---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: with the exception of Chinese, even the…"
description: "\"“with the exception of Chinese, even the languages that originated writing, and so made the earliest use of it, have dropped their original system, and..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/nicholas-ostler-72446_writing_with-the-exception-of-chinese-even-the-l_1558119.jpg"
---

#  with the exception of Chinese, even the languages that…

![“with the exception of Chinese, even the languages that originated writing, and so made the earliest use of it, have dropped their original system, and borrowed another,” quote by Nicholas Ostler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/nicholas-ostler-72446_writing_with-the-exception-of-chinese-even-the-l_1558119.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/nicholas-ostler-72446_writing_with-the-exception-of-chinese-even-the-l_1558119.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/nicholas-ostler-72446_writing_with-the-exception-of-chinese-even-the-l_1558119.jpg)

> ““with the exception of Chinese, even the languages that originated writing, and so made the earliest use of it, have dropped their original system, and borrowed another,””

[Nicholas Ostler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-ostler/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Languages often abandon their original scripts, adopting foreign writing systems over time.

**In simple terms:** Writing systems change, borrowing from others.

Key Takeaway

Adapt to new scripts for communication.

Themes

linguistics history culture

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

historical educational

When to use this quote

- academic research
- language teaching
- translation work
- historical analysis

Key Concepts

script evolution cultural diffusion

Questions to Reflect On

- How does script change affect cultural identity?
- What drives societies to replace writing systems?

A Different Perspective

Adoption may cause loss of original literary heritage.

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[Chinese Languages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese-languages-5839045/) [Languages Originated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/languages-originated-5839042/) [Original Borrowed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/original-borrowed-5327207/) [Originated Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originated-writing-5839043/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Earliest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-earliest-5839044/)

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