Scriptio Continua (Continuous Script)
Ever thought of a noisy library? This statement definitely conjures up the image of a churlish librarian fussing about. Even the slightest sound is enough to annoy her/him. And if you persist, it is most likely that you will be simply thrown out. However, this was not the case before the 7th century. Back in ancient times, reading was a public act, hence it was supposed to be read aloud to the public. But the reading experience was quite different back then. The Greek and Latin scripts were written in a form known as scriptio continua, which means they used no space between words. The early Latin texts used interpunct (dots to separate words), as can be found in many inscriptions. But later they followed the footsteps of the Greeks who had been already using an un-demarcated script.
Perhaps reading was less pleasurable. Think of your brain wracking to figure out different words in a string of 15 to 20 letters. There are also high chances of misinterpretation. So how did they manage to read? The readers or speakers were trained professionals in this act. Moreover, they were aware of the context. The written document acted only as a reference for memory aid. For example, try to read — ‘SHESELLSSEASHELLSONTHESEASHORE’. It will be hard at first, but since most of us are familiar with this common tongue twister, our brain will decipher it after some effort. Actually, while writing, the scribers used to note down oral dictations. So their writing closely imitated the oral flow. They never felt the need to use any space as it would simply halt the flow.
Space Between Words is an extraordinary, minutely detailed and painstaking research work by Paul Saengar which explores the history of space as separation. So far as the evidence points out, it is the Irish scribers of the 7th century who used space, but in an irregular manner. Saengar terms it ‘aerated’ text. It was only in the 11th century that blank space was used between words to separate them. By the 13th and 14th centuries, all European scripts used spacing.
According to Saengar, the use of space facilitated silent reading, shifting the role of the public speaker to the silent reader. But this statement is controversial and refuted by several scholars. Some argue that silent reading was practised even in the ancient classical times (also in ancient Greece), much before the Middle Ages. One of the earliest recorded instances of silent reading occurs in St. Augustine’s Confessions (around 400 CE). There, St. Augustine expresses his astonishment towards Ambrose who reads in silence amidst the presence of other people. His attitude to such an event is interestingly that of indignation. Another important observation is given by M.B. Perks who opines that the Rule of St. Benedict and Isidore of Seville ( 6th century) recommended silent reading.
Tracing back ancient history is very difficult due to scant resources which eventually get engulfed in time. Drawing an absolute conclusion is impossible, and hence controversies will remain. Interestingly, there are still languages that use scriptio continua, like Thai, Javanese, Burmese, and languages using Chinese characters (though modern Chinese now uses separation, borrowed from the West). Similarly, some languages are now borrowing and adopting space as an impact of Western influence. One likely example is the Gurmukhi (Punjabi) script. The modern Gurmukhi (known as pad ched) uses spaces, but the traditional Gurmukhi (known as larivār), before the 1970s, had no spaces between words.
So, just as books and writing have their history, reading too has a correlative history. Silent or aloud, we all have our preferences for savouring the beauty of books. Maybe your parents or your teachers advised you to read aloud while studying. This is because it is believed that when we hear what we read, our brain registers it quickly. Whereas our leisure readings are mostly silent ones in a silent corner. Whatever way we enjoy it, the most important thing is not to annoy others.
Happy reading!!
Sources and Further Reading:
Gavrilov, A.K. ‘Techniques of Reading in Classical Antiquity’. Classical Quarterly 47, 1997
Parkes, M.B. ‘Raedan, Areccan, Smeagan: How the Anglo-Saxons Read’. Anglo-Saxon England, 1997
Saenger, Paul. Space Between Words: The Origins of Silent Reading. Stanford UP, 1997
Online Resource
Liu, Yin. “Medieval Codes: Spaces and Silence”. Medieval Codes, 11 February 2015, www.medievalcodes.ca
