Sierran Hanzi

Sierran hanzi (塞拉$&alpha;$·漢字; also known as Adapted Chinese Characters for English, or ACCE) are the  borrowed from, , and Hani that are used alongside the  and special non-Latin characters (such as $&alpha;$, $&int;$, and $$\sim$$) and found in written Sierran English. The word hanzi is the romanized form for the Chinese term for "Han characters", and is written using the same characters as the Chinese word hànzì (漢字) in the traditional form. Since Sierran hanzi has been a fairly recent introduction, nearly all of the characters used in Sierran Hanzi are identical to either their Traditional Chinese or Japanese  counterparts.

The earliest forms of Sierran hanzi was introduced to Sierra in the late 19th century when Sierra begun conducting extensive trade with Asian countries across the Pacific. With its maritime empire growing, Sierra eventually gained control over Hani following the Spanish–Sierran War and the Han–Sierran War, subjecting the Han archipelago to colonial rule for nearly half a century. During this time, continued immigration from the into Sierra, alongside increased interactions between Asians and whites in Sierra led to the Sierran Cultural Revolution, a decades-long process which resulted in Sierra's cultural and political transformation. The Sierran hanzi was first developed as a learning guide for English speakers who were interested in reading and writing Chinese, Japanese, and Han without the need to speak them (and pronounce them in their native forms). The system proved highly useful for merchants, bankers, and other professionals, and was highly popular among students who could later identify characters and read them in the true pronunciations and readings.

In 1934, the government of Sierra, under the purview of scholars and linguists, formally standardized Sierran hanzi, selecting 2,257 characters for official use by government officials, professionals, businesses, and academia. Usage of Sierran hanzi became widespread as it became a popular form of as many words and concepts could be contained into one or two characters. With the advent of digitalization and advancements in technology, it became easier to process and compute Sierran hanzi, and today, it is extensively used in professional settings and documents, including government records. Like Chinese hanzi, each character may have several different meanings, and thus, readings. However, each character is assigned with a phonetic English word that corresponds with that English word's literal semantic value. Consequently, the utility of found in many Chinese characters for their  functions are lost in Sierran hanzi.

Today, while basic knowledge of Sierran hanzi is not essential to comprehend written Sierran English, it is highly beneficial for everyday life throughout much of Sierra. Sierran hanzi is compulsorily taught in the Sierran education system, and continue to be used as aids in learning Chinese, Japanese, and Han. A considerable degree of comprehension and competency in Sierran hanzi is expected in higher education and professional working environments. Knowledge of standardized Sierran hanzi and advanced Sierran hanzi is essential in certain fields, including law, administration, and political science, as government officials are expected to write, read, or type in Sierran hanzi as a form of shorthand. In addition, many businesses frequently use Sierran hanzi in their advertisements, signs, or products, and most Sierrans today have a "hanzi name" alongside their legal given name, which is most often used in family registers, and in NICs. Standardized Sierran hanzi is regulated by the Ministry of Culture's Royal Commission on Adapted Chinese Characters for English.

Although Sierran hanzi is meant for use with the English language, adaptation of Chinese characters in other languages have also been promoted by the Sierran government. Sierran Spanish hanzi and Sierran French hanzi have found limited usage by the Sierran government, although such varieties remain unofficial, and are not typically taught in any language classes or schools. Applications of Sierran hanzi have found its way throughout the rest of the, particularly in the rest of Anglo-America where Sierran hanzi has been adopted as a helpful tool for learning written Vernacular Chinese and Japanese.

History
Sierra was first exposed to Chinese characters during the early 19th century when they were introduced by immigrants from (mostly from Southern  and ) and. Many of these immigrants arrived to Sierra's predecessor state, the California Republic, in search of economic opportunity and success. The first significant wave of Asian immigration in continental Anglo-America occurred during the where news of gold reached across all parts of the world. Like most prospectors, many came with the expectation of gold riches, and returning home after they had accumulated wealth. While few did indeed find wealth, many prospectors failed to, including those from Asia, who were also heavily marginalized by their white European counterparts. A large number of Asian prospectors settled in California and formed their own ethnic enclaves, with one of the most notable communities being the in San Francisco City. Retaining their native languages, and associating among themselves, the immigrants within the enclaves lived independently from the world outside.

While most non-Asian outsiders refused to associate with the Asian communities, some came out of curiosity or for trade. As Asian enclaves became permanent fixtures in many towns, the number of interactions between Asians and non-Asians increased, and so was exposure to ubiquitous elements of East Asian culture including Chinese characters. The first Chinese and Japanese language schools emerged in 1850, as the demand to learn such languages grew. Despite pressure to curb Asian immigration by parties and labor organizations, the Californian government permitted unrestricted immigration from East Asia, allowing the East Asian linguistic communities to flourish.

Even after California became known as the Kingdom of Sierra, the new government continued to allow free flow of immigration from East Asia as it began expanding its global outreach and trade beyond its waters, and established extensive economic ties with East Asia directly. Under the reign of Sierra's first king, Smith I, and his prime ministers, Sierra pursued an imperialist-oriented foreign policy, with the entire Pacific naturally in mind. Throughout the late 19th century, Sierra acquired various islands in the Pacific including Hawaii, Rapa Nui, and eventually, the entire Han archipelago. Sierra's relationship with Hani was particularly close as it held a strategic location in the Asia-Pacific, and was in close proximity to the Sierran territories of Hawaii and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Although Hani was under Spanish domination around this time, Sierran influence grew, and a wave of Han immigration to Sierra began, and vice versa. Hani was a Sinicized nation, and its language made extensive use of Chinese characters, furthering the need to understand Han documents and papers in Sierra without the presence of a native speaker or an acquired learner.

Various methods were employed to facilitate interlingual communication from raw translations to glossing, but many merchants began picking up both spoken and written Han, especially those who had exposure with Chinese or Japanese back in Sierra. A rudimentary system of pairing English words with characters first emerged in 1870 and began to take root in Sierran trading circles on a much larger scale by the end of 1880 when Sierra began openly challenging the presence of other foreign powers in Hani, including Spain, with its strengthened naval force and trading community.

At the turn of the 20th century, a new class of second-generation Asian Sierrans had arisen, and the once racially-charged policies of the Democratic-Republican had waned. Exiting the, Sierra experienced a wave of progressive-minded and racially inclusive policies, marked with strong activism and desire for change. These forces, coupled with Sierra's imperialist endeavors abroad in the Pacific, yielded the Sierran Cultural Revolution. The Revolution was a decades-long process which such the nation's culture transform tremendously. Ideas and concepts from both the West and the East were embraced, and this included public interest in Chinese characters. With a relatively rapid shift in attitudes and norms, Sierran hanzi became more widespread amongst the general public, and found its way into education, literature, and business.

Sample text
 Article 1:
 * Standard English: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
 * Sierran hanzi (with ruby):             (利)
 * Sierran hanzi (without ruby): 一 人ʃ 是 生 自由 十 等於 在 尊 十 權ʃ. 他們 是 賦ʎɸ 與 理 十 良心 十 應 办 向 一 另 在 一 精神 的 兄弟情谊.
 * Traditional Chinese: 人皆生而自由；在尊嚴及權利上均各平等. 人各賦有理性良知，誠應和睦相處，情同手足.
 * Simplified Chinese: 人人生而自由，在尊严和权利上一律平等. 他们赋有理性和良心，并应以兄弟关系的精神相对待.
 * Japanese: すべての人間は、生れながらにして自由であり、かつ、尊厳と権利とについて平等である. 人間は、理性と良心とを授けられており、互いに同胞の精神をもって行動しなければならない.
 * Korean: 모든 인간은 태어날 때부터 자유로우며 그 존엄과 권리에 있어 동등하다. 인간은 천부적으로 이성과 양심을 부여받았으며 서로 형제애의 정신으로 행동하여야 한다.
 * Vietnamese: Tất cả mọi người sinh ra đều được tự do và bình đẳng về nhân phẩm và quyền. Mọi con người đều được tạo hóa ban cho lý trí và lương tâm và cần phải đối xử với nhau trong tình bằng hữu.
 * Spanish: Todos los seres humanos nacen libres e iguales en dignidad y derechos y, dotados como están de razón y conciencia, deben comportarse fraternalmente los unos con los otros.