Well, I guess we need an idea/rough concept, before we do the actual thing
Edit: on second thought, how do we even know that it predates writing, when there are no records of it?
Well, I guess we need an idea/rough concept, before we do the actual thing
Edit: on second thought, how do we even know that it predates writing, when there are no records of it?
It's common for words used to mean "write" to predate writing. "Write" itself predates writing by thousands of years.
It's very common for words used to mean "write" to predate writing. "Write" itself predates writing by thousands of years.
Please tell me more
Words that mean "write" usually originate as a meaning shift of an already existing word that meant "scratch", "draw", "carve", or the like.
This is also the case with "write", which is originally from the Proto-Indo-European root that meant "rip" or "tear", which became "carve", and then finally "write" in late Proto-Germanic/early Old English.
The only straightforward ways I can think of to get a brand new word meaning "write" after the fact would be to either: 1) coin it somehow, possibly by compounding existing morphemes or 2) borrow it directly from a language whose people already practiced writing. I'm not aware of any examples of this, but even though they are likely rare they probably do exist.
There's also verbalization of writing-related nouns, such as the case of pen (v.), e.g. "I penned a letter." Of course the noun developed first.
White historians are weird, amirite?
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