Newsgroups: sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!europa.chnt.gtegsc.com!news.mathworks.com!news.kei.com!wang!news
From: bruck@actcom.co.il (Uri Bruck)
Subject: Re: Languages' Direction?
Organization: ACTCOM - Internet Services in Israel
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 1995 07:45:33 GMT
Message-ID: <DBn9Jy.2p3@actcom.co.il>
References: <3ttus6$epv@imag.imag.fr>
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Abdel-Basset Assimi (Abboud.Assimi@imag.fr) wrote:
: Hi everyone,

: I'm looking for the origins of differnces existing in written languages'
: direction. Why Arabic is written right to left, Engilish left to right
: and traditional Chinese up to down?
: Does anyone know something about that?

: many thanks :=)

There were some ancient inscription found which were written 'as the bull 
plows'- one line right to left, the next line left to right, and so on.

One could make a guess. Early inscriptions are found carved in stone,
and for right handed people, the majority, it is easier to carve letters,
from R2L than the other way.

English follows Latin, so the question is really why is Latin written
L2R. This could have to do with an earlier tradition, that came before the 
Early phonician alphabet was exported to Europe.
One could also guess that In Europe people already wrote with some sort
of ink. For right-handed people it is easier to write with ink L2R, this way 
they don't smear the previously written characters.

I'm sure that if your question has not elicited enough response, my reply 
sure would.
Uri Bruck
bruck@actcom.co.il

