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Books > Language & Literature > Language & linguistics > Palaeography
The decoding of Linear B is one of the world's greatest stories:
from the discovery of a cache of ancient tablets recording a lost
prehistoric language to the dramatic solution of the riddle nearly
seventy years later, it exerts a mesmerising pull on the
imagination. But this captivating story is missing a crucial piece.
Two men have dominated Linear B in popular history: Arthur Evans,
the intrepid Victorian archaeologist who unearthed Linear B at
Knossos and Michael Ventris, the dashing young amateur who produced
a solution. But there was a third figure: Alice Kober, without
whose painstaking work, recorded on pieces of paper clipped from
hymn-sheets and magazines and stored in cigarette boxes in her
Brooklyn loft, Linear B might still remain a mystery. Drawing on
Kober's own papers - only made available recently - Margalit Fox
provides the final piece of the enigma, and along the way reveals
how you decipher a language when you know neither its grammar nor
its alphabet as well as the stories behind other ancient languages,
like the dancing-man Rongorongo of Easter Island.
Edward Hincks (1792-1866), the Irish Assyriologist and decipherer
of Mesopotamian cuneiform, was born in Cork and spent forty years
of his life at Killyleagh, Co. Down, where he was the Church of
Ireland Rector. He was educated at Midleton College, Co. Cork and
Trinity College, Dublin, where he was an exceptionally gifted
student. With the decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs by
Jean Francois Champollion in 1822, Hincks became one of that first
group of scholars to contribute to the elucidation of the language,
chronology and religion of ancient Egypt. But his most notable
achievement was the decipherment of Akkadian, the language of
Babylonia and Assyria, and its complicated cuneiform writing
system.Between 1846 and 1852 Hincks published a series of highly
significant papers by which he established for himself a reputation
of the first order as a decipherer. Most of the letters in these
volumes have not been previously published. Much of the
correspondence relates to nineteenth-century archaeological and
linguistic discoveries, but there are also letters concerned with
ecclesiastical affairs, the Famine and the Hincks family.Between
1850 and 1852 Edward Hincks completed the main steps in the
decipherment of Akkadian. In 1851 he announced his sensational
discovery of the name of the Biblical king Jehu 'son of Omri' on
the famous Black Obelisk of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III,
which Layard had discovered at Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). On other
clay tablets he identified the names of the king Menahem of
Samaria, the place Yadnan (Cyprus), and people referred to as
'Ionians'. His discoveries prompted Austen Henry Layard, the
excavator of Nimrud (he thought it was Nineveh) to invite him to
prepare translations of the inscriptions for his bestselling
Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon.Layard was also
instrumental in persuading the British Museum to employ Hincks for
a year to transcribe and translate cuneiform texts. In 1856 Hincks
began to correspond with Henry Fox Talbot, pioneer of photography,
who was also interested in cuneiform. The variety and richness of
the correspondence provides a unique insight into the world of
Victorian intellectual and cultural life. Amongst Hincks'
correspondents were Samuel Birch, Franz Bopp, Friedrich Georg
Grotefend, William Rowan Hamilton, Christian Lassen, Austen Henry
Layard, Edwin Norris, George Cecil Renouard, and Peter le Page
Renouf. Volume I was published in 2007 and Volume III will be
published in 2009.
Top 100 Books on Science, American Scientist, 2001 In 1992, the
University of Texas Press published Before Writing, Volume I: From
Counting to Cuneiform and Before Writing, Volume II: A Catalog of
Near Eastern Tokens. In these two volumes, Denise Schmandt-Besserat
set forth her groundbreaking theory that the cuneiform script
invented in the Near East in the late fourth millennium B.C.—the
world's oldest known system of writing—derived from an archaic
counting device. How Writing Came About draws material from both
volumes to present Schmandt-Besserat's theory for a wide public and
classroom audience. Based on the analysis and interpretation of a
selection of 8,000 tokens or counters from 116 sites in Iran, Iraq,
the Levant, and Turkey, it documents the immediate precursor of the
cuneiform script.
Edward Hincks (1792-1866), the Irish Assyriologist and one of the
decipherers of Mesopotamian cuneiform, was born in Cork and spent
forty years of his life at Killyleagh, Co. Down, where he was the
Church of Ireland Rector. He was educated at Middleton College, Co.
Cork and Trinity College, Dublin, where he was an exceptionally
gifted student. With the decipherment of ancient Egyptian
hieroglyphs by Jean Francois Champollion in 1822, Hincks became one
of that first group of scholars to contribute to the elucidation of
the language, chronology and religion of ancient Egypt. But his
most notable achievement was the decipherment of Akkadian, the
language of Babylonia and Assyria, and its complicated cuneiform
writing system. Between 1846 and 1852, Hincks published a series of
highly significant papers by which he established for himself a
reputation of the first order as a decipherer. Most of the letters
in these volumes have not been previously published. Much of the
correspondence relates to nineteenth-century archaeological and
linguistic discoveries, but there are also letters concerned with
ecclesiastical affairs, the Famine and the Hincks family. The
letters in volume 1 cover the period from the 1820s when Hincks was
a young clergyman and scholar, applying himself assiduously to his
family and parish duties, and vigorously pursuing his study of the
ancient Egyptian language, to the years 1846-9 during which he
announced his epoch-making discoveries in the decipherment of
Akkadian and its cuneiform writing system. There are dozens of
letters from friends and colleagues, which include exchanges on a
variety of subjects and offer a fascinating picture of scholarly
and intellectual activity, as well as of the political and
ecclesiastical events of the time. Hincks' unique research never
diverted him from his religious and civic responsibilities,
especially during times of crisis like the Famine. Amongst Hincks'
correspondents were Samuel Birch, Franz Bopp, Friedrich Georg
Grotefend, William Rowan Hamilton, Christian Lassen, Austen Henry
Layard, Edwin Norris, George Cecil Renouard, and Peter le Page
Renouf. Volumes 2 and 3 will be published in 2008 and 2009
respectively.
This Mandarin Chinese Dictionary is for elementary to intermediate
learners of Chinese. Tuttle Learner's Chinese-English Dictionary
was designed specifically for elementary to intermediate learners
of Chinese and contains all 3,051 vocabulary items prescribed for
Levels A and B of the internationally recognized test of Mandarin
language proficiency, Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK). This
self-contained dictionary has over 5,000 headwords--those required
for HSK Levels A and B, plus important proper nouns and common
idioms. Extensive notes on culture, grammar and meaning are
included to enhance understanding and ensure correct usage.
Students attempting to learn Chinese will find this dictionary to
be an essential guide to the Chinese language as well as a reliable
reference tool. This Chinese dictionary contains: The 5,000+ most
frequently used Chinese vocabulary items. All entries contain
Romanized Chinese forms (hanyu pinyin), simplified Chinese
characters (hanzi) as well as traditional Chinese characters if
they exist. Terms are searchable by Chinese-English or
English-Chinese. All Chinese entries are arranged alphabetically by
Romanized Mandarin Chinese forms (hanyu pinyin). Chinese word
components are listed and analyzed to facilitate understanding.
Over 3,500 sample sentences to demonstrate how each word is used.
Detailed notes on culture, grammar and usage. Chinese translations
for common English names and places in China.
Decades after Michael Ventris deciphered Linear B and showed that
its language was Greek, nearly one-sixth of its syllabic signs'
sound-values are still unknown. This book offers a new approach to
establishing these undeciphered signs' possible values. Analysis of
Linear B's structure and usage not only establishes these signs'
most likely sound-values - providing the best possible basis for
future decipherments - but also sheds light on the writing system
as a whole. The undeciphered signs are also used to explore the
evidence provided by palaeography for the chronology of the Linear
B documents and the activities of the Mycenaean scribes. The
conclusions presented in this book therefore deepen our
understanding not only of the undeciphered signs but also of the
Linear B writing system as a whole, the texts it was used to write,
and the insight these documents bring us into the world of the
Mycenaean palaces. A colour version of figures 5.1-5.4 of chapter 5
can be found under the 'Resources' tab.
If you think you know your alphabet, think again. Drawing from
mythology, cosmology, history, the Bible, literature, and esoteric
and conventional sources, this book takes the reader on a tour of
each of the twenty-six letters of the Roman alphabet. In chapters
that are descriptive, illustrative and diverse, we are shown the
history and development of every letter, how its shape evolved, how
its characteristics were encoded, and how its history, attributes,
and meanings were reflected in myth, literature, science and
religion. Rich in surprises and serendipities, profusely
illustrated with related drawings from ancient scripts to
present-day digitised computer alphabets, and quoting sources as
diverse as James Joyce, Rabelais, Dostoevsky, Mark Twain, Elmer
Fudd and Bob Dylan, "The Alphabet" is a book for all those who know
their abcs, but perhaps not as well as they imagined.
From the simple representative shapes used to record transactions
of goods and services in ancient Mesopotamia, to the sophisticated
typographical resources available to the twenty-first-century users
of desktop computers, the story of writing is the story of human
civilization itself. Calligraphy expert Ewan Clayton traces the
history of an invention which--ever since our ancestors made the
transition from a nomadic to an agrarian way of life in the eighth
century BC--has been the method of codification and dissemination
of ideas in every field of human endeavour, and a motor of
cultural, scientific and political progress. He explores the social
and cultural impact of, among other stages, the invention of the
alphabet; the replacement of the papyrus scroll with the codex in
the late Roman period; the perfecting of printing using moveable
type in the fifteenth century and the ensuing spread of literacy;
the industrialization of printing during the Industrial Revolution;
the impact of artistic Modernism on the written word in the early
twentieth century--and of the digital switchover at the century's
close. The Golden Thread also raises issues of urgent interest for
a society living in an era of unprecedented change to the tools and
technologies of written communication.
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a.k.a Lewis Carroll, invented a special
writing instrument he called "the Nyctograph" on 24 September 1891,
in frustration at the process of "getting out of bed at 2 a.m. in a
winter night, lighting a candle, and recording some happy thought
which would probably be otherwise forgotten." This edition of
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is written entirely in the
author's unique night-time alphabet.
Elementary Mandarin Chinese Textbook is a new beginner Mandarin
Chinese course which enables you to quickly learn the basics of the
language. The 24 lessons in this book are meant to be used in 3
hours per week of class instruction over one academic year.
Students will need another 2-3 hours of outside practice and review
for every hour of class time, using the materials in the
accompanying Elementary Mandarin Chinese Workbook. These books can
also be used by self-study learners due to the extensive
explanations and free supplementary materials available --
including online audio and video recordings and flash cards. The
entire course can be completed in 25 to 35 weeks and teaches you
the basic skills of speaking, reading and writing Mandarin Chinese
at a conversational level. Each lesson starts with a dialogue and
includes a list of new and supplementary Chinese vocabulary along
with questions and grammar notes about the dialogue, a reading
section and extensive exercises (that are in the Workbook).
Elementary Mandarin Chinese Textbook offers the following
significant advantages over other similar textbooks: Common,
everyday Chinese dialogues are used--complete with vocabulary lists
and questions and storylines based on actual everyday experiences
in China Chinese grammar is explained in simple, non-technical
terms with useful notes and tips given Reading exercises are
provided for all new words and phrases in each lesson Free online
audio recordings by native speakers from different regions of China
help you not only acquire correct pronunciation, but also to
understand Chinese speakers who have different accents
Illustrations and supplementary video clips add authenticity to the
materials in the book A Chinese-English dictionary, downloadable
flash cards and supplementary exercises are all provided Both
Chinese characters and Pinyin Romanized forms are given throughout
the book (except for the reading exercises), so this book can be
used by students who wish to focus on learning the spoken language,
as well as those who are learning to read and write the Chinese
characters simultaneously. This textbook should be used in
conjunction with Elementary Mandarin Chinese Workbook and the
included audio files, which can be downloaded free directly from
the Tuttle website.
Ever wished for a resource to look up Chinese characters from their
shape alone? Mandarin Chinese Characters Fast Finder is a study aid
that lets you look up Chinese characters quickly and intuitively
from their appearance alone, without knowing their pronunciation,
radical or stroke count. This reference book has been designed for
dedicated learners of Chinese, as well as general readers with
interest in the written Chinese language. Mandarin Chinese
Characters Fast Finder features: A thumb-index allowing rapid
access to all of the characters by shape rather than etymological
radical Clear and easy-to-read layout to facilitate speedy scanning
Covers 3,200 characters, including those prescribed for all levels
of the HSK Proficiency test Comprehensive information for each
character, including: traditional forms, pronunciation, core
English meaning, radical, stroke count, HSK grade
The easy and accessible way to learn the Burmese writing system!
With this handy guide to the Burmese alphabet, you'll quickly learn
how to read, write and pronounce Burmese letters as well as
hundreds of useful words and phrases--no prior knowledge necessary!
Experienced language teachers and authors A Zun Mo and Angus
Johnstone present consonants, vowels and tones, and words in a
systematic, step-by-step approach. Start by tracing and copying
individual letters before progressing to writing complete words and
sentences. This interactive workbook includes: Free online audio
recordings that teach you to pronounce all the sounds of Burmese
correctly Fun exercises to help you learn a broad range of useful
vocabulary--numbers, family and friends, Burmese foods, and more
Mnemonic illustrations to help you memorize the sounds of letters
Clearly structured lessons with ample opportunity for writing and
reading practice A set of free downloadable flash cards A complete
answer key for all the exercises This resource is perfect for
self-study learners, but can also be used for classroom
instruction.
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