Difference between revisions of "Language/Multiple-languages/Culture/Introduction-to-Writing-Systems"
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Which one is better: “left-to-right then top-to-bottom” or “top-to-bottom then left-to-right”? To hold the paper steadily, the hands need to be close to the centre of the paper, which means the paper should be short horizontally and long vertically. If written in “top-to-bottom then left-to-right”, in the case where only one or two words are at the end of a paragraph, more spaces in the line will be wasted. As a result, “left-to-right then top-to-bottom” is the best solution of direction of writing. | Which one is better: “left-to-right then top-to-bottom” or “top-to-bottom then left-to-right”? To hold the paper steadily, the hands need to be close to the centre of the paper, which means the paper should be short horizontally and long vertically. If written in “top-to-bottom then left-to-right”, in the case where only one or two words are at the end of a paragraph, more spaces in the line will be wasted. As a result, “left-to-right then top-to-bottom” is the best solution of direction of writing. | ||
On mobile phones and on personal computers, the situation can be different: the screen may be long horizontally and short vertically; avoiding swiping the ink is no longer a consideration. | |||
== Logogram == | == Logogram == |
Latest revision as of 09:11, 25 April 2023
Writing systems are visual carriers of languages. They are tools, so they can be evaluated as tools. Here are the important information about the currently used and some historical writing systems.
Visit https://polyglotclub.com/wiki/Language/Multiple-languages/Culture/Writing-Implements to see how to write.
This page has a sibling: https://polyglotclub.com/wiki/Language/Multiple-languages/Culture/Keyboards
The writing direction of writing systems can vary.
Han used to be top-to-bottom, right-to-left. When writing, the left hand holds the roll of bamboo slips or other materials and the right hand writes.
Some writing systems were right-to-left, top-to-bottom. When writing, the left hand presses the parchment or other materials and the right hand writes.
The writing direction of Mayan and some others are zigzag: in the first two columns, write two characters in the first line, then the two characters in the second line; upon reaching the bottom, start a new column.
The writing direction of Greek used to be something called “boustrophedon”: odd lines are normal, even lines are mirrored.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writing_system#Directionality for details of directions.
To avoid wiping the ink with the right hand, the writing direction of many writing systems are changed to left-to-right, top-to-bottom.
Which one is better: “left-to-right then top-to-bottom” or “top-to-bottom then left-to-right”? To hold the paper steadily, the hands need to be close to the centre of the paper, which means the paper should be short horizontally and long vertically. If written in “top-to-bottom then left-to-right”, in the case where only one or two words are at the end of a paragraph, more spaces in the line will be wasted. As a result, “left-to-right then top-to-bottom” is the best solution of direction of writing.
On mobile phones and on personal computers, the situation can be different: the screen may be long horizontally and short vertically; avoiding swiping the ink is no longer a consideration.
Logogram[edit | edit source]
It is the earliest form of writing systems. As what its name suggests, they are pictures (logo).
Its advantage is able to express the meaning easily, even without needing unified pronunciations. Its disadvantage is having too many glyphs to memorise.
writing system | language | region | timespan | parent writing system | example |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anatolian | Luwian | Anatolia | 14th to 13th century BC – 7th century BC | ||
Aztec | Nahuatl | Mesoamerica | ? – c. 1530 | ||
Chữ Nôm | Vietnamese | Vietnam | 15th century – 19th century | Han | |
Cretan | Minoan | Crete | c. 2100 BC – 1700 BC |
(Δίσκος της Φαιστού Dískos tis Phaistós) | |
Cuneiform | Sumerian, Akkadian, etc. | Mesopotamia | c. 35th century BC – 2nd century | ||
Cypro-Minoan | Eteocypriot | Cyprus | c. 1550 BC – 1050 BC | Linear A | |
Dongba | Naxi | Southeastern China | 1000 – | ||
Egyptian | Egyptian | Egypt | c. 3200 BC – 400 | ||
Han | Chinese, etc. | East Asia | 2nd millennium BC – | ||
Jurchen | Jurchen | Northeastern China | 12th century–16th century | Han | |
Khitan large script | Khitan | Northeast Asia | 920 – 1191 | Han | |
Linear A | Minoan | Crete | c. 1800 BC – 1450 BC | ||
Mayan | Chʼoltiʼ, Yucatec Maya, etc. | Mesoamerica | 3rd century BC – 16th century | ||
Mixtec | Mixtec languages | Mesoamerica | ? – c. 1530 | ||
Sawndip | Zhuang | Southern China | 7th century – | Han | |
Sui | Sui | Southern China | ? – | Han | |
Tangut | Tangut | Northwestern China | 1036–1502 | Han | |
Yi logogram | Nuosu, etc. | Southwestern China | 15th to 16th century – | ||
Zapotec | Zapotec | Mesoamerica | 5th century BC – 8th century |
Han[edit | edit source]
Han writing system is the one of the logograms that are still used today.
There are 6 ways of creating characters, concluded by scholars in Han dynasty.
It has several different scripts. There used to be many different writings of a characters. After the unification of China, Qin Shi Huang abolished other writings, only keeping Qin State's writing as the official one, written with the small seal script.
During its development, many modifications took place. Wrong characters and unorthodox character variants are plenty. For example, “肉” (flesh) became confused with “月” (moon) and as a result, many characters with meanings related to flesh have the radical 月.
The simplification of Han was also happening through history. For example, “爲” became “為” and finally “为”, like Picasso's bull. In People's Republic of China, there were two attempts of simplification of Han, one of which was successful and the other failed. In Japan, there was one simplification and it was successful.
Currently, it is being used in China and Japan regularly; in Korea and Vietnam sporadically.
There have been some attempts to abolish Han. In China and Japan, they failed; in Korea and Vietnam, they were largely successful. In the Republic of Korea, some people call for having Han along with Hangul in textbooks; In Vietnam, some people call for having Han and Chữ Nôm as a compulsory course in liberal arts.
Related resources:
- Chinese Etymology 字源 https://etymology.azurewebsites.net/ | https://hanziyuan.net/
script | timespan | example |
---|---|---|
oracle bone script | ||
bronzeware script | ||
seal script |
(廿六年詔權量銘 Niànliù Nián Zhào Quànliàng Míng) | |
clerical script |
(華山庙碑 Huà Shān Miào Bēi) | |
regular script |
(九成宮醴泉銘 Jiǔchéng Gōng Lǐquán Míng) |
script | timespan | example |
---|---|---|
cursive script |
(書論書 Shūlùn Shū) | |
semicursive script |
(蘭亭集序 Lántíng Jí Xù) |
Phonogram[edit | edit source]
Abjad[edit | edit source]
To avoid the disadvantages of the logogram, this new writing system was formed. In Abjad, the characters represent the consonants.
To show its vowels, there are two ways: add diacritics or become alphabetical.
writing system | language | region | timespan | parent writing system | example |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arabic | Arabic, Persian, Urdu, etc. | Arabia | 400 – | Nabataean | |
Ancient South Arabian | South Arabian, Ge'ez | South Arabia | 2nd millennium BC – 6th century | Proto-Sinaitic | |
Aramaic | Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, etc. | Mesopotamia | 800 BC – 600 | Phoenician | |
Hebrew | Jewish languages | Southern Levant | 2nd to 1st century BC – | Aramic | |
Libyc | Tuareg languages | Sahara and Sahel | first millennium BC – 4th to 7th century | Egyptian? | |
Nabatean | Nabataean | Nabataea | 2nd century BC – 4th century | Aramic | |
Paleo-Hebrew | Hebrew | Southern Levant | c. 1000 BC – 135 | Phoenician | |
Perso-Arabic | Indo-Iranian languages | Persia | 7th century – | Arabic | |
Phoenician | Phoenician, Punic, etc. | Mediterranea | c. 1050 BC – 150 BC | Proto-Sinaitic | |
Ugaritic | Ugaritic | Ugarit | c. 1400 BC – 1190 BC | ||
Samaritan | Samaritan | Levant | 600 BC – | Paleo-Hebrew | |
Sogdian | Sogdian | Central Asia | c. 100 – 1200 | Syriac | |
Syriac | Aramaic, etc. | Mesopotamia | c. 1 – | Aramaic | |
Tifinagh | Tuareg languages | Sahara and Sahel | 1980s – | Libyc |
Phoenician[edit | edit source]
Phoenician was derived from Egyptian and is the ancestor of most writing systems in the current time.
Syllabary[edit | edit source]
In this type of writing systems, every letter is a syllable.
writing system | language | region | timespan | parent writing system | example |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Afaka | Eastern Maroon Creole | Suriname | 1910 – | ||
Cherokee | Cherokee | Southeastern Woodlands | 1820s – | Latin | |
Kana | Japanese | Japan | c. 800 – | Han | |
Linear B | Mycenaean Greek | Mycenae | c. 1450 BC – 1200 BC | Linear A | |
Vai | Vai | Liberia | 1830s – | Cherokee | |
Yi syllabary | Nuosu, etc. | Southwestern China | 1974 – | Yi logogram |
Alphabet[edit | edit source]
writing system | language | region | timespan | parent writing system | example |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adlam | Fulah | Sahel | 1989 – | ||
Armenian | Armenian | Armenia | c. 405 – | Greek | |
Coptic | Coptic | Egypt | 2nd century – | Greek | |
Cyrillic | Slavic languages | Eastern Europe | 890s – | Greek | |
Galik | Mongolian | Mongolia | 1587 – | Mongolian | |
Georgian | Kartvelian languages | Georgia | 430 – 10th century | ? | |
Gothic | Gothic, Ulfilas | Germania | c. 350 – 600 | Greek | |
Greek | Greek | Greece | c. 800 BC – | Phoenician | |
Latin | Latin, English, French, etc. | Italy | c. 700 BC – | Old Italic | |
Mandaic | Mandaic | Mesopotamia | 2nd – 7th century | Aramaic | |
Mongolian | Mongolian | Mongolia | c. 1204 – | Sogdian | |
N'Ko | N'Ko, Manding languages | West Africa | 1949 – | Arabic | |
Oirat | Oirat, Tibetan, etc. | North Asia | c. 1648 – | Mongolian | |
Old Italic | European languages | Europe | 700 BC – 100 BC | Greek | |
Old Uyghur | Uighur | Qocho | c.700s – 1800s | Sogdian | |
ʼPhags-pa | Mongolian | Mongolian | c. 1269 – 1368 | Tibetan | |
Runes | Germanic languages | Germania | 2nd century – | Old Italic? | |
Uyghur Arabic | Uighur, Sarikoli | Xinjiang | 10th century – | Perso-Arabic |
Georgian[edit | edit source]
There are 3 scripts in Georgian
writing system | timespan | example |
---|---|---|
Asomtavruli | 430 – 10th century | |
Nuskhuri | 9th century – 10th century | |
Mkhedruli | 10th century – |
Semi-syllabary[edit | edit source]
In this type of writing system, a letter may be a syllable or a phoneme. It is a combination of syllabary and alphabet.
writing system | language | region | timespan | parent writing system | example |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bamum | Bamum | Western Cameroon | c. 1896 – | ||
Bopomofo | Chinese | China | 1918 – | Han | |
Celtiberian | Celtiberian | Northeastern Iberia | 5th century BC – ? | Phoenician | |
Northeastern Iberian | Iberian | Northeastern Iberia | 5th century BC – ? | Phoenician | |
Old Persian | Persian | Persia | 525 BC – 330 BC | ||
Sortheastern Iberian | Iberian | Sortheastern Iberia | 5th century BC – ? | Phoenician | |
Tartessian | Tartessian | Southwest Iberia | 5th century BC – ? | Phoenician |
Abugida[edit | edit source]
writing system | language | region | timespan | parent writing system | example |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ahom | Ahom | Assam | 13th century – 19th century | Mon-Burmese | |
Bhattiprolu | Bhattiprolu | 3rd century BC – 1st century BC | |||
Baybayin | Tagalog, Sambali, etc. | Luzon | 13th – 18th century | Kawi | |
Balinese | Balinese, Sasak | Bali | c. 1000 – | Kawi | |
Batak | Batak languages | Sumatra | c. 1300 – | Kawi | |
Bengali–Assamese | Bengali, Assamese, etc. | Bengal and Assam | c. 1100 – | Gaudi | |
Brahmi | Indo-Aryan languages | South Asia | 3rd century BC – 5th century | Aramaic? | |
Bhaiksuki | Sanskrit | Eastern India | c. 11th – 12th century | Gupta | |
Bhujimol | Newari | Nepal | 3rd century BC – | Siddhaṃ | |
Buda | Sundanese and Javanese | Java | c. 14th – 18th century | Kawi | |
Buhid | Tagalog, Sambali, Ilocano, etc. | Mindoro | c. 1300 – | Babayin | |
Chakma | Chakma, Pali | Bangladesh and Eastern India | Mon-Burmese | ||
Cham | Cham and Sanskrit | Vietnam and Cambodia | 4th century – | Pallava | |
Devanāgarī | Indo-Aryan languages | South Asia | 1st century – | Brahmi | |
Dhives Akuru | Maldivian | Maldives | 6th to 8th century – 19th century | Grantha | |
Dogri | Dogri | Jammu | ? – | Takri | |
Fakkham | Lao, Isan, etc. | Sukhothai | c. 1400 – 1600 | Sukhothai | |
Grantha | Tamil and Sanskrit | Tamil Nadu | 7th century – | Pallava | |
Gaudi | Bengali languages | Gauḍa | c. 900 – 1300 | Siddhaṃ | |
Geʽez | Ethiopian Semitic languages | Horn of Africa | c. 1st century – 4th century (as abjad), – (as abugida) | Ancient South Arabian | |
Gujarati | Gujarati, etc. | Gujarat | c. 1592 – | Devanāgarī | |
Gupta | Sanskrit | Northern India | c. 4th – 6th century | Brāhmī | |
Hanunó'o | Hanunó'o, Tagalog | Mindoro | c. 1300 – | Baybayin | |
Javanese | Javanese, Sundanese, etc. | Java | c. 15th century – | Kawi | |
Kadamba | Kannada, Telugu, Sanskrit, Konkani | Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh | 5th – 7th century | ||
Kaithī | Indo-Aryan languages | Northern and Eastern India, | c. 16th – mid 20th century | Nāgarī | |
Kalinga | Odia | Kalinga | c. 600 - 1100 | Gupta | |
Kannada | Kannada, Sanskrit, Tulu, etc. | Karnataka | 5th century – | Telugu-Kannada | |
Kawi | Balinese, Javanese, etc. | Java | c. 8th – 16th century | Pallava | |
Khema | Gurung | Nepal and Eastern India | 6th century BC – ? | Tibetan | |
Khmer | Khmer, etc. | Cambodia | c. 611 – | Pallava | |
Khojkī | Kutchi, Sindhi | Khoja | 16th century – | Laṇḍā | |
Khom Thai | Pali, Sanskrit, Khmer, Thai | Thailand and Laos | c. 1400 – | Khmer | |
Khudabadi | Sindhi | Khudabad | c. 16th century – | Laṇḍā | |
Kulitan | Kapampangan | Central Luzon | c.1600s – 1900s, 1900s – | Baybayin | |
Lai Tay | Tai Yo | Quỳ Châu | 16th century – | Khmer | |
Lampung | Lampung | Lampung | Kawi | ||
Laṇḍā | Punjabi | North India | 10th – 11th century | Brāhmī | |
Lao | Lao, Isan, Thai, etc. | Laos | c. 1350 – | Thai Noi | |
Lepcha | Lepcha | Nepal and Eastern India | c. 1700 – | Tibetan | |
Limbu | Limbu | Nepal and Eastern India | c. 1740– | Lepcha | |
Lontara | Buginese, Makassarese, etc. | South Sulawesi | 16th century – | Kawi | |
Mahajani | Hindi, Punjabi, Marwari | Marwar | ? – | Laṇḍā | |
Malayalam | Malayalam, etc. | Kerala | c. 830 – | Grantha | |
Marchen | Zhang-Zhung | Western Tibet and Central Asia | 7th – 10th century | Tibetan | |
Makasar | Makassarese | South Sulawesi | 17th – 19th century | Kawi | |
Meitei | Manipuri | Manipur | 6th century – c. 1700, 1930 – | Tibetan | |
Mōḍī | Marathi, etc. | Maharashtra | c. 1200 or c. 1600 – c. 1950 | Nāgarī | |
Mon-Burmese | Burmese, Mon, etc. | Burma | 7th or 10th century – | Pyu | |
Multani | Saraiki | Multan | c. 18th – 20th century | Laṇḍā | |
Nandinagari | Sanskrit, Kannada | Deccan | c. 8th – 19th century | Nāgarī | |
Nāgarī | Prakrit, Sanskrit | South Asia | 1st century – c. 1000 | Siddhaṃ | |
New Tai Lue | Tai Lü | Yunnan | 1950s – | Tai Tham | |
Odiā | Odia, Sanskrit, etc. | Odisha | c. 14th century – | Gaudi | |
Old Sundanese | Sundanese, Cirbonese | West Java | 14th – 18th century | Kawi | |
Pallava | Indo-Aryan languages | South India | 4th century – 8th century | Tamil-Brāhmī | |
Pracalit | Newari, Sanskrit, Pali | Nepal | c. 1100 – | Siddhaṃ | |
Pyu | Pyu | Burma | 200 – 1200 | Kadamba? | |
Rañjanā | Newari, Sanskrit, Tibetan | Nepal | c. 1100 – | Siddhaṃ | |
Rencong | Malay, Besemah, etc. | Sumatra | c. 13th century – | Kawi | |
S'gaw Karen | S'gaw Karen | Myanmar and Thailand | 1830 – | Mon-Burmese | |
Śāradā | Sanskrit, Kashmiri | Kashmir | 700 – | Gupta | |
Saurashtra | Saurashtra | Tamil Nadu | 19th century – | Grantha | |
Shan | Shan | Shan | 1960s – | Mon-Burmese | |
Siddhaṃ | Sanskrit | South Asia | c. 6th century – c. 1200 | Gupta | |
Sinhala | Sinhala, Pali, Sanskrit | Sri Lanka | c. 300 – | Brāhmī | |
Soyombo | Mongolian, Tibetan, Sanskrit | Mongolia | 1686 – 18th century | Devanāgarī | |
Sukhothai | Thai, Lao, etc. | Sukhothai | c. 1283 – 15th century | Khmer | |
Sundanese | Sundanese | West Java | c. 14th – 18th century, 1996 – | Old Sundanese | |
Sylheti Nagri | Eastern Bengali languages | Bengal and Assam | c. 15th century – | Kaithī | |
Tagbanwa | Palawanic languages | Palawan | c. 1300 – | Baybayin | |
Tai Le | Tai Nüa, Ta'ang, Blang, Achang | Yunnan | c. 1200 – | Mon-Burmese | |
Tai Noi | Lao, Isan, etc. | Laos and Isan | c. 1500 – 1930s | Fakkham | |
Tai Tham | Southwestern Tai languages | Northern Thailand, Myanmar, Lao | c. 1300– | Mon-Burmese | |
Tai Viet | Tai Dam, Tai Daeng, Tai Dón, Thai Song, Tày Tac | Vietnam and Thailand | 16th century – | Sukhothai | |
Tamil | Tamil, etc. | South India | c. 400 – | Pallava | |
Tamil-Brāhmī | Tamil | Tamiḻakam | 3rd century BC – 1st century | Brāhmī | |
Tanchangya | Tanchangya | Bangladesh | 9th century BC –15th century, 2012 – | Mon-Burmese | |
Telugu | Telugu, Sanskrit, Gondi, Saurashtra | Andhra Pradesh and Telangana | c. 1300 – | ||
Telugu-Kannada | Kannada, Telugu, Tulu, Konkani, Sanskrit | Southern India | 7th century –14th century | Kadamba | |
Thaana | Dhivehi | Maldives | 1970s – | Hindu-Arabic numerals | |
Thai | Thai, Southern Thai, etc. | Thailand | 1283 – | Sukhothai | |
Tigalari | Tulu, etc. | Malnad | 9th century – | Grantha | |
Tirhuta | Maithili, Sanskrit | Mithila | c. 13th century – | Gaudi | |
Tibetan | Tibetic languages | Tibet | c. 650 – | Brahmi | |
Tocharian | Tocharian languages | Tarim Basin | 8th century | Brāhmī | |
Vatteluttu | Tamil, Malayalam | Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Sri Lanka | Tamil-Brāhmī | ||
Zanabazar's square script | Mongolian, Tibetan, Sanskrit | Mongolia | Tibetan |
Featural writing system[edit | edit source]
This type of writing systems has phonological features. It is based on phonology, so it is the latest type of writing system. They are designed and thus often considered more precise than most other phonograms in use. Its disadvantage is leaving fewer clues on the evolution of the language.
writing system | language | region | timespan | parent writing system | example |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canadian | Algonquian languages, Eskaleut languages, Athabaskan languages | Canada | 1840s – | Devanāgarī | |
Ditema tsa Dinoko | Southern Bantu languages, Swazi | South Africa | 2010s – | ||
Duployan shorthand | multiple languages | United States of America | 1868 – | ||
Gregg shorthand | multiple languages | United States of America | 1888 – | ||
Hangul | Korean | Korea | 1443 – | Han | |
Quikscript | English | North America | c. 1966 – | ||
Shavian | English, Esperanto | North America | 1960s – | ||
SignWriting | sign languages | United States of America | 1974 – | ||
Visible Speech | multiple languages | United States of America | 1867 – |
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