Description
Book SynopsisIn a world of rapid technological advancements, it can be easy to forget that writing is the original Information Technology, created to transcend the limitations of human memory and to defy time and space. The Writing Revolution picks apart the development of this communication tool to show how it has conquered the world.
Trade Review"Anyone interested in the development of writing, even without a background in linguistics, will find the book accessible, while linguists will appreciate the well chosen technical information that is included in the description of each individual system." (Language Documentation & Conservation, 2 December 2009)
"In The writing revolution: Cuneiform to the internet, an engaging book that combines accuracy and readability better than any other work on orthographic practices across time and space, Amalia E. Gnanadesikan concurs with the usual view that the complex calendrical system of the Maya's predecessors, the Olmec, was ‘the intellectual stimulus' (80) for the development of writing in Mesoamerica, which she discusses in Ch. 5, ‘Maya glyphs: Calendars of kings'." (Language, 2011)
"This informative, yet accessible and entertaining, book will be of interest to readers with an interest in the history and evolution of world languages, as well as to students and instructors looking for a comprehensive and enjoyable overview of the subject.." (Language in Society, 14 December 2009)
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations vii
Preface xi
1 The First IT Revolution 1
2 Cuneiform: Forgotten Legacy of a Forgotten People 13
3 Egyptian Hieroglyphs and the Quest for Eternity 33
4 Chinese: A Love of Paperwork 56
5 Maya Glyphs: Calendars of Kings 79
6 Linear B: The Clerks of Agamemnon 95
7 Japanese: Three Scripts are Better than One 113
8 Cherokee: Sequoyah Reverse-Engineers 133
9 The Semitic Alphabet: Egypt to Manchuria in 3,400 Years 143
10 The Empire of Sanskrit 169
11 King Sejong’s One-Man Renaissance 191
12 Greek Serendipity 208
13 The Age of Latin 229
14 The Alphabet Meets the Machine 249
Appendix: Figures A.1–A.7 273
Further Reading 281
Index 297
