--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thus, Sumerian writing came to consist of…" description: "\"“Thus, Sumerian writing came to consist of a complex mixture of three types of signs: logograms, referring to a whole word or name; phonetic signs, use..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/jared-diamond-2519_writing_thus-sumerian-writing-came-to-consist-of_1903253.jpg" --- # Thus, Sumerian writing came to consist of a complex… ![“Thus, Sumerian writing came to consist of a complex mixture of three types of signs: logograms, referring to a whole word or name; phonetic signs, used in effect for spelling syllables, letters, grammatical elements, or parts of words; and determinatives, which were not pronounced but were used to…” quote by Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/jared-diamond-2519_writing_thus-sumerian-writing-came-to-consist-of_1903253.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/jared-diamond-2519_writing_thus-sumerian-writing-came-to-consist-of_1903253.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/jared-diamond-2519_writing_thus-sumerian-writing-came-to-consist-of_1903253.jpg) > ““Thus, Sumerian writing came to consist of a complex mixture of three types of signs: logograms, referring to a whole word or name; phonetic signs, used in effect for spelling syllables, letters, grammatical elements, or parts of words; and determinatives, which were not pronounced but were used to resolve ambiguities. Nevertheless,”” [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sumerian writing combined logograms, phonetic signs, and non‑pronounced determinatives to convey meaning and reduce ambiguity. **In simple terms:** Sumerian script mixed word signs, sound signs, and silent markers to clarify writing. Key Takeaway Recognize that layered symbols can enhance clarity. Themes language history communication Mood analytical curious Type educational informative When to use this quote - archaeology research - teaching ancient scripts - digital encoding of languages Key Concepts writing systems semiotics ambiguity resolution Questions to Reflect On - How do different sign types affect reading speed? - Can modern systems benefit from silent markers? A Different Perspective Complex scripts can be hard to learn and standardize. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Logograms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logograms-451299/) [Logograms Referring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logograms-referring-2820932/) [Signs Logograms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signs-logograms-2820931/) [Sumerian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sumerian-2452110/) [Sumerian Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sumerian-writing-2820930/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Logograms pose a more difficult question. An increasing number of persons and institutions, from archy and mehitabel to PostScript and TrueType, come to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bringhurst/logograms-pose-a-more-difficult-question-an-increasing-number-of/) [Robert Bringhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bringhurst/) > [“The Sumerian language was originally that of the hunter and fisher peoples, who lived in the marshland and the Eastern Arabia littoral region, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarethe-uepermann/the-sumerian-language-was-originally-that-of-the-hunter-and-fisher/) [Margarethe Uepermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarethe-uepermann/) > [My son has few friends and even fewer who know him for what he is. So long as you protect him, you live. Sumerian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/my-son-has-few-friends-and-even-fewer-who-know-him-for-what-he-is-so/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“Rife's key realization was that there's no difference between modern culture and Sumerian. We have a huge workforce that is illiterate or alliterate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/rife-s-key-realization-was-that-there-s-no-difference-between-modern/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“Between the years 3500 BC and 3000 BC, some unknown Sumerian geniuses invented a system for storing and processing information outside their brains, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/between-the-years-3500-bc-and-3000-bc-some-unknown-sumerian-geniuses/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Sumerian substratum is obvious not only in the use of a cuneiform system of writing, but also in the weakness of Laryngeal and Pharyngeal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-s-enz-badillos/sumerian-substratum-is-obvious-not-only-in-the-use-of-a-cuneiform/) [Angel Sáenz-Badillos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-s-enz-badillos/) > [“This ‘archaic’ stage of Sumerian script is not wholly understood by modern scholarship; and Sumerology is a tightly-knit, somewhat secretive academic discipline, which does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-sampson/this-archaic-stage-of-sumerian-script-is-not-wholly-understood-by/) [Geoffrey Sampson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-sampson/) > [The love religion is all that is written here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/the-love-religion-is-all-that-is-written-here/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/) [John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/) > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-passed-the-chancellor-he-arose-waved-his-hand-at-me-and-i/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) ## More by Jared Diamond > [Bird taxonomy is a difficult field because of the severe anatomical constraints imposed by flight. There are only so many ways to design a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/bird-taxonomy-is-a-difficult-field-because-of-the-severe-anatomical/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [What did the last Easter Islander say as he chopped down the last tree? The Easter Islanders didnt have anthropologists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/what-did-the-last-easter-islander-say-as-he-chopped-down-the-last/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [“We come to conquer this land by his command, that all may come to a knowledge of God and of His Holy Catholic Faith;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/we-come-to-conquer-this-land-by-his-command-that-all-may-come-to-a/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [“With the rise of chiefdoms around 7,500 years ago, people had to learn, for the first time in history, how to encounter strangers regularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/with-the-rise-of-chiefdoms-around-7-500-years-ago-people-had-to-learn/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [Human societies vary in lots of independent factors affecting their openness to innovation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/human-societies-vary-in-lots-of-independent-factors-affecting-their/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [No government is here forever. 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It was in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/i-decided-that-now-is-the-time-to-start-doing-the-things-that-really/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [“As a result of that confined distribution, peoples who pride themselves on being civilized have always viewed writing as the sharpest distinction raising them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/as-a-result-of-that-confined-distribution-peoples-who-pride/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [Infectious diseases introduced with Europeans, like smallpox and measles, spread from one Indian tribe to another, far in advance of Europeans themselves, and killed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/infectious-diseases-introduced-with-europeans-like-smallpox-and/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [In fact, everywhere in the world there has been a flux between big and small societies. Big political units are constantly being formed, later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/in-fact-everywhere-in-the-world-there-has-been-a-flux-between-big-and/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) [Explore all 161 Jared Diamond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) ## More Writing quotes > [When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. 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They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The love religion is all that is written here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/the-love-religion-is-all-that-is-written-here/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [I would drink gallons of coffee a day. Even now, off caffeine, I talk faster than anyone you've ever met. I finally recognized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-englander/i-would-drink-gallons-of-coffee-a-day-even-now-off-caffeine-i-talk/) [Nathan Englander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-englander/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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