Brush Conversation in the Sinographic Cosmopolis: Interactional Cross-border Communication using Literary Sinitic in Early Modern East Asia

Literati of Classical Chinese or Literary Sinitic could communicate in writing interactively, despite not speaking each other's languages, in premodern and early modern East Asia. This book explores the historical background and material conditions that led to widespread literacy development in this region, presenting examples from boat drifters, traveling literati, and diplomatic envoys. It is the first monograph in English to address this fascinating lingua-cultural practice and cross-border communication phenomenon, which was possibly unique in Sinographic East Asia.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 318 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

For centuries, until the 1900s, in modern-day China, Japan, North and South Korea, and Vietnam, literati of Classical Chinese or Literary Sinitic (wenyan 文言) could engage in written communication, despite not sharing a common language. This book explores the historical backdrop and material factors that contributed to the widespread literacy development in premodern and early modern East Asia, where reading and writing were conducted in Literary Sinitic. To demonstrate how "silent conversation" or "brush-assisted conversation" is possible through writing-mediated brushed interaction, synchronously face-to-face, this book presents contextualized examples from recurring contexts involving (i) boat drifters; (ii) traveling literati; and (iii) diplomatic envoys. Where profound knowledge of classical canons and literary works in Sinitic was a shared attribute of the brush-talkers concerned, their brush-talk would typically be intertwined with poetic improvisation.

Being the first monograph in English to address this fascinating lingua-cultural practice and cross-border communication phenomenon, which was possibly unique to Sinographic East Asia, it will appeal to students of not only East Asian languages and linguistics, history, international relations, and diplomacy, but also (historical) pragmatics, sociolinguistics, sociology of language, scripts and writing systems, and cultural and linguistic anthropology.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367499426