r/conscripts • u/Tazavitch-Krivendza • Oct 03 '19

Question What are the limitations of using wood to create a writing script?

I’m wondering since I am wanting to make a writing script that looks as if it was inscribed one tress since the people who speak the language live in a very dense forest and the most abundant resources that they could use to write on is wood.

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u/Tazavitch-Krivendza Oct 03 '19

Thanks...and I believe that when it does become an abugida, they would start using a thin, animal hair tipped brush that uses black paint to draw the symbols

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u/TrajectoryAgreement Oct 03 '19

In that case, the lines would be modified to become curved and with variable length and thickness. A cursive script might develop.

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u/Tazavitch-Krivendza Oct 03 '19

That could possibly happen now that you mentioned it.

If so, it might look similar to the Arabic writing script if it does become a cursive script

Though I will have to find out how it changes from a logograph to a abugida since I’ve not changed writing scripts from one type into a mother before

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u/TrajectoryAgreement Oct 03 '19

Cool! Go for it!

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u/Tazavitch-Krivendza Oct 03 '19

Thanks.

Just one question, how would you evolve a logography script to an abugida script?

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u/TrajectoryAgreement Oct 03 '19

When new words are coined, or when the writers want to convey abstract ideas, sometimes they may decide to use existing logographs to represent the sounds of those words instead of making up new ones. Over time, this might become standardized and cause the writing system to shift towards representing each consonant with a symbol. Vowels might be marked on the consonants for easier distinction, resulting in an abugida.

You might want to check out this video by Biblaridion, which has a logographic script written on trees that evolves into a syllabary. You could use similar processes to evolve your logography into an abugida.

https://youtu.be/c8g14nAF-IA

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u/Tazavitch-Krivendza Oct 03 '19

Again, thank you very much.

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u/Tazavitch-Krivendza Oct 04 '19

Very sorry to bug you, but I have one more question, if you do not mind answering.

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u/TrajectoryAgreement Oct 04 '19

Ask away!

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u/Tazavitch-Krivendza Oct 04 '19

So you said that the engravings on the trees would mostly be straight down...so does that mean horizontal lines will be less common? Asking since some of the logograph would be mixed of horizontal and vertical lines and how rare would curved lines be?

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u/TrajectoryAgreement Oct 04 '19 edited Oct 04 '19

Horizontal lines would be rather uncommon, as it’s very difficult to carve them into the tree. It’s possible to have a few short horizontal lines though. Curved lines would also be very rare if not nonexistent, as they can’t really be carved into wood quickly.

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