Linguistics Stack Exchange
Linguistics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [written-language]

Questions which apply solely or mostly to the written forms of languages as opposed to their spoken forms.

Questions which apply solely or mostly to the written forms of languages as opposed to their spoken forms.

See also:

147 questions
17
votes
10 answers

Why does linguistics focus on spoken languages rather than written ones?

I might be wrong since I'm unable to find any sources supporting this, but it's increasingly my gut feeling that linguistics appears to focus on spoken languages as opposed to written ones. If this is the case, why is it?
blunders
  • 1,315
  • 1
  • 9
  • 24
13
votes
1 answer

How different were the Tangut and Khitan logographic scripts derived from Chinese Hanzi from Hanzi?

Japanese uses a writing system called Kanji, which is a moderated version of Chinese Hanzi. The Kanji characters are similar to or often the same as the corresponding Chinese character, with the same meaning. Koreans and Vietnamese had similar…
Dagvadorj
  • 405
  • 3
  • 6
9
votes
5 answers

Which branch of linguistics studies handwriting?

In all 3 of the non-Latin-script languages I have learned to relative degrees of fluency, handwritten and printed forms differed significantly. Of course, this should not come as a surprise. Often, learning handwritten forms required a significant…
magnetar
  • 516
  • 1
  • 4
  • 12
7
votes
6 answers

Would an extended alphabet have been a hindrance to inventing computer technology?

One time in a conversation, a person who is very knowledgeable about computers off hand mentioned that it would have been difficult, maybe even impossible, to have developed computational technology in a culture where the language had a complex…
Questioner
  • 295
  • 1
  • 5
6
votes
4 answers

Can a natural language be non-serializable?

Typically, a serializable language can be expressed by strings. Can a natural language be non-serializable? Fictional source which motivated me to ask this question: a character in C. Stross' novel "Accelerando" is mentioned to speak several…
J. Doe
  • 195
  • 10
5
votes
1 answer

Is there an Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol meaning "interpreter"?

I'm doing my dissertation on interpreting and while I've been trying to find out the history behind it, I've come across a few websites which say that interpreting dated back as far as the Ancient Egyptians as they had a symbol which meant…
Kirsty
  • 51
  • 2
5
votes
0 answers

Are there studies which attempt to quantify the information conveyed by written languages - especially Japanese/Chinese?

I'm curious as to whether anyone has attempted to come up with a quantitative measure of information conveyed by written words, symbols or graphs, and particularly curious if anyone has studied Japanese kanji or Chinese hanzi in this context. It's…
Lou
  • 1,280
  • 11
  • 22
4
votes
7 answers

Is it possible to become fluent in any language simply by reading books in that language?

I know the best way to learn a language is to go to a country which speaks that language, but what if you don't have that convenience. Is it possible to become fluent simply through reading books in that language- so starting off with simple…
83457
  • 157
  • 1
  • 1
  • 4
4
votes
1 answer

Does it make sense to study linguistics in order to research written communication?

According to this question and its answers, linguistics primarily focuses on spoken language and not written language. This answer to another question indicates that this focus is a matter of historical trends and convention (i.e. linguists have…
T Hummus
  • 151
  • 4
4
votes
5 answers

Why do European languages use a similar alphabet, but South East Asian languages do not?

Why is it that in Europe, most written languages (Spanish, English, German, ect.) use very similar alphabets (Latin), while countries in South East Asia, which are similarly geographically close to one another as in Europe, use vastly different…
Premier Bromanov
  • 159
  • 1
  • 1
  • 5
1
vote
0 answers

How do I measure the efficiency of reading and writing in a written language?

How do I standardize a comparison between the efficiency of reading and writing in from one written language to another? An example of what I mean would be words-typed-per-minute in a given language standardized to a norm within typist for that…
blunders
  • 1,315
  • 1
  • 9
  • 24
1
vote
1 answer

Is it possible to create a new language for faster communication?

The problem: reading textbooks / nonfiction takes too much time. Solutions: Don't read. Obviously flawed. Learn speed reading. Retention rate will go down, which is undesirable. Design and implement new language with speed in mind. Translate the…
reivan
  • 19
  • 2
1
vote
1 answer

What linguistic concepts reveal changes, in writing from different time periods?

Explicit Question (TL;DR): I exemplify with English, because it has changed more than e.g. the Romance Languages, for a given time period. For brevity, I use the noun 'disquisition' to mean any decent, reputable piece of writing. What linguistic…
user5306
0
votes
1 answer

Help identify unknown language

Got this $5 bill stamped with a message in a language I cannot identify.
Quinn
  • 19
  • 2
0
votes
1 answer

What language is this text?

I have a set of framed sheet with this text on it. I just wondering what language is this... Thank you!
Dora
  • 17
  • 1
1
2