Jurchen

the language of the Jurchens. Jurchen, which belongs to the Manchurian branch of the Manchu-Tungus languages, is attested in texts written in the Jurchen “large script” and “small script.” The large script was created in 1119, evidently by adapting the Khitan writing system to the Jurchen language; it remains undeciphered. The small script was created in 1138 from graphic elements in the Chinese writing system; it contains syllabic signs and ideograms. Some of the texts in the small script are bilingual, with a translation and transcription in Chinese, which made it possible to decipher the small script and obtain an idea of Jurchen. Jurchen is similar to Manchu, which derives from it, in lexicon, morphemes, and structure. (SeeMANCHU-TUNGUS LANGUAGES.)