The Historical Development of Sign Technologies

Thousands of years ago, humans developed sign systems to preserve symbols, and writing began help them perform their tasks more effectively. Apart from writing, modern printing invented by Johannes Gutenburg about 500 years ago, marked the first information era. The first best selling book was probably the Bible. Translated version of the Bible, e.g. from Latin to English, was spreading throughout Europe like a house on fire. Unlike the written form of language, the spoken form had to wait until the late 1800’s for humans to freeze the signals for later use.

Being able to record the sounds was a remarkable progress in the history of mankind. Language and technology have been good friends. It seems technology will be explored and exploited by language teachers, as soon as they see its possibilities. For example, around 1930s, Ben R. Gibbs, in his book English for Interest, had documented the use of gramophones as a means to make English learning more pleasant.

Reference:

Ability Exercises in English (Ashmore and Wardman (1935). London: Herbert Russell.