2017-2

【摘要】

美洲印第安原住民自古以来就使用各种表达方式表情达意，表达思想和记录事实，其中象形文字是最为印第安原住民普遍使用的表达方式，这种情况至少延续到上个世纪初。印第安原住民使用的象形文字从其使用功能的角度可以大体分成通俗用象形文字和萨满用象形文字。通俗象形文字为部落成员普遍知晓并自如应用于社会生活的各个方面。萨满用象形文字则基本上用在仪式场合中，与祈祷、吟唱、舞蹈、仪式表演等多种形式共生相伴，相互补足，共同服务于仪式上演的需要。总结印第安原住民两类象形文字的使用情况，能够为汉字起源研究提供新的材料和研究思路，进一步夯实和拓宽文字学理论建设的视野。

Abstract：The aboriginal American Indians used various methods to express ideas and record facts since ancient times. Among those methods, pictographs is the most commonly used one until the beginning of 20th century. The pictographs can be roughly divided into two categories according to their purposes: secular pictographs and shaman pictographs. Secular pictographs were widely used by common tribal members in all aspects of social life. Shaman pictographs were basically used in ritual occasions, together with other complementary forms of performances, such as prayers, singing, dancing, picture displaying, etc. The analysis of the usage of pictographs by American Indians is possible to provide new materials and ideas for the study of the origin of Chinese characters, and to broaden the horizon of the theory of writing.