OJ204 Writing systems of the World

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2018
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
prof. RNDr. Václav Blažek, CSc. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. RNDr. Václav Blažek, CSc.
Department of Linguistics and Baltic Languages – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Linguistics and Baltic Languages – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Wed 9:10–10:45 B2.22
Prerequisites
The course is prepared for everybody, who is interested in development of script. Together with structure of archaic scripts the elementary descriptions of some epigraphic languages are offered, namely Egyptian, Sumerian, Babylonian, Hittite.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 40 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/40, only registered: 0/40, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/40
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course provides a comprehensive survey of origin and development of script from pictograms to alphabet. The spreading os various scripts are mapped in space and time. The concrete examples of decipherment of illustrate the basic stratiegies in this field. The examples of texts in transcription demonstrate the internal structure of texts of various type. The students should get the competences in analysis of texts, determination of the internal structure of scripts and its correspondence with the used languages.
Syllabus
  • 1. Mesopotamia: from pictograms to cuneiform and its spreading in the Near East. 2. Egypt: hieroglyphs - hieratic - demotic. 3. Syllabic scripts of East Mediterranean: Linear A+B, Cypriotic, Luwian hieroglyphs. 4. Proto-Elamite and Proto-Indic pictograms. 5. Origin and development of script in China, its spreading outside of China (Korea, Japan). 6. Transformation of Egyptian hieroglyfic "alphabet" in semitic consonantic alphabets. 7. Aramaic script as a source of Indic syllabic and Central Asiatic consonant and alphabetic scripts. 8. Phoenician script as a source of Mediterranean alphabets. 9. Variants of the Greek alpabet as a source the alphabets of Asia Minor, Italy, Gothic, Armenian, Georgian, Cyrillic, Coptic and Nubian scripts. 10. Italic alphabets as a source of Ogham and Runic scripts. 11. Origin of script in America.
Literature
  • O další literatuře jsou studenti informováni ve výuce.
  • URBANOVÁ, Daniela & BLAŽEK, Václav. Národy starověké Itálie, jejich jazyky a písma. Brno 2008.
  • KRUPA, Viktor and Jozef GENZOR. Písma sveta. 1. vyd. Bratislava: Obzor, 1989, 358 s. ISBN 8021500115. info
  • FRIEDRICH, Johannes. Istorija pis'ma. Moskva: Nauka, 1979, 463 s. info
  • DOBLHOFER, Ernst. Od obrázkov k písmu : rozlúštěnie zabudnutých písiem a jazykov. 1. vyd. Bratislava: Obzor, 1972, 366 s. info
  • DIRINGER, David. Alfavit. Moskva: Izdatel'stvo inostrannoj literatury, 1963, 655 s. info
Teaching methods
Teacher presents the tree-diagrams, comparative tables of various scripts and finally together with students try to interpret chosen texts.
Assessment methods
The succesful output depends on a succesful decipherment of the text written in a known language, but unknown script.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2001, Spring 2002, Spring 2004, Spring 2005, Spring 2006, Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2018, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2018/OJ204