In search of the 'perfect fit' between speech and writing. The case of the Linear B writing.
Chapter
Publication Date:
2016
abstract:
The article reviews the structure and the functioning of the Linear B syllabic script in view of its
adequacy and its defects in the rendering of Greek utterances preserved in the tablets of the archives.
Putting together a number of observations, both of external and internal nature (literacy, status of the
scribes on the one side; structure of the syllabary, spelling rules, development of sematography on the
other), the Author claims that the Linear B syllabary was perfectly adequate for the intended purposes,
and a sign of its success lies in its use throughout the entire duration of the Mycenaean kingdoms.
adequacy and its defects in the rendering of Greek utterances preserved in the tablets of the archives.
Putting together a number of observations, both of external and internal nature (literacy, status of the
scribes on the one side; structure of the syllabary, spelling rules, development of sematography on the
other), the Author claims that the Linear B syllabary was perfectly adequate for the intended purposes,
and a sign of its success lies in its use throughout the entire duration of the Mycenaean kingdoms.
Iris type:
2.1 Contributo in volume (Capitolo o Saggio)
Keywords:
Linear B, syllabic writing, mycenaean dialect, scribes, literacy, ancient Mediterranean
List of contributors:
Consani, Carlo
Full Text:
Book title:
Variation within and among Writing Systems