Because writing has become so important in our culture, we sometimes think of it as more real than speech. A little thought, however, will show why speech is primary and writing secondary to language. Human beings have been writing at least 5,000 years, but they have been talking for much longer, doubtless ever since there have been human beings. When writing developed, it was derived from and represented speech, although imperfectly. Even today, there are spoken languages that have no written form. Furthermore, we all learn to talk well before we learn to write; any child who is not severely handicapped physically or mentally will learn to talk: a normal man cannot be prevented from doing so. On the other hand, it takes a special effort to learn to write; in the past, many intelligent and useful members of society did not acquire the skill, and even today many who speak languages with writing systems never learn to read or write while some who learn the rudiments of those skills do so imperfectly.

To affirm the primacy of speech over writing is not to disparage the later. One advantage writing has over speech is that it is more permanent and makes possible the records that any civilization must have. Thus, if speaking makes us human, writing makes us civilized.

The word “doubtless” in the passage mostly means ...............

Câu hỏi liên quan

• Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

• Why does the author believe that the Mandans were skilled farmers?

• The author implies that the mammals of the "suburban forest" differ from most species of trees there in which of the following ways?

ZUNIA12

• The changes in the American home mentioned in this passage may ...........

• Why does the author refer to Gilbert White’s book in line 2?

• The expression day-to-day could best be replaced by which of the following?

• What is the main topic of the passage?

• The word “alarmingly” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ____.

• The word “itself” in paragraph 3 refers to ________.

• According to the passage, travel books, biographies and memoirs ______.

• The word “indiscriminately” could best be replaced by which of the following?

• According to the passage, what does “slip away” mean?

• The word “them” means .......

• The word “These” in paragraph 3 refers to__________.

• The word “parched” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ............

• The underlined word “they” in paragraph 2 refers to ..........

• How did Juliette Davidson benefit from the experience of her first job?

• According to the text, people could come to live in the future city in the year _______.

• It can be inferred from the passage that the principal cause of California’s population surge between 1940 and 1950 was ..........

• In order to show that learning to write requires effort, the author gives the example of ............