Chinese writing.

[happi_rae]

When the chinese write, do they write from left to right, right to left, or top to bottom???! Ta x

[kempie]

Yes!!!

Due to their unique block, square nature and the morphologically inactive nature of the language, Chinese characters are generally written without spaces at word boundaries, and can be written either horizontally or vertically.

Traditionally, writing was done vertically, going from top to bottom and arranged in columns going from right to left; on signboards etc. which were horizontal, the columns were reduced to a character each, effectively resulting in horizontal right-to-left writing. Even in the 1950s and 1960s, television subtitles still ran from right to left.

After the modernisation efforts of the PRC government in those same decades took a stronger hold there, however, horizontal left-to-right writing � la Latin has become usual practice. In Taiwan and Hong Kong, a parallel process developed with increased exposure to the West, especially the United States, and especially with the advent of technology. Singapore, for its part, has been dually influenced by both its tradition of adopting PRC guidelines with regard to Chinese writing, and by its predominantly Anglophone society.

Despite the rise of horizontal writing (which facilitates inclusion of Hindu-Arabic numerals and Roman-lettered acronyms, inter alia), vertical right-to-left writing has persisted in Taiwan and Hong Kong especially in literature, due to the absence of government official policy on adopting horizontal writing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_written_language

[happi_rae]

Thank you!!! Wow, so knowledgeable!

[happi_rae]

Oh, just realised that was a copy and paste lol