Vietnamese and most Chinese language {analytic language} {isolating language} words are invariable. Words can represent different morphemes in different sentence contexts.
logogram
Written Chinese characters represent meanings, not sounds. Chinese symbols are meaning units {logos, alphabet} {logographic script}. First logograms were indicators {indicative sign}, such as stick-figure pictures {pictorial sign} or counting strokes. Logograms are now invariable monosyllables. Plurals and tense are optional monosyllables.
combination
Symbols can combine with other symbols to make polysyllabic words. If two logograms combine, meanings combine. Compound characters use one part {determinative} {signific} {radical part} for main meaning, which is the basis for arranging characters in dictionaries. Compound characters use another part {borrowed character} for extra sound {phonetic, Chinese}. Phonetic compounds are 95% of Chinese characters. Phonetic compounds with same borrowed character can differ in pronunciation, because phonetic meaning is more important than sound.
Asian languages
Japanese and Korean, languages unrelated to Chinese, use Chinese characters.
Languages {synthetic language} can have words that are morpheme combinations, so inflections show grammar. Languages {polysynthetic language} can have words that represent whole sentences, such as verbs combined with morphemes.
6-Linguistics-Language-Kinds-Morphemes
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Date Modified: 2022.0225