Writing Revolution

Cuneiform to the Internet

Häftad, Engelska, 2008

Av Amalia E. Gnanadesikan, Amalia E. (University of Maryland Center for Advanced Study of Language) Gnanadesikan, Amalia E Gnanadesikan

629 kr

Skickas onsdag 8/10

Fri frakt för medlemmar vid köp för minst 249 kr.

Finns i fler format (2)

Häftad

709 kr

Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar

Inbunden

1 549 kr

Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar

In a world of rapid technological advancements, it can be easy to forget that writing is the original Information Technology, created to transcend the limitations of human memory and to defy time and space. The Writing Revolution picks apart the development of this communication tool to show how it has conquered the world. Explores how writing has liberated the world, making possible everything from complex bureaucracy, literature, and science, to instruction manuals and love lettersDraws on an engaging range of examples, from the first cuneiform clay tablet, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Japanese syllabaries, to the printing press and the text messagingWeaves together ideas from a number of fields, including history, cultural studies and archaeology, as well as linguistics and literature, to create an interdisciplinary volumeTraces the origins of each of the world’s major written traditions, along with their applications, adaptations, and cultural influences

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2008-10-24
Mått154 x 230 x 18 mm
Vikt440 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
SerieLanguage Library
Antal sidor336
FörlagJohn Wiley and Sons Ltd
ISBN9781405154079

Tillhör följande kategorier

Språkvetenskap och lingvistik inom Sprak och ordbocker

List of Illustrations vii Preface xi1 The First IT Revolution 12 Cuneiform: Forgotten Legacy of a Forgotten People 133 Egyptian Hieroglyphs and the Quest for Eternity 334 Chinese: A Love of Paperwork 565 Maya Glyphs: Calendars of Kings 796 Linear B: The Clerks of Agamemnon 957 Japanese: Three Scripts are Better than One 1138 Cherokee: Sequoyah Reverse-Engineers 1339 The Semitic Alphabet: Egypt to Manchuria in 3,400 Years 14310 The Empire of Sanskrit 16911 King Sejong’s One-Man Renaissance 19112 Greek Serendipity 20813 The Age of Latin 22914 The Alphabet Meets the Machine 249Appendix: Figures A.1–A.7 273Further Reading 281Index 297

"Anyone interested in the development of writing, even without a background in linguistics, will find the book accessible, while linguists will appreciate the well chosen technical information that is included in the description of each individual system." (Language Documentation & Conservation, 2 December 2009) "In The writing revolution: Cuneiform to the internet, an engaging book that combines accuracy and readability better than any other work on orthographic practices across time and space, Amalia E. Gnanadesikan concurs with the usual view that the complex calendrical system of the Maya's predecessors, the Olmec, was ‘the intellectual stimulus' (80) for the development of writing in Mesoamerica, which she discusses in Ch. 5, ‘Maya glyphs: Calendars of kings'." (Language, 2011)"This informative, yet accessible and entertaining, book will be of interest to readers with an interest in the history and evolution of world languages, as well as to students and instructors looking for a comprehensive and enjoyable overview of the subject.." (Language in Society, 14 December 2009)