The Evolution of Writing Throughout History

According to a 2017 UNESCO report, only 84% of the world's population can read and write. The remaining 16% acknowledges the indispensability of literature for humanity, whether it be lyrical, narrative, prose, verse, scientific articles, essays, diaries, or social media messages. Writing remains one of the most effective ways to communicate knowledge and ideas, preserving them over time.

In the early stages of human history, the need to transmit and preserve information beyond oral tradition led to the creation of pictorial representations like cave paintings and petroglyphs. These early forms of communication evolved into pictographic writing, where symbols represented actions, creatures, and complex ideas. This eventually led to proto-writing, where symbols became less detailed but more efficient in conveying information.

Proto-writing systems like the Vinča script, the Tartaria tablets in Romania, the Gradeshnitsa tablets in Bulgaria, and ancient scripts such as Egyptian hieroglyphs, Cretan hieroglyphs, and the Jiahu symbols found on tortoise shells in China are considered early forms of writing. These systems laid the foundation for more advanced writing systems by introducing symbolic representations that may or may not have had direct linguistic components.

The emergence of proto-cuneiform writing in Mesopotamia around 3500 BC marked a significant milestone in human history. Driven by the need for detailed record-keeping in trade and commerce, cuneiform writing enabled the documentation of various economic practices, products, and personnel. This development signaled the end of prehistory, as humans gained the ability to preserve their culture and history through written records.

The first writing system, known as cuneiform, emerged in Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. It allowed for the recording of numbers, dates, and various operations. Writing and mathematics developed simultaneously as a commercial necessity driven by trade. The Sumerians were pioneers in representing spoken language syntax and phonology through writing.

Various writing systems emerged globally, such as Egyptian hieroglyphs, Chinese characters, Mayan script, and Rongorongo script from Easter Island. These scripts had unique symbols and were not directly related to Mesopotamian cuneiform. The spread of writing led to the birth of literature, with the Sumerians recording legends like the epic of Gilgamesh around 2500 BC.

The evolution of alphabets progressed from consonant-only scripts like Hurrian and Ugaritic to systems like Phoenician and Proto-Cananean. The Phoenician alphabet, which included vowels, paved the way for the Greek alphabet in 900 BC. The Greek alphabet was the first complete language system, enabling reading and pronunciation without prior knowledge of the spoken language.

The transcript discusses the deciphering of ancient languages through bilingual documents found, allowing the translation of previously unknown languages. Greek, known for its contribution to free thought and democracy, played a significant role in expanding literature and giving prestige to poets, who were regarded as wise individuals similar to philosophers and politicians.

In ancient Greece, literature evolved from legends with strong political and religious influences to more profound works, including the epic poems 'Iliad' and 'Odyssey.' New forms of writing such as essays emerged, along with diverse themes like philosophy treaties and postulates. Aristotle's 'Poetics' marked the first classification of literary genres into lyric, narrative, and dramatic genres, later expanded to include didactic genres and subgenres.

With the absorption of Greek culture by the Roman Empire, literature expanded significantly across nations. The Latin alphabet, from which Romance languages like Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and others derived, facilitated the spread of literature. The term 'Romance languages' refers to languages derived from Latin, making them easier to learn due to their shared roots, unlike languages like English.

The Latin alphabet, originating from Latin, is shared by all countries speaking languages derived from Latin, including most of America, excluding the United States and Canada. The term 'Latin America' encompasses these countries, highlighting their linguistic connection to Latin.