≪譯語類解≫異體字類型小考

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

‘Yeog Eo Yu Hae’ is a Chinese study book from the later part of the Joseon Dynasty which was published by a national translation organization named Sa Yeog Won in 1690. In this book there are 4,586 vocabulary words, and for each of which there is a pronunciation and translation in Humminjeongeum. There are many studies on this book related to lexicology, the edition or phonology, but there has been no research on the variant forms of the Chinese characters. In this book, a lot of Chinese characters were written with variant forms. However, many of the characters with variant forms are very difficult to recognize, which then results in difficulties for other researchers whose field of expertise is not Chinese characters.
In the context of normal Chinese characters we analyze the variant forms of Chinese characters in this book in two situations: one character for one variant form and one character for variety of variant forms, from two perspectives: component and structure. The results can be classified into 10 types, from type 1 to type 9 is under the one character for one variant form situation, and type 10 is under one character for variety of variant forms situation. There are: 1) component as radical’s increaser; 2) component as radical’s omission; 3) component increaser; 4) component omission; 5) component replacement; 6) component transformation; 8) component"s complex transformation; 9) character’s structural transformation; 10) component transformation in one character for variety of variant forms. Most examples of variant forms are stroke omissions. Chinese characters are very complicated for non-Chinese native speakers, and even Chinese people. The ancient people who lived in a period without prescribed orthography sometimes omitted the stroke of a Chinese character to make it simpler. Some characters, however, are the opposite.
We have found an unprecedented phenomenon that there are few Chinese characters that have two or more variant forms from which it can then be supposed that variant forms were also very diverse in Korea in ancient times. Some variant forms not only can be found in literature from an earlier period, such as in the Silla Dynasty and in the Koryo Dynasty, but also from later times after this book was published. It shows that Korean literature has inherited some of the variant forms of Chinese characters.
As a very important part of sinology overseas, this study can fill the shortage concerning variant forms of Chinese characters both in China and Korea. It can also be the theoretical basis for accepting sinology and for the diffusion of history in Korea. As some of the variant forms only appeared in this book, these cannot be found in known literature now, but additional study in the future is needed to prove whether these characters are unique in Korea or not.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 中國語抄錄
• Ⅰ. 緖言
• Ⅱ. ≪譯語類解≫所錄異體字類型
• Ⅲ. 結語
• 參考文獻
• Abstract