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Technological Advances in Communication Essay

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"In the beginning was the word." Even the Bible seems to date man's beginnings to the first discovery in communication- the spoken word. Follow me, if you will, on a tour of the improvements man has made in "passing the word."

First we will travel back, some five million years ago, to the very beginning of mankind. As we travel through the arid desserts, wooded forests, or grassy plains we stop upon the cave man. Little does he know, but he is about to create history. After spotting a herd of deer, instead of motioning with his arms, or gesturing with his head, he makes a series of sounds, beyond the normal grunts or clicks. Although they may seem meaningless to us, these sounds have just been recognized by his fellow hunters, and …show more content…

These expressions of ideas are shown through pictures, and the pictures soon develop into symbols. These inscriptions are written on walls and carved into stone tablets, and each symbol has its own meaning. Together these inscriptions create stories and tell tales, and were created in hopes that it would leave explanations for the future generations.

Next we travel ahead to the 16th century B.C. The influence of our original tribe has spread to other tribes and cultures, which also expand upon these ideas. The first alphabetic script appears in Palestine. The alphabet made to have individual signs which stand for particular sounds. Over the next hundred centuries, different cultures are able to create, not only different languages for themselves, but a different alphabet that helps to understand the language.

With the creation of the written alphabet, communication is able to lead the way for technology. Now, in 11th century A.D., Pi Sheng, a Chinese alchemist, has invented the prints with movable types. Gutenburg takes the idea of a printing press further, and creates a better one. With this machine, words are being printed out, and circulated throughout the country. Books and newspapers are being written and copied in mass production. Now more people stay in touch with what's happening and become more educated because of the access they have to these new materials. People are also able to type and send letters to their families, just another way

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