Write English in Kanji !

[Sensuikan San]

Hmmm...

Like Lexico - I also hadn't noticed this interesting thread.

Now, as I've confessed already, my knowledge of Kanji is still just this side of non-existant ! (I can just manage to read and write 日本 .... ! ). Nevertheless, the concept is fascinating in the extreme, as a means of supplying the world with, shall we say, a "written Esperanto". In many ways it would be far superior to learning a new language or languages, wouldn't it ? Just carry on in your own sweet way in your own tongue - but write it down, and anyone can understand !

And ... is this not how Kanji evolved in the first place ? To allow merchants and travellers in China and South East Asia to communicate, regardless of language or dialect ?

Regards,

ジョン

[lexico]

as a means of supplying the world with, shall we say, a "written Esperanto". In many ways it would be far superior to learning a new language or languages, wouldn't it ? Just carry on in your own sweet way in your own tongue - but write it down, and anyone can understand !

That sure sounds like the idea. With English spreading all over the globe, giving it an alternate means of writing couldn't hurt. And as Mycernius pointed out, the document length gets drastically shortened. There were studies done on this topic, and the effect was notable although I forgot the exact figure. It might also help people with dyslexia; the syllabic nature of the character (Chinese 1, Sino-Korean 1, Sino-Japanese 1-2; if that can be preserved in the English version of kanji writing) could help people having trouble reading alphabetic writing.

And ... is this not how Kanji evolved in the first place ? To allow merchants and travellers in China and South East Asia to communicate, regardless of language or dialect ?

Interesting idea; what I remember is that some of the oldest characters were used to mark pottery to denote the maker's clan or tribal identity, which definitely presupposes trade.

From the times of the Eastern Zhou down to modern times, the written language of China was the binding thread that connected the regions and the spoken languages. The ability of the common written language to overcome dialects, languages, and time has been the singular uniqueness of that part of world.

Even today when people from China, Korea, and Japan cannot converse, they often rely on the written langauge to manage communication. Although choppy and unsystematic, they get the message across. I think with a systematic standard established, English speakers will have a ball with this new videogram. Various simplified soltuions would also help to ease the learning process.