Rethinking writing / by Roy Harris.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harris, Roy, 1931-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Written communication.

Literacy.

Semiotics.

Physical Description:

xvi, 254 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Bloomington : Indiana University Press, 2000.

Summary:

The traditional Western view of writing, from Aristotle to the present day, has treated the written word as a visual substitute for the spoken word. The eminent Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) was the first to provide this traditional assumption with a reasoned basis by incorporating it into a more general theory of signs.

In the wake of Saussure's work, modern linguistics has ignored or marginalized writing in favor of the study of speech.

Roy Harris shows that the theory of writing adopted in modern linguistics is deeply flawed. Reversing the orthodox priorities, he argues that writing is a far more powerful mode of linguistic communication than speech ever could be. Rethinking Writing is a major contribution to current debates about human communication, written and spoken.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [243]-249) and index.

ISBN:

0253337763

OCLC:

43657155