LIN 401 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Shang Dynasty, Alice Kober, Maya Script
Document Summary
A technical term for a writing system. Pictograms are iconic - they resemble what they represent and respond. Proto writing = systems of pictograms to content words. Writing was developed independently in four different places: mesopotamia - 3500 bc. Latin for wedge-shaped : cuneiform, different symbols were different combinations, eventually, the symbols stopped standing for concepts and began standing for individual sounds, adapted for use in different languages, egypt - probably influenced by mesopotamia (words for concepts) Contained hieroglyphs, demotic script, and ancient greek. Used for trilingual inscription: china - earliest known inscriptions from shang dynasty (1200-1050 bce) Many symbols have the same meaning across for pronounced syllables) (symbols standing dialects and languages. Official system is pinyin (pinyin is still in use!: central america - best known is the mayan script. Mostly syllable, with a few logograms drawn/carved into stone. Consonants are written, but vowels are left out. Undeciphered scripts - not enough written material to translate.
