forum SignWriting List Forum
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From:  Dan Parvaz
Date:  Fri Jan 2, 1970  8:43 pm
Subject:  Re: Is SignWriting really a writing system?


This looks like some sort of alphabetic prejudice. Certain folks -- some
with impressive scholarly credentials in areas unrelated to
linguistics -- give alphabets credit for everything from the
technological revolution in Europe to the demise of earth- and
goddess-centered religious traditions. It's all rubbish, of course. One
billion Chinese, and hundreds of millions of Japanese and (South)
Koreans use a non-alphabetic script, and use it to great advantage, with
high literacy rates.

Whether SW is pictographic or ideographic, or even alphabetic is beside
the point. It is a way of representing SLs, and so far the only one I
know of with any kind of following in any Deaf community anywhere.
Whether it's the best or most favored or "real" system is a question
best left to posterity. After all, Greeks don't write in Linear B, nor
Germans in runes, nor Tajiks in Cyrillic.

Harrumph, :-)

Dan.

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