DOI: 10.1177/25138502261455649 ISSN: 2513-8502

A study on the nature and features of the Khitan large script

Yingzhe Wu, A Runa
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The Khitan large script is generally believed to have been created in 920

ce
, in the fifth year of the Shence reign, under Emperor Taizu of Liao. Research on the Khitan large script has lagged behind that of the Khitan small script, leading to ongoing debates about its nature and structural characteristics. This article examines the nature of the Khitan large script from multiple perspectives, including its intrinsic features, the typology of the Khitan language, and its relationship to the Khitan small script. It argues that the creation of the Khitan large script may predate 920
ce
and that it likely evolved gradually from a Chinese-character-based Khitan writing system into an early stage system combining logographic and phonographic elements, as well as monosyllabic and polysyllabic units.

The findings further indicated that the Khitan large script showed a lower degree of phonographic development than the Khitan small script, and can be understood as a transitional stage toward a fully phonographic writing system.

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