Thanks for this and thanks for the link to The Idea Of Language. Blair Bolles’ line, “(T)he birth of writing does not reflect an improved brain but a new idea ” is a fulcrum. I’ve always understood that the written word is a metaphor for the spoke word.

Bolles seems to be saying that the written word is a tool, and I agree with this idea. It explains the many problems we have with teaching and learning today.

Humans are toolmakers and this skill comes almost naturally to most. What doesn’t come naturally is the know-how to use already invented tools. This has to be learnt from scratch through a contrived process. Not so the skill to use speech.

Catchya later
from Middle-earth