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1. Syllabary

   Linked via "Sumerian cuneiform"

   From Logography to Syllabary
   Many syllabaries are theorized to have evolved from logographic systems, such as early Sumerian cuneiform. As the written signs began to represent not just whole words (logograms) but also the phonetic components of those words (phonetic complements), the system gradually shifted toward prioritizing syllabic representation over semantic meaning.
   A key transitional mechanism is rebus writing, where a logogram representing a concrete object is borrowed solely for its phonetic value. If the sign for 'reed' (phonetically /ka/)…