UCLA

This dissertation argues that the lingering influence of the literary Sinitic tradition destabilized the colonial construction of language-based identities while simultaneously precluding further possibilities for localized development. The Literary Sinitic writing system, with its non-phonographic properties, invites a unique form of engagement that differs from the subscription to a specific spoken language. This distinction raises questions about the relationship between writing and speech, and how this dynamic shapes cultural and political imaginaries. Central to the allure of Literary Sinitic is the concept of “immunity to speech”—a fantasy that arises from the writing system’s detachment from direct phonetic representation. By not explicitly representing a particular speech form, Literary Sinitic allows for a certain degree of abstraction and universality in its expression. This distance from the immediacy of spoken language has contributed to a particular politicality, one that promised to transcend the boundaries of regional languages and vernacular forms. This study argues that the non-phonographic nature of Literary Sinitic had implicit implications for how literary and oral cultures were imagined. It examines how this tradition established a hierarchy in which the written form was elevated as a stable, enduring medium, while the spoken language was relegated to a secondary status, subject to the vagaries of regional variation and historical change. This perception shaped the very concept of language itself, emphasizing the primacy of the written character over the ephemerality of speech. Through the framework of “the first Sinographic sphere” and “the second Sinographic sphere,” the dissertation investigates three main implicit influences during the colonial context: the local reluctance to prioritize spoken languages, the emphasis on sensory and affective dimensions over communicative intelligibility, and the delocalized cultural emphasis. By situating an understanding of colonial conditions in East Asia within the scope of influence of the literary Sinitic tradition, this work contributes to a more dynamic understanding of regional cultural history. The analysis of the distinct colonial context of Taiwan within imperial Japanese history sheds light on how the Japanese Empire grappled with deconstructing the literary Sinitic tradition and the variations in each colony’s relationship with locality, writing, and language.