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From: ghs1@ihn5l.UUCP (Gary Sitzmann)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Writing from right to left
Message-ID: <128@ihn5l.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 23-Jan-85 19:56:57 EST
Article-I.D.: ihn5l.128
Posted: Wed Jan 23 19:56:57 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 24-Jan-85 08:27:15 EST
References: <2050@pegasus.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 15

The reason that I heard for writing Hebrew right to left is
that the language was started before parchment was used and
stone tablets were the standard.  It is awfully hard for
righthanders to chop on the stone left to right 
Languages like Greek, Latin, and English
were written left to right because their language became 
a written language when use of parchment became common and
it is easier for righthanded people to write on parchment left
to right.  (Lefties don't have it easy in either case though).

Gary Sitzmann -- ihnp4!ihn5l!ghs1
Local Area Network Group -Indian Hill Computation Center
AT&T Bell Laboratories
Naperville, Illinois  60566
(312)979-6067