| The earliest known Chinese logographs are engraved on the shoulder bones of large animals and on tortoise shells. |
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| It is these invariant units of sound and meaning that are represented by distinctive logographs. |
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| In this manner Chinese logographs form a common medium of communication for a vast country because they can be read by people who speak mutually incomprehensible dialects or languages. |
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| Because of their iconic and metaphoric nature, an examination of Kanji logographs provides a deeper understanding of the cognitive role of written language in poetic texts. |
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