Most of the world’s languages are written alphabetically; in an alphabetic writing system the basic components represent sounds only without any reference to meaning. For example, the letter “b” in ...

The discovery of 5,000-year-old linguistic inscriptions predates by 1,400 years the earliest known Chinese writing and matches the age of the oldest known human writing in Mesopotamia. (via ...

Is the Chinese writing system a sufficient reason on its own to guarantee that Mandarin will not become a global language like English? That’s what someone asked me after I discussed the prima facie ...

BREAKING: Justice Department indicts former FBI Director James Comey over photo on social media news Alerts There are no new alerts at this time BEIJING — Archaeologists say they have discovered some ...

Chronology of China -- Part I. Theories and Philosophies of Writing -- 1. The Nature of Chinese Writing -- 2. Traditions of Inquiry on Language and Writing -- 3. What Is Writing? -- Part II. The ...

Michael uncovers clues to China’s first dynasty, the Shang, in a traditional drug store. Michael Wood tells how China’s greatest archaeological discovery started with a packet of over the counter ...

CHICAGO One of the stars of the Oriental Institute’s new show, “Visible Language: Inventions of Writing in the Ancient Middle East and Beyond,” is a clay tablet that dates from around 3200 B.C. On it, ...

To understand Chinese culture, it is necessary to go back to the very beginning of its civilisation. In this series, we look at the most influential dynasties in Chinese history and how each, with its ...