Summary of CM Millward's "The Story of Writing"

“The Story of Writing”, by C.M. Millward, is an essay that explores the differences between written and spoken language. It does not just talk about English, but instead discusses the evolution of written language in general from its spoken counterpart. Millward states that spoken language existed first, and outlines several effects of writing on speech, such as making language less easy to change because of the “permanency” of writing; the tendency of spelling to affect the way we pronounce words; and the development of vocabulary that is based on spelling/writing (such as acronyms). S/he also introduces the reader to the various types of writing “systems” ...