Abstract—In the following paper, I will compare and contrast
the development of script in two different writing systems: the
Mayan and the Chinese. This paper will demonstrate how each
system employed writing to map language into a durable
technology for communication. By doing so, I will provide the
general information that introduces readers to the origin,
purpose, and function of the two writing systems. Through
analysis of the development of Mayan and Chinese writing
systems, the paper also shows that significant aspects of culture
were preserved and transmitted by written materials as they
contribute to the continuation of the two civilizations. This
approach also has the benefit of emphasizing the strong
relationship between culture and writing. Studying the origins,
development, and use of writing in these two cultures mitigates
against the tendency to devalue certain cultures. A study of both
Chinese and Mayan writing is especially important since both
cultures developed scripts that did not borrow from the writing
systems of other civilizations.
Index Terms—Writing system, logograph, hieroglyph.
Yi Chen is with the Vanke Meisha Academy, China (e-mail:
chenyi@stu.vma.edu.cn).
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Cite:Yi Chen, "Making History Possible: Logograph in China and Hieroglyph in Central America," International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 73-80, 2021.