Recent studies on writing systems in Africa have revealed a tradition of script development that started in the early nineteenth century with at least thirty scripts. Of the twenty that were put into use those that were invented before the 1930s appear to have been mainly syllabic and those of a later date mainly alphabetic. This transition cannot be explained by individual language traits or the early lack of familiarity with alphabets but rather by transmission that existed within West Africa where several of the syllabic systems are still in use today.
1. Cultural transmission and script
2. Early history of writing in Africa
3. The process of script invention in sub-Saharan Africa
4. The chronology of African script development
5. Historical developments
6. Regional histories
7. Cultural transmission of scripts
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