2008, v. 30 n. 5, p. 512-528 How to Cite? |
Abstract | The characteristics which were held to define the Chinese language within the Western intellectual tradition placed it for a time at the centre in discussions of the genealogy of mankind. The dominant premodern paradigm for the explanation of human linguistic diversity was Biblical exegesis, as discussed and elaborated within the framework of 'universal history'. A number of Western scholars argued that the Biblical patriarchs could be identified with legendary figures from Chinese history and that there was a direct link between the Chinese language and the pre-Babel linguistic order. The Chinese language, in particular its writing system, had universal characteristics, making it central in the quest for the restoration of the linguistic and conceptual unity of mankind. The rise of a modern linguistics marginalized universal projects of etymological speculation, and it was concluded that there was no cognate relationship between Chinese, Hebrew and the European languages. Both the language and the writing system were increasingly seen as anomalous and unnatural. Western understandings of the Chinese language and the Chinese writing system need to be contextualized within the evolution of conceptualizations of the natural and artificial. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
Persistent Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/57917 |
ISSN | 2023 Impact Factor: 1.3 2023 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.419 |
ISI Accession Number ID | |
References |
DC Field | Value | Language |
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dc.contributor.author | Hutton, C | en_HK |
dc.date.accessioned | 2010-05-31T03:20:33Z | - |
dc.date.available | 2010-05-31T03:20:33Z | - |
dc.date.issued | 2008 | en_HK |
dc.identifier.citation | Language Sciences, 2008, v. 30 n. 5, p. 512-528 | en_HK |
dc.identifier.issn | 0388-0001 | en_HK |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/57917 | - |
dc.description.abstract | The characteristics which were held to define the Chinese language within the Western intellectual tradition placed it for a time at the centre in discussions of the genealogy of mankind. The dominant premodern paradigm for the explanation of human linguistic diversity was Biblical exegesis, as discussed and elaborated within the framework of 'universal history'. A number of Western scholars argued that the Biblical patriarchs could be identified with legendary figures from Chinese history and that there was a direct link between the Chinese language and the pre-Babel linguistic order. The Chinese language, in particular its writing system, had universal characteristics, making it central in the quest for the restoration of the linguistic and conceptual unity of mankind. The rise of a modern linguistics marginalized universal projects of etymological speculation, and it was concluded that there was no cognate relationship between Chinese, Hebrew and the European languages. Both the language and the writing system were increasingly seen as anomalous and unnatural. Western understandings of the Chinese language and the Chinese writing system need to be contextualized within the evolution of conceptualizations of the natural and artificial. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. | en_HK |
dc.language | eng | en_HK |
dc.publisher | Pergamon. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/langsci | en_HK |
dc.relation.ispartof | Language Sciences | en_HK |
dc.subject | Chinese language | en_HK |
dc.subject | Chinese writing system | en_HK |
dc.subject | Linguistic affinity | en_HK |
dc.subject | Linguistic naturalness | en_HK |
dc.subject | Universal history | en_HK |
dc.title | Human diversity and the genealogy of languages: Noah as the founding ancestor of the Chinese | en_HK |
dc.type | Article | en_HK |
dc.identifier.openurl | http://library.hku.hk:4550/resserv?sid=HKU:IR&issn=0388-0001&volume=30&spage=512&epage=528&date=2008&atitle=Human+diversity+and+the+genealogy+of+languages:+Noah+as+the+founding+ancestor+of+the+Chinese | en_HK |
dc.identifier.email | Hutton, C: chutton@hku.hk | en_HK |
dc.identifier.authority | Hutton, C=rp01161 | en_HK |
dc.description.nature | link_to_subscribed_fulltext | - |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1016/j.langsci.2007.07.004 | en_HK |
dc.identifier.scopus | eid_2-s2.0-45149108893 | en_HK |
dc.identifier.hkuros | 146845 | en_HK |
dc.relation.references | http://www.scopus.com/mlt/select.url?eid=2-s2.0-45149108893&selection=ref&src=s&origin=recordpage | en_HK |
dc.identifier.volume | 30 | en_HK |
dc.identifier.issue | 5 | en_HK |
dc.identifier.spage | 512 | en_HK |
dc.identifier.epage | 528 | en_HK |
dc.identifier.isi | WOS:000257841600004 | - |
dc.publisher.place | United Kingdom | en_HK |
dc.identifier.scopusauthorid | Hutton, C=7005571692 | en_HK |
dc.identifier.issnl | 0388-0001 | - |