In the grand timeline of human history, writing is actually a fairly recent invention, with its first attestations arising just 5000 to 6000 years ago. Of course, writing systems have sprung up over time in various civilisations, from the Chinese oracle bone script to the Maya hieroglyphs, from the Egyptian hieroglyphs to the Aegean writing … Continue reading The earliest writing
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Writing in Africa — The Tifinagh Alphabets
In the very first introduction to the writing systems used in the African continent, I mentioned two indigenous systems. The first was the Ge'ez script, used to write languages such as Amharic and Tigrinya, and the second was Tifinagh, used to write the Berber languages. There was only a couple of paragraphs dedicated to each … Continue reading Writing in Africa — The Tifinagh Alphabets
Writing in Africa — Mende Kikakui
Sierra Leone, like many places in West Africa, is diverse. It contains at least 15 spoken languages, plus English, but more commonly spoken as a form of creole known as Krio. While Krio is spoken by the vast majority of Sierra Leoneans, in the southern region of the country, exists a regional lingua franca, spoken … Continue reading Writing in Africa — Mende Kikakui
The Language Closet 