Handbook of Nonlinear Writing Systems

This book provides rich and varied insights into a diverse range of writing systems, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Alphasyllabaries (Abugidas), Abjads, and other lesser-studied writing systems. It also covers alphabetic writing systems with diacritics, such as Roman script. These writing systems contrast with the Roman script used for English, which is written in a left-to-right linear order without diacritics. This book explores the challenges of learning to read and write these different writing systems. This book is divided into nine parts: (1) Introduction, (2) Alphabetic Writing Systems (3) Chinese, (4) Japanese, (5) Korean, (6) Abugidas or Alphasyllabaries, (7) Under-studied Writing Systems, (8) Abjads, and (9) Implications and Future Research. The 39 chapters, written by leading specialists from around the world, offer scientifically grounded discussions on the complex mechanisms involved in reading and writing nonlinear writing systems. Accessible to students, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, this book serves as an invaluable reference for future research and practice.