science

List of creators of writing systems

List of creators of writing systems is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of creators of writing systems rather than just read about it. In short: This is an alphabetical list of any individuals, legendary or real, who are purported by traditions to have invented alphabets or other writing systems, whether this is proven or not. A Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa – German alchemist, created the Transitus Fluvii, Malachim, and Celestial Alphabets, c. 1525.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

This is an alphabetical list of any individuals, legendary or real, who are purported by traditions to have invented alphabets or other writing systems, whether this is proven or not.

A Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa – German alchemist, created the Transitus Fluvii, Malachim, and Celestial Alphabets, c. 1525. Guru Angad – Sikh Guru, ascribed invention of Gurmukhi script c. 1539 according to tradition. Anigouran – Tuareg folk hero, ascribed invention of Tifinagh according to tradition

B Celadet Bedir Khan – Kurd linguist, developed Bedirxan alphabet in 1932. Alexander Melville Bell – American teacher, invented Visible Speech in 1867 Anton Bezenšek – Slovenian linguist, developed Bezenšek Shorthand c. 1879 Charles K. Bliss – Australian engineer, invented Blissymbolics c. 1949. Lako Bodra – Indian railway clerk and community leader. Invented the Warang Citi script in the mid-1900s. Robert Boyd – American, invented Boyd's Syllabic Shorthand in 1903. Louis Braille – French teacher, invented Braille writing around 1821. Frédéric Bruly Bouabré – Ivorian artist, invented the Bété syllabary in the mid-1950s. Momolu Duwalu Bukele – Liberian, invented Vai syllabary around 1833. John Byrom – British poet, invented a system of shorthand c. 1715.

C Cadmus – legendary Phoenician prince, ascribed invention of Greek alphabet c. 1350 BC (?) according to tradition. Cangjie – legendary Chinese scribe, also ascribed invention of Chinese characters c. 2650 BC (?) according to tradition. Carmenta – legendary Roman prophetess and mother of Evander, ascribed adoption of Greek alphabet to Latin alphabet c. 1250 BC (?) according to tradition. Chao Yuen Ren – Chinese-American linguist, led the development of Gwoyeu Romatzyh in 1925–6. Saint Clement of Ohrid – Archbishop, ascribed invention of Cyrillic c. 900, according to tradition. Saint Cyril – Byzantine monk, believed to have created Glagolitic alphabet c. 863.

D John Dee – English alchemist and mathematician, invented an Enochian alphabet (not to be confused with that of Pantheus) c. 1582. Émile Duployé – French abbot, inventor of Duployan shorthand, 1868. Reginald John Garfield Dutton – British, invented Dutton Speedwords shorthand in 1922.

E C.C. Elian (artist) – invented Elian script, c. 1980s, a transformation of the Latin alphabet into lines and dashes, allowing for multiple variations of the same word. Enmerkar – legendary Sumerian king, ascribed invention of cuneiform c. 2300 BC (?) according to Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta epic. Enos – Biblical patriarch, ascribed introduction of consonantal Ge'ez alphabet c. 3350 BC (?) according to tradition. James Evans – Canadian missionary, invented a syllabary used for Ojibwe and Cree c. 1840, these days referred to as Cree syllabics.

F Scott Fahlman – American computer scientist, proposed the first smiley emoticon in 1982. Assane Faye – Senegalese, invented the Garay alphabet for Wolof, 1961. Fenius Farsa – legendary Scythian king, ascribed invention of Ogham writing c. 2000 BC (?) according to tradition. Benjamin Franklin – American statesman, developed Benjamin Franklin's phonetic alphabet c. 1768. Frumentius – Syrian saint who converted the African kingdom of Aksum to Christianity, traditionally credited with development of consonantal Ge'ez script into vocalic Ge'ez script in the mid 4th-century. Fu Hsi – legendary Chinese king, ascribed invention of Chinese characters c. 2850 BC (?) according to tradition.

G Franz Xaver Gabelsberger – German secretary, invented Gabelsberger shorthand around 1817. Mangei Gomango – Indian, invented Sorang Sompeng script in 1936. John Robert Gregg – Irish author, invented Gregg Shorthand c. 1888. Gregory of Durrës – Albanian monk, ascribed invention of the Elbasan script c. 1761

H Thomas Harriot – English mathematician, invented phonetic alphabet for transcribing Carolina Algonquian language in 1584. Hemadpant – A scholar from ancient India and Prime Minister in Yadava Dynasty, according to one theory invented the Modi Script that was used to write Marathi Language till 19th century before Devanagari was officially adopted to write Marathi. Hildegard of Bingen – German nun, invented Litterae ignotae c. 1150. Honorius of Thebes – possibly mythical author, ascribed invention of Theban alphabet c. 1220 (?).

K Hussein Sheikh Ahmed Kaddare – Somali, invented Kaddare script c. 1953. Kisimi Kamara – Sierra Leonean tailor, invented Mende syllabary, Ki-ka-ku, in 1921. Solomana Kante – Guinean author, invented the N'Ko alphabet in 1949. Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, Serbian linguist, developed Serbian Cyrillic alphabet c. 1818, adapting Cyrillic alphabet. Osman Yusuf Kenadid – Somali, invented Osmanya script c. 1921. Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī – Persian mathematician, helped codify the Hindu–Arabic numeral system c. 825 Ong Kommandam – Laotian freedom fighter, developed the Khom script, first used 1926. Kūkai – Japanese monk, ascribed invention of Kana syllabary c. 806, according to tradition. Shigetaka Kurita – Japanese designer, created the NTT DoCoMo emoji set.

L Jean-Marie-Raphaël Le Jeune – Canadian, created Chinook writing, 1893, an adaptation and expansion of Duployan. Francis Lodwick – Dutch linguist, invented Universal Alphabet in 1686. Karl Richard Lepsius – German linguist, developed Standard Alphabet by Lepsius c. 1855. Lontanna Igwe Onduze – Nigerian software designer and artist, created the Ndèbe script c. 2008.

M Mani – Ancient Iranian prophet, invented Manichaean alphabet Aulay Macaulay – English tea-dealer, who invented Polygraphy, a system of shorthand in 1747. John R. Malone – American, developed the UNIFON alphabet c. 1955. Mesrop Mashtots – Armenian monk, created the Armenian alphabet in c. 405. Olof Melin – Swedish colonel, invented Melin Shorthand c. 1880. Mongkut – Thai king, invented the Ariyaka script c. 1840s Thomas More – English author, invented Utopian alphabet in 1516. Adrien-Gabriel Morice – French, developed Carrier syllabary c. 1885. Samuel F. B. Morse – American inventor, invented Morse code c. 1835. Pandit Raghunath Murmu – Indian, created Ol Chiki script in 1925.

N Ibrahim Njoya – King of Bamum (Cameroon), invented Bamum script c. 1910. Nurhaci (king), or possibly his translators Erdeni and Gagai ? – Manchurians, created Manchu alphabet in 1599.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of creators of writing systems

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of creators of writing systems claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of creators of writing systems before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of creators of writing systems ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of creators of writing systems

In research: List of creators of writing systems appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of creators of writing systems in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of creators of writing systems is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Creators of writing systems, Lists of inventors, Lists of writing systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of creators of writing systems outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study List of creators of writing systems in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is List of creators of writing systems in simple terms?

This is an alphabetical list of any individuals, legendary or real, who are purported by traditions to have invented alphabets or other writing systems, whether this is proven or not. A Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa – German alchemist, created the Transitus Fluvii, Malachim, and Celestial Alphabets, c…

Why does List of creators of writing systems matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of creators of writing systems?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of creators of writing systems.