The Development of Graphic Communication
Even before primitive man developed spoken language, he was able to communicate by grunting, laughing, frowning, screaming, and by using physical force. In these and other ways he made his message clear to others.
As time went on, man developed other ways of communicating. He learned to mark trails with piles of stones or cuts on trees. He discovered how to control fire and use smoke to signal others. He learned to communicate through a spoken language. And then he learned to write.
THE EVOLUTION OF WRITING. Writing made it possible to record information. It is also made it possible to send messages over great distances without direct contact. Most important, though, it enabled ,am to transmit knowledge to future generations.
Evidence of man's early attempts at writing can be painted on cave walls of caves 30000 years old. The writing was in the form of pictures painted on cave walls. These paintings are called pictographs.
Ideographs, as man's need to communicate grew. Picture writing gave way to idea writing. Pictures began to take on abstract meanings. Instead of representing the objects pictured, the pictures took on new meanings. They began to represent the feeling or idea that each was supposed to suggest. Graphic symbols that represent ideas are called ideographs.
Hieroglyphic are a form of ideograph. They are highly sophisticated renderings prefected by the Egyptians around 2500 B.C. Each picture represents an idea, not a sound as modern letters do.
The ancient assyrians, chaldeans, and egyptians used wedge shaped letters. Originally these letters were cut by chisel into stone. Later letters were pressed into clay tablets with small brass or copper punches. This form of writing is called cuneiform.
The alphabet as we know it today is based on an early phoenician system used around 1500 B.C. The Greeks adopted this system of writing about 1000 B.C. The Roman alphabet, which we use today, is based on the Greek adaptation of the phoenician alphabet.
Edity by Vikas
3 April, 2012
