Vivian Cook: The English Writing System
The English Writing System by Vivian Cook (2003). You can read the ToC and about 6 other pages (any page) on Google Print (link may not work as Google uses strict session control). On Amazon Inside the Book, you can read part of Ch 1.
I have trouble judging the quality of the book from the pages I was able to see. Cook categorized writing systems as "meaning-based", "sound-based" (that’s as far as I could read from Amazon). Not surprisingly, Chinese is taken as an example of a meaning-based system. The main evidence is that Chinese readers of multually unintelligible dialets nonetheless can understand the message in the writing. I know exactly what John DeFrancis would say. Maybe Cook expanded on his argument later in the chapters (unlikely given this is about English), but I was not impressed at the first glance.
The English Writing System
(Google Print does not provide a static URL for the book cover, so I have to advertize for Amazon here)
by V J Cook
Synopsis
The English Language series, which is international in focus, aims to synthesize the wealth of existing linguistic research both on and in English. The English Writing System describes how writing is not simply ancillary to other aspects of language but vitally important to almost everything we do. This book discusses the mechanics of the writing systems of English; the different ways people process words on a page and the mistakes they can make; how children and second language learners acquire these systems; the historical development of the language and the progress of writing technology; in short, the effectiveness of the writing systems of English.
Related information
Bibliographic information
Title The English Writing System Author(s) V J Cook Publisher Oxford University Press US Publication Date April 1, 2004 Subject Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy Format Hardcover Pages 340 Dimensions 6.30 x 9.46 x 0.72 in ISBN 0340808632
About the author from his personal website:
Vivian Cook worked as a lecturer in EFL in Ealing Technical College, then as Director of the Language Service at North East London Polytechnic and as Reader at Essex University. Since October 2004 he has been Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Newcastle. He is chiefly known for his work on L2 learning and for his book on Chomsky. Current interests are the English writing system, the design of course materials and the multi-competence view of L2 acquisition. Founder and first President of the European Second Language Association. e-mail: Vivian.Cook@ncl.ac.uk
and from the official website:
Vivian Cook
Vivian Cook is Professor of Applied Linguistics. He was the first President of EUROSLA (European Second Language Association) between 1991 and 1993 and Secretary General till 1997. He is/has been member of the editorial board of Studies in Second Language Acquisition; Second Language Research; Syntax; and Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics. He is author/editor of 10 academic books and eight textbooks. Amongst these, Chomsky’s Universal Grammar has gone into third edition and has Japanese, Italian, Korean and Chinese translations; and Second Language Learning and Language Teaching has also gone into third edition with Japanese and Chinese translations.
June 13th, 2005 at 12:21 am e
I do know what DeFrancis would say. All true writing systems are sound-based, and some differentiate for meaning as well.
Here is what Cook said about Chinese.
“Chinese has taken this to the extreme by having a single written form unconnected to speech that Chinese can read all over the world, regardless of what kind of Chinese they speak.”
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/vivian.c/Writings/Shorts/SpellingStrop.htm
Someone should tell him that all writing systems record speech but they are either segmental or syllabic.
I have just started a blog about writing systems at
http://abecedaria.blogspot.com
June 13th, 2005 at 9:44 pm e
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