CHAPTER 2
DEVELOPMENT OF
WRITING IN
CIVILIZATION
INTRODUCTION
• Alphabet or writing is one of the medium to state our
intention or idea. A long times ago, when people did not
know much about tools of modern communication like
telephone, internet and others, they were in advance
knew about alphabets.
• Human have their own language which is for interaction
with each others, either communication verbally, nonverbal or sign. All these medium constituted importance
uses in human life.
• At first, communication conducted through verbal or
with sign language. Nevertheless, there were
incomplete if only uses those ways; Then, the third
way namely writing language should be used.
• From here, the problems of writing started and at the
same time, the writing system was still not in good
arranged, it been through several phases of evolution
and completion to be just like writing system
nowadays.
ISLAM CIVILIZATION
• Arabic is one of the middle Semitic languages, which includes
in the Semitic language families and related with Hebrew and
Neo Aramaic languages.
• Arabic have more than 280 million of native speaker
throughout north Africa and middle east.
• This language is an official language from over 25 countries
and also constitute language of worship in the Islam religious
because of the language uses in the Holy Qur’an.
• The ancient Arabs, most of them like to live as nomadic.
Because of that, they habitually get used to communicate only
by verbal.
• In relation to Egypt, Babylon or China, Arab peoples were late
to know the alphabet. They did not have an experiences on
the writing language at all.
• But in Lebanon, around 1100BC, the alphabet have been
expended almost 22 alphabet. These alphabets constitute
results from simplification in order to facilitate
communication among speakers.
• Peoples who lived in Sinai, the simplified of alphabets was
adaptation from Semite ethnic dialect. Nabatean peoples,
which called Arab people was lived as semi-nomad, most of
them in the Sinai district and north Arab until South Syria,
famous through Petra (Southern Jordan) cities and Mada’in
Saleh (Saudi Arabia).
• Nabataea peoples expended the book which came from
book of Aram peoples. They were have a ports and
cultures relations with Aram peoples. And even, their
languages and writings were destroyed when their province
seized by the Romans peoples on 105AD.
• The next expended which changing Nabataea alphabets
into Arabic became on 6 century and afterward no more
fundamental change of Arab alphabet until today.
Therefore, this simplifying them to know and reading
combination language in the Holy Qur’an.
Phases
Explanation
First phase AlShauri Al-Dzati
The event was described by a picture. These pictures would be as language
because it can told the story of the scenario, events and others. This phase
was limited to the event which could only be describe by pictures like
volcano , be attacked by wild animals and so on.
Second phase AlShauri Al-Ramzi
The second phase was described events, times or situations through
drawing a pictures. This phase was more widely used and the pictures that
can not be painted in first phrase.
Third phase AlMaqtho’i
The journey of life led human life become more variant and many. The
writing language through picture sometimes can not be catch their
meaning. In order to thus, the sign or symbol named Maqtho’ to replaced
the function of picture to the writing language.
Fourth phases Alhija’i
“Huruf ” is derived from Arab, “harf ” or “huruuf ”. Arab alphabet called
also “hija’yah”. Hijaiyah derived form verb “hajja” which mean spelling,
reading alphabet by alphabet. Hijaiyah have 28 single alphabets or 30 if
include lam-alif ( ) and hamzah (‫)ء‬. The first person who organized the
alphabets was named Nashr bin Ashim al-Laitsi.
The way of Arab writing is different from Latin; from to left but Latin
was from left to right.
INDIAN CIVILIZATION
• Indian civilization began at two great rivers, at the Indus
Valley and the Ganges because of the harsh and dry land;
and covered with scrub forest and grassland.
• The first civilization of India grew up in the Indus Valley
and the first people who came into the Indus Valley were
from nomads. They were preserve sheep and goats, worked
as a farmer and catch a fishes.
• The first Indian civilization was created by farmers or
invader(conqueror) who came to Indus valley.
• The Indian writing was by a picture namely pictogram and the
writing was called as pictograph.
• The Sanskrit writing was introduced by Aryan people; the
Sanskrit writing be used to create a stories, songs and poems
about Hindu religious.
• The Sanskrit writing also for recorded important moments
about administrative and economy.
• The expanding of writing system developed in the Indian
literature.
• Generally, the Indian literature can be divided into two types:
1. Literature in the Gupta era
2. Literature in the Brahman era
• The literature in the Gupta Era known as Vedic literature.
• The poem was called as Veda, which mean the wisdom.
• Many information about Aryan was obtained from Veda
literature.
• The Veda was a poem about a questions of religious and
life morality which is must practice by human.
• The Veda was classified into four categories:
1. Samhita
2. Brahman
3. Aranyaka
4. Upanishad
• The Samhita was a mantra and this was a guide for doing
sacrifice ritual.
• The Samhita have 4 types:
− Rig veda
Was the oldest Veda which have 1028 mantra and will recited
when sacrifice ritual by chief of pastor.
− Atharva veda
Was created by two group of pastor, Angirasas and Atharvans;
this mantra was contains a black magic, supernatural, disease
and death.
− Sama veda
Were consists of verses from rig veda which have been
compiled in the book of mantra which appropriate for ritual.
− Yajur veda
Was a collection about guides and rules for sacrifice ritual.
There have two version namely Shukla the white yajur veda
and Krishna the black yajur veda
• The literature of Brahman have two epic book
known as Mahabharata and Ramayana.
• The Mahabartha was known as Bharata .
• This book was about a religious epic and the
greatest philosophy in India.
• This epic known as the longest poem in the
world which have 100,000 verses.
• The Mahabrata have 18 chapter in relation to
Brataha’s children. The story started with the
conflict between Kaurava family and Pandavas.
They were fought for the thorn of Kurukshetra
kingdom.
• The Ramayana was believed to be produced by
Valmiki and contains 24 000 verses. Ramayana on the
Sanskrit language means Rama ‘Hindu god’.
• This epic had seven chapter and the story was about
one king from Ayodhya name Rama. He was thrown
into the jungle because of envious his stepmother
named Kai kayi
• She wanted her son, Bharata became a king. Rama and
his wife, Sita and his brother Lakshmana lived in the
jungle. Ramayana was just the greatest epic but also
have the religious and Dharma concepts.
CHINESE CIVILIZATION
• The China first civilization was found in the great river valleys
of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers.
• In order to write Chinese, the writer had to memorize every
character and the reader had to know the meaning. The number
of characters was approached 6,000 and it took many years to
learn.
• The classic Chinese writing, used roughly from the second
century BC until around AD 1900 and Chinese reformers
began in the early twentieth century.
• Most Chinese words have only one syllable. Each syllable can
have a different meaning depending on high, middle, low or
very low pitch. Of course, this cannot be expressed in writing.
That is why all Chinese characters must be memorized.
SHANG DYNASTY
• The first historical records begin with Shang Dynasty which
extended from about 1780 to 1050 B.C. Shang was the title name
for their imperial.
• Anyang was one of the Shang capitals, a city located in northern
China on the Yellow River.
• Shang dynasty recorded several achievement and been a pioneer
to extended China ancient for several century. One of them were
technology or the uses bronze on weapons and farmer tools.
• The earliest writing system was created in the Shang dynasty. The
writing system was like a symbol or picture which known as
ideogram.
• The early researched found that approximately 4,000 alphabet
symbolization that must be remembered by peoples or students.
• These writing was carved on the pieces of bamboo
and will compiled to be a book, shells, tortoiseshell
and on the bones.
• The book became main course in the schools
education.
• Those who can master this writing system would be
the author.
• These symbol writing system or ideogram became
basic of Chinese writing system until now.
• In the Shang dynasty, the writer use brush or pointy
wood to write. In this era also have an official
records which written on the bamboo.
CHOU DYNASTY
• Dynasty Chou have published a book and the
writing tools. The first China literature was start
established in dynasty Chou. One of the writing
which still in it’s shape was the Book of Poetry, a
collection which have 300 poetry.
• Although the writing in the Chou dynasty could
be read and could be understood by most of
Chinese, but the pronunciation a bit vary among
one ethnic to another because of the absence of
phonetic system.
• In the Chou dynasty, writing system were changed or has
been modified. This have brought a new rapid
development in the writing system.
• Indirectly, this leading an achievement in the field of
literature. Many literature books have been produced and
wrote on the bamboo stick or board.
• For instance: Shin Ching ‘book of odes or book of songs’
• This was a collection of poems which consists of 305
poems. From these numbers, 160 was a folks song called as
‘feng’ and 74 song was a holy songs, loves and politic
stories.
• Besides that, I ching ‘ book of changes’; Wu ching ‘the
classic five’ and Shu ching ‘the classic history’ also names
of the literature book that were in the Chou dynasty.
• The last Chou dynasty also known as War era or spring season
or autumn. At the same time, emerged philosophies to win the
heart of societies with Confucianism and Taoism.
• Public Examination System, which been one of the important
mechanism for the selection of government officer.
• Those individuals who want to be a government officer should
past the exam or they also required to know the Scriptures of
Classical Confucianism as a main reference.
• In the Chou dynasty, the education was a liberal and
emphasized about the knowledge comprehension. The
knowledge which only by memorized it will cursed. The
Confucius philosophy assumed that learning without
comprehension was a wasteful.
DYNASTY CHIN
• There was one emperor named Shih Huang Ti.
• This emperor have been introduced to all his empire the
new writing system, Lesser Seal. At the same time, it merged
one famous philosopher named Confucius or Kung Fu
Tzu.
• Confucius brought one philosophy named Confucianism.
• This philosophy emphasized about attitudes and a good
human being behavior also helped develop the
administration and a government.
• The Confucianism have been compiled in a book entitled
Analects.
MALAY CIVILIZATION
• The Malay civilization about writing was started
from the Malay ancient era or Buddha religious
era, the classic Malay language era or Islam
religious era and the modern Malay language or
English colonialism.
The Malay ancient ‘Bahasa Melayu Kuno’
• The Malay ancient or ‘bahasa Melayu kuno’ used
“rencong” writing script of South Sumatra which looks
like this:
Rencong, South Sumatra
• There are many types of Rencong script, In West Sumatera,
Rencong look like this:
Rencong, West Sumatra
• You might notice this set has a lot of dots on the syllables.
Take the first syllable "ki" for example, if you take away the
dot on top, you get "ka", move the dot to the bottom, you
get "ku" and if you use a diacritic "v" at the bottom, you get
"ko". Rencong's vowel sounds are expressed by dots, lines
and diacritics placed on four corners of the syllables.
• Unlike many old writings that have become
obsolete, Rencong is in use until this very day
though only by very few people mainly the older
generations of Kalimantan Dayaks, Mindoro
Filipinos and Bugis.
Malay classic
• When Islam arrival in Malay Land, the Malay
language have been elevating because this
language became intermediate language and
knowledge language in the Malay Land around
15 until 17 century. For instance, Malacca as a
international ports which past through investors
or merchant and preachers from all around the
world.
• Malay language uses as communication language by
different races that came to Malay land for business.
Thereby, Malay language was known as “lingua franca”
• When Islam arrival, “Jawi” writing have been
introduced in the Malay language writing. This writing
system was having close relation with writing or Arabic
alphabet which use in the Holy Qur’an and Persian
alphabets.
• Parallel the uses of the Jawi writing, it’s mean the
literature writing also being expended. Therefore, the
function of writing and literature have been changed
from entertain concept to education knowledge.
THE MALAY MALACCA
SULTANATE
• The Malay writing was focusing in three issues. First,
Tasawwuf and philosophy by Hamzah al-Fansuri. Second,
the islamic literatures and constitutional by Nuruddin alRaniri, Bukhari al-Jauhari and others. Third, the stories of
Islamic legend like Amir Hamzah tale, Muhammad Ali
Hanafiah tale and others.
• Hamzah al-Fansuri was a person in the writing seem very
significantly until he be able to worthwhile intellectual
• He known as the modern literature Malay and at once
been a pioneer Malay poems.
Practice
Task: in computer typing or in hand writing
in one or two (1-2) page
in group or individual
Discuss about the education system in the Islam
civilization during prophet Muhammad era”. [this
question is related with the writing system too]
(5 marks)
RUJUKAN
Afifah Abu Yahid. 2002. Pengajian Tamadun Asia. Bentong: PTS
Publications & Distributors Sdn. Bhd.
Frazee, Charles A. 1997.World history the easy way. New York: Barron
Educational Series.
Ali Mohammad. Sumbangan tamadun Islam dalam kehidupan
masyarakat di alam Melayu hingga abad ke-17M. Journal UM.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/20975349/Bab-2-PerkembanganPenulisan-Dalam-Tamadun-Dunia