Download The Alphabet Effect: The Impact of the Phonetic Alphabet on the Development of Western Civilization fb2

by Robert K. Logan

Anthropology

Author:

Robert K. Logan
ISBN:

0312009933
ISBN13:

978-0312009939
Genre:

Social Sciences
Publisher:

St Martins Pr (September 1, 1987)
Pages:

272 pages
Subcategory:

Anthropology
Language:

English
FB2 format

1209 kb
ePUB format

1680 kb
DJVU format

1940 kb
Rating:

4.9
Votes:

647
Formats:

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Robert K. Logan may be stretching it a bit but after reading this book you might look at the impact of the phonetic alphabet in a new light. I don't believe that the phonetic alphabet led to the development of monotheism

Robert K. I don't believe that the phonetic alphabet led to the development of monotheism. Logan points out that the Greeks were the first to perfect the phonetic alphabet by adding vowels. Yet, the Greeks were polytheistic, as were the Romans. This book does assemble a lot of interesting facts and data, which are flying together in loose formation.

The alphabet effect : the impact of the phonetic alphabet on the development of Western civilization. by. Logan, Robert . f. 1939.

The Alphabet Effect book. See a Problem? We’d love your help. Details (if other): Cancel. Thanks for telling us about the problem. The Alphabet Effect: The Impact Of The Phonetic Alphabet On The Development Of Western Civilization.

the characteristics of Eastern and Western civilizations, and argues that the alphabet led to the development of linear logic. This book has a message: the rise in the West of codified law, monotheism, theoretical science, logic, and individualism was fostered by the phonetic alphabet.

Describes the evolution of writing, compares the characteristics of Eastern and Western civilizations, and argues that the alphabet led to the development of linear logic. Unfortunately, the message is not. 17. The Beginning of True Writing. 30. Why the Chinese Never Developed an Alphabet.

is a highly credible hypothesis. com User, October 26, 2006. I'm no linguist and therefore cannot assess the scholarly authority of this book - I came upon it by good chance. What I can say as a layman is that this 272-page book puts forward a credible hypothesis.

Traces the development of the alphabet, compares Eastern and Western .

Traces the development of the alphabet, compares Eastern and Western writing systems, and argues that the computer is reducing cultural differences. Unfortunately, the message is not substantiated. Logan may argue that the phonetic alphabet possesses "logic," but where is the logic in a random list of alphabetized words: aardvark, abacus, acrobat, admirable? Yet many Chinese dictionaries are logical, grouping related words under the appropriate sign.

The Arabs in the First Communication Revolution: The Development of the Arabic Script.

He intimates that the Western abstract, phonetic alphabet resulted in our civilization evolving in a rational, scientific . A study of the evolution of writing systems, particularly as regards the role played by the phonetic alphabet in the development of Western civilization.

He intimates that the Western abstract, phonetic alphabet resulted in our civilization evolving in a rational, scientific, monotheistic manner. This he compares to the logographic form as developed by the Chinese, where each word is represented by a picture. Logan (physics/University of Toronto) has collaborated in the past with Marshall McLuhan, Alvin Toffler, and Ivan Illich, and his work as presented here shows their influence, particularly McLuhan's.

The alphabet effect is a group of hypotheses in communication theory arguing that phonetic writing, and alphabetic scripts in particular, have served to promote and encourage the cognitive skills of abstraction, analysis, coding, decoding, and classi.

the impact of the phonetic alphabet on the development of western civilization. 1st ed. by Robert K. Logan. Published 1986 by Morrow in New York.

Traces the development of the alphabet, compares Eastern and Western writing systems, and argues that the computer is reducing cultural differences

Chankane

If you are interested in learning about the phonetic alphabet and its origins, this is a great book. It is easy to read, entertaining and rich in historic details that certainly required extensive ressearch. It provides an intuitive (however flawed) overview of the influence of the phonetic alphabet in cognition and, as a consquence, human inteligence.
In my opinion the book understated the importance of treasuring books and literacy, a cultural habit indispensable for information to "jump" generations that lacked great minds.
This book is also helpful to understand the importance of the printing press in the Industrial Revolution, the closest paralel to today's automation and technology revolution.

Skilkancar

This is a very interesting and enlightening classic work on the influence of the alphabet on world history and especially culture and economy. Scholarly but written very clearly.

Agarus

The author makes many assumptions but does provide a great deal of useful information. I would recommend this as a backup to other sources for context.

Arith

It was a gift to my daughter. She's very happy and the book is perfect in all ways. Thanks

Gaxaisvem

This book brings out the tremendous effect of the phonic alphabet in ways that most people do not consider. For example, in the Chinese and Japanese symbol systems, there is no way to alphabetise a list such as a telephone directory. The book is easy reading. I recommend it highly. My only criticism is that the author did not follow a smooth time sequence. The time line in the book bounced around possibly too much.

Zodama

Robert K. Logan has a theory that “The Impact of the Phonetic Alphabet on the Development of the Western Civilization” is responsible for more than just communication. In this book he takes time to describe and support his theory.

It is always interesting to follow the single theories and see how one can look at the world. In “Guns Germs and Steel,” by Jared Damond it’s how the world is built. My favorites are the ones that economics shape the world. Then there is “Newspeak”; if you cannot say it you cannot express it.

Back to the thrust of this book, a chapter list gives the best view of what Robert Logan is trying to say:
Chapter 1: Alphabet, Mother of Invention
Chapter 2: The Invention of the Mother of Invention
Chapter 3: A Comparison of Eastern and Western Writing Systems and Their Impact on Cultural Patterns
Chapter 4: The Development of Phonetic Writing and Codified Law in Mesopotamia
Chapter 5: Alphabet, Monotheism, and the Hebrews, the People of the Book
Chapter 6: The Phonetic Alphabet and the Origins of Greek Science and Logic
Chapter 7: The Impact of Alphabetic Writing on the Greek Spirit
Chapter 8: The Hellenistic and Roman World Empires
Chapter 9: The Arabs and Islamic Culture
Chapter 10: Numerical Notations and the Mystery of Zero
Chapter 11: The Middle Ages and the Return of Alphabetic Literacy
Chapter 12: The Printing Press: Enhancing the Alphabet Effect
Chapter 13: Print, the Alphabet, and Science
Chapter 14: The Social and Cultural Impact of the Printing Press
Chapter 15: The Alphabet in the Context of the Electronic Age of Information

For further reading, be sure to look at the source notes.

Robert K. Logan may be stretching it a bit but after reading this book you might look at the impact of the phonetic alphabet in a new light.

shustrik

I'm no linguist and therefore cannot assess the scholarly authority of this book - I came upon it by good chance. What I can say as a layman is that this 272-page book puts forward a credible hypothesis.

The book describes a bunch of stuff about the phonetic alphabet: its genesis and comparative impact on the development of Western Civilization. The author strongly believes that the phonetic alphabet is the "Mother of Invention". I have some qualms with that designation, but not strong enough to dismiss the hypothesis. My problem is that if the phonetic alphabet is the Mother of Invention, then why is its impact limited to Western Civilization?

What appears reasonable to me is that the phonetic alphabet has been a good parent (mother or father) to the diffusion of inventions across time and space. In that capacity the phonetic alphabet facilitated scientific writing, which in turn enhanced the communication of scientific ideas. However, success did not depend on its mere existence, but more than anything on the fact that the phonetic alphabet was more cross-cultural than its predecessors and some contemporaries. For example, I like learning of the links between Canaanite and Egyptian writings the book makes. These links suggest that the efficiency of the phonetic alphabet benefited from the little resistance to adoption it faced. There was little resistance because different cultures recognized a bit of themselves in the phonetic alphabet as it evolved. This cross-fertilization explains why initial growth was fastest in the Middle Eastern region, including Ethiopia.

The book walks the line between scholarship and political correctedness deftly. For example, it clearly sees the joint determination between language and economic progress as an aspect of civilization. However, it is important to note that while the codifying properties of phonetic alphabet made the production of information efficient, nowadays (in 2006), the display (consumption) of information more and more takes the form of icons. Still there is a lot to learn from this book.

Growth and change economists (and here I do know a little about what I am talking about) often include a language dummy variable in their attempts to explain the economic performance of nations. A negative sign on the language variable would be interpreted as the presence of unproductive fractionalization - an inference that arches back to the biblical story of Babel. I am not so sure that language alone, whether based on thephonetic alphabet or not, can effectively prevent purposeful activities. According to the book Chinese writing was not conducive to scientific progress. If correct, then we should have a hard time explaining China's rapid progress today. Despite my quarrels, this ia a very good book.

H. V. Amavilah, Author
Modeling Income Determinants in Embedded Economies : Cross-section Applications to US Native American Economies
ISBN: 1600210465

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