Roy Harris is Emeritus Professor of General Linguistics at Oxford University and is the author of numerous publications, including The Language-Makers, The Language Myth, The Language Machine and The Origin of Writing.

' ... this is a stimulating book which clearly advances the study of semiotics generally and should achieve a wide readership.' - Journal of Literary Semantics, 1998'By giving us the beginnings of a general semiotic theory of writing that encomasses far more than speech or language alone, Roy Harris makes a contribution to our understanding how language functions in the pervasive multimedia contexts of modern life. Signs of Writing is also nearly unique as a modern examination of these issues. Take a look.' - Functions of Language

• Introduction Part I A theory of writing 1 Perspectives on writing 2 Integrational semiology 3 A theory of writing 4 A theory of written communication 5 Writing and temporality 6 Writing and space 7 A theory of the written sign 8 A theory of writing systems 9 Forming, processing and interpretation Part II Topics in the theory of the written sign 10 Signs, emblems and tokens 11 The signature 12 Sign and signification Part III Topics in the theory of writing systems 13 Writing, script and chart 14 Scripts and levels 15 Scripts and notations 16 Script and structure Part IV Topics in the theory of written communication 17 The writing surface 18 Graphic space 19 Direction 20 Non-glottic writing: mathematics 21 Other forms of non-glottic writing Part V Postscript 22 Writing, context and culture 23 Writing and thought.