Overview

In ""Signs of Writing"", Roy Harris re-examines basic questions about writing that have long been obscured by the traditional assumption that writing is merely a visual substitute for speech. By treating writing as an independent mode of communication, based on the use of spatial relations to connect events separated in time, the author shows how musical, mathematical and other forms of writing obey the same principles as verbal writing. These principles, he argues, apply to texts of all kinds: a sonnet, a symphonic score, a signature on a cheque and a supermarket label. Moreover, they apply throughout the history of writing, from hieroglyphics to hypertext. This is the first book to provide a new general theory of writing in over forty years. ""Signs of Writing"" should serve as reading for anyone interested in language and communication.

Full Product Details

Author:   Roy Harris, Jr. ,  Roy Harris, Jr.
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 1.90cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.560kg
ISBN:  

9780415100885

ISBN 10:   0415100887
Pages:   208
Publication Date:   21 December 1995
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Introduction Part I A theory of writing 1 Perspectives on writing 2 Integrational semiology 3 A theory of writing 4 A theory of written communication 5 Writing and temporality 6 Writing and space 7 A theory of the written sign 8 A theory of writing systems 9 Forming, processing and interpretation Part II Topics in the theory of the written sign 10 Signs, emblems and tokens 11 The signature 12 Sign and signification Part III Topics in the theory of writing systems 13 Writing, script and chart 14 Scripts and levels 15 Scripts and notations 16 Script and structure Part IV Topics in the theory of written communication 17 The writing surface 18 Graphic space 19 Direction 20 Non-glottic writing: mathematics 21 Other forms of non-glottic writing Part V Postscript 22 Writing, context and culture 23 Writing and thought.

Reviews

' ... this is a stimulating book which clearly advances the study of semiotics generally and should achieve a wide readership.' - Journal of Literary Semantics, 1998 'By giving us the beginnings of a general semiotic theory of writing that encomasses far more than speech or language alone, Roy Harris makes a contribution to our understanding how language functions in the pervasive multimedia contexts of modern life. Signs of Writing is also nearly unique as a modern examination of these issues. Take a look.' - Functions of Language

A major theoretical statement by one of the best known theorists of language in the English-speaking world. This book will immediately become the authoritative text on the theory of writing. -Talbot Taylor, College of William and Mary

A major theoretical statement by one of the best known theorists of language in the English-speaking world. This book will immediately become the authoritative text on the theory of writing. <br>-Talbot Taylor, College of William and Mary <br>

Author Information

Roy Harris is Emeritus Professor of General Linguistics at Oxford University and is the author of numerous publications, including The Language-Makers, The Language Myth, The Language Machine and The Origin of Writing.

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