Xixia language studies and the Lotus Sutra (II)

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Tokyo: The Institute of Oriental Philosophy. The Journal of Oriental Studies, 2010 Vol. 20, p. 222-251.Since I began studying the Xixia language and Xixia characters in the 1950s, I have always taken heed of treating the two tasks of (1) analyzing the character system and (2) restoring the linguistic system on different levels, and giving consideration to a balance between these two concerns. It is a cardinal rule that level of development of the characters and that of the language itself should not be confused when one carriesout linguistic studies. It is, however, true that development in the understanding of one area accelerates development in the other. Since one can explore the Xixia language only through Xixia characters, the two, in particular, are closely connected and limitlessly intertwined. A difference in one character reflects a certain morphological difference in the language. The concepts of twin characters and double twin characters that I conceived has had a substantial effect in this field of discipline. Pairs of twin characters with similar forms represent various correspondence and contrast on the morphological level. I do not however, discuss this further herein.