Re: Direction of writing (was: Ayeri: Menan Coyalayamoena ena McGuffey)

Hallo!

On Sun, 10 Apr 2005 18:56:50 +0100,
Ray Brown <ray.brown@...> wrote:

> On Saturday, April 9, 2005, at 10:21 , Muke Tever wrote:
>
> > Benct Philip Jonsson <bpj@...> wrote:
> >> Carsten Becker skrev:
> >>
> >>> [1] This raises a question: The Proto-Semitics, were they
> >>> mostly left-handed, or why are semitic languages written
> >>> from right to left? It would be more natural for a
> >>> left-handed person.
>
> As far as I know, there is no evidence that Proto-Semites were more prone
> to lefthandedness. I have been told that it is to do with the medium of
> writing. Certainly, when writing on something like paper, the
> left-to-right direction is easier for righthanders (darn shadows get in
> the way if you go right-to-left, and you smudge the ink  :)
>
> But I am told that if you scratch or engrave on a hard surface, it is more
> 'natural' for righthanders to work from right-to-left. I do not know how
> string the evidence is.
>
> I believe that where scripts are written right-to-left, righthanders often
> do handwriting in columns - top to bottom, starting on the left - then,
> when the page is turn 90 degrees rightwards, the writing appears as it
> should!
ObConlang: The Old Albic script uses an unusual writing direction:
bottom to top, starting on the left.  (There are natlang precedents
for this, namely Tifinagh and Ogham.)  I find that strangely natural
to me (and I am right-handed).

Greetings,

Jörg.

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