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Birch Bark Letters Against The Background Of Written Language Acquisition

Author

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  • Ekaterina Schnittke

    (National Research University Higher School of Economics)

Abstract

Numerous similarities between medieval vernacular texts and those written by present-day incipient writers (children and adults alike) suggest that there are certain regularities underlying the processes of literacy acquisition and the evolution of written language in general. This paper is a comparative case study of medieval vernacular Russian correspondence and letters written by contemporary Russian children. The aims of this study include the following: (i) identifying the specific structural and non-structural aspects of the similarity between the mentioned language varieties; (ii) formulating a theoretical basis for interpreting data in developmental terms; (iii) defining the role of oral strategies in the evolution of written language; (iv) proposing that our knowledge of the processes of writing acquisition by modern children and adults, which are accessible to immediate observation and experimentation, can illuminate our understanding of the pragmatics of historical texts.

Suggested Citation

  • Ekaterina Schnittke, 2014. "Birch Bark Letters Against The Background Of Written Language Acquisition," HSE Working papers WP BRP 09/LNG/2014, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hig:wpaper:09/lng/2014
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    history of writing; literacy acquisition; birch bark letters; uniformitarianism; historical pragmatics; vernacular writing; naive writing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Z - Other Special Topics

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