Linear A as a Transitional Writing System Linguistic Evidence for Proto-Doric Greek in Minoan Crete
Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: Linear A has often been regarded as an undecipherable script, yet this assessment has largely stemmed from the application of interpretive criteria unsuited to its graphic nature. This study offers a systematic reassessment of the mixed formations of Linear A—ligatures, hybrid signs, and vocalic variants—through the analysis of 45 documents originating from various Minoan contexts. A combined examination of the signs, their functions, and their distribution shows that Linear A does not represent a confused or pre-phonetic system, but rather a coherent glottographic system endowed with its own rules and identifiable morphological mechanisms. The transliteration into Greek characters, carried out according to controlled criteria and compared with historical vocabulary, reveals a striking regularity in the reconstructible forms and a set of structural correspondences that point to an archaic Doric of Cretan provenance. Taken together, the data suggest a new perspective on the language of Linear A and on its place in the history of Greek, providing elements that call for a reconsideration of Greek prehistory and the linguistic role of Minoan Crete. This study argues that Linear A should not be regarded as an insoluble enigma, but rather as a readable and internally coherent testimony to an Aegean linguistic tradition that has until now been misunderstood.
Source: OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Author: Patria, Enrica
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7115175654
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