10-03-2018, 12:21 PM
Thanks Koen Gh, MarcoP and JKP,
I'll admit I always overlook the imperfect script/copy option. I guess it just seems to me that, since there seem to be multiple hands at work, at some point during writing one of the scribes would have realized that something was wrong with their system and amended it.
Unless they were copying a text they didn't understand in the first place, but why bother to do that?
MarcoP, you bring up the example of tones in Mandarin, which leads me to ask an OT question: are there medieval examples of Mandarin or other Asian languages transcribed using a roman alphabet? From what I understand the earliest are from the late 16th century, but I'm curious to know if there are earlier ones.
I'll admit I always overlook the imperfect script/copy option. I guess it just seems to me that, since there seem to be multiple hands at work, at some point during writing one of the scribes would have realized that something was wrong with their system and amended it.
Unless they were copying a text they didn't understand in the first place, but why bother to do that?
MarcoP, you bring up the example of tones in Mandarin, which leads me to ask an OT question: are there medieval examples of Mandarin or other Asian languages transcribed using a roman alphabet? From what I understand the earliest are from the late 16th century, but I'm curious to know if there are earlier ones.