The Art of Language

From Arabic and Japanese to Hebrew, Javanese and Cherokee, explore 26 unique scripts and alphabets with Lonely Planet – and learn to write local proverbs with our calligraphy tutorials. For each script you’ll discover its history and roots, how and where it flourished, and gain insight into other people, places, cultures and traditions throughout the world. We’ll then tell you how to use the script and the easiest handwriting techniques to make it look authentic. Accompanying each script is local proverb and a calligraphy tutorial with a blank page so you can easily recreate the sentence in your own hand. Scripts include: Arabic - from Africa and the Middle East; Vai - from Sierra Leone and Liberia; Hangul - from Korea; Japanese; Hanunoo - from the Philippines; Tamil and Sinhalese - from Sri Lanka; Tibetan; Georgian; Cyrillic - from Belarus, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine; Mongolian; Tifinagh - from north Africa; Hebrew and Syriac - from the Middle East.