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