"A writing system is a method of visually representing verbal communication, based on a script and a set of rules regulating its use."
An explanation of the different writing systems and scripts used in epigraphy, including cuneiform, hieroglyphics, Greek, Latin, and others.
History of Writing Systems: This includes the evolution of writing from ancient times to modern times.
Anatomy of Writing Systems: This includes the basic elements of a writing system, such as scripts, alphabets, syllabaries, and logograms.
Phonetics and Phonology: This includes the sounds of language and how they are represented in writing.
Linguistics: This is the scientific study of language, including its structure, syntax, and semantics.
Sign Language: This includes non-verbal communication systems used by people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Calligraphy: This is the art of beautiful handwriting, and it encompasses many different writing styles and techniques.
Paleography: This is the study of ancient handwriting and manuscripts.
Typology: This is the categorization of writing systems based on their basic elements and characteristics.
Encoding: This refers to the process of converting written language into a digital format for input into computers.
Standardization: This refers to the development of standardized writing systems for use in education, publishing, and other spheres.
Orthography: This is the system of spelling and writing conventions used in a particular language.
Comparative Analysis: This involves comparing different writing systems and scripts to understand their similarities and differences.
Technology and Writing: This includes the history and development of writing and printing technology, including the printing press, typewriter, and computer.
Cultural and Social Impact: This includes the impact that writing systems have on culture, society, and identity.
Decipherment: This refers to the process of breaking codes and decoding ancient scripts to understand their meaning.
Alphabet: The alphabet is a writing system that uses a set of characters to represent the sounds of a language. Each character corresponds to a single sound, or phoneme.
Abjad: Abjad is a type of writing system where only the consonants are represented. This system is used mainly in Arabic and Hebrew.
Abugida: In Abugida writing systems, each character represents a consonant-vowel combination known as a syllable. The characters are composed of a consonant sound with a diacritic marking indicating the vowel sound.
Logographic: Logographic writing systems use characters or symbols to represent entire words or concepts, rather than sounds or syllables. Chinese, Japanese, and Korean are examples of logographic writing systems.
Syllabary: In a syllabary writing system, each character represents a syllable. This type of writing system is used in languages with relatively simple syllable structures, such as Japanese.
Pictographic: Pictographic writing systems use pictures or symbols to represent words or ideas. These systems were used by many indigenous cultures, such as the ancient Maya and Aztecs.
Hieroglyphics: Hieroglyphics is a type of pictographic writing system used by the ancient Egyptians. It consists of symbols and pictures representing sounds or ideas.
Cuneiform: Cuneiform is a type of writing system developed in ancient Mesopotamia. It uses wedge-shaped marks made on clay tablets to represent sounds or ideas.
Braille: Braille is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired. The system uses dots on a grid to represent letters and words.
Morse Code: Morse code is a unique writing system that uses dots and dashes to represent letters and numbers. It was developed for telegraph communication in the 1830s.
Ogham: Ogham is a type of writing system used by the ancient Celts. It consists of vertical or horizontal lines carved into stone or wood to represent sounds or syllables.
Tengwar: Tengwar is a fictional writing system used in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" series. It consists of a series of curved or straight lines representing sounds.
Shavian: Shavian is a writing system developed in the early 20th century as a replacement for the Latin alphabet. It was designed to be easier to read and write than traditional scripts.
Yi: Yi is a syllabic writing system used by the Yi ethnic group in China. It consists of a combination of horizontal and vertical lines representing syllables.
Nüshu: Nüshu is a writing system used by women in China's Hunan province. It consists of over 1,000 characters and was used for writing personal letters and poetry.
Linear B: Linear B is a writing system used by the Mycenaean civilization in ancient Greece. It consists of a combination of symbols representing syllables and words.
Kharosthi: Kharosthi is a writing system used in ancient Gandhara (now Pakistan and Afghanistan). It consists of a combination of symbols representing sounds and syllables.
Baybayin: Baybayin is an ancient script used in the Philippines. It consists of characters representing sounds and syllables.
Rongorongo: Rongorongo is a writing system used by the indigenous people of Easter Island. It consists of a series of glyphs representing sounds and concepts.
Pahlavi: Pahlavi is an ancient script used in Persia (now Iran). It consists of characters representing sounds and syllables.
"While both writing and speech are useful in conveying messages, writing differs in also being a reliable form of information storage and transfer."
"Writing systems require shared understanding between writers and readers of the meaning behind the sets of characters that make up a script."
"Without a mutual understanding of the meanings behind both writing and reading... a writing system can be rendered useless."
"Writing is usually recorded onto a durable medium, such as paper or electronic storage, although non-durable methods may also be used, such as writing on a computer display, on a blackboard, in sand, or by skywriting."
"Reading a text can be accomplished purely in the mind as an internal process, or expressed orally."
"Writing systems can be placed into broad categories such as alphabets, syllabaries, or logographies."
"In the alphabetic category, a standard set of letters represent speech sounds. In a syllabary, each symbol correlates to a syllable or mora. In a logography, each character represents a semantic unit such as a word or morpheme."
"Abjads differ from alphabets in that vowels are not indicated."
"In abugidas or alphasyllabaries, each character represents a consonant–vowel pairing."
"Alphabets typically use a set of less than 100 symbols to fully express a language, whereas syllabaries can have several hundred, and logographies can have thousands of symbols."
"Many writing systems also include a special set of symbols known as punctuation which is used to aid interpretation and help capture nuances and variations in the message's meaning that are communicated verbally."
"Writing systems were preceded by proto-writing, which used pictograms, ideograms, and other mnemonic symbols."
"Proto-writing lacked the ability to capture and express a full range of thoughts and ideas."
"The invention of writing systems... dates back to the beginning of the Bronze Age in the late Neolithic Era of the late 4th millennium BC."
"The invention of writing systems... enabled the accurate durable recording of human history in a manner that was not prone to the same types of error to which oral history is vulnerable."
"Soon after, writing provided a reliable form of long-distance communication."
"With the advent of publishing, it provided the medium for an early form of mass communication."
"A writing system is... based on a script and a set of rules regulating its use."
"A writing system is a method of visually representing verbal communication."