Me:

Hi, and another dumb question.... Kublai Khan had hiis scholars try to devise an alphabet that would work for all of the world's languages and, as I've read it, they came back and told him that they could create an alphabet that would work for everything other than tonal languages llike Chinese. Also as I read it, the Korean alphabet and writing system dates from the 1400s. I'm curious as to whether the two might be related, i.e. does the Korean alphabet owe anything to those efforts of Kublai Khan? Any thoughts or opinions?

ChatGPT:

That's a fascinating question! The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, and Kublai Khan's efforts to devise a universal alphabet are two significant historical events in the realm of linguistic development, but they are not directly related. Here's an overview of both efforts and their context:

Kublai Khan's Alphabet Project

Context: Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler and founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China, reigned from 1260 to 1294. He was known for his attempts to unify and administer a vast and diverse empire, which included many different languages and cultures.

Alphabet Effort: Kublai Khan commissioned his scholars to create a universal script that could be used to write all the languages of his empire. This effort led to the creation of the 'Phags-pa script, named after its creator, the Tibetan monk 'Phags-pa Lama.

Outcome: The 'Phags-pa script was an alphabetic script designed to represent a wide variety of sounds across different languages. However, it was not successful in replacing existing writing systems and fell out of use after the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty.

Korean Alphabet (Hangul)

Context: Hangul was created in the 15th century during the reign of King Sejong the Great of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. The creation of Hangul is traditionally dated to 1443, and it was officially proclaimed in 1446.

Purpose: King Sejong wanted to create an easy-to-learn and efficient writing system to promote literacy among the Korean population, who found the Chinese characters (Hanja) difficult to learn and use.

Design: Hangul is a featural alphabet, meaning its letters are designed to represent the shape of the mouth and tongue when pronouncing sounds. It is highly systematic and scientifically designed to be simple and logical.

Connection Between the Two

Historical Records: There are no historical records or evidence suggesting a direct connection between Kublai Khan's 'Phags-pa script and the creation of Hangul. The development of Hangul was an independent effort driven by the unique linguistic and cultural needs of Korea.

Linguistic Influence: While both scripts aimed to address the needs of diverse linguistic communities, they were created in different contexts and for different purposes. The 'Phags-pa script was an attempt to unify an empire linguistically, while Hangul was a national project to enhance literacy and education within Korea.

Conclusion

The Korean alphabet (Hangul) does not owe its origins to Kublai Khan's efforts to create a universal alphabet. Instead, Hangul was an innovative and independent creation by Korean scholars under the direction of King Sejong the Great. It was designed specifically to suit the Korean language and to make literacy more accessible to the Korean people.