Script Effects as the Hidden Drive of the Mind, Cognition, and Culture (Literacy Studies Book 21)

This open access volume reveals the hidden power of the script we read in and how it shapes and drives our minds, ways of thinking, and cultures. Expanding on the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis (i.e., the idea that language affects the way we think), this volume proposes the “Script Relativity Hypothesis” (i.e., the idea that the script in which we read affects the way we think) by offering a unique perspective on the effect of script (alphabets, morphosyllabaries, or multi-scripts) on our attention, perception, and problem-solving. Once we become literate, fundamental changes occur in our brain circuitry to accommodate the new demand for resources. The powerful effects of literacy have been demonstrated by research on literate versus illiterate individuals, as well as cross-scriptal transfer, indicating that literate brain networks function differently, depending on the script being read. This book identifies the locus of differences between the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans, and between the East and the West, as the neural underpinnings of literacy. To support the “Script Relativity Hypothesis__”__, it reviews a vast corpus of empirical studies, including anthropological accounts of human civilization, social psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, applied linguistics, second language studies, and cross-cultural communication. It also discusses the impact of reading from screens in the digital age, as well as the impact of bi-script or multi-script use, which is a growing trend around the globe. As a result, our minds, ways of thinking, and cultures are now growing closer together, not farther apart. This open access volume reveals the hidden power of the script we read in and how it shapes and drives our minds, ways of thinking, and cultures. Expanding on the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis (i.e., the idea that language affects the way we think), this volume proposes the “Script Relativity Hypothesis” (i.e., the idea that the script in which we read affects the way we think) by offering a unique perspective on the effect of script (alphabets, morphosyllabaries, or multi-scripts) on our attention, perception, and problem-solving. Once we become literate, fundamental changes occur in our brain circuitry to accommodate the new demand for resources. The powerful effects of literacy have been demonstrated by research on literate versus illiterate individuals, as well as cross-scriptal transfer, indicating that literate brain networks function differently, depending on the script being read. This book identifies the locus of differences between the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans, and between the East and the West, as the neural underpinnings of literacy. To support the “Script Relativity Hypothesis”, it reviews a vast corpus of empirical studies, including anthropological accounts of human civilization, social psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, applied linguistics, second language studies, and cross-cultural communication. It also discusses the impact of reading from screens in the digital age, as well as the impact of bi-script or multi-script use, which is a growing trend around the globe. As a result, our minds, ways of thinking, and cultures are now growing closer together, not farther apart. ; Examines the origin, emergence, and co-evolution of written language, the human mind, and culture within the purview of script effects Investigates how the scripts we read over time shape our cognition, mind, and thought patterns Provides a new outlook on the four representative writing systems of the world Discusses the consequences of literacy for the functioning of the mind Front Matter ....Pages i-xxiv Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Language, Cognition, and Script Effects (Hye K. Pae)....Pages 3-24 The Emergence of Written Language: From Numeracy to Literacy (Hye K. Pae)....Pages 25-36 From Linguistic Relativity to Script Relativity (Hye K. Pae)....Pages 37-58 Front Matter ....Pages 59-59 The Alphabet (Hye K. Pae)....Pages 61-70 Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Writing Systems: All East-Asian but Different Scripts (Hye K. Pae)....Pages 71-105 The East and the West (Hye K. Pae)....Pages 107-134 The Consequences of Reading: The Reading Brain (Hye K. Pae)....Pages 135-145 Linguistic Evidence for Script Relativity (Hye K. Pae)....Pages 147-174 Neurolinguistic Evidence for Script Relativity (Hye K. Pae)....Pages 175-196 Front Matter ....Pages 197-197 The New Trend: The Word Plus the Image (Hye K. Pae)....Pages 199-208 The Impact of Digital Text (Hye K. Pae)....Pages 209-217 Conclusion: Convergence or Divergence between the East and the West? (Hye K. Pae)....Pages 219-229 Back Matter ....Pages 231-251