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From: barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Barry Gold)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Writing from right to left
Message-ID: <1712@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 25-Jan-85 01:57:11 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.1712
Posted: Fri Jan 25 01:57:11 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 28-Jan-85 04:51:52 EST
References: <2050@pegasus.UUCP>
Reply-To: barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Barry Gold)
Organization: System Development Corp. R+D, Santa Monica
Lines: 13
Summary: 

The way I heard it, languages that originated (or were heavily influenced
by languages that originated) by being carved are written backwards from
the way used by languages written with a brush and ink.  It all has to do
with the fact that most people are right-handed -- and like being able
to see what they've just carved in stone or clay or just scribbled.  A
carver holds the mallet in his right hand and the inscribing tool in the
left hand, and therefore moves leftward.

There was a changeover period when some languages (Greek among them) used
the so-called oxplow method in which lines were written alternately
rightwards and leftwards, just as a farmer plows.

--Lee Gold