CS100 Lecture Notes - Maya Calendar, Orality, Logogram
Document Summary
From tokens to pictograms to formal patterns. Historical records - writing made history possible. Signature linked to your identity, writing your name not saying it. Fundamental function of writing to count and keep records of things, primary source of writing. The pictogram resembles the object it represents. A sign or character representing a word. The logogram does not resemble that for which it stands (such as chinese symbol) A symbol representing a vocal sound (such as the alphabet) Phonetic can transform any language to sound. Robinson argues that modern hieroglyphs are striking back (32) what does this mean for the supposed superiority of the phonetic writing system such as the alphabet?". A culture that has no texts and no reliance in writing. A culture that is based on speech. Sound is: evanescent, dynamic constantly in movement. The challenge for these cultures is to organize material for recall. According to ong, knowledge in oral cultures is limited and group minded.