Origins of Writing

Abstract

Writing has only 5–6 thousand years in human history. Initially, writing (or prewriting) was a visuoconstructive ability, later it included an ideomotor praxis skill, and finally it became a linguistic ability (i.e., associating a pictogram with a word, and further analyzing the word in its constituting sounds). Three major disorders in writing can be observed as a result of brain pathology: visuoconstructive, praxic, and linguistic. Writing represents a complex “functional system” that requires, and is based on, some fundamental abilities. Although many different brain areas are involved in writing, some time ago, it was assumed that there was a kind of “writing center” located in the second frontal gyrus (Exner’s area). Contemporary neuroimaging studies have significantly advanced the understanding of the brain organization of writing, and have supported the idea that writing requires the activation of a complex brain system involving different areas. Those brain areas are specially localized in the left hemisphere, and usually include a frontal premotor segment and a temporoparietal component. Clinical observations and functional studies have demonstrated that the brain organization of writing is not completely coincidental across different writing systems. The introduction of new writing devices, such as the computer, has resulted in new writing disorders syndrome. It is concluded that writing clearly illustrates the need for a cultural historical analysis of human cognition.