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The Languages of Japan and Korea Old Korean This article was downloaded by: 10.3.98.104 On: 02 Oct 2021 Access details: subscription number Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG, UK The Languages of Japan and Korea Nicolas Tranter Old Korean Publication details https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9780203124741.ch3 Nam Pung-hyun () Published online on: 16 May 2012 How to cite :- Nam Pung-hyun (). 16 May 2012, Old Korean from: The Languages of Japan and Korea Routledge Accessed on: 02 Oct 2021 https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9780203124741.ch3 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR DOCUMENT Full terms and conditions of use: https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/legal-notices/terms This Document PDF may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproductions, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The publisher shall not be liable for an loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. PART II KOREAN Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 12:21 02 Oct 2021; For: 9780203124741, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203124741.ch3 Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 12:21 02 Oct 2021; For: 9780203124741, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203124741.ch3 OLD KOREAN 41 CHAPTER THREE OLD KOREAN Nam Pung-hyun (南豊鉉) 3.1 PERIODIZATION We divide Old Korean (OK) into Early, Mid and Late Old Korean (EOK, MOK, LOK). EOK was the Korean of the Three Kingdoms period, roughly from the start of the fifth century until Silla unified the Three Kingdoms in the 660s. MOK was the Korean of the Unified Silla [Sinla] period, from the 660s until the 930s when Koryŏ [Kolye] re-unified the country. LOK was the language of the earlier part of the Koryŏ dynasty from the 930s till the mid-thirteenth century. The reason why I treat the language of the earlier part of the Koryŏ period as Late Old Korean is because the grammar of ‘interpretive’ kugyŏl, presumed to be data from the tenth to the mid-thirteenth century, and that of ‘consecutive’ kugyŏl, which constitutes the Early Middle Korean data of the later thirteenth century, show quite significant differences. The social factor that separates the OK and MK worlds is taken to be the Mongol invasion and occupation. This resulted in large population movement, and the nomadic culture that subsequently entered Korea greatly changed the traditional culture that had continued since ancient times, heavily affecting language and culture. The EOK period followed the establishment of the Three Kingdoms: Silla [Sinla] 新羅, Paekche [Paykcey] 百濟 and Koguryŏ [Kokwulye] 高句麗. As the Three Kingdoms were independent kingdoms, some believe that each must have had its own independent language, but the territory unified by Silla was roughly the territory of the early city-states (the ‘Samhan’ period, from first century BC), and the texts left by the Three Kingdoms are not so diverse that we should regard the Three Kingdoms’ varieties as separate languages. Moreover, it is preferable to treat what has been left from this period as texts in the Korean language, and the characteristics shown in them suggest dialectal differences of a single language. 3.2 DATA It is a universal fact of any language that the further back we trace it into the past the scarcer the written materials are, and OK texts are in addition very crude considering that they extend over 900 years or more. I shall divide them into internal and external materials. Internal materials are texts which are documented by borrowing Chinese characters. We call this writing ch’aja [chaca] 借字 or ‘loan character’ writing, and texts written with ch’aja writing have been divided previously into idu [itwu] 吏讀, hyangch’al [hyangchal] 鄕札 and kugyŏl [kwukyel] 口訣. We can include vocabulary lists as a fourth category. I shall start briefly with vocabulary list materials. These consist of the recording by means of Chinese characters of native Korean words. They record proper nouns Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 12:21 02 Oct 2021; For: 9780203124741, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203124741.ch3 42 THE LANGUAGES OF JAPAN AND KOREA such as toponyms and names of people, and the names of official ranks or roles and names of things. There are many written inside Chinese texts (epigraphs) and idu or hyangch’al texts, and there are also collations of vocabulary such as the geographical chapters (地理志) of Samguk sagi [Samkwuk saki] 三國史記 (mid- twelfth century). These are difficult to decipher and different researchers suggest different views, but in the case of EOK for which texts are scarce we have to rely on them to obtain crucial information. The folk vocabulary recorded in the Kyerim yusa [Kyeylim yusa] 鷄林類事 (c. 1103) and the mid-thirteenth century Hyangyak kugŭppang [Hyangyak kwukuppang] 鄕藥救急方 are also lexical list materials. There are records of EOK/MOK vocabulary in the Samguk yusa [Samkwuk yusa] 三國遺事 (late thirteenth century) in addition to its hyangga poems, and we can also use the Koryŏsa [Kolyesa] 高麗史 (mid-fifteenth century) for snapshots of LOK vocabulary. 3.2.1 Idu data ‘Idu’ in the broad sense sometimes refers to all the ch’aja texts, but in practical terms, once we separate off hyangch’al and kugyŏl, it refers to prose in ch’aja. Most kugyŏl texts, in terms of what is extant, consist of administrative texts. Extant EOK idu texts are in the form of texts on metal or stone, known as ‘pseudo- Chinese’ ( pyŏnch’e hanmun [ pyenchey hanmun] 變體漢文) or ‘early idu’ texts. Koguryŏ idu texts include the King Kwanggaet’o [Kwangkaytho] stela (廣開土大王碑銘, 414), the Sŏbong-ch’ong [Sepong-chong] silver bowl inscription (瑞鳳冢銀盒杅銘, 451?), the Chungwŏn Koguryŏ [Cwungwen Kokwurye] stela (中原高句麗碑銘 590s?) and the four P’yŏngyang Koguryŏ castle wall engravings (平壤高句麗城壁刻字). The Kwanggaet’o stela is typical Koguryŏ Chinese, but its word order and use of declarative 之 display features of early idu. The Chungwŏn inscription is in word order and its use of idu a typical Koguryŏ idu text. Paekche idu texts consist of the silver bracelet inscription (銀釧銘, c. 520) and the so-called sukse-ga [swuksey-ka] 宿世歌 (‘songs to past lives’) written on wooden slats excavated at the temple Puyŏrŭng-sa [Puyelung-sa]. Their word order and expressions are Korean. The extant idu texts of Silla are the most numerous of the Three Kingdoms. Abbreviated names are given below, with a full name in Chinese characters in parentheses. EI-i. Naengsuri [Nayngswuli] inscription (迎日冷水里碑), 503? EI-ii. Pongp’yŏng [Pongphyeng] inscription (蔚珍鳳坪新羅碑), 524? EI-iii. Ch’ŏnjŏlli [Chencenli] first inscription (蔚州川前里書石原銘), 525?, and additional inscription, 539? EI-iv. Chŏksŏng [Cekseng] inscription (丹陽新羅赤城碑), 540? EI-v. Imsin oath inscription (壬申誓記石銘), 552? EI-vi. Ojak [Ocak] inscription (戊戌塢作碑), 578? EI-vii. Sinsŏng [Sinseng] inscriptions (南山新羅碑) 1 to 9, 591? EI-viii. Myŏnghwal-san [Myenghwal-san] inscription (明活山城作成碑), 611? (EI-i–iv) mix Korean and Chinese word orders, whereas (EI-v) and (EI-viii) are arranged completely in Korean word order but use characters as ŭmdokcha (see 3.3). This writing continued in later periods, when it constituted one of the styles of writing. (EI-vi–vii) are also arranged in Korean word order, but use hundokcha. There are many collocations used in these that continue in later administrative texts. Downloaded By: 10.3.98.104 At: 12:21 02 Oct 2021; For: 9780203124741, chapter3, 10.4324/9780203124741.ch3 OLd KOrEaN 43 Early idu style continued into the MOK period; the following are representative texts: MI-i. In’yang-sa [Inyang-sa] inscription (昌寧仁陽寺碑銘), 810 MI-ii. Chungch’o-sa [Cwungcho-sa] pillar inscription (中初寺幢竿石柱記), 827 MI-iii. Samhwa-sa Buddha inscription (東海市三和寺鐵佛造像銘), 860 A sentence of (MI-ii) is parsed in (1): (1) 中初寺 東方 僧岳 一 石 分 二 得 同月 Chungch’o-sa east Sŭngak one stone split two gain same.month 二十八日 二 徒 作 初 奄 九月 一日 此處 至 28th.day two crowd make start then 9th month 1st.day here reach ‘at Sŭngak to the east of Chungch’o-sa they split a stone into two. On the 28th of the same month two groups began shaping them, and on the 1st of the 9th month they arrived here.’ MOK texts emerged with ‘t’o [tho] 吐 marks’ added to early idu style, displaying features of full-blown idu texts. Twenty-five or so such idu texts are known at present, of which the following are representative: MT-i. Kamsan amida [Kamsan amita] inscription (甘山寺阿彌陀佛像造成銘), 720 MT-ii. Mujin-sa [Mucin-sa] bell inscription (无盡寺鐘銘), 745 MT-iii. Hwaŏm-sa [Hwaem-sa] sutra notes (華嚴經寫經造成記), 755 MT-iv. The Silla [Sinla] register (新羅帳籍), pre-758 MT-v. Karhang-sa [Kalhang-sa] pagoda inscription (葛項寺石塔), 758 MT-vi. Ch’ŏpp’ogi [Chepphoki] (正倉院所藏毛氈貼布記) notes, mid-eighth century MT-vii. Vairocana-Buddha inscription (永泰2年毘盧遮那佛造成銘), 766 MT-viii. Ch’ŏngje [Chengcey] inscription (永川菁堤碑貞元銘), 798 MT-ix. Sŏllim-wŏn [Senlim-wen] bell inscription (禪林院鐘銘), 804 MT-x. Kyuhŭng-sa [Kyuhung-sa] bell inscription (竅興寺鐘銘), 856 These are inscriptions on metal or stone, and old manuscripts. There are, in addition, texts on wooden slats. (MT-i) is a relatively simple record, but shows the earliest t’o. (MT-iii) is a typical idu text of the period, displaying diverse idu symbols. (MT-iv) is a Silla administrative document that displays diverse administrative terms and idu symbols.
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