The Diseases of Language

430

Japanese acutely realize their handicap, but the ambiguities which
would arise from an enormous number of imported homophones are
an almost insurmountable obstacle to the plea for exclusive use of one

Parent
Cfrrese
Character

Sound

$!%%£. «w«*

Sound

Parent
Chinese
Character

HIRAGANA

Sound

chi

tP

tsu

36,

-c

te

*

fc

to

ya

Xt

yu

-5

yo

ki

kii

tf

ke

(7)

lo

li

fa(ha)

It

vc

tA

t

shi

fu

vT

22

fe(he)

6

fo(ho)

t

ta

FIG. 45 —PARENT CHINESE CHARACTERS OF THE HIRAGANA
(LATER) JAPANESE SYLLABARY