OVERVIEW

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writing_systems
       This online encyclopedia presents a brief overview on Definitions, History, and Types of writing systems. In General Properties, for instance, we find requirements of a writing system, such as a language and defined symbols along with its rules that have to be shared by a community, among other features. The explanations of the terminology (that is, the sense of graphemes, allographs and glyphs) are present but they are given in only one paragraph each. A positive aspect of this site is its amount of content, although without the profound regarding of features which is often required in scientific analysis.
  
  Alternative Link (Acrobat Reader is required):
  
• http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/fry/101/write.pdf
  

TYPES

• http://www.omniglot.com/writing/definition.htm
       This site details many types of writing systems currently in use, as well as a few ancient and invented ones, totalizing about over 150 different writing codes. Each page contains an illustration of a writing system; details of its origin, usage; notable features and the language(s) written with it; a sample text, and useful links. It is product of intensive work. Amazing.
  
  Alternative Link to the same subject:
  
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_writing_systems
  
  
  Alphabet
  
• http://www.ontopia.net/omnigator/models/topic_complete.jsp?tm=i18n.ltm&id=alphabet
       In this website, the most remarkable feature is the sublinks. They show the alphabetic tree and the languages that uses each of its branches. Their definitions are summarized, in a sort of 'quick view'. It is useful for people who want to take the first steps into the topic and, with the help of other references (which are also given in this page), walk forward in the study of the genealogy of the alphabets. Unfortunately, this page doesn't contain the alphabets itself, in spite of the definitions of the languages being of wide purpose. For example, looking the Cyrillic alphabet, you won't find the alphabet itself rather than a description of it and links to ocurrences of this alphabet in the web.
  
  Alternative Link, but only to European Alphabets:
  
• http://www.evertype.com/alphabets/index.html
  
  
  Abjad
  
• http://www.abjad.com/more_about.html
       Abjad is a writing system that deals only with consonants, the vowels are mostly arbitrary. This site actually presents a learning method to children, which consists of plastic letters of the arabic system. Although it provides information on how does the abjad writing system is applied, it is only available to learning Arabic.
  
  
  Abugida
  
• http://www.languagegeek.com/syl/abugida.html
       Abugida is an alphabet-represented escope of symbols in which consonants and vowels are in the same symbol (grapheme). Based on discussions about the Canadian language, through this link we find the main differences between Syllabic and the Abugida writing.
  
  
  Syllabary
  
• http://mlcr.nagaokaut.ac.jp/main1/signs_of_syllables.htm
       A symbol in a syllabary typically represents a consonant sound followed by a vowel sound, or just a vowel alone, all in one grapheme. Language often thought as ideogramatic, such as Hangul (from Korea), are in fact syllabaric. In this site there is an explanation on how syllables are formed and used. Despite its lack of accurancy in classifying the writing systems, the ones concerning syllable-based languages are of some interest, especially its examples.
  
  
  Logogram-based (or Ideogramatic)
  
• http://www.egyptvoyager.com/hieroglyph_lesson2.htm
       A logogram is a single written character which represents a complete grammatical word or idea. The focus in this site is on Egyptian Hyeroglyph writing and understanding, The page presents a table of sign and meaning in this archaic language. It is useful not only as a course on reading hyeroglyphs but also as a matter of studying the differences between this kind of writing and the development of all the branches of the tree of languages in the world.
  
  Alternative Link, focused on cuneiform writing, which, together with Ancient Egypt, is the very first sort of writing:
  
• http://xoomer.alice.it/bxpoma/akkadeng/cuneiform.htm
  

WRITING SYSTEMS ON COMPUTERS

Unicode System:

• http://www.unicode.org/standard/WhatIsUnicode.html
       Explanation of the system used by computers in order to display characters in any language. Obs: depending on which section one navigates, Acrobat Reader may be required.
  
  Gallery of Unicode Fonts:
  
• http://www.wazu.jp/
       Accessing this link we find a Gallery of Fonts in which with languages are classified by its origins, according to the branch it comes from. Chosing a language, it points to an online location from where it is possible to download the set of caracters of that language (also known as 'font').
  
  Transliterations and codes:
  
• http://www.unicode.org/onlinedat/resources.html
       This website presents an extensive list of links related to transliteration and keybord adaptations (with typing ALT+a code) to a specified language. In some of them, one may input a language (mostly English) and the site outputs what have been written in other language.
  
  Alternative Link, article available only in Portuguese:
  
• http://www.sbs.com.br/virtual/etalk/index.asp?cod=1025

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• http://www.omniglot.com/bibliography.htm
       This website is very complete. What calls our attention the most is its commented bibliography. An interesting site, with solid bases. It is excellent to the researcher who intends not to be limited to the web contents.