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1 The writing represents speech notion
Speech and writing originated independently of one another. Human speech in all probability appeared very long time earlier than writing. Earliest writings developed from drawings. They had been of visible origin, as pictographs, ideograms. As time glided by, writings had been spatially organized sequentially in traces, comparable to the sequential property of speech in time area. As writing techniques advanced within the alphabetic route, writings and speech related to one another tighter and tighter, persevering with to current day. The alphabets misplaced pictographic property. As alphabetic techniques have changed their pictographic [1] predecessors and gained prevalence, it appears pure to conclude that the evolution of writing techniques is to raised characterize language sounds. This conclusion is elegant, intuitive, affordable and basing on info and researches. It actually can not clarify some circumstances, as an illustration, the Chinese language did not evolve into alphabet. Nevertheless, the Chinese language characters are blamed to be too complicated to characterize speech. The trendy Chinese language writing is extra tightly related to spoken Chinese language than historical Chinese language writing does. Furthermore, characters have been simplified in mainland China. Chinese language writing seems to be like taking a small step in direction of representing speech. Little doubts have been casted on this conclusion, though many students take into account writing as greater than merely representing speech. Representing speech appears a destined route. Let’s be just a little skeptical on this pure conclusion.
With out rigorous proof, this conclusion is taken as a right by man as a consequence of its intuitiveness and accord to most info and historical past of alphabets. Let me now ask some primary questions. Why alphabets higher characterize sounds than pictographs do? How you can decide if a script is sweet at representing sounds? Are some alphabets higher in representing sounds than different alphabets are? Ought to evolution be attributed to the spoken type, written type or the representing itself? These easy questions should not simple to reply. Why not attribute the evolution of writing to the visible type, then? That may actually have extra readability and turn into easy as writing itself is visible creature. Why folks nonetheless persist with the ‘characterize speech’ notion then? Following are some doable causes. Speech and writing each modified so much over time. They related to one another tighter and tighter and are thought-about identical factor – language. Speech is taken into account main in language, which is by far meant spoken language. Speech is related to human nature, whereas writing is taken into account an artifact. There are two factors. One is that they affiliate with one another. The opposite is speech is main. The latter is itself a profound, though taken as a right. Right here we take impartial place and will not attempt to approve nor reject it. As now we have mentioned, speech and writing has unbiased origins. The hyperlink between them shouldn’t be preexisting. They’re arrange after longtime use. The resultant connection between writing and speech should not be taken because the trigger for the writing to evolve. Relatively, the traits of writing ought to be analyzed to clarify the way it evolves visually. Then, the speech-writing affiliation’s affect on writing’s evolution ought to be addressed.
2 Visible evolution of writing
Evolution of writing is mirrored in its visible traits. We will simply see the salient visible distinction between alphabets and pictographs. Alphabet is a standardized set of letters. They normally comprise tens of letters, and are derived from complicated pictographic scripts. Pictographs are complicated and large in quantity. It’s comprehensible to assume that they haven’t advanced visually. If advanced visually, why turning into less complicated as a substitute of extra complicated? If writing is taken as visible artwork, it ought to evolve in direction of higher complexity. Nevertheless, writing is a way of communication, representing and recording information. The readability, comfort, effectivity and suitability for studying thus turn into primary concern. In the beginning, drawings had been to depict one thing straight, as photos. They had been organized normally in traces to characterize that means repeatedly. Apparently, the complicated pictographs should not simple to acknowledge, decreasing studying accuracy. It impacts the studying fluency since extra time is spent fixating at one pictograph earlier than transferring to the subsequent. Complicated symbols are discarded or simplified to facilitate linear studying. Some symbols had less complicated and clearer visible sample and had been extra incessantly used. Very long time handed, solely a set of symbols are left and standardized. We name them alphabets. The discount in quantity, simplification and standardization facilitate visible manipulation and memorization, main the alphabets to supersede pictographs. Alphabetic writing is extra appropriate for studying than pictographic techniques. We use the phrase ‘legibility’ to indicate the idea ‘match for studying’, which we expect is the central in evolution.
How legibility takes impact? What’s the mechanism, then? Within the current world, texts explode. By way of web, one can simply discover texts of any topic. The scope of the written world is nearly indefinite. Nonetheless, textual content nonetheless contains primary particular person symbols. Evaluation could be executed on the symbols and sequence of symbols. By merely analyzing the symbols, we aren’t overwhelmed by the explosion. These symbols are learn and written by human. They’ve impact on people by way of the eyes and mind. Legibility precept originates throughout studying, after which operates in pondering and writing whereas visible information is saved and processed within the mind. Though legible symbols could be organized properly and browse simpler, the visible patterns themselves should not the rationale for studying. Individuals learn as a result of the studying materials displays actual world which is of the reader’s curiosity. Studying materials is existent beforehand. They need to study and use current system no matter its legibility and have a tendency to learn the symbols they’re acquainted [2] with. Nevertheless, Texts of various levels of legibility have completely different results. Legible writing is definitely learn, memorized, processed by mind and written out. Legible writing impresses the eyes deeper and operates within the mind extra successfully and strongly. Extra writings of higher legibility are learn and produced than these with much less legibility. After processing by the mind, the textual content written out has the tendency of being higher patterned than these which are learn. That’s to say, legible writings have higher energy to stimulate one to put in writing. Because of this, the writings produced later are typically extra legible than the sooner, altering the looks of the writing system. Legibility is individual-dependent. Particular person’s writing modifications should not on the identical tempo. Change of a writing system is a results of modifications made by all people’ written works. The looks of post-change system normally doesn’t differ fully from pre-change system. This evolution is a very long time course of and would possibly turn into noticeable after generations.
Legibility precept operates ranging from particular person symbols, then all through whole writing system. The recognizability of image/phrase varieties, inter-differentiability of symbols, and inter-differentiability of phrases are the idea of a script’s legibility. Symbols/phrases are elementary. The power of a writing system is normally judged on its entirety [3] – its all written works, the world and folks it covers, all information it represents and so forth. The dominant system shouldn’t be essentially probably the most legible. However legibility will exhibit its energy as more-legible writing system grows sooner. Particular person symbols/phrases are constructing models of entire system and, mainly decide how the entire system seems to be like and the potential it will probably broaden. Legible symbols/phrases could be organized higher and broaden additional. Legible system possesses extra written works or has the potential to be such. It may possibly develop greater and thus characterize extra information, resulting in its success. Symbols type phrases, sentences and ultimately a complete system. Guidelines/grammar develops for phrase formation and arranging phrases collectively. There are additionally advisable methods of formatting and writing paragraphs, thesis and e book, however they have not turn into guidelines. These guidelines and proposals indicate the traits of bigger linguistic models, facilitating studying and increasing legibility from image stage to phrase, sentence ranges and all through the complete system. As time goes on, more-legible system overpowers/replaces less-legible system.
3 Spoken language’s affect and sensible components
With out spoken language, writing would have positively advanced in another way because it has been.Writing itself is able to evolving alone. However, in actuality, speech influences its evolution considerably. Since they’re related, writing and speech affect one another [4]. Writing and speech have their very own traits, legibility for writing, pronounceability and comprehensibility for speech. Throughout their interplay, they’re affected by one another and in the interim attempt to keep their very own traits. Nearly all present-day writings are pronounceable. That appears proof that writing represents speech. Nevertheless, from one other angle, we additionally see that the majority speeches are writable. It ought to be that they converge from unbiased origins into tight affiliation, as a substitute of merely one conforming to the opposite. Convergence is clear in alphabetic techniques however not in pictographic techniques. Tighter affiliation results in higher inter-influence. Tightly-associated speech and writing obtain mutual advantages as writing stimulates extra talking and speech induces extra writing. Through affiliation, speech sounds got here to be a significant supply of recent phrase/expression creation. Some new symbols are created or borrowed to characterize language sounds. Diacritics [5] are added to vary sound worth. These modifications make writing representing speech higher [6]. As speech sounds could be represented by completely different written symbols/phrases/phases, the legibility (visible shapes) of symbols/phrases/phases is contemplated over for selecting desired ones. Throughout the interactions between speech and writing, sounds may have an effect on the formation and evolution of writing techniques. However the closing determinant of its success is the visible legibility, match for processing, simple to be memorized and systemized. The visible type, as a substitute of affiliation/interplay with spoken language, is the central and deterministic in writing techniques evolution. Spoken language works as a bridge between that means and writing. It’s not central in evolution course of. Quite the opposite, it attaches to its writing system for survival, progress and unfold. We hypothesize that the writing techniques evolve in direction of more-legible alphabetic techniques by the use of visible refinement, throughout interactions with speech sounds.
The evolution is difficult by dozens of sensible components. Firstly, the creation and unfold of writing depends on instruments, supplies, media, akin to pen, paper, printing and these days laptop and web. Technological development has remodeled the looks of writing in addition to the way in which writing is created, exists and spreads. Secondly, being sturdy, current written works inevitably resist the writing system reform or new scripts adoption, extra written works, stronger resistance. Lastly, writing system is utilized by folks and related to issues in a society. Growth of writing system due to this fact has to do with the folks and issues. Writing system is related to nation, faith, training, economic system, legislation, science, tradition and so forth. It spreads and grows along with them. Writing system is commonly designated formally in a rustic or area. Its modifications are thus of regulatory, political and even navy considerations. These components, speech and nonetheless different components complicate writing’s historical past. Writing probably does not evolve alongside a straight line. Nonetheless, of their complicated improvement historical past, writing techniques with higher legibility will likely be adopted by extra folks and prevail. It’s a unprecedented feat of writing to include all these issues and current visually organized association to people.
4 The success of Latin alphabet and the way forward for written English
Because the prevailing alphabet of current world, Latin alphabet and its techniques exemplify the legibility and speech-writing affiliation. It has been used for writing quite a few spoken languages and prevails for a lot of of them, no matter what sounds the languages possess. Visible characteristic of its writing techniques is accountable for its prevalence.
Not solely alphabetic techniques outmoded pictographic techniques, some alphabetic techniques have changed or are overpowering different alphabetic techniques. Completely different alphabets have been hard-tied with their spoken languages. Maybe all folks will say their respective alphabets are finest to characterize their spoken languages. Nevertheless, basing on legibility, their writing techniques compete to develop for fulfillment over others. Latin techniques acquire momentum in all alphabetic techniques, invading different techniques. The prevalence of Latin techniques is in that they’ve easy and clearly inter-distinguishable letters, syllabic mixture of letters and phrases possessing built-in visible traits. Each letter is properly formed with nice recognizability. The letters are simply to be systematically organized. The ascenders and descenders of lowercase alphabets make letter combos and phrases extra legible. Most often, the uppercase letters are much less legible and had been outmoded by lowercase letters, though they characterize identical sound as lowercase letters do. On the highest of Latin techniques, English sits. The English’s match for studying clearly demonstrates writing itself as a substitute of representing speech is essential for a system to realize benefit, because the English written works broaden globally, beating different techniques, in numerous speech communities. With biggest volumes of written works and nice legibility, the English writing system has unfold world wide, by way of methods together with commerce, lecturers, training, conflict, colonization and most noticeable these days – technological evolution.
Apart from direct unfold of Latin techniques, the Latin alphabet is used to put in writing languages initially written in different scripts (or none), a course of referred to as Romanization. Romanization can create new Latin alphabets-based system. For language already written in one other script, most individuals take into account Romanized system and unique system as the identical language, although. That’s maybe as a consequence of its direct representing unique writing/speech. Though Romanized system is taken as unique language, Romanization is in actual fact Latin alphabet’s growth. The unique language is annexed into Latin techniques. Romanized system brings folks nearer to different Latin techniques. Realizing the Romanized system, persons are readily to study different Latin techniques. Romanization additionally brings new phrases into current Latin techniques, whose audio system use some Romanized phrases as overseas phrases, which might enter native vocabulary over time. Romanization continues as a result of legibility of Romanized system. As current Latin techniques unfold and develop, Romanization goes on to non-Latin system areas. Non-Latin techniques are unlikely overpowered by Romanized techniques alone, nevertheless it appears they’d be overwhelmed by the general growth of Latin techniques.
As consultant of Latin techniques, English writing system is rising by way of representing information, recording speech sounds and borrowing, amongst different means. The development of English’s dominance is continuous. Written English is utilized by increasingly more folks in non-native areas and would ultimately be adopted by all. English may even be spoken by extra folks following the unfold of written English [7]. Different writing techniques could also be changed, Romanized or coexist with English.
Written English is systematic. It has 26 letters, established guidelines for word-formation and grammar. Will it evolve in basic stage, i.e. its scripts, lexicon or grammar? Or it’s going to solely proceed progress basing on present system and guidelines? In close to future, radical change appears unlikely. English has turn into worldwide language. With out problem, its primary look wouldn’t change. Relatively, it will develop upon current system when different language, tradition and new-found information are represented. On the long term, radical change can’t be dominated out. Theoretically, its future could be studied from its visible characteristic and is ruled by legibility precept. In actuality, the evolution is now a world course of with billions of individuals’s participation. That’s completely very complicated. It’s formed by writings of each particular person.
Notes
[1] Non-sound ‘primarily based’ techniques, akin to logographic system, usually include many symbols not picture-like. They are often handled like pictographic system in that additionally they do not have well-established sign-sound correspondence. We talk about pictographic system. Conclusion could be simply generalized to different non-sound primarily based techniques.
[2] Individuals normally really feel the acquainted system simpler to learn than unfamiliar ones. Thus, to research legibility, familiarity ought to be taken into consideration.
[3] Methods of the identical script could be completely different. As an illustration, we take into account English system as a distinct system from different Latin alphabet-based techniques.
[4] Writing’s affect on speech is super.
[5] It’s the English alphabets with out (or hardly ever use) diacritics prevails, owing to diacritics normally makes readability worse.
[6] The visible traits of alphabets make them match for representing sounds and might account for the tightness of speech-writing affiliation. Writing evolves visually in direction of the alphabetic varieties which in the interim associates extra tightly with speech than pictographs did.
[7] That is and was in all probability the case for native English-speaking international locations.
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Source by Charley Pein