Research on the Part of Speech of Oracle Bone Inscriptions from Yinxu

Author: Yang Fengbin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: The oracle bone inscriptions from the Yin Ruins record the language of the Yin Dynasty, making them the earliest extant documents to document the language of the Han Chinese. The study of the grammar of the Yin Ruins oracle bone inscriptions is one branch of the research on these inscriptions. This book aims to comprehensively examine and study the parts of speech of the Yin Ruins oracle bone inscriptions, striving to conduct exhaustive quantitative and qualitative analysis of the existing materials based on the principle of prioritizing grammatical function while also considering meaning. In the process of examination and analysis, efforts are made to take into account the historical evolution of the parts of speech and meanings, emphasizing the systematic nature of the language. At the same time, since the Yin Ruins oracle bone inscriptions are a language material still under textual research, if we identify some interpretations of characters and words as clearly flawed, we are not afraid of our limited abilities and are willing to re-interpret them. Therefore, the small book presented in the end is actually one that primarily focuses on grammatical description and analysis, with textual research serving as a secondary component.