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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How do you actually read Maya?
If you have visited Maya ruins across Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, particularly in the Yucatan Peninsula, such as Tikal, you might have encountered some stone walls or bricks with some graphic inscriptions on them. They may seem to blend in, or resemble the graphic carvings of figures, deities, or the like they are found with, … Continue reading How do you actually read Maya?
A weird Chinese-looking writing system
To say the languages of what is today China, or the People's Republic of China, exert a strong influence on other languages in the region, is an understatement. Loanwords have entered languages such as Uyghur, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese, and writing systems based on Chinese have entered use in Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and perhaps a … Continue reading A weird Chinese-looking writing system
The Language Closet 