Writing Systems

LTR vs. RTL: The Direction of Writing Compared

Ever wondered why English is written left-to-right while Arabic is written right-to-left? This post explores the fascinating history behind the…

2 weeks ago

The QWERTY Problem: Typing in a Non-Latin World

How do you type a language with thousands of characters on a keyboard with only a few dozen keys? The…

3 weeks ago

The Language of the Looms: Jacquard’s Code

Long before Silicon Valley, a different kind of code was being written—not in silicon, but in cardboard and thread. The…

3 weeks ago

The Scytale: Sparta’s Rolling Cipher

Long before digital encryption, the ancient Spartans secured their military secrets with a simple but ingenious device: the Scytale. This…

3 weeks ago

The Language of Icons: A Global Code

The male/female silhouette on a bathroom door and the Wi-Fi symbol on a café window are part of a global,…

3 weeks ago

The Uncracked Minoan Code: Linear A

We can read the sounds of the ancient Minoan script, Linear A, but we have no idea what the words…

3 weeks ago

Glagolitic: The Lost Slavic Alphabet

Before the familiar Cyrillic script dominated Eastern Europe, there was another, more mysterious alphabet designed for the Slavic people. We…

3 weeks ago

How to Invent an Alphabet

Ever dreamed of creating your own alphabet? This guide delves into the art and science of script creation, exploring the…

3 weeks ago

Arabizi: The Internet’s Hybrid Arabic Script

Arabizi is the internet’s hybrid Arabic script, an ingenious solution to typing Arabic sounds on Latin keyboards using numbers like…

3 weeks ago

The Emperor’s Alphabet: The Story of Phags-pa Script

In the 13th century, Kublai Khan commissioned a single, official script to unite the vast, multilingual Mongol Empire. The result…

3 weeks ago

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