Description
Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet. This course examines the evolution of writing, from the earliest forms of writing to the formation of the modern alphabet. This course emphasizes that writing, despite its pervasive presence in modern life, is a very recent phenomenon in human history. In sixteen lessons, Professor John McWhorter of Columbia University narrates the complex cultural and linguistic history of this essential means of communication in a clear and engaging manner. This voyage of discovery answers these key questions: When and where did writing first emerge? What motivated early humans to record their thoughts visually? And how did cultures that had relied solely on oral communication for millennia gradually develop symbols and writing systems that eventually paved the way for the emergence of the 26-letter English alphabet? This course shows how a combination of historical and linguistic evidence tells the story of the alphabet’s formation.
What you will learn
- History of the Origin of Writing: You will learn why and how humans developed writing and examine the earliest forms of writing such as cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs.
- Evolution of the Alphabet: You will follow the process of the evolution of writing from visual systems to sound systems and then to the first known alphabet.
- Language Structure Analysis: You look at different aspects of language, both written and spoken, to better understand the development of the alphabet.
- Answer key questions: You will answer important questions such as: Why are letters in their current form? Why do the sounds that letters make change over time? Why does the alphabet have a fixed order? And how did punctuation first develop?
- The Connection between Culture and Language: You will learn how writing systems can tell the history of the people who developed them and how culture and geography influence the evolution of written words.
- Global Connectivity: You will understand how different writing systems have influenced each other throughout history and shaped human communication around the world.
This course is suitable for people who:
- Students: Those studying linguistics, history, communications, or related fields will find this course a valuable complement to their academic courses.
- History enthusiasts: Those who are interested in the history of civilizations, cultures, and how communication tools have evolved.
- Language learners and linguists: People who are interested in the origins and structure of languages, especially English.
- Anyone who is curious: Anyone who is simply curious about how our modern writing and alphabet came about.
Course details Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet
- Publisher: TheGreatCoursePlus
- Instructor: John McWhorter
- Training level: Beginner to advanced
- Training duration: 6 hours and 21 minutes
- Number of lessons: 16
Course headings
- The Nature of Writing
- Cuneiform: The World’s First Writing
- How Egyptian Hieroglyphs Work
- The Invention of Alphabets
- The Alphabet Goes East
- The Advent of A, E, and O
- Lost at C
- The History of H
- The Inception of I and Its Journey to J
- The Quirks and Zigzags of Q and Z
- The Ramblings of R
- The Unfolding of U, V, W, and F
- The Yesteryears of Y
- Brisk Sojourns through B, L, N, and S
- Meditations on M, D, X, and T
- How Did Punctuation Develop?
Course images
Sample course video
Installation Guide
After Extract, view with your favorite player.
Subtitles: None
Quality: 720p
Download link
File(s) password: www.downloadly.ir
File size
5.3 GB
