Difference between revisions of "Written Language"
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| − | '''Writing''' is a way of putting down information in a | + | '''Writing''' is a way of putting down information in a textual form. Unlike unrecorded [[speech]] it is a form of [[communication]] that has a continuing nature in that it still exists or can be seen after it is completed. |
==History== | ==History== | ||
| − | The forerunners to writing were carved sticks or knotted | + | The forerunners to writing were carved sticks or knotted cords that conveyed information. Prehistoric writing took the form of cave art such as found in [[France]]. The cultures that developed in [[Egypt]] and [[Sumeria]] both started with pictorial forms which led to Egyptian [[hieroglyphics]] and Sumerian [[cuneiform]]. The [[Hittites]], Egyptians and Mesopotanians all devised symbols for specific sounds known as phonetic writing. During the 2nd millennium B.C., Semetic [[alphabet]]s emerged allowing writing as know it. The [[Greeks]] and the [[Romans]] both copied these earlier alphabets. |
==Sources== | ==Sources== | ||
Revision as of 23:46, October 3, 2007
Writing is a way of putting down information in a textual form. Unlike unrecorded speech it is a form of communication that has a continuing nature in that it still exists or can be seen after it is completed.
History
The forerunners to writing were carved sticks or knotted cords that conveyed information. Prehistoric writing took the form of cave art such as found in France. The cultures that developed in Egypt and Sumeria both started with pictorial forms which led to Egyptian hieroglyphics and Sumerian cuneiform. The Hittites, Egyptians and Mesopotanians all devised symbols for specific sounds known as phonetic writing. During the 2nd millennium B.C., Semetic alphabets emerged allowing writing as know it. The Greeks and the Romans both copied these earlier alphabets.
Sources
The New American Desk Encyclopedia, Penguin Group, 1989