Writing Systems

Writing Systems

• 1. Types of Writing Systems– Logographic (Morphographic)– Syllabic– Alphabetic

• 2. Origin of Writing

• 3. Development

• 4. Spread

1. Types of Writing System

• Logographic• 1 symbol = 1 word or morpheme

• Mandarin Chinese• 我們 喜歡 學 語言學• Wo.men xihuan xue yuyanxue.• I.Pl enjoy study linguistics• “We enjoy studying linguistics.”

• Syllabic• 1 symbol = 1 syllable

• Japanese• べ た べ た (hiragana)• be ta be ta ‘sticky’

• ア メ リ カ (katakana)• a me ri ka ‘America/US’

• Alphabetic• 1 symbol = 1 phoneme

• Korean• ㅎ ㅏ ㄴ ㄱ ㅡ ㄹ• h a n k ɯ l

• 한 글• han kɯl• ‘Korean’ ‘writing’

2. Origin of Writing

• pictorial sign (picture of plow)

• object (plow)

• pictorial sign

• object name of object

• ‘plow’, ‘to plow’, ‘plowman’

• pictorial sign

• name of object

• apin ‘plow’

Origin of Sumerian Cuneiform

Early Chinese Characters

3. Development: Rebus Principle

Rebus Principle and Chinese Characters

• 勿 wu ‘animal’

• 勿 wu Negative imperative

• 非 禮 勿 視• Fei li wu shi.

• be.not Li do.not look

• ‘If it does not adhere to Li do not look at it!’

• Graphic ambiguity:

• 勿 wu ‘animal’

• 勿 wu Negative imperative

• => Create new character

• 牛 ‘ ox’ > Semantic classifier

• 牛 + 勿 > 物 wu ‘animal’

• 牛 + 岡 > 犅 gang ‘cow’

• 牛 + 生 > 牲 sheng ‘domestic animal’

• 牛 + 羲 > 犧 xi ‘sacrificial animal’

4. Spread of Writing

Cuneiform Borrowed as Syllabary: Old Persian

Japanese Syllabaries from Chinese Characters

• Chinese Hiragana• 安 あ a• 加 か ka• 世 せ se• 天 て te• 乃 の no• 不 ふ fu• 呂 ろ ro

Manyoshu: Chinese characters used for sound and meaning value • 世間乎 何物爾• Yononaka=wo nani=ni

• world=Acc what=Dat

• 将譬• tatohe-mu?

• compare-should

• “To what should I compare this world?”

• Content words used for meaning value:• 世間 ‘ world’ > yononaka• 何物 ‘ what’ > nani• 将譬 ‘ should compare’ > tatohemu

• Function words used for sound value:• 乎 > Accusative case wo• 爾 > Dative case ni

Logograms to Alphabet: Phoenician

Phoenician to Greek:Vowels Added