Character Chains in the Chinese Language (On the Base of Complex Signs with Radical 人 / 亻 ‘Man’)

Abstract

The article deals with the composition and semantic features of the derivative complex logograms with radical 人 / 亻 ‘man’ in the Chinese language. Based on structural-semantic and etymological analysis, the possibility of sequential chain connection of simple logograms into a multicomponent sign is revealed (by analogy with word formation in the languages of the sound-letter type). The structural and the structural-semantic types of chains are established, the features of connecting components of complex characters are determined, and models of the chain combination of signs are developed: structurally complete (consistently formed from four to six character signs “character (A) → character (A+B) → character (A+B+C) →character (A+B+C+D)”, incomplete (up to three sequentially attached characters “character (A) →character (A+B) → character (A+B+C)”), with a gap (the absence of an intermediate chain character, for example, “character (A) → character (A+B) →character (A+B+C+D)”). Character chains with logogram reduplication were separately identified and considered. The results of the statistical analysis made it possible to identify the frequency of chains of a different type, as well as to determine the leading type of composition (by the number of components in a complex sign and their frequency of occurrence in sign-forming chains). On the other hand, the formation of sign-forming chains of different types clearly ‘demonstrates’ the prevalence of radial rather than chain structures. A feature of the identified chain constructions is the dominance of the structural-semantic type of constructions, where the structural-formal aspect is a more powerful basis for construction. At the same time, the results of a deep etymological and semantic analysis showed several semantic connections, which also form the basis of the chains.