-
There have recently been discoveries of tortoise-shell carvings dating back to c. 6000 BC, like Jiahu Script and Banpo Script, but whether or not the carvings are complex enough to qualify as writing is under debate. In China there was a discovery of 3,172 cliff carvings with 8,453 individual characters. These look very similar to Chinese scripts. If these are judged to be complex enough to be considered a language making it the oldest recorded language in the world.
-
-
Sumer developed what is currently considered the worlds earliest complex language of cuneiform. This script was written upon clay tablets using a wedge shaped stylus thus earning it the name cuneiform.
-
Egypt is evidenced to have developed a written language using Hieroglyphs around 3100 BC. It is unknown whether it happened before or after Sumer's Cuneiform as Evidence points both ways. I think it happened shortly after Cuneiform and was influenced by it so I placed it as later than Cuneiform.
-
Though this timeline is meant to be on the written word I felt it prudent to include some reference points for the development of Literature because of how important it is in writing. The beginning of Literature as best I could find out is somewhere around 2500 BC.
-
The first alphabets to map single specific sounds to single specific symbols are developed. (Proper Phoentics) These first appear in Ancient Egypt.
-
"Linear B" is a script that was used in ancient Mycenaean Greece.
-
The earliest confirmed Chinese script is from the Shang dynasty. This is of particular import because it is very commonly believed that they developed their script without any influence or connection to Cuneiform.
-
The Greek and Aramaic alphabets are derived from the Phoenician alphabet that is itself derived from Egyptian Hieroglyphs and is the oldest alphabet.
-
This is a stone slab with 3,000-year-old writing from ancient Mesoamerica. The glyphs are picture based so it isn't widely determined whether it is writing or proto-writing.
-
Greek being the base for all European languages, Latin is very important because it is the most widespread variation of greek. Because the Romans (500BC) adopted it and stamped out most other greek dialects through their military conquest.
-
With the adoption of the Aramaic alphabet by Persia, the script becomes widespread throughout the middle east and India. Now, most languages of those regions are based on Aramaic, including Hebrew.
-
With the collapse of the Roman empire around 500 AD language development was primarily confined to the Eastern Roman Empire and Persia.
-
The rise of Islam in the 7th century caused Arabic to rapidly increase in popularity and usage. Arabic became the new language of scholarship (replacing Greek) and Persia adopted this new language.
-
The Renaissance revived Greek and Latin as significant languages. this caused a boom in the development of European languages. At the same time Arabic began to decline with the fall of the Islamic Golden Age.
-
Sejong the Great of the Choson Dynasty and his scholars of the Jade Hall developed Koreas first written language, Hangul.
-
The widespread application of printing presses allow for even greater Literary development.
-
By the year 1950 Compulsory education has become commonplace in most countries. This increases the population of people who are literate which furthers development of the Written Word.
-
With access to the internet and the creation of instant messaging and email, language begins to change drastically.
-
With the creation of 2G cellular networks, Mobile Phones quickly become commonplace. This allows people to communicate with someone else at any time not matter distance or other factors.
-
Smartphones allow for great ease of communication, internet access, and cause a huge spike in social media platforms and instant/SMS messaging. This heightens the quick development of slang and texting acronyms such as txt and irl.
-
Common written language splits into two scripts, one filled with acronyms, slang and emojis/pictures. The other taking more scientific and literary techniques remaining traditional while still developing.
