The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #138956   Message #3188628
Posted By: JohnInKansas
16-Jul-11 - 02:15 AM
Thread Name: BS: Left-Handism
Subject: RE: BS: Left-Handism
Has ayone seen an explanation for the several languages that are written right-to-left? Is there some tradition for the "scholars" to be (or affect being) left handed?

A couple of eastern(?) languages are commonly written top-to-bottom in columns, but all of those that I've seen "explained" are also right-to-left when going from one column to the next. Any explanations?

Da Vinci wrote most of his stuff in Latin but reversed (right-to-left) and the common explanation was that it was "a code" to make it harder for anyone to read and steal his secrets. I'd suspect the real reason was that he was a leftie, but I don't think I've ever seen an "authoritative" comment on it. (?) Maybe he was actually dyslexic, since he seemed to think out of both sides of his brain (and outside his head sometimes?).

John