The Writing Revolution

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 influencesReview"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)"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)“Gnanadesikan writes about language’s evolution into modernity with the rise of technology and the World Wide Web and how writing has made possible everything from complex bureaucracy to love letters.” (Princeton Alumni Weekly Online, February 2009)ReviewWriting is the most consequential technology ever invented. In this important book Amalia Gnanadesikan combines a fascinating narrative of human ingenuity with an up-to-date analysis of the world’s most important writing systems.–Florian Coulmas, author of The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing SystemsGnanadesikan has written an excellent book describing the structures of the important writing systems of the world. The author has a gift for bringing dusty old scribes to life, showing their relevance in the history of writing, one of the major achievements of human beings. The writing is exceptionally clear, making it quite accessible to those without a strong technical knowledge of linguistics.–Henry Rogers, author of Writing Systems: A Linguistic ApproachThis is a rare find: a work of impeccable scholarship that is also enormously witty and entertaining.–John J. McCarthy, University of Massachusetts AmherstAfter the invention of fire, writing has been humankind’s greatest discovery. Complete in its coverage, fascinating in detail, and eloquently presented, this is the best single survey of the subject in print.–Michael Coe, author of Breaking the Maya Code