William Cope
Reda Sadki
May Thet Khine Nyein
Eugenia Arvanitis
Pinakini Shah
Jonathan deHaan
Alessandra Coutinho Fernandes
Ketan HeinLiteracy Teaching and Learning MOOC’s Updates
Section 1c: The Coming of Writing
Writing first arrives on the human scene about 5,000 years ago. Over the next few thousand years, writing is invented separately in four separate places: Mesopotamia, India, China and Central America. The printing press, invented in 1450, makes writing an integral part of human societies. From the mid nineteenth century, modern societies set universal literacy as their objective. However, even today, approximately 1 billion people cannot read or write in the ways valued by modern societies and schools.
But literacy is a complicated thing. It spells the death of many small languages. It comes at the same time as mass, institutionalized inequality.
To explore these themes further, read the texts in the 'Starting to Write' section of our supporting materials website.
Comment: From your reading and video viewing, what are the most significant things about the coming of writing - the good and the not-so-good?
Writing evolved from a means of communication into a tool for social, political, and economic control, initially limited to the elite and used to maintain inequality. As it spread, writing accelerated the disappearance of smaller languages due to the dominance of major languages with established writing systems. The education system also played a role in language homogenization by promoting official standards that replaced local dialects. Additionally, writing shaped the concept of value in modern society, including how knowledge is organized and assessed through a textbook-based education system. This narrative is thought-provoking, highlighting the lasting impact of writing on the world today.
The advent of writing marked a pivotal shift in human communication, offering the significant advantage of preserving information across generations, thereby facilitating the accumulation of knowledge and the development of complex societies. However, this transition also had its drawbacks. The reliance on written records introduced barriers to those without access to education, potentially exacerbating social inequalities. Moreover, the emphasis on written language may have led to the undervaluing of oral traditions and the rich, nuanced knowledge they convey. Thus, while writing has undeniably propelled human progress, it is essential to acknowledge and address the disparities it may have reinforced.
The invention of writing was a game-changer for humanity. On one hand, it allowed knowledge to be recorded and passed down, making it easier to preserve history, laws, and stories. It also helped societies organize themselves better, from trade to government. But at the same time, writing created inequalities—only a few people had access to literacy for a long time, which gave them power over others. It also led to the decline of oral traditions, which had been such an important way of keeping cultures alive. So, while writing brought huge benefits, it also came with some downsides.
Almost like any other new concept, society needed to accept writing. In the early days of writing in symbols like Sumerian cuneiform, different cultures have borrowed and adapted parts of language to create their own. Humans in those cultures have had to determine if it was beneficial to them to have official scribes to create the language. However, if we look at the English language now, there have been many words added to the dictionary more recently based on societal and cultural usage. As a high school teacher, it is wild to see students trying to use different words to make their own slang. Some of these words stick, but some of them do not make sense to adults. In this case, there won't be new definitions added to the dictionary based on these interactions, but the students use this jargon in their everyday oral language.
Some of the most significant insights related to the coming of writing are: 1) the evolution of written language from being the exclusive tool of communication of the elite and the religious priests for controlling power in ancient times to becoming a mass tool of communication in modern times through educational institutes to equip individuals to function socially in their pursuit of daily living and earning. 2) understanding of the threat of endangerment and loss of smaller languages due to the homogenization of mass, common languages.
It is truly a wonderful thing that the evolution in our world can contribute to the greater effect of change. For example in writing in history there is no doubt that the people are creative in exploring and finding alternatives that can help them on their own. In the current state that we are living in, the progression of writing is dominantly impactful and even helps every individual to develop as a person.
The written form of the laguage allowed us stardardize the words and their meanings. But most important, what writing gave us was a way to preserve knowledge and transmit it on to the future. However writing was used for many centuries as a tool to oppress the masses through the forbiden knowledges and just important people had the opportunity to learn to write and with that to read.
Here in the Philippines we have atleast over 120 languages spoken, due to the fact that we have been colonized by different countries before and also having 7,107 islands. Meaning more Physical isolation and smaller groups. With that being said, we also had our very first writing system called Baybayin coming from our ancestors. Then it evolved to what we are using now, despite being modernized now, Baybayin/Alibata is still evident to today's culture and never forgotten. Luckily, it is still being taught and preserved.
Back to the video, about the invention of writing.. It truly is amazing how the system of writing evolved. From writings on walls, stones to what we use now pen and paper even digital notebooks/notepads.
Here in the Philippines we have atleast over 120 languages spoken, due to the fact that we have been colonized by different countries before and also having 7,107 islands. Meaning more Physical isolation and smaller groups. With that being said, we also had our very first writing system called Baybayin coming from our ancestors. Then it evolved to what we are using now, despite being modernized now, Baybayin/Alibata is still evident to today's culture and never forgotten. Luckily, it is still being taught and preserved.
Back to the video, about the invention of writing.. It truly is amazing how the system of writing evolved. From writings on walls, stones to what we use now pen and paper even digital notebooks/notepads.
Here in the Philippines we have atleast over 120 languages spoken, due to the fact that we have been colonized by different countries before and also having 7,107 islands. Meaning more Physical isolation and smaller groups. With that being said, we also had our very first writing system called Baybayin coming from our ancestors. Then it evolved to what we are using now, despite being modernized now, Baybayin/Alibata is still evident to today's culture and never forgotten. Luckily, it is still being taught and preserved.
Back to the video, about the invention of writing.. It truly is amazing how the system of writing evolved. From writings on walls, stones to what we use now pen and paper even digital notebooks/notepads.