How Efficient is the Chinese Writing System?

Abstract

To help resolve disagreement regarding the relative efficiency of the Chinese system of writing, it is useful to take a close look at some of its specific applications. A good starting point is the arrangement of characters in dictionaries and the lookup procedures involved in locating entries. A closely related matter is composing text and reproducing it, processes which include typesetting, typewriting and digital composition. Composing text brings up the peculiarly difficult problem of segmenting text, which is rendered all the more acute by lack of agreement on how to standardize the orthography of the Pinyin alphabetic system that is acquiring new importance as an adjunct to handling characters on computers. Reformers increasingly emphasize the need for a policy of diagraphia, the coexistence of two writing systems, Pinyin and the traditional characters, each to be used in the areas to which it is best suited. This trend throws further light on the efficiency of Chinese characters by bringing to the fore how they relate to reading and writing and where they fit into the classification of writing systems.