GRAPHIC LINGUISTICS: Delineating the Advancement of Writing Systems in the European Linguocultures

This article highlights the general reception of the evolution of writing. The development of writing as a system of signs is under consideration. It is ascertained that writing is a basic concept of graphical linguistics as its separate branch, and graphics is an underlying principle of each ethnos linguoculture, which is fixed in the process of language formation. It is accepted that writing is a crucial invention of mankind since it stimulated the further development and transmission of information. The initial form of writing was launched by the ancient Sumerians and Egyptians. The stages of writing development from pictographic to letter-sound are specified. In spite of regarding the emergence of new types of writing as a process of human evolution, such a form of writing as pictography – an extra-lingual sign system – remains relevant today, and it is used to transmit information intended for various ethnic groups. The development of letter-sound writing is traced, as well as its shift from the consonantal-sound type to the vocalized-sound writing, the emergence of the first alphabet (Phoenician) with consonants only. The paper then discusses the transition of the Phoenician alphabet to the Greek writing, which was supplemented with new graphemes to represent vowels, making it a vocalized-sound writing system. The article then goes on to characterize the different types of writing systems according to the form, size, and style of their letters. Moreover, the borrowing of individual letters from the Greek alphabet for the development of writing in the European linguocultures is also mentioned. The chain-like development of the Greek alphabet is observed, which led to the rise of the Latin alphabet. The article concludes by finding that the majority of European languages have a Latin-graphic background, simultaneously, the alphabet has become a prominent feature of each language, reflecting the history of the linguoculture of a particular nation. Key words: writing, writing system, pictography, letter-sound writing, Greek alphabet.