Book contents
- Understanding Language through Humor
- Understanding Language through Humor
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1Introduction
- 2Talking to Garfield: Human and Animal Communication
- 3Did I Hear That Right? The Sounds of Language
- 4Twisted Words: Word Structure and Meaning
- 5How Words Mean: Connecting Words to Meanings
- 6The Rule of Names: Naming People, Peoples, and Places
- 7Fitting Words Together: Phrase Structure and Meaning
- 8Saying One Thing, Meaning Another: Indirect Speech and Conversational Principles
- 9Kids Say the Darndest Things: Children Acquiring Language
- 10Variety is the Spice of Life: Language Variation
- 11Making Language Visible: Writing and Writing Systems
- 12LOL (Language Online): Language in the Digital World
- 13So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish!
- Glossary
- References
- Index of Concepts and Terms
- Index of Languages
- Index of Names
- References
11 - Making Language Visible: Writing and Writing Systems
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 May 2026
Book contents
- Understanding Language through Humor
- Understanding Language through Humor
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1Introduction
- 2Talking to Garfield: Human and Animal Communication
- 3Did I Hear That Right? The Sounds of Language
- 4Twisted Words: Word Structure and Meaning
- 5How Words Mean: Connecting Words to Meanings
- 6The Rule of Names: Naming People, Peoples, and Places
- 7Fitting Words Together: Phrase Structure and Meaning
- 8Saying One Thing, Meaning Another: Indirect Speech and Conversational Principles
- 9Kids Say the Darndest Things: Children Acquiring Language
- 10Variety is the Spice of Life: Language Variation
- 11Making Language Visible: Writing and Writing Systems
- 12LOL (Language Online): Language in the Digital World
- 13So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish!
- Glossary
- References
- Index of Concepts and Terms
- Index of Languages
- Index of Names
- References
Summary
An overview of written language, the origins of writing in the West and in East Asia, and a survey of writing system types. Covers the difference between written and spoken language, the origins and evolution of writing systems (Western and East Asian), and types of writing systems - including morphographic character-based writing and phonographic systems (abjad, alphabetic, abugida, and syllabary).
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Understanding Language through Humor , pp. 282 - 320Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
References
Additional Readings
Brookes, Tim. 2024. An atlas of endangered alphabets: Writing systems on the verge of vanishing. Edinburgh: Hachette UK.Google Scholar
Fishman, Joshua (ed.). 1977. Advances in the creation and revision of writing systems. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sampson, Geoffrey. 1985. Writing systems: A linguistic introduction. Stanford: Stanford University PressGoogle Scholar
Schmandt-Besserat, Denise. 1997. How writing came about. Austin: University of Texas Press.Google Scholar
Sebba, Mark. 2009. Sociolinguistic approaches to writing systems research. Writing Systems Research 1(1): 35–49.10.1093/wsr/wsp002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Senner, Wayne (ed.). 1991. The origins of writing. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.Google Scholar
Sproat, Richard. 2000. A computational theory of writing systems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
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