How to Use Chinese Characters to Write Just About Anything
How to Use Chinese Characters to Write Just About Anything
Speaker
Prof. Zev J. Handel, Ph.D. (University of Washington, Seattle)
Date and Time
November 17, 2025, 4.15 pm - 5.45 pm
Venue
Rämistrasse 59, CH-8006 Zurich, Room RAA-G-15
Abstract
Chinese characters have historically been adapted to write not just various Chinese languages, but also Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese (among others). Indeed, you could use Chinese characters to represent any spoken language in writing, even German or English. In this talk, Zev Handel explains how the three techniques of semantic adaptation, phonetic adaptation, and disambiguation have shaped Chinese script borrowing in East Asia.
Organization
Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies - Chinese Studies