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From: lilandbr@scn.org (Liland Brajant ROS')
Subject: Easter Is. Boustrophedon (was: Re: Japanese right-to-left [was Re: Wendic names]) Reply-To: lilandbr@scn.org (Liland Brajant ROS')
Message-ID: <EEIu1H.A2L@scn.org>
Sender: news@scn.org
Organization: Seattle Community Network
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 1997 02:10:29 GMT
Lines: 37


In the May 1997 issue of _Monato_ (an Esperanto-language newsmagazine, on 
p. 22) there's a full-page story (entitled "Unu mistero solvita") by one 
Bradley Kendal on the Easter Island "rongorongo" inscriptions and the recently 
proposed decipherment thereof by the New Zealand linguist Steven Fisher.  

What qaught my eye and prompted me to post this is the following:

	There are two kinds [of boustrophedon], that in which the letters
	are the same in both directions of writing, and that in which the
	letters in alternating lines are mirror images.  But the "rongorongo"
	exhibits a seemingly unique variation:  reading them, when he 
	reached the end of a line, the Easter Islander turned the tablet
	180 degrees, because the next line was written upside down!

(original text below)

Is this true?  Or did the readers learn to read upside down to save 
themselves the trouble of flipping the tablets?  Are there any other 
examples of such a writing system?  

Also, what do you all think of Dr. Fisher's proposed deciphering?

Ato de ne...
Liland


"Ekzistas du specoj, tiu en kiu la literoj samas en ambaux skribodirektoj,
kaj tiu en kiu la literoj en la alternaj linioj estas spegulbildoj.  Sed 
la *rongorongo* montras varion, versxajne unikan: legante ilin, kiam li 
atingis la finon de linio, la paskinsulano turnis la tabelojn 180 
gradojn, cxar la sekva linio estis skribita renversite!"
--
L B Ros'     |tel: 206 |  "... Vi estas la modera homo, la netakseble valora
UEA-D Seatla |     633 |  subrimenisto de la malica homo. Vi, la modera homo,
204 N 39th St|____2434_|  povas uzigxi por maljusto, sed senutilas por justo."
Seattle WA 98103 Usono |        -- Herman MELVILLE, _La Konfidigisto_, cx. 21
