Re: Origin of Chinese spoken languages

From: Dylan Sung (dylanwhs.tsktsktsk_at_pacific.net.hk)
Date: 10/22/04 

Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 23:14:13 +0100

"SJ" <donot@send.spam.net> wrote in message
news:Xns958AAB7299AF6donotsendspamnet@131.118.254.130...
> "Dylan Sung" <dylanwhs.tsktsktsk@pacific.net.hk> wrote in
> news:2tt69dF24gbptU1@uni-berlin.de:
>
>>
>>"Dylan Sung" <dylanwhs.tsktsktsk@pacific.net.hk> wrote in message
>>news:2tpu6fF22pp6cU1@uni-berlin.de...
>>>
>>> "SJ" <donot@send.spam.net> wrote in message
>>> news:Xns9588E3B167DA4donotsendspamnet@131.118.254.130...
>>>> I list more examples. Is there any word or a Hanja script
>>>> corresponding to the words in English as the following:
>>>>
>>>> 1. Today
>>...
>>>>
>>>> How many times do you use these terms every days? Count it and
>>>> imagine how couldn't ancient Chinese have such words. Didn't they
>>>> have a basic word to denote just 'today'? In the world, in which
>>>> languages they do not have a word for 'today' except Chinese spoken
>>>> dialects? Please let me know it.
>>>
>>> There is an example of shell and bone inscriptions with the character
>>> for "today", which is modern "jin1" as in "jin1 tian1". Your
>>> information about there not being such a character for 'today' in
>>> ancient Chinese is unfounded, and/or you ignorance of Chinese makes
>>> you make this mistake.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>The following example of shell and bone inscribed bone fragment shows
>>the characer for 'today' which just shows it has changed little since
>>it's first used.
>>
>>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Obi-rain.png
>>
>>The character for 'today' is found in oracle bone/shell and bone
>>inscriptions.
>>
>>Dyl.
>
> I see the two characters denoting 'today': 'Now' + 'Day'.
>
> What's your point?
>

That your idea that having one character for the idea of "today" is wrong.
This means that you don't need to seek one character words for things,
perhaps multiple character phrases were used to denote words, just as they
do today in Chinese.

Dyl.