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The left to right of history

Skoyles, Dr. John R. (1998) The left to right of history. [Preprint]

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Abstract

The Greek alphabet parallels the historical West since all European and European colonized societies either write with it, or one of its descendents. The Greek alphabet fully and completely spells speech vowels. Due to this it was the first phonologically transparent script. Moreover, it is the only transparent script that has historically been used to preserve in the vernacular the main texts containing a society’s traditional, religious and legal legitimacy (elsewhere transparent scripts have existed [India, Korea, Japan] but they were kept away from this function). The Greek alphabet (and other phonologically transparent scripts) are also the only paper written scripts that are written to the right. This is anomalous because rightward writing is easier than the leftward one for right-handers (the leftward is easier for lefthanders but they were in the minority in the ancient as much as the modern world). Here it is argued that this is due to left hemisphere literacy. This hemisphere is linked to rightward eye movements and so rightward writing (and vice versa, the right side of the brain to leftward eye movements and leftward writing). This hemisphere shift in literacy was caused by the phonological transparency of the ancient Greek alphabet that acted to restrict its processing to the left hemisphere. Earlier ancient writing, it is proposed, was read with the right hemisphere (and this caused them to be read with leftward eye movements and so written to the left). The left hemisphere literacy of the Greeks caused its readers to be more left hemisphere minded and so more analytical in regard to authority, ideas and the social group. This biased societies using the Greek alphabet and its descendents to demand rational explanations and become more individualistic while being less respectful of authorities and adverse to collectivism.

Item Type:Preprint
Keywords:reading, literacy, right hemisphere, left hemisphere, phonological transparency, alphabet, eye movements, history, Greek civilization
Subjects:Neuroscience > Neurolinguistics
Psychology > Psycholinguistics
Neuroscience > Neuropsychology
ID Code:6281
Deposited By:Skoyles, Dr. John R.
Deposited On:24 Nov 2008 23:46
Last Modified:24 Nov 2008 23:46

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