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Chapter 2 - The Chinese Language and Writing System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2024

Erik D. Reichle  and
Lili Yu
Erik D. Reichle
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Sydney
Lili Yu
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Sydney
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Summary

provides an overview of the Chinese language and its many dialects and how they differ from other Asiatic languages (e.g., Japanese). The chapter then reviews the origins and evolution of the Chinese writing system. The chapter closes with an overview of the modern Chinese writing system and its conventions, including points of difference with other writing systems (e.g., alphabetic scripts like English) and examples of how words can be decomposed into characters, radicals, and strokes.

Keywords

Chinese languageChinese writing systemcharactersradicalsstrokestones
Type
Chapter
Information
The Psychology of Reading
Insights from Chinese
 , pp. 21 - 45
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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