The Cantonese Vernacular Script: A historical context for the evolution of the Cantonese written language

by Michael Hyde

From the Shang Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese script continued to evolve to eventually produce 楷書 (Kai Shu)—the standard script. The same factors that governed the creation and standardization of earlier scripts is mirrored in the creation of the vernacular Cantonese script. This paper offers to address the differing developmental stages of the script within the historical context, to further shed light on the evolutionary process. This is completed first by explaining the narrative history surrounding the script and second by analyzing sources written in the script. Then, by setting this framework, current Hong Kong vernacular Cantonese script sources are used to show that the script’s characters are created using the same processes. The Cantonese script, like previous Chinese scripts, continues to evolve. This paper will conclude by elucidating the unstandardized nature of the Cantonese vernacular script, and explore, using the ancient Chinese sources, possible outcomes of the script. This will be done by comparing the evolution of early Chinese scripts to the evolution of the Cantonese script and projecting the outcomes of the Chinese script on the vernacular Cantonese script.

60 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 23, 2017