Arabic and English Typography - Essay Example

Arabic and English typography Name Course Professor Date Abstract Essentially typography entails the study of typing and printing styles and processes. According to the available sources, it is apparent that the cradle books or rather the books that were printed in around 1500 were of such quality that the current books could not fit the beauty and legibility they had. It is apparent that the designers that were responsible for typing and printing during that time were very creative. A designer could combine the several skills of designing, type moulding, mixing the ink, paper making as well as composition. The kind of work produced during that time was well adapted to the reading habits of that time. The early book had symmetrically arranged title page that reflected the organized, categorical order of the economic and political structures of that era. This implies that the books were designed purposefully for the political and economic reasons. The industrial revolution led to gradual replacement of the handicraft. The idea of machine production set in. one thing that is very apparent as far as the older typographical methods are concerned is that the typing and printing processes were carried out at a slower pace (Schwartz, 1959). These typographical aspects such as the texture, the weight, the color, and legibility spacing constitute some of the very important dynamic aspects of typography. Principally, it is apparent that children find it easier to learn languages such as English and French more easily than the Arabic language. Based on the available research, it is apparent that the main reason does not lie in the complicated grammar or in the fact that the spoken and written Arabic are not closely related as in the case of French and English (Febvre & Henri,1997). However, the possible reasons for the discrepancy include the kind of method used and the way Arabic is printed. Learning and reading English requires someone to just master the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet in one basic shape. Concisely, learning English entails learning simple letters and then proceeding to more complicated one. Contrary to learning English, learning Arabic starts with the complicated and never reaches simple because, there is none that can be regarded as simple. A learner must learn the twenty-nine letters of the Arabic alphabet as well as their variations. To make the matter worst, there are several variations. This work is dedicated to expounding on the difference between the Arabic and English typography (Pipes, 1987). Introduction As mentioned in the previous section, typography involves the writing, typing, printing, and learning skills. It is also apparent that learning English entails reading and writing of the alphabetical letter after which the skills of handwriting comes in. this means that by the time learner starts practicing handwriting; he or she is already literate. This is contrary to the learning of French. The system employed as far as learning of French is concerned is very different (Pipes, 1987). The learner has to plunged into complicated processes of handwriting before he can even comprehend how to hold the pencil. From the available sources, it is apparent that the main reason why the Arabs begin at complicated side is that they have not discovered the printing press. Lack of this discovery hindered the innovation as well as other benefits related to the printing (Pipes, 1987). Consequently, the idea of handwriting became very difficult. On the other hand, the English typography sets in 15th century when Gutenberg’s press that used the movable type was invented. Before this invention, designers used to inversely engrave the words on block of wood, then after covering the engraved words with ink, they could press on paper to produce the intended words in normal way. They used to rely on the idea of rubber stamp. This form of printing was called block printing. The discovery of Gutenberg press led to application of new methods. The press involved the use of typesetter that had a section full of single letters cast in metal. The typesetter selects the letters he or she needed to compose the words to be printed. The words selected were then arranged in lines after which the ink was poured over them. This was followed by hand pressing onto the paper. The discovery of printing press enhance the English typography to a greater extend. The press enables the printing of large literature at relatively shorter time (Kloetzel, 2010). It reduces the cost of acquiring and accessing literature. Consequently, more people could access the books. Nevertheless, another invention was made in France. This innovation enabled the simplification and standardization of letters. The letters were designed as type. This lead to the development of typography. On the other hand, Arabs were relatively reluctant as far as adoption of printing system. Arabs wanted that the printed words should imitate the handwritten word. Furthermore, it is apparent that the letters used to reproduce Arabic are still based on the different forms and shapes that were devised by the Arabs when they began to write with pen and ink. This means that the Arabic letters not the same as English (Man, 2002). Therefore, it is difficult to typeset. One of the distinguishing features between the Arabic and English typography is that most people find it difficult to read an Arabic text as compared to reading English. The explanation justifying this observation is that the eyes of the reader tires faster from the reading the Arabic handwriting than the printed work. Another explanation is that Arabic typography entails the use of only one style of letter. However, the English typography entails the use of more than one thousand different styles. This makes the Arabic books unattractive and dull. However, it should be noted that Arabic typography entails the use of calligraphic letters (Man, 2002). Consequently, since calligraphic letters are relatively more expensive that the type designed for print. It is also difficult to reduce the calligraphic letters in size and still use them to present legible work. This not withstanding, it should be noted that each of the Arabic letters have different forms. This complicates the process of typesetting, and hence making the typesetting of Arabic alphabet more difficult and expensive than the Roman alphabet (Kloetzel, 2010). However, the current Arabic typography has undergone significant changes. Since the adoption of the printing, the idea of reading and Arabic literature has improved significantly. The restoration of Arabic alphabet has assisted very much the learners as well as the communication sector. This is because it is easy to type and print the Arabic letters in the same manner the typing of English letter is done. The restored Arabic has facilitated the learning process because the restored entails the use of letters and shapes that are easy to be mastered. The restored Arabic is composed of 29 basic shapes. The child can master these shapes easily. This is contrary to the ancient Arabic typography that constituted of hundreds of different shapes (Man, 2002). The idea of pronunciation is also makes the Arabic typography differ from the English typography. It is very difficult for a non native person to pronounce Arabic sounds clearly enough for the native Arabic speakers to easily understand. This is contrary to the pronunciation of English typographical information. This is because the way the vowels and consonants are arranged differ greatly. Pronouncing the sentence like this : the ع ain, ح Ha, غ Gayn, ص Sad, ض Dad, ط Ta ,ظ Za, ر ra . is really difficult for a new learner that if it was an English typo. From the historical analysis of the English and Arabic typography, it is apparent that the typographer’s tools are currently changing with an outstanding force and velocity (Man, 2002). The current typography, both Arabic and English is advancing towards the use of computers and is becoming more digitalized. However, the uses of computers in English and Arabic typography differ greatly. Typography is a craft. It involves endowing language with visual forms and thus it is closely related to the calligraphy. The way the English and Latin typography was punctuated long ago does not differ so much with the current punctuation. The English manuscript were written with no space between the words until around the 9th century. However, Romans inscriptions sometimes had words with centered dots. In the 11th century, the hyphen was introduced into the English typography. Like the current typography, the paragraphs were used for organization purposes. However, the main different between the ancient paragraphs and the present is the fact that the ancient paragraphs could not adhere to the grammatical rules (Kloetzel, 2010). The correctness of the ancient paragraphs was based on the structure and style adopted. The idea of grammar and other strict rules was not a factor of consideration. This was followed by the placement of the first letter of the new line in the margin. To make it more appealing, the designers could enlarge, color and ornate to make attractive. This differs significantly from the way the letters are arranged currently. This is because the out dent is often used for list whose list whose elements are identified alphabetically as in dictionaries. The use of capital letter was introduced during the early Latin manuscript (Jury, 2004). Like its current use, capital was used as a pointer to guide the reader on when to pause or when to begin a new sentence. Anciently, the capital letter usually occurred inside a running block of text which did not even break into a new line. In other words, the use of capital was common in the paragraph. The capital was formerly meant to save space and preserve the visual density of the page which imitated the continuous unbroken flow of speech. In around 17th century, the western prose adopted the use of indent as a standard for beginning a new paragraph. At that time, there was a significant rise in the printing services and hence the need of an organized space was inevitable (Lipinsky, 1986). The printing companies encouraged and advocated for the use of space to organize text. However, the uses of indent in the manuscript differ from the way the indent was used for the printed work. The use of a gap or rather a indent in the printed text was more deliberate than a gap in a manuscript. The main reason for the difference is that the gap was made by a slug of lead rather than a flux in handwriting. The uses of capital letters however remain in use for identifying sections and chapters along with other mark. It complements the work of indent. However, there were several other marks that were used to punctuate the sentences. These include the dagger, the asterisk and other numerous forms of punctuation marks that are less convectional. These marks have been used since the middle ages for citing passages. They are also used as key ornaments for marginal references. However, upon the invention of printing brought about several changes (Craig & Scala, 2006). Invention of printing ensured elaborate and precise referencing styles. This is because the printing ensured that the pages of the same copy could be printed consistently. One thing that should be noted as far as printing is concerned is the fact that its adoption has revolutionized writing by ensuring that both the grammatical and typographical standards are upheld. Printing breached the difference related to the punctuation. Although the punctuation marks such as commas and periods still persist in the current era, their functions are different today. The punctuation marks such as the semicolon, the inverted semicolon, and question marks that ran horizontally emerged during the 17th and 18th century (McLuhan, 1962). The medieval manuscript had a mark called a virgule which was had a role like a comma. This mark is thought to have been a cue for reading aloud. It was used to guide the intonations. The way the punctuations was used and the way it was interpreted varies significantly. The punctuations are not consistent with the interpretations. According to the study conducted by-, early punctuations were used for rhetorical purposes rather than grammatical roles. They serve to control the speed and give emphasis to particular phrases, rather than to mark the logical structures of sentences. Following the invention of printing, the designers began to base punctuation on the structure rather than the speech. That was when the marks such as comma, semicolon and colon took the grammatical roles (Kloetzel, 2010). Consequently, the comma became the mark for separating the parts of the sentence. Semicolon worked as a connector between two or more independent clauses. The colon was used as a mark for indicating the discontinuity in the sentence. In general, the sentences were written in a manner that differs significantly with the pronunciation or speech (Eckersley, 1994). Having discussed the historical aspect of English typography, the next discussion would cover mainly the Arabic typography. It should be noted that the number of the English or Latin typefaces outnumbers the Arabic typefaces. One of the main reasons backing up this claim is that the general economic dominance of the western part plays an important role in ensuring that the English typography took the precedence (Kloetzel, 2010). Also the disparity can be linked to the historical evolution. Historically, it is believed that the Arabic script faced a lot of typographical limitation during its evolution. It is apparent that the Arabic printed script used to be inferior as far as the calligraphic factors are concerned. The Arab world did not adopt the mechanical text production the way the western world adopted. Due to poor historical evolution, the Arabic typography are relatively underdeveloped. The Arabs did not adopt the appropriate typographical technologies as compared to the western countries. This is mainly due to the fact that majority of the design publications originate from the north America (Eckersley, 1994). It should also be noted that different cultural backgrounds have implications as far as the adoption of new typographical techniques is concerned. The culture affects the visual representation of the language. The typographical difference between the English and Arabic typography makes it hard for a designer t harmonize the two forms of publications. Principally, the two forms of typography differs in the way the words are arranged. I most cases, the Arabic typography are arranged in the opposite direction (Eisenstein, 1980). Most of the Arabic typography composed of joined words whereas the English typography is largely made up of separate words. Another distinct feature that distinguishes the two concerns the typographic aesthetic. It is therefore hard for a typographer to handle the two forms of typography effectively. He or she would encounter problems such as different beginnings and endings, varying text length and many others. The Arabic typography, unlike the English, have the unbalanced color of text blocks (Diamond, 1985). In conclusion, it is apparent that the English and Arabic typography differs in many respects. However, it should be noted that the main reason for this difference concerns the historical evolution. References Craig, J. & Scala, I. K. (2006). Designing with Type, the Essential Guide to Typography. 5th ed. p63. Watson Guptil. 2006. Diamond, J. (1985). Necessity's Mother: The evolution of technology". Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Society. ISBN 0-393-03891-2. Eckersley, R. (1994). "Color". Glossary of Typesetting Terms. Chicago guides to writing, editing and publishing. University of Chicago Press. p. 22 Eisenstein, E. L. (1980). The Printing Press as an Agent of Change. Cambridge University Press. Febvre, L.& Henri, J. (1997). The Coming of the Book: The Impact of Printing 1450–1800, London: Verso Jury, D. (2004). About Face: Reviving the Rules of Typography. Switzerland: Rotovision SA . 63. ISBN 2-88046-798-5. Kloetzel, J.E. (2010). Scott 2011 Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps & Cover 1840– 1940 (17 ed.). Sidney, Ohio: Scott Publishing. p. 34A. ISBN 0-89487-455-1 Lipinsky, A. (1986). La pala argentea del Patriarca Pellegrino nella Collegiata di Cividale e le sue iscrizioni con caratteri mobile. Ateneo Veneto 24: 75–80. Man, J. (2002). The Gutenberg Revolution: The Story of a Genius and an Invention that Changed the World. London: Headline Review. McLuhan, M.(1962). The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man (1st ed.), University of Toronto Press. Pipes, A.(1987). Production For Graphic Designers 2nd Edition, Page 40: Prentice Hall Inc. Schwartz, B. (1959). The Phaistos disk. Journal of Near Eastern Studies 18 (2): 105– 112 (107). Read More