The Art of Language
Please provide a peanut free snack and water bottle.
Starting with Sumerian cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Chinese logograms and characters, then moving to the phoenician alphabet, Arabic numerals, and written languages, and finally codes like Morse, Braille, and binary (the language of computers), students will explore the different ways symbols can express meaning and how different languages can be constructed. Experiments include writing cuneiform in clay, drawing hieroglyphics on "papyrus" (make your own paper experiment + drawing), doing calligraphy with ink and brushes, writing a message in Braille using small grains and glue on paper, sending a message in Morse using light or sound, and finally even creating your own language/alphabet.