Writing systems, alphabets, scripts Books
Hodder & Stoughton Signs of Civilisation: How punctuation changed
Book Synopsis'Punctuation is not only an important part of our language code; an advanced system of punctuation has been a driving force in our entire Western Civilisation. Nothing less.'With the invention of printing, reading books moved from being an act only performed by priests and aristocrats into an individual, even private, activity. This change helped spark the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution - in which punctuation played a crucial role. As long as texts were read out loud only by an educated elite there was no need for punctuation to mark pauses, full stops or questions.So punctuation - the full stop, the comma, the exclamation mark, the question mark and the semicolon - helped shape modern-day Europe as we know it.
£8.99
Fordham University Press The K-Effect: Romanization, Modernism, and the
Book SynopsisThe K-Effect shows how the roman alphabet has functioned as a standardizing global model for modern print culture. Investigating the history and ongoing effects of romanization, Christopher GoGwilt reads modernism in a global and comparative perspective, through the works of Joseph Conrad and others. The book explores the ambiguous effect of romanized transliteration both in the service of colonization and as an instrument of decolonization. This simultaneously standardizing and destabilizing effect is abbreviated in the way the letter K indexes changing hierarchies in the relation between languages and scripts. The book traces this K-effect through the linguistic work of transliteration and its aesthetic organization in transnational modernism. The book examines a variety of different cases of romanization: the historical shift from Arabic script to romanized print form in writing Malay; the politicization of language and script reforms across Russia and Central Europe; the role of Chinese debates about romanization in shaping global transformations in print media; and the place of romanization between ancient Sanskrit models of language and script and contemporary digital forms of coding. Each case study develops an analysis of Conrad’s fiction read in comparison with such other writers as James Joyce, Lu Xun, Franz Kafka, and Pramoedya Ananta Toer. The first sustained cultural study of romanization, The K-Effect proposes an important new way to assess the multi-lingual and multi-script coordinates of modern print culture.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Conrad’s “timely appearance in English” 1 The K-effect, 6 • Conrad’s “timely appearance in English,” 13 • The K-effect circa 1911, 21 • Overview of the Book, 25 1 The English Case of Romanization: From Conrad’s “blank space” to Joyce’s “iSpace” 31 Defining Romanization: The Oxford English Dictionary and Joseph Conrad, 32 • Conrad’s Accusative Case: Lord Jim and Nostromo, 51 • Joycean “iSpace” and the Conradian “blank space,” 59 2 The Russian Face of Romanization: The K in Conrad and Kafka 72 Language, Script, and Reform in the Russian Empire, 77 • Under Western Eyes, A Personal Record, and “Prince Roman,” 83 • Kafka and Conrad: The Character and Function of K in Central Europe, 102 3 The Chinese Character of Romanization: Conrad and Lu Xun 117 The Chinese Script Revolution and Romanization, 118 • Conrad’s Chinese Characters: Almayer’s Folly to Victory, 127 • Conrad and Lu Xun: The Interface of Chinese and Roman Characters, 144 4 Sanskritization, Romanization, Digitization 157 Sanskritization, 165 • Sanskritization and Romanization in the OED and in Pramoedya Ananta Toer, 174 • Digitization, 179 Acknowledgments 191 Notes 195 Bibliography 217 Index 227
£89.30
Fordham University Press The K-Effect: Romanization, Modernism, and the
Book SynopsisThe K-Effect shows how the roman alphabet has functioned as a standardizing global model for modern print culture. Investigating the history and ongoing effects of romanization, Christopher GoGwilt reads modernism in a global and comparative perspective, through the works of Joseph Conrad and others. The book explores the ambiguous effect of romanized transliteration both in the service of colonization and as an instrument of decolonization. This simultaneously standardizing and destabilizing effect is abbreviated in the way the letter K indexes changing hierarchies in the relation between languages and scripts. The book traces this K-effect through the linguistic work of transliteration and its aesthetic organization in transnational modernism. The book examines a variety of different cases of romanization: the historical shift from Arabic script to romanized print form in writing Malay; the politicization of language and script reforms across Russia and Central Europe; the role of Chinese debates about romanization in shaping global transformations in print media; and the place of romanization between ancient Sanskrit models of language and script and contemporary digital forms of coding. Each case study develops an analysis of Conrad’s fiction read in comparison with such other writers as James Joyce, Lu Xun, Franz Kafka, and Pramoedya Ananta Toer. The first sustained cultural study of romanization, The K-Effect proposes an important new way to assess the multi-lingual and multi-script coordinates of modern print culture.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Conrad’s “timely appearance in English” 1 The K-effect, 6 • Conrad’s “timely appearance in English,” 13 • The K-effect circa 1911, 21 • Overview of the Book, 25 1 The English Case of Romanization: From Conrad’s “blank space” to Joyce’s “iSpace” 31 Defining Romanization: The Oxford English Dictionary and Joseph Conrad, 32 • Conrad’s Accusative Case: Lord Jim and Nostromo, 51 • Joycean “iSpace” and the Conradian “blank space,” 59 2 The Russian Face of Romanization: The K in Conrad and Kafka 72 Language, Script, and Reform in the Russian Empire, 77 • Under Western Eyes, A Personal Record, and “Prince Roman,” 83 • Kafka and Conrad: The Character and Function of K in Central Europe, 102 3 The Chinese Character of Romanization: Conrad and Lu Xun 117 The Chinese Script Revolution and Romanization, 118 • Conrad’s Chinese Characters: Almayer’s Folly to Victory, 127 • Conrad and Lu Xun: The Interface of Chinese and Roman Characters, 144 4 Sanskritization, Romanization, Digitization 157 Sanskritization, 165 • Sanskritization and Romanization in the OED and in Pramoedya Ananta Toer, 174 • Digitization, 179 Acknowledgments 191 Notes 195 Bibliography 217 Index 227
£23.79
Basic Books A Place for Everything: The Curious History of
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£16.19
Basic Books A Place for Everything
Book SynopsisFrom a New York Times-bestselling historian comes the story of how the alphabet ordered our world. A Place for Everything is the first-ever history of alphabetization, from the Library of Alexandria to Wikipedia. The story of alphabetical order has been shaped by some of history's most compelling characters, such as industrious and enthusiastic early adopter Samuel Pepys and dedicated alphabet champion Denis Diderot. But though even George Washington was a proponent, many others stuck to older forms of classification -- Yale listed its students by their family's social status until 1886. And yet, while the order of the alphabet now rules -- libraries, phone books, reference books, even the order of entry for the teams at the Olympic Games -- it has remained curiously invisible. With abundant inquisitiveness and wry humor, historian Judith Flanders traces the triumph of alphabetical order and offers a compendium of Western knowledge, from A to Z.A Times (UK) Best Book of 2020
£22.50
Little, Brown & Company ABCs in the Bible
Book SynopsisWith this creative primer, little ones can learn about the alphabet and the Bible all at the same time! Just flip through the sturdy pages to discover letters from A to Z, all vibrantly illustrated with examples from the Bible. Children will develop familiarity with letters and with the people, places and things of the Bible as they read A is for Ark, J is for Jesus and more. With a padded cover and durable pages, ABCs in the Bible can withstand diaper bags, car seats and teething tots for years to come. Parents won't want to miss this dual-purpose primer that makes learning easy and enjoyable.
£7.99
Sil International, Global Publishing Developing Orthographies for Unwritten Languages
£25.89
David R. Godine Publisher Inc The Superior Person's Complete Book of Words
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£17.09
David R. Godine Publisher An Admirable Point: A Brief History of the
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£12.34
Sasquatch Books Portland ABC: A Larry Gets Lost Book
Book SynopsisThe bestselling Larry Gets Lost series heads to Portland in this colorful ABC book featuring vibrant retro illustrations of this great American city and the perpetually lost pup, Larry.This modern, colorful alphabet book comes on the heels of the regional best-selling Larry Gets Lost in Portland. Larry and his friend Pete see Portland from A (Art Museum) to Z (Portland Zoo), and everything in between. H is for Hawthorne Bridge, P is for Powell’s Books, and W is for Willamette River—children can learn their ABCs and about their hometown! How many letters can you find around you?Trade Review"Portland ABC...will certainly bid for heavy rotation in Rose City Montessori classrooms and progressive playdates... The artist/writer's bold alphabetic take on Portland makes use of local icons like Voodoo Donuts and the Hawthorne Bridge." Portland Monthly "'Portland ABC' is a banner in book form to wave with PDX pride."The Register-Guard"Many of the things kids love about living in Portland are right there on the page, making this a very special little book for any young—or old, really!—Portlander. Seriously, who living in Portland wouldn’t want a beautifully illustrated book with the elephant statue in the North Park Blocks near Powell’s City of Books (that’s P) representing the letter E?" Portland Book Review
£12.74
School Zone School Zone ABC Dot-To-Dots Workbook
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£6.37
£16.71
J. Paul Getty Museum Latin Inscriptions Ancient Scripts
£18.00
Echo Point Books & Media Sacred Calligraphy of the East
£17.15
Stonewell Press The Gambler
£12.79
North Star Editions Opposites: Near and Far
Book SynopsisIntroduces readers to the concept of opposites through the pairing of near and far. Simple text, straightforward photos, and a photo glossary make this title the perfect primer on a common pair of opposites.
£21.59
North Star Editions Opposites: Wet and Dry
Book SynopsisIntroduces readers to the concept of opposites through the pairing of wet and dry. Simple text, straightforward photos, and a photo glossary make this title the perfect primer on a common pair of opposites.
£21.59
North Star Editions Opposites: Near and Far
Book SynopsisIntroduces readers to the concept of opposites through the pairing of near and far. Simple text, straightforward photos, and a photo glossary make this title the perfect primer on a common pair of opposites.
£8.54
North Star Editions Opposites: Wet and Dry
Book SynopsisIntroduces readers to the concept of opposites through the pairing of wet and dry. Simple text, straightforward photos, and a photo glossary make this title the perfect primer on a common pair of opposites.
£8.54
Inner Traditions Bear and Company Alphabets and the Mystery Traditions
Book SynopsisReveals the esoteric mysteries encoded in the order of the alphabet. Our alphabet hides a Mystery older than its magic of turning sound into shapes. Secrets lie in the choice of objects chosen to represent early alphabet letters and their order, a pattern inherited by numerous traditions, an alchemical spell to return the sun from the dark and guide the soul toward enlightenment. Revealing the spell hidden in our alphabet, Judith Dillon explores the importance of the placement of each letter in early alphabets and how each letter represented a specific step on the alchemical path of self-transformation. She investigates the alphabet’s spread around the world, beginning in Egypt and then spreading through Hebrew, Greek, and other ancient systems of writing and divination. These include Germanic Runes, Celtic Oghams, Tarot cards, the I Ching, and the wisdom of Mother Goose. Comparing the mythic attributes of many traditions, the author reveals
£18.75
Tadpole Books/Jump! Let's Learn Opposites
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£27.54
Publications International, Ltd. Brain Games - Codeword Puzzle: Unscramble the
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£12.33
Pennsylvania State University Press Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel: A Study of
Book SynopsisIn this book, Philip Zhakevich examines the technology of writing as it existed in the southern Levant during the Iron Age II period, after the alphabetic writing system had fully taken root in the region. Using the Hebrew Bible as its corpus and focusing on a set of Hebrew terms that designated writing surfaces and instruments, this study synthesizes the semantic data of the Bible with the archeological and art-historical evidence for writing in ancient Israel. The bulk of this work comprises an in-depth lexicographical analysis of Biblical Hebrew terms related to Israel’s writing technology. Employing comparative Semitics, lexical semantics, and archaeology, Zhakevich provides a thorough analysis of the origins of the relevant terms; their use in the biblical text, Ben Sira, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and ancient Hebrew inscriptions; and their translation in the Septuagint and other ancient versions. The final chapter evaluates Israel’s writing practices in light of those of the ancient world, concluding that Israel’s most common form of writing (i.e., writing with ink on ostraca and papyrus) is Egyptian in origin and was introduced into Canaan during the New Kingdom.Comprehensive and original in its scope, Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel is a landmark contribution to our knowledge of scribes and scribal practices in ancient Israel. Students and scholars interested in language and literacy in the first-millennium Levant in particular will profit from this volume.Trade Review“Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel makes a singular, useful contribution that will be consulted and used by scholars for generations to come.”—William Schniedewind,University of California, Los Angeles“This book is a satisfying, methodical study that will appeal to readers interested in the areas of Hebrew lexicography, literacy, and scribal culture.”—Lindsey A. Askin Journal for the Study of the Old TestamentTable of ContentsList of Figures and TablesAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsChapter 1. IntroductionChapter 2. PapyrusChapter 3. Stone and PlasterChapter 4. Skins, Scrolls, Tablets, Ostraca, and Uncommon Writing Surfaces Chapter 5. Scribal Instruments and GlypticsChapter 6. Egypt’s Influence on Canaan and Ancient IsraelChapter 7. ConclusionWorks CitedAncient Sources IndexSubject Index
£79.86
Warblegroup Ltd. Intelligible Modern English: Consonants
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£999.99
Simply Read Books ABC
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£7.95
Equinox Publishing Ltd Writing Systems
Book SynopsisThe cultures of the world have chosen different ways to make spoken language visible and permanent. The original edition of Writing Systems represented the first time that modern linguistic principles were brought to bear on a study of this. Now this new edition brings the story up to date; it incorporates topics which have emerged since the first edition (such as electronic techniques for encoding the world's scripts), together with new findings about established topics, including the ultimate historical origin of our alphabet. Featuring a series of detailed case studies of scripts of diverse types, and giving due attention to the psychology of reading and learning to read, the book is written so as to be accessible to those with no prior knowledge of any writing systems other than our own.Trade ReviewPraise for the first edition This is a splendid book ... of outstanding interest to professional linguists and students of linguistics, and also to the large number of lay readers who are fascinated by facts about human language. British Book News A refreshing and rigorous contemporary scientific examination of writing ... Linguists on all fronts should welcome this. Choice An incredible tour de force, covering both Western and East Asian scripts, their historical development and their linguistic features. The treatment of Chinese, Japanese and Korean scripts is particularly fascinating for a Western reader. ASI Newsletter I have found Sampson's book invaluable as a source of descriptive information ... it is written in a straightforward and approachable manner which makes it very engaging as general reading matter ... shows an acquaintance with recent psychological work that is seldom to be found in linguistic writing. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology the best linguistic introduction to the study of writing systems now available. LanguageTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. Theoretical Preliminaries 3. The Earliest Writing 4. A Syllabic System: Linear B 5. Consonantal Writing 6. European Alphabetic Writing 7. Influences on Graph-shape Evolution 8. A Featural System: Korean Hangul 9. A Logographic System: Chinese Writing 10. Pros and Cons of Logography 11. A Mixed System: Japanese Writing 12. Writing Systems and Information Technology 13. English Spelling 14. Conclusion
£67.50
Equinox Publishing Ltd Writing Systems
Book SynopsisThe cultures of the world have chosen different ways to make spoken language visible and permanent. The original edition of Writing Systems represented the first time that modern linguistic principles were brought to bear on a study of this. Now this new edition brings the story up to date; it incorporates topics which have emerged since the first edition (such as electronic techniques for encoding the world's scripts), together with new findings about established topics, including the ultimate historical origin of our alphabet. Featuring a series of detailed case studies of scripts of diverse types, and giving due attention to the psychology of reading and learning to read, the book is written so as to be accessible to those with no prior knowledge of any writing systems other than our own.Trade ReviewPraise for the first edition This is a splendid book ... of outstanding interest to professional linguists and students of linguistics, and also to the large number of lay readers who are fascinated by facts about human language. British Book News A refreshing and rigorous contemporary scientific examination of writing ... Linguists on all fronts should welcome this. Choice An incredible tour de force, covering both Western and East Asian scripts, their historical development and their linguistic features. The treatment of Chinese, Japanese and Korean scripts is particularly fascinating for a Western reader. ASI Newsletter I have found Sampson's book invaluable as a source of descriptive information ... it is written in a straightforward and approachable manner which makes it very engaging as general reading matter ... shows an acquaintance with recent psychological work that is seldom to be found in linguistic writing. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology the best linguistic introduction to the study of writing systems now available. LanguageTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. Theoretical Preliminaries 3. The Earliest Writing 4. A Syllabic System: Linear B 5. Consonantal Writing 6. European Alphabetic Writing 7. Influences on Graph-shape Evolution 8. A Featural System: Korean Hangul 9. A Logographic System: Chinese Writing 10. Pros and Cons of Logography 11. A Mixed System: Japanese Writing 12. Writing Systems and Information Technology 13. English Spelling 14. Conclusion
£23.70
Equinox Publishing Ltd An Exploration of Writing
Book SynopsisAn Exploration of Writing is a book about our alphabets, our syllabaries, and all the other kinds of writing that people use and have used for 5000 years. It introduces the general public to a topic that hardly anyone has heard about, so it clarifies basic linguistic terms as they occur. For linguists exploring the growing field of graphonomy-the study of writing systems-in which the author has long been a pioneer, it weaves together the many threads of theory into a tapestry showing a fuller picture of what all our scripts are seen to share. An Exploration of Writing begins with more familiar kinds of writing considered in unfamiliar ways-starting with English viewed syllabically--and leads the reader across the Old World and the New to less familiar kinds of writing, showing how all writings share a fundamental essence, however diverse they appear to be, because all writing represents language. The more familiar (Hebrew, Chinese, Korean) leads on to the less familiar (Udi, Pahlavi, Javanese). Featured are some of the world's most recently elucidated scripts, and some that are long known but long neglected, such as those for Central Asian languages, and some of the most recent interpretations of long-mysterious scripts, such as Sumerian and Mesoamerican. An Exploration of Writing is in the tradition of and in part a response to A Study of Writing (1952/1963), by I. J. Gelb. It encapsulates more than thirty years of the author's work and his dozens of articles on writing systems, ranging from investigating the physical process of writing to bringing to light the achievements of those who had deciphered forgotten scripts to developing a theoretical approach to the origins of writing which leads to insights into the nature of writing itself.Trade Review"Peter Daniels has thought more and more deeply about writing than anyone else around. This very engaging book reflects both. It incorporates the taxonomy of types of writing systems that he pioneered and is organized very nicely around the various ways in which a writing system reflects its (spoken) language. The book presupposes little linguistic knowledge and is clearly written." Professor Mark Aronoff, Stony Brook University "No student of linguistics, nor educator, psychologist, or social scientist concerned with literacy, can afford to remain ignorant of the fundamentals of writing systems. It is a great honor to commend to the reader a work of such exceptional scholarship." Professor David L. Share, University of Haifa (from the Foreword)Table of ContentsForeword David L. Share, University of HaifaIntroduction1. Syllables and Syllabaries2. Segments and Alphabets3. Consonants and Abjads4. Moras and Kana5. Clusters and Abugidas6. Morphemes and Morphograms7. Words and Heterograms8. Hybrids and Innovations9. Recoveries and Decipherments10. Pictograms and Mysteries11. Origins and Characteristics12. Graphonomy and Linguistics
£68.00
Equinox Publishing Ltd An Exploration of Writing
Book SynopsisAn Exploration of Writing is a book about our alphabets, our syllabaries, and all the other kinds of writing that people use and have used for 5000 years. It introduces the general public to a topic that hardly anyone has heard about, so it clarifies basic linguistic terms as they occur. For linguists exploring the growing field of graphonomy-the study of writing systems-in which the author has long been a pioneer, it weaves together the many threads of theory into a tapestry showing a fuller picture of what all our scripts are seen to share. An Exploration of Writing begins with more familiar kinds of writing considered in unfamiliar ways-starting with English viewed syllabically--and leads the reader across the Old World and the New to less familiar kinds of writing, showing how all writings share a fundamental essence, however diverse they appear to be, because all writing represents language. The more familiar (Hebrew, Chinese, Korean) leads on to the less familiar (Udi, Pahlavi, Javanese). Featured are some of the world's most recently elucidated scripts, and some that are long known but long neglected, such as those for Central Asian languages, and some of the most recent interpretations of long-mysterious scripts, such as Sumerian and Mesoamerican. An Exploration of Writing is in the tradition of and in part a response to A Study of Writing (1952/1963), by I. J. Gelb. It encapsulates more than thirty years of the author's work and his dozens of articles on writing systems, ranging from investigating the physical process of writing to bringing to light the achievements of those who had deciphered forgotten scripts to developing a theoretical approach to the origins of writing which leads to insights into the nature of writing itself.Trade Review"Peter Daniels has thought more and more deeply about writing than anyone else around. This very engaging book reflects both. It incorporates the taxonomy of types of writing systems that he pioneered and is organized very nicely around the various ways in which a writing system reflects its (spoken) language. The book presupposes little linguistic knowledge and is clearly written." Professor Mark Aronoff, Stony Brook University "No student of linguistics, nor educator, psychologist, or social scientist concerned with literacy, can afford to remain ignorant of the fundamentals of writing systems. It is a great honor to commend to the reader a work of such exceptional scholarship." Professor David L. Share, University of Haifa (from the Foreword)Table of ContentsForeword David L. Share, University of HaifaIntroduction1. Syllables and Syllabaries2. Segments and Alphabets3. Consonants and Abjads4. Moras and Kana5. Clusters and Abugidas6. Morphemes and Morphograms7. Words and Heterograms8. Hybrids and Innovations9. Recoveries and Decipherments10. Pictograms and Mysteries11. Origins and Characteristics12. Graphonomy and Linguistics
£28.45
Anthem Press An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Theory and
Book SynopsisAn Interdisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Wildlife Corridors charts some best practices and makes some new theoretical contributions related to the design and creation of wildlife corridors in Anthropocene times. While the book will provide much of the knowledge necessary for a general and credible understanding of connectivity projects, it will also make a unique theoretical contribution to current knowledge about wildlife corridors by arguing that theories about compassion, empathy, and traditional ecological knowledge should inform wildlife corridor projects.
£72.00
Oxbow Books Understanding Relations Between Scripts: The
Book SynopsisUnderstanding Relations Between Scripts: The Aegean Writing Systems arises from a conference held in Cambridge in 2015. The question of how writing systems are related to each other, and how we can study those relationships, has not been studied in detail and this volume aims to fill a gap in scholarship by presenting a number of case studies focused on the writing systems of the Bronze Age Aegean. These include Cretan Hieroglyphic, Linear A and Linear B, used predominantly in Crete and mainland Greece, as well as the Cypro-Minoan script of Cyprus. Most of these systems (the only major exception being Linear B) remain undeciphered to some degree but we nevertheless have considerable evidence for their development and use.Each contributor focuses on a different theoretical problem and/or set of scripts. Important questions include: How and why did writing emerge in Crete in the Middle Bronze Age? What is the relationship between writing and art? Why did different writing systems co-exist with each other? What changes were made when a new system was developed from an old one? Can our understanding of how different systems are related to each other help us to reconstruct the values of script signs? The contributors tackle such questions by employing a variety of methods, from epigraphic and palaeographic analysis to typological comparison and contextual study.The result is a coherent volume that will not only enrich our understanding of the ancient Aegean writing systems in particular, but will also provide an important example for future studies of writing across the world.Trade Review...all [chapters] lead to conclusions that are important for our understanding of the development of writing in the Aegean […] a collection that provides much food for thought. * Journal of Greek Archaeology *With its wide-ranging topics and methodologies, this volume makes an outstanding contribution to the current state of research. It is a pioneering undertaking encouraging further future collaborations. These studies have definitely paved the way for turning this ‘no man’s land’ that is the study of writing systems into a promising autonomous discipline in its own right, while being connected to neighbouring fields of research through interdisciplinary bridges * Tijdschrift voor Mediterrane Archeologie *All of the essays contain contributions of real interest and value […] * Journal of Hellenic Studies *Table of ContentsList of figures Preface Abbreviations Chapter 1. Introduction: the Aegean writing systems Philippa M. Steele Chapter 2. Another beginning’s end: secondary script formation in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean Silvia Ferrara Chapter 3. Cretan ‘Hieroglyphic’ and the nature of script Roeland P.-J.E. Decorte Chapter 4. Linear B script and Linear B administrative system – different patterns in their development Helena Tomas Chapter 5. Reconstructing the matrix of the ‘Mycenaean’ literate administrations Vassilis Petrakis Chapter 6. From Linear B to Linear A: the problem of the backward projection of sound values Philippa M. Steele and Torsten Meißner Chapter 7. Processes of script adaptation and creation in Linear B: the evidence of the ‘extra’ signs Anna P. Judson Chapter 8. Script comparison in the investigation of Cypro-Minoan Miguel Valério Chapter 9. Is there anything like a Cypro-Minoan 3 script? Yves Duhoux Chapter 10. Script and language on Cyprus during the Geometric Period: an overview on the occasion of two new inscriptions Markus Egetmeyer Bibliography
£43.82
Oxbow Books The Social and Cultural Contexts of Historic
Book SynopsisWriting is not just a set of systems for transcribing language and communicating meaning, but an important element of human practice, deeply embedded in the cultures where it is present and fundamentally interconnected with all other aspects of human life. The Social and Cultural Contexts of Historic Writing Practices explores these relationships in a number of different cultural contexts and from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including archaeological, anthropological and linguistic. It offers new ways of approaching the study of writing and integrating it into wider debates and discussions about culture, history and archaeology.Table of ContentsList of contributors Acknowledgements Abbreviations 1. Introduction: writing practices in socio-cultural context Philip J. Boyes, Philippa M. Steele and Natalia Elvira Astoreca 2. Towards a social archaeology of writing practices Philip J. Boyes 3. The lives of inscribed commemorative objects: the transformation of private personal memory in Mesopotamian temple contexts Nancy Highcock 4. A cognitive archaeology of writing: concepts, models, goals Karenleigh A. Overmann 5. The materiality of the Cretan Hieroglyphic script: textile production-related referents to hieroglyphic signs on seals and sealings from Middle Bronze Age Crete Marie-Louise Nosch and Agata Ulanowska 6. Visual dimensions of Maya hieroglyphic writing: meanings beyond the surface Christian M. Prager 7. Visibility of runic writing and its relation to Viking Age Society Sophie Heier 8. Words beyond writings: how to decrypt the secret writings of the masters of psalmody (Yunnan, China)? Aurélie NévotContents 9. A script ‘good to drink’. The invention of writing systems among the Sora and other tribes of India Cécile Guillaume-Pey 10. Why did people in medieval Java use so many different script variants? A.J. West 11. Cultures of writing: rethinking the ‘spread’ and ‘development’ of writing systems in the Bronze Age Mediterranean Theodore Nash 12. Script, image and culture in the Maya world: a southeastern perspective Kathryn M. Hudson and John S. Henderson 13. Writing and elite status in the Bronze Age Aegean Sarah Finlayson 14. Why με? Personhood and agency in the earliest Greek inscriptions (800–550 BCE) James Whitley 15. Names and authorship in the beginnings of Greek alphabetic writing Natalia Elvira Astoreca 16. Marking identity through graphemes? A new look at the Sikel arrow-shaped alpha Olga Tribulato and Valentina Mignosa Bibliography
£49.50
Oxbow Books Script and Society: The Social Context of Writing
Book SynopsisBy the 13th century BC, the Syrian city of Ugarit hosted an extremely diverse range of writing practices. As well as two main scripts – alphabetic and logographic cuneiform - the site has also produced inscriptions in a wide range of scripts and languages, including Hurrian, Sumerian, Hittite, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Luwian hieroglyphs and Cypro-Minoan. This variety in script and language is accompanied by writing practices that blend influences from Mesopotamian, Anatolian and Levantine traditions together with what seem to be distinctive local innovations.Script and Society: The Social Context of Writing Practices in Late Bronze Age Ugarit explores the social and cultural context of these complex writing traditions from the perspective of writing as a social practice. It combines archaeology, epigraphy, history and anthropology to present a highly interdisciplinary exploration of social questions relating to writing at the site, including matters of gender, ethnicity, status and other forms of identity, the relationship between writing and place, and the complex relationships between inscribed and uninscribed objects. This forms a case- study for a wider discussion of interdisciplinary approaches to the study of writing practices in the ancient world.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Part I. Background, theory and methods 1. Introduction: Ugarit and its scripts 2. The social archaeology of writing Part II. Late Bronze Age writing practices in regional contextPart II. Late Bronze Age writing practices in regional context 3. Writing in the Bronze Age Levant 4. Standardisation, vernacularisation and the emergence of alphabetic cuneiform 5. Influence and innovation: networks of writing practice and culture Part III. Writing and society at UgaritPart III. Writing and society at Ugarit 6. The contexts of writing at Ugarit 7. Writing and the social construction of place 8. Who wrote? Literacy in Ugarit 9. Writing practices and minority communities 10. Social change in Late Bronze Age Ugarit 11. Writing practices and elite identity: imperialism, resistance and vernacularisation 12. The impact and legacy of alphabetic cuneiform 13. Conclusion: the social context of writing practices at Ugarit Bibliography
£45.00
Oxbow Books The Semantics of Word Division in Northwest Semitic Writing Systems: Ugaritic, Phoenician, Hebrew, Moabite and Greek
Book SynopsisMuch focus in research on alphabetic writing systems has been on correspondences between graphemes and phonemes. The present study sets out to complement these by examining the linguistic denotation of markers of word division in several ancient Northwest Semitic (NWS) writing systems, namely, Ugaritic, Phoenician, Moabite, and Hebrew, as well as alphabetic Greek. While in Modern European languages words on the page are separated on the basis of morphosyntax, I argue that in most NWS writing systems words are divided on the basis of prosody: ‘words’ are units which must be pronounced together with a single primary accent or stress, or as a single phrase.After an introduction providing the necessary theoretical groundwork, Part I considers word division in Phoenician inscriptions. I show that word division at the levels of both the prosodic word and of the prosodic phrase may be found in Phoenician, and that the distributions match those of prosodic words and prosodic phrases in Tiberian Hebrew. The latter is a source where, unlike the rest of the material considered, the prosody is well represented. In Part II, word division in Ugaritic alphabetic cuneiform is analysed. Here two-word division strategies are identified, corresponding broadly to two genres of text: viz, literary, and administrative documents. Word division in the orthography of literary and of some other texts separates prosodic words. By contrast, in many administrative (and some other) documents, words are separated on the basis of morphosyntax, anticipating later word division strategies in Europe by several centuries. Part III considers word division in the consonantal text of the Masoretic tradition of Biblical Hebrew. Here word division is found to mark out ‘minimal prosodic words’. I show that this word division orthography is also found in early Moabite and Hebrew inscriptions. Word division in alphabetic Greek inscriptions is the topic of Part IV. Whilst it is agreed that word division marks out prosodic words, the precise relationship of these units to the pitch accent and the rhythm of the language is not so clear, and consequently this issue is addressed in detail. Finally, the Epilogue considers the societal context of word division in each of the writing systems examined, to attempt to discern the rationales for the prosodic word division strategies adopted.Contexts of and Relations between Early Writing Systems (CREWS) is a project funded by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 677758), and based in the Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Abbreviations 1. Introduction 1.1. What is a word? 1.2. Why Northwest Semitic and Greek? 1.3. Wordhood in writing systems research 1.4. Linguistic levels of wordhood 1.5. Word division at the syntax-phonology interface 1.6. Previous scholarship 1.7. Method 1.8. Outline Part I Phoenician 2. Introduction 2.1. Overview 2.2. Literature review 2.3. Corpus 2.4. Linguistic and sociocultural identity of the inscriptions 2.5. Proto-alphabetic 2.6. Shared characteristics of word division 2.7. Divergence in word division practice 3. Prosodic words 3.1. Introduction 3.2. Distribution of word division 3.3. Graphematic weight of function words 3.4. Morphosyntax of univerbated syntagms 3.5. Sandhi assimilation 3.6. Comparison of composition and distribution with prosodic words in Tiberian Hebrew 3.7. Conclusion 4. Prosodic phrase division 4.1. Introduction 4.2. Syntax of univerbated syntagms 4.3. Comparison with prosodic phrases in Tiberian Hebrew 4.4. Syntactic vs. prosodic phrase level analysis 4.5. Verse form 4.6. Conclusion Part II Ugaritic alphabetic cuneiform 5. Introduction 5.1. Overview 5.2. Literature review 5.3. Basic patterns of word division and univerbation 5.4. Exceptions to the basic patterns of word division 5.5. Line division 5.6. Contexts of use 5.7. Textual issues 5.8. Inconsistent nature of univerbation 5.9. Hypothesis: Graphematic words represent actual prosodic words 6. The Ugaritic ‘Majority’ orthography 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Syntagms particularly associated with univerbation 6.3. Univerbation with nouns 6.4. Univerbation with verbs 6.5. Univerbation with suffix pronouns 6.6. Univerbation at clause and phrase boundaries 6.7. Summary 7. Quantitative comparison of Ugaritic and Tiberian Hebrew 7.1. Introduction 7.2. Corpus 7.3. Frequency of occurrence 7.4. Length of phrase 7.5. Quantifying the morphosyntactic collocation of linking features 7.6. Measuring Association Score B for Ugaritic and Tiberian Hebrew 7.7. Visualising morphosyntactic collocation of linking features with MDS 7.8. Conclusion 8. Semantics of word division in the Ugaritic ‘Majority’ orthography: prosodic word or prosodic phrase 8.1. Introduction 8.2. Graphematic wordhood in the Ugaritic ‘Majority’ orthography 8.3. Consistency of the representation of ACTUAL PROSODIC WORDHOOD in Ugaritic 8.4. Univerbation at clause boundaries 8.5. Adoption of the ‘Majority’ orthography outside of literary contexts 9. Separation of prefix clitics 9.1. Introduction 9.2. Literary texts 9.3. Non-literary texts adopting the ‘Majority’ orthography 9.4. Non-literary texts adopting the ‘Minority’ orthography 9.5. Conclusion Part III Hebrew and Moabite 10. Introduction 10.1. Introduction 10.2. Morphosyntactic status of graphematic affixes in Tiberian Hebrew 10.3. Morphosyntactic status of graphematic affixes 10.4. Graphematic status of graphematic affixes 10.5. Conclusion 11. Word division in the consonantal Masoretic Text: Minimal prosodic words 11.1. Introduction 11.2. Combining prosody and morphosyntax (Dresher 1994; Dresher 2009) 11.3. Accounting for graphematic wordhood prosodically 11.4. מַה mah “What?” 11.5. לֹא lōʾ 11.6. Minimal domains for stress assignment and sandhi 11.7. Conclusion 12. Minimal prosodic words in epigraphic Hebrew and Moabite 12.1. Introduction 12.2. Siloam Tunnel inscription 12.3. Meshaʿ stelae (KAI 181 and KAI 30) 12.4. Accounting for word division in the Meshaʿ and Siloam inscriptions 12.5. Conclusion 12.6. Conclusion to Part III Part IV Epigraphic Greek 13. Introduction 13.1. Overview 13.2. Corpus 13.3. Prosodic wordhood in Ancient Greek 13.4. Metre and natural language 13.5. Problems with identifying graphematic words with prosodic words 13.6. Conclusion 14. The pitch accent and prosodic words 14.1. Introduction 14.2. Prosody of postpositives and enclitics 14.3. Prosody of prepositives and ‘proclitics’ 14.4. Conclusion 15. Domains of pitch accent and rhythm 15.1. Introduction 15.2. Challenging the inherited tradition of accentuation 15.3. Pitch accentuation and rhythmic prominence have different domains 15.4. Rhythmic words are canonically trimoraic or greater 15.5. Graphematic words correspond to rhythmic words 15.6. Conclusion 16. Graphematic words with multiple lexicals 16.1. Introduction 16.2. Inconsistency of levels of graphematic representation 16.3. Prosodic subordination of one lexical to another 16.4. Punctuating canonical rhythmic words 16.5. Conclusion 17. Conclusion: The context of word division 17.1. Overview 17.2. Orality and literacy 17.3. Prosodic word level punctuation is a function of the oral performance of texts Bibliography
£60.51
Oxbow Books Dynamic Epigraphy: New Approaches to Inscriptions
Book SynopsisThis volume, with origins in a panel at the 2018 Celtic Conference in Classics, presents creative new approaches to epigraphic material, in an attempt to 'shake up' how we deal with inscriptions. Broad themes include the embodied experience of epigraphy, the unique capacities of epigraphic language as a genre, the visuality of inscriptions and the interplay of inscriptions with literary texts. Although each chapter focuses on specific objects and epigraphic landscapes, ranging from Republican Rome to early modern Scotland, the emphasis here is on using these case studies not as an end in themselves, but as a means of exploring broader methodological and theoretical issues to do with how we use inscriptions as evidence, both for the Greco-Roman world and for other time periods.Drawing on conversations from fields such as archaeology and anthropology, philology, art history, linguistics and history, contributors also seek to push the boundaries of epigraphy as a discipline and to demonstrate the analytical fruits of interdisciplinary approaches to inscribed material. Methodologies such as phenomenology, translingualism, intertextuality and critical fabulation are deployed to offer new perspectives on the social functions of inscriptions as texts and objects and to open up new horizons for the use of inscriptions as evidence for past societies.Trade Review[T]his volume presents creative new approaches to epigraphic material in an attempt to “shake up” how we deal with inscriptions. * New Testament Abstracts *Table of ContentsList of figures List of abbreviations Editor’s acknowledgments 1. Introduction: Thoughts on the nature of inscriptions Eleri H. Cousins 2. Towards a theoretical model of the epigraphic landscape Kelsey Jackson Williams 3. Materializing epigraphy: Archaeological and sociolinguistic approaches to Roman inscribed spindle whorls Alex Mullen 4. Written to be (un)read, written to be seen: Beyond Latin codes in Latin epigraphy M. Cristina de la Escosura Balbás, Elena Duce Pastor and David Serrano Lozano 5. Epigraphic strategies of communication: The visual accusative of Roman Republican dedications of spoils Fabio Luci 6. Inscribing the artistic space: Blurred boundaries on Romano-British tombstones Hanneke Salisbury 7. When poetry comes to its senses: Inscribed Roman verse and the human sensorium Chiara Cenati, Victoria González Berdús and Peter Kruschwitz 8. Lassi viatores: Poetic consumption between Martial’s Epigrams and the Carmina Latina Epigraphica Alessandra Tafaro 9. Epigraphy and critical fabulation: Imagining narratives of Greco-Roman sexual slavery Deborah Kamen and Sarah Levin-Richardson
£34.20
Oxbow Books Writing Around the Ancient Mediterranean:
Book SynopsisWriting in the ancient Mediterranean existed against a backdrop of very high levels of interaction and contact. In the societies around its shores, writing was a dynamic practice that could serve many purposes – from a tool used by elites to control resources and establish their power bases to a symbol of local identity and a means of conveying complex information and ideas.This volume brings together contributions by members of the Contexts of and Relations between Early Writing Systems (CREWS) research team and visiting fellows, offering a range of different perspectives and approaches to problems of writing in the ancient Mediterranean. Their focus is on practices, viewing writing as something that people do within a wider social and cultural context, and on adaptations, considering the ways in which writing changed and was changed by the people using it.Trade Review[T]his volume, as a contribution to the research output of the CREWS project, encapsulates how the research of the CREWS core team and wider family has revolved around questions of the contexts and relatedness of writing systems and traditions * New Testament Abstracts *Table of ContentsApproaches to writing in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East Philippa M. Steele Relations between script, writing material and layout: the case of the Anatolian Hieroglyphs Willemijn Waal Word division in Sicilian inscriptions Robert Crellin What is an Alphabet good for? Csaba La’da Measuring particularity and similarity in archaic Greek alphabets with NLP Natalia Elvira Astoreca Borrowing, invention, remodelling: Observations on the rare letters of the Phrygian alphabet and the problem of formation of Anatolian alphabets Rostislav Oreshko Cypro-Minoan and its potmarks and vessel inscriptions as challenges to Aegean Scripts corpora Cassandra Donnelly Ductus in Cypro-Minoan writing. Definition, purpose and distribution of stroke types Martina Polig The introduction of the Greek alphabet in Cyprus, a case study in material culture Beatrice Pestarino The death of alphabets at the end of the Bronze Age. How does the Deir ‘Alla alphabet fit the picture? Michel de Vreeze Early Egyptian writing from the perspective of the embodied practitioner Kathryn Piquette The magic of writing Philip J. Boyes
£45.00
Oxbow Books Exploring Writing Systems and Practices in the
Book SynopsisWriting does not begin and end with the encoding of an idea into a group of symbols. It is practised by people who have learnt its principles and acquired the tools and skills for doing it, in a particular context that affects what they do and how they do it. Nor are these practices static, as those involved exploit opportunities to adapt old features and develop new ones. The act of writing then has tangible and visible consequences not only for the writers but also for those encountering what has been produced, whether they can read its content or not – with potential for a wider social visibility that can in turn affect the success and longevity of the writing system itself.With a focus on the syllabic systems of the Bronze Age Aegean, this book attempts to bring together different perspectives to create an innovative interdisciplinary outlook on what is involved in writing: from structuralist views of writing as systems of signs with their linguistic values, to archaeological and anthropological approaches to writing as a socially grounded practice. The main chapters focus on the concepts of script adoption and adaptation; different methods of logographic writing; and the vitality of writing traditions, with repercussions for the modern world.Contexts of and Relations between Early Writing Systems (CREWS) is a project funded by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 677758), and based in the Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Tables and Figures Introduction Cretan Hieroglyphic, Linear A and Linear B (and their Cypriot cousins) Chronology Theoretical perspectives and terminology 1: Exploring script adoption How do we know that Linear B adopted Linear A syllabographic sign values with little change? Can we use Linear B sign values or structural features to reconstruct Minoan phonology or other linguistic features? How should we understand the nature of the transition from Linear A to B? 2: Exploring logography Classifying signs in writing systems Linear B Linear A Cretan Hieroglyphic Understanding logography in the Bronze Age Aegean 3: Exploring vitality Cretan Hieroglyphic Linear A Linear B Syllabic writing in Cyprus Relationships between writing and language vitality The vitality of writing traditions Epilogue: writing for the future Bibliography
£59.81
Flipfrog Books B is for Bacon
Book Synopsis
£12.74
Lexington Books The Instruction and Acquisition of the BA
Book SynopsisThis book tackles the linguistically unique and notoriously difficult BA construction in Chinese, covering its linguistic properties and acquisition by learners of Chinese as a foreign language, alongside teaching recommendations. Adopting the Interface Hypothesis and the Processing Instruction approach, Hongying Xu argues that not all linguistic properties of the BA construction are equally difficult to acquire and that properties that call for knowledge from interfaces—including semantics, pragmatics, and syntax—are more difficult to master than those that involve pure syntactic knowledge. Xu argues that instructors should provide manipulated input to help learners notice and process these properties before they are required to produce any grammatical and appropriate sentences using the BA construction.Trade ReviewDr. Hongying Xu, interested in the role that grammar plays in acquiring a foreign language, has tackled an important but understudied element of Chinese grammar, the ba construction. Dr. Xu contributes to the SLA line of thought that proposes attention to the grammatical form and function within a variety of real-life communicative situations—not only the “traditional” and overused ones. The conclusions of her study, strongly supported by strict methodology and analysis, will inspire teachers of Chinese. -- Manuela Gonzalez-Bueno, University of KansasTable of ContentsChapter 1: The BA Construction Chapter 2: Acquisition of the BA Construction among L2 Learners of ChineseChapter 3: Teaching the BA Construction in CFL Chapter 4: Acquisition of the BA Construction: An Interface Perspective Chapter 5: Awareness among L2 Chinese Learners on the Usage of the BA Construction Chapter 6: Using the Processing Instruction Approach to Teach the BA Construction Chapter 7: Implications from the Acquisition Studies and Guidelines for Instruction
£69.30
Independently Published Alphabet Flash Cards Learning Kids: ABC
Book Synopsis
£9.50
John Murray Press Alphabetical: How Every Letter Tells a Story
Book SynopsisFrom minding your Ps and Qs to wondering why X should mark the spot, Alphabetical is a book for everyone who loves words and language. Whether it's how letters are arranged on keyboards or Viking runes, textspeak or zip codes, this book will change the way you think about letters for ever. How on Earth did we fix upon our twenty-six letters, what do they really mean, and how did we come to write them down in the first place? Michael Rosen takes you on an unforgettable adventure through the history of the alphabet in twenty-six vivid chapters, fizzing with personal anecdotes and fascinating facts. Starting with the mysterious Phoenicians and how sounds first came to be written down, he races on to show how nonsense poems work, pins down the strange story of OK, traces our seven lost letters and tackles the tyranny of spelling, among many, many other things. His heroes of the alphabet range from Edward Lear to Phyllis Pearsall (the inventor of the A-Z), and from the two scribes of Beowulf to rappers. Each chapter takes on a different subject - codes, umlauts or the writing of dictionaries. Rosen's enthusiasm for letters positively leaps off the page, whether it's the story of his life told through the typewriters he's owned or a chapter on jokes written in a string of gags and word games. So if you ever wondered why Hawaiian only has a thirteen-letter alphabet or how exactly to write down the sound of a wild raspberry, read on . . .Trade Review[Michael Rosen's] beguiling journey through the alphabet will entrance anyone interested in the quirks of language and its history . . . Rosen has written a charming and thought-provoking book about what written language represents, how we use it, and the joys and mysteries therein. His humor and obvious love for his subject are winning elements * Publishers Weekly *Enjoyable history of the alphabet * The Times *Substantial and engaging * Guardian *Forget party crackers - when you settle down to the turkey and trimmings this year simply make sure you have this book to hand. There's even a chapter devoted to family friendly alphabet games: perfect for playing after the Queen's been on. That letters can and should be fun, not just functional, is one of the main messages of this book * Sunday Telegraph *The perfect book for anyone who relishes the intricacies of language and letters . . . [Rosen] reveals a gift for seamlessly meshing hard information, personal anecdote, jokes and puzzles with educational, cultural and linguistic questions and wry, pointed, observations . . . There are delights in this book for all ages * Australian *[Michael Rosen] gives each letter a neat CV . . . enjoyable * The Times *
£10.44
Medieval Institute Publications Early Drama, Art, and Music Documents: A
Book SynopsisThere are few experiences as discouraging to a researcher trained in art history, drama, music, folk arts, or social history as the first encounter with an original medieval or Renaissance document. Despite Satan's claim, there is little comfort in the company of others who are miserable, but it may be comforting to know that many untrained researchers have learned to read original documents without formal instruction or years of practice. While some of the skills of a professional paleographer—the ability to identify various transitional hands, localize regional variations, or date documents by their handwriting, for instance—do require considerable training, a researcher can learn on his or her own to make some sense of a manuscript with little help on the way letters were formed, on standard abbreviations and formulaic constructions, and on the sheer need to practice transcription. Wasson here provides the basic tools necessary to transcribe documents, without regard for the historical development of alphabets, letter forms, and the like. This manual will be of great interest to scholars of the arts in need of a guide for their journeys into the archives.Table of ContentsIntroductionDocuments and TranscriptsTranslations
£17.49
Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Grammatical Case in the Languages of the Middle
Book SynopsisThe volume contains twenty-eight studies of various aspects of the case systems of Sumerian, Hurrian, Elamite, Eblaite, Ugaritic, Old Aramaic, Biblical Hebrew, Indo-European, the languages of the Bisitun inscription, Hittite, Armenian, Sabellic, Gothic, Latin, Icelandic, Slavic, Russian, Ouralien, Tokharian and Etruscan. The volume concludes with a paper on future directions.
£20.43
Authority Books, Inc. Actually Learn Arabic Letters Week 1: 'Aalif Through Dhaal
£11.19
Authority Books, Inc. Actually Learn Arabic Letters Week 3: FAA' Through Yaa'
£11.19
£14.98
Graffeg Limited Every Girl's Alphabet
Book SynopsisAdventurous, daring, curious, caring: there is something of every girl in this delightful alphabet character, who jumps for joy and keeps her feet on the ground. The affection visible in Luke Martineau''s fluid illustrations is matched by Kate Bingham''s tender, witty poem, written to appeal to adults and the puzzling younger mind alike. Every Boy''s Alphabet - 9781912654543.
£14.16
Solution Tree Press Vocabulary in a Snap: 100+ Lessons for Secondary
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£39.56
