alinaJan 21

To independently invent the concept of writing in which sounds are encoded into symbols from which an infinite number of words can be assembled, you must be a genius

https://lemmy.world/post/41934836

To independently invent the concept of writing in which sounds are encoded into symbols from which an infinite number of words can be assembled, you must be a genius - Lemmy.World

Lemmy

Show threadZahille7

Now you’ve got me thinking.

Did language evolve from writing, or did writing evolve from language?

Jan 21 at 9:26amWeb
Show threadMunkisquisherJan 21
There are plenty of oral languages, where the writing only came after contact with missionaries. Māori, and the other Pacific languages, aboriginal etc. And as all other species have some form of oral language, but not written. I’d pretty safe saying that sounds and words long predated the written forms. Unless you know of written only languages that the pronunciation came later?
Show threadalinaJan 21
What position are you trying to defend?
Show threadtiramichuJan 21

Writing from language.

A lot of other animals besides humans use vocalisations, and those vocalisations can have quite specific meanings. This makes them a form of communication and demonstrates that encoding meaning in sound is a phenomenon that develops quite readily in nature.

We can also see then that the history of language in humans is those vocalisations becoming increasingly complex and able to represent more numerous concepts and thoughts until they eventually evolve into something we recognise as a language.

Written language is a mechanism to encode spoken language, but it’s spoken language which came first.

Show threadthethirdobjectJan 21

guess where the word “prehistoric” comes from ;)

also, non-human animals have language without writing.