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    writing_systems

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    Kuldeep Singh

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    writing_systems

    Uploaded by

    Kuldeep Singh
    4 views8 pages

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    © © All Rights Reserved

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    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    4 views8 pages

    writing_systems

    Uploaded by

    Kuldeep Singh

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    You are on page 1of 8

    The Development of Writing

     Cave Drawings
     About 20,000 years ago; to record events
     Pictograms
     Ideograms
     Logograms
     Rebus Writing
     Syllabic Writing
     Alphabetic Writing
    Pictograms
     A form of picture writing
     Using pictures to represent particular images in a
    consistent way (symbol = picture of a thing)
     A conventional relationship must exist between the
    symbol and its meaning
     Not arbitrary; language independent
     Not represent words or sounds in a lang.
     Examples: star =
    sun =

    bathroom signs =
    Ideograms
     A system of “idea writing”
     more abstract relationship (symbol = an
    idea, but not a concrete object)
     more arbitrary (in terms of form & meaning)
     more derived forms
     Not represent words or sounds in a lang.
     Example:
     for “sun”, also “heat”
     Egyptian writing for water:
     明 = “bright”
    Logograms
     A system of word writing
     symbols represent words or morphemes in a
    particular language [sound + meaning]
     grapheme = a concept; the smallest unit in a writing system
     Examples
     cuneiform writing: used by the Sumerians, referred to as
    the earliest writing system
     cuneiform = wedge-shaped (Yule 11)
     Chinese characters (but only represent meaning of
    words, not of sounds of spoken lang.)
     advantage and disadvantage
    Rebus Writing
     A process (or a way) of using existing
    symbols to represent the sounds of lang.
     borrow the symbol, take over the sound,
    but forget the meaning
     reduce the number of symbols needed in a
    writing system
     Examples
     a non-English example:
     in language games:
    Syllabic Writing (Syllabary)
     Every symbol represents one syllable
     grapheme = syllable
     e.g., Japanese (which also uses logographic
    characters—Kanji)
     Examples in Japanese
     Hiragana: ひと （ hito ） の （ no ）
    くるま （ kuruma ）
    Katakana:
    Kanji: 人の車
     たまご （ tamago ） “ egg”
    Alphabetic Writing

     Symbols represent single phonemes


     grapheme = phoneme (i.e., symbols represent
    single phonemes)
     definition of “letter” (each written symbol) vs.

    “alphabet” (a set of written symbols) (Yule 13)


     Examples
     alphabets representing mainly consonants:
    e.g., Arabic, Hebrew
     alphabets representing both consonants &
    vowels: e.g., Greek
    Conclusion
     Cave drawings pictograms ideograms
    logograms (phonological) rebus writing
    syllabic writing alphabetic writing
     Writing systems seem to have gone from
    syllabaries to alphabets representing mainly
    consonants, to alphabets representing both
    consonants and vowels.
     This reflects the phonemic nature of lang., so can
    be considered a natural development—though not
    a necessary one or a “better” one.

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