What language has the best writing system?

 

Our Response to What language has the best writing system?

 

After studying most of the Earth’s writing systems, it is our humble opinion that it’s impossible to name one as the best. It is more productive to discuss the criteria by which writing systems can be judged. One criterion is how well a language’s alphabet represents its spoken words. That said, let us look at a few writing systems that stand out and the reasons people like them.

• The Korean writing system is not as hard to learn as many others. For this reason, many consider it to be one of the best.
• Many of today’s writing systems evolved from the Oracle Bone Script or Egyptian Hieroglyphics. Those who think the original is always best may like these very old styles the best.
• Never underestimate the power of aesthetics – Thai and Georgian are known and loved for their circles, hoops, and loops.
• The Arabic Abjad is also known for its beauty. Its calligraphy is celebrated by many, even those who have never learned what its letters mean.

 

We can judge writing systems by a wide variety of criteria, including visual appearance, simplicity, and the elegance with which they represent the units of the spoken languages for which they were designed. Using established linguistic facts about the relationship between alphabets and sound systems, one could determine to make a solid argument about which language is best. Most of the time, though, when people discuss their favorite language, they choose the language with which they are the most familiar, turning it into a pointless argument.