Writing systems

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Writing systems

• Linguistics 484

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Thomas Young

• Crucial contribution recognition of alphabetic
  elements in the hieroglyphic script.
• Crucial non-contribution stopped short of
  following through and recognizing native words.

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Champollion conclusion

• Some words e.g. ra Sun are represented as
  semagrams.
• Most of the writing is phonetic.
• Some long words use the rebus idea.
• The language is definitely Coptic.

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CNYRDTHS?TSVRHRDSNTT?
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• If there are few vowels, hard to read, motivates
  use of determinatives
• Direction of writing not fixed, animals always
  face the front of the sentence.
• Horapollos disastrous error in thinking
  hieroglyphics were semagrams

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How languages change

• The same text four times over, in English over a
  period of about 1200 years

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The Lord's Prayer in Old English Matthew
69-13 Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonumSi þin
nama gehalgodto becume þin ricegewurþe ðin
willaon eorðan swa swa on heofonum.urne
gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todægand forgyf us
ure gyltasswa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendumand
ne gelæd þu us on costnungeac alys us of yfele
soþlice Father our thou that art in heavensbe
thy name hallowedcome thy kingdombe done thy
willon earth as in heavensour daily bread give
us todayand forgive us our sinsas we forgive
those who have sinned against usand not lead
thou us into temptationbut deliver us from evil
truly
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Matthew 6.9 (Wycliffe's translation, c.
1380)Oure fadir that art in heuenes, halewid be
thi name thi kyndoom come to be thi wille don
in erthe as in heuene gyue to us this dai oure
breed ouer othir substaunce and forgyue to us
oure dettis, as we forgyuen to oure gettouris
and lede us not in to temptacioun, but delyuere
us fro yuel.
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Lord's Prayer Matthew 69-13 King James
Version Our Father, who art in heaven,hallowed
be thy name,thy kingdom come,thy will be
doneon earth as it is in heaven.Give us this
day our daily breadand forgive us our
trespasses,as we forgive thosewho trespass
against usand lead us not into temptation,but
deliver us from evil.For thine is the
kingdomand the power and the gloryforever and
ever. Amen.
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Newer Version Our Father in heaven,hallowed be
your name,your kingdom come,your will be
doneon earth as it is in heaven.Give us today
our daily bread.Forgive us our sins,as we
forgive thosewho sin against us.Lead us not
into temptation,but deliver us from evil.For
the kingdom, the power,and the glory are
yoursnow and forever. Amen
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Chronology

• Linear B c 1500 BCE
• Homeric Greek c 800 BCE
• Classical Greek c 400 BCE
• Koine Greek 50-100 CE
• Modern Greek now

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Language change

• So, the amount of change in Greek is expected to
  be comparable with how English changed in similar
  time periods.

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Key ideas in Linear B

• Syllabic writing
• Inflection
• Kobers grid

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Alice Kober

• If a language has inflection, certain signs are
  bound to appear over and over again in certain
  positions of the written words.

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Inflection

• Argentina-Argentinian
• Canada-Canadian

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Inflection

• Argentina-Argentinian
• Canada-Canadian
• Phylum-phyla

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Bridging syllables
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Bridging syllables

• Where did the stem go in case 3?
• Answer 41 and and 37 are bridging syllables with
  the same vowel but different consonants.
• Also, 37 and 05 must share the same consonant.
• 41 and 12 must share the same consonant

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(No Transcript)
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Ventriss extra insights

• Dont worry about final s,n,m
• If it is wrong, well soon run into
  inconsistencies.

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Cribs
Town names Amnisos a-mi-ni-so
08-73-30-12 Knossos ko-no-so 70-52-12 Tulissos
tu-li-so 69-53-12
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(No Transcript)
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Conclusions

• Why is Linear-B so unsuited to Greek?
• Maybe it was the pressing into service of an
  older writing system for another language.
• If so, this language probably had open syllables
  almost exclusively. No word final s.