SIGNS OF WRITING is the first book to provide a new general theory of writing in over forty years. Harris disputes the supposition that writing is peripheral to linguistic study and provides a unique argument for its vitality to our understanding of language, communication and cognition. Addressing the nature of writing and discussing how it differs from all other forms of human communication, he shows how musical, mathematical and other forms of writing obey the same principles as verbal writing--principles which govern texts of all kinds.