Ho many languages read left to right? How many read right to left? If they aren't equal, is there any preference in the human mind for one, is it due to the influence of earlier written languages on the form of languages being written down for the first time, or is there some other reason?

If you really want to get confused about this issue, methos, then do this: look up the term boustrophedon in the dictionary and in an encyclopedia or two. The earliest available inscriptions in Linear B, recording a form of Greek, were written in both directions at once!

The direction of writing in space is entirely arbitrary. All writing systems, even the Chinese, are attempts to imitate what is essentially a spoken medium. Now tell me this: does a stream of sound proceed from left to right, or the reverse? Before you answer that earlier times are, of course, to the left of later ones, please consider that this practice, too, in representing a Cartesian coordinate system, is entirely arbitrary, much later than the general practice in Western Europe of writing language down from left to right, and in fact determined by that practice itself.

The left-to-right practice is far more frequent than the reverse, owing to the vast influence of Greek and Roman writing systems on languages throughout the world. Ironically enough, the precursors of the Greek writing, though, went from right to left, as in modern Hebrew and Arabic. And of course in Chinese calligraphy the characters often go from the top down, just to make matters worse!

[This message was edited by maiku on 06-14-03 at 08:34 PM.]

Then there's boustrophedon . That is writing so the lines run alternately left to right and right to left in the manner of a plough's progress . There are examples of old Ancient Greek ( c 650 B.C.) written like this it seems.

It may be to do with most people being right- handed and the kind of instrument they use.It is easier to drag the point of the pencil backhand at an angle than to push it forehand anywise .With ink involved there is more risk of smudging the writing going right- handed right to left because the hand passes over what is just written.

Chinese and Japanese characters are traditionally made with a brush.Those considerations would not seem to apply with any brushwork whatever the language.

It could be instinctive to prefer left to right .It is conventional to pan a film camera from left to right, scanning the set or landscape. This is so much so that when the camera pans right to left the viewer is supposed to think that something is amiss; that there is something odd about to happen. It's not easy to judge whether we find left to right panning normal because we already read our languages that way or we would do it anyway, of course.

If Japanese or Chinese directors have the camera pan from right to left then it is presumably dictated by culture not instinct. What of Arabic or Hebrew speaking directors ? All read that way. ( The oriental directors might pan up and down as well, but there must be some restraints !).Come on, who's seen The Seven Samurai and can remember ?

I think that I naturally scan a panorama or even a room full of people left to right. Even witnesses on identity parades seem to choose to start at the left end ( but then maybe they are 'reading' the line ?)

Perhaps we should find out how many of us AP people have a preference in viewing scenes this way.