The Reasons for The Introduction of Chinese Characters 한자into The Korean Language and Their Role in The Language

Аннотация

This article delves into how Chinese characters came to symbolize governance and high culture in Korea, profoundly shaping intellectual life, political structures, and Confucian philosophy. Since Chinese and Korean are linguistically distinct languages, Koreans devised creative methods to adapt Chinese characters to the phonetics and grammar of Korean. Early writing systems such as 이두(Idu), 향찰(Hyanchal), and 구결(Kugyol) are explored as examples of this adaptation. The article also emphasizes the lasting influence of Chinese-derived vocabulary, particularly in law, science, and government, enriching the Korean lexicon and enabling more sophisticated expressions in various intellectual fields. The emergence of 한글(Hangul) in the 15th century, created by 세종대왕(King Sejong the Great), marked a pivotal moment in the history of the Korean language, as it was specifically designed to represent Korean sounds. Despite Hangul’s rise, Chinese characters continued to coexist with it for scholarly and formal purposes. The article also addresses the decline of Hanja in modern Korea, particularly in South Korea, where Hangul has become the dominant writing system, although Hanja remains important for understanding historical texts and certain formal vocabulary. Keywords: Hanmun (한문), Hyanchal (향찰), Kugyol (구결), Gojoson (고조선), Altaic language family, Proto- Korean, Koguryo (고구려), Pekje (백제), Shilla (신라) , Hunminjongim (훈민정음), Idu writing system (이두), old korean language (고대 국어), borrowing characters, Chinese-derived vocabulary, language evolution, Chinese ideograms, orthography. had already diverged from modern Chinese. In all these Introduction: As history shows, one of the unique countries, the ancient Chinese language had been features of Korea is that its language was officially dominant until a certain time: in Japan until the 1860s, recognized and used starting in 1895. Prior to this, for in Vietnam until the 1870s, in Korea until the 1890s, over two thousand years, the official language of Korea, and in China until the 1910s. The period in which as well as the language of science, culture, legislation, Chinese characters spread across the Korean Peninsula and administration, was the ancient Chinese language, is considered the 고조선 (Kojoson) period. After this, known in Korea as 한문 (Hanmun refers to the classical for more than 400 years, the process continued, and Chinese language or written Chinese that was used Chinese characters began to spread across the region. historically in Korea). Hanmun was not only used in Korea but also in Japan, Vietnam, and even China as an METHOD official language. In the 15th century, no one could Languages around the world are divided into several even imagine writing official documents in spoken language families based on their characteristics and language. By that time, the ancient Chinese language etymology. Among them, the idea that the Korean American Journal Of Philological Sciences 230 https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN – 2771-2273) language belongs to the Altaic language family is lower social classes ) by some lower social classes, prominent. The Altaic language family consists of the lasting until it was replaced by a mixed Korean and Mongolic, Manchu-Tungusic, Turkic, and Koreanic Chinese character writing system. The oldest name for language groups. Among these four language families, this lineage is found in 제왕운기 (Jewangungi), where the Korean language was the first to diverge. Later, 이서 (Iso) refers to the writing system used by the 원시 한국어 (Proto-Korean) split into two groups: lower classes. Therefore, it was likely not present in the 원시부여어 (Proto-Puyo) and원시 한어 (Proto- united Shilla period or before. Thus, all writings from Chinese). Proto-Puyo was used as the language of the the Shilla period are called 향찰 (Hyangchal), and there 고구려 (Koguryo) state, while Proto-Chinese was the is also a view that the 이두 (Idu) system was formed language of the 백제 (Pekje) and 신라 (Shilla) states. only after the 고려(Koryo) period. However, based on Later, the Silla state united the three kingdoms, and the the information, the 이두 (Idu) writing system began to Silla language is believed to have formed the basis of the modern Korean language. develop during the Three Kingdoms period and was established in the Unified Silla period, continuing until At that time, during the Three Kingdoms period, Chinese characters were widely used for official the end of the 19th century. 향찰(Hyanchal) was documents. Because the Chinese writing system was developed and used in the Unified Silla period, so it is not suitable for expressing speech in Korean with its not entirely correct to separate향찰(Hyanchal) and Idu own characters or phonetic signs, writing systems like by period. 이두 (Idu- an ancient system of writing Korean using Idu writing, also called 이두문(Idumun), is a writing Chinese characters), 향찰 (Hyanchal- is an ancient style that mixes Chinese grammar