Homework 1: Writing Systems

Language and Religion: E103, Spring, 2007


Name ________________________

Print out this page and do the problems, turning them in next during discussion on Thursday or Friday Jan 25-6.

1.  Ideographic symbol systems were probably first developed to facilitate memorization of texts.  Thus they were not yet  true `writing’ systems (since one couldn't just read off the text word for word). Here is a short text from the Zen tradition. Your job is to develop some graphic images to remind you of what each line of text is about.  So assume you had to recite this 4-line text from memory and wanted a series of 4 symbols that are easy to draw, one for each line, that you think would help you remember the complete text.  (It is OK to lean on American cultural traditions in your selection of figures.)  Draw your reminder symbol (called an ideogram or pictogram) to the right after each line below.  If you would like to use 2 or 3 symbols per line, you may do so.  Then for yourself, see if you can repeat the text from memory using just the ideograms and covering the written text.
 

Birth and death is a grave event.
 
 

How transient is life!
 
 

Every minute is to be grudged,
 
 

Time waits for nobody.

What you may have noted is that such images can be very helpful.  But think how many of these symbols you would need to represent the text exactly! Thousands, of course.  The earliest writing both in China and in the middle east  was probably to facilitate recitation of songs, poems and teachings. It began with systems of symbols like the ones you drew above.

2.   Syllabic writing systems ignore meaning and represent only speech sounds.  They were invented independently a number of times, but true alphabetic writing was developed (that is, invented) only once --  by the Greeks. Here is a syllabic system of 85 symbols invented by a native American from Tennesee named Sequoya about the year 1820 for writing his native language, Cherokee.  He had some contact with European writing since he served for awhile in the US Army. Some of his symbols look like European printed and cursive letters --  but with randomly related sounds.  The syllabary reflects a sophisticated understanding of the sound system of Cherokee and required no modification after his initial presentation of the alphabet.  It allowed many Cherokees to become literate within months and was used for newspapers (starting in 1828), a Bible and other materials.  It is still in use today, although  English is now the most predominant language in this community.
        All symbols in the same column have the same vowel.   Notice the vowel-only syllables in the top row, then each row has the same consonant.  The approximate pronunciation value of the vowels is a as in father, e as in wet, i as in see, o as in boat, u as in boot, and the last vowel symbol on the right is the one in English mud.  (For a little more about Sequoya, see  http://www.powersource.com/gallery/people/sequoyah.html  )

cherokee syllabary

Below are 5 words written in the Cherokee syllabary.  The words mean (1) `a Cherokee person’ (no, it's not che-ro-ki though it is somewhat similar),  (2) `Sequoya’ (his personal name), (3) `October’ (or harvest month), (4) `instantly’ and (5) `war club’.   By searching for the letter shape in the table above, write them below using the transliterations in the Latin alphabet shown in the table.

1.  _______________     2. _______________      3. _________________
 

4. ______________   5.  __________________

     END of ASSIGNMENT